Russian photojournalist and producer, Natalia Ivanova, initiated an expansive project titled “The Ethnic Origins Of Beauty” to showcase the vast ethnic diversity of humanity. Women from various ethnic backgrounds were featured prominently in this ongoing project (years in the making), posing for portraits and sharing insights about their cultures, traditions, and heritage through interviews. These interviews are set to be included in a documentary series, with each episode focusing on a distinct ethnic group.
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Bored Panda reached out to Natalia Ivanova, the person behind “The Ethnic Origins of Beauty” project.
Lezgins (Lezgian: Лезгияр, IPA: lezgijar) are a Northeast #Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern #Dagestan, a republic of #Russia, and northeastern #Azerbaijan.Lezgin society has traditionally been egalitarian and organized around many autonomous local clans, called syhils (сихилар).The Lezgian language belongs to the #Lezgic branch of the Northeast Caucasian language family that have been spoken in the region before the introduction of Indo-European languages.#Lezgins like other Northeast Caucasian majority are Sunni MuslimsTOTAL POPULATION: about 800 000
The Khakas or Khakass (Khakas: Хакас тілі, Xakas tili, Hakas tëlë), are a Turkic indigenous people of Siberia, who live in the republic of Khakassia, Russia. They speak the Khakas language.The Khakas people account for only about 12% of the total population of the republic. The Khakas people traditionally practiced nomadic herding, agriculture, hunting, and fishing.Traditional religion is shamanism (Tengrism).In the 19th century, many Khakas were converted to Orthodoxy (Russian Orthodox Church).Total population : about 75 000
Discussing her choice to focus primarily on women for this project, Ivanova revealed to us, “Beauty has a universal allure. In an effort to engage a broad audience and convey our differences positively, I chose the language of beauty. Women, with their elegance, intelligence, and charm, aptly represent their respective cultures.”
The Sinhalese (#Sinhala: සිංහල ජාතිය, romanized: Sinhala Jātiya), also known as Hela (Sinhala: හෙළ) are an Indo-Aryan #ethnic group of the island of Sri Lanka. They constitute about 75% of the Sri Lankan population. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, historical heritage and religion. The Sinhalese people speak Sinhala, an insular Indo-Aryan language and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a small percentage of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity. The Sinhalese are mostly found in North Central, Central, South and West Sri Lanka. After colonisation, they were broadly divided into two respective groups: The up country Sinhalese of the central mountainous regions, and the low country Sinhalese of the coastal regions. Although they speak the same language, both groups observe differing cultural customs.Total population: 17 million
The #Ossetians (#Ossetian: ирæттæ, irættæ) are an Iranian ethnic group of the #Caucasus Mountains, indigenous to the region known as #Ossetia. They speak #Ossetic, an Iranic language of the Eastern branch of the Indo-European languages family, with most also fluent in Russian as a second language. The Ossetians are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christian, with a Muslim minority.Total population: 720 000
When it came to the selection criteria for the featured women, the photographer shared that, “It was essential for the women to authentically embody their ethnicity. They needed to be aged between 18-35, have ties to a single ethnic group for at least three generations, have a natural beauty, and possess profound knowledge of their ethnic roots, traditions, and culture.”
The Nuer people are a #Nilotic ethnic group concentrated in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan. They also live in the Ethiopian region of Gambella. The Nuer speak the Nuer language, which belongs to the Nilotic language family. They are the second largest ethnic group in #SouthSudan. The Nuer people are pastoralists who herd cattle for a living. Their cattle serve as companions and define their lifestyle.The Nuer people have historically been undercounted because of the semi-nomadic lifestyle. They also have a culture of counting only older members of the family. They believe that counting the number could result in misfortune and prefer to report fewer children than they have.TOTAL POPULATION: about 2.8 million
Delving into memorable moments from her interviews with the people she photographed, Natalia shared a rather interesting quote: “Each interview is special in its own right. However, one that stands out is with a lady from a lesser-known ethnic group. She voiced immense pride in her lineage, saying, ‘Being part of this isn’t merely a testament to my beauty, but a representation of my people, our legacy, and our traditions.’ Moments like these truly capture the soul of this endeavor.”
Reflecting on the project’s notable recognition, especially with its permanent exhibition in India (2022), the photographer expressed a few thoughts.“It’s an overwhelming feeling. Being a part of the National Museum of Science and Technology of India suggests that our message is striking a chord. It solidifies the belief that there’s a genuine respect and intrigue for the diverse spectrum of human ethnicity.”
Reflecting on the project’s notable recognition, especially with its permanent exhibition in India (2022), the photographer expressed a few thoughts.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling. Being a part of the National Museum of Science and Technology of India suggests that our message is striking a chord. It solidifies the belief that there’s a genuine respect and intrigue for the diverse spectrum of human ethnicity.”
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The Nenets, also known as #Samoyed, are a #Samoyedic ethnic group #native to northern #Arctic #Russia, Russian Far North.Most of them living in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District stretching along the coastline of the Arctic Ocean near the Arctic Circle between Kola and Taymyr peninsulas.The Nenets people speak either the Tundra or Forest Nenets languages, which are mutually unintelligible. In the Russian Federation they have a status of indigenous small-numbered peoples.Today, the Nenets people face numerous challenges from the state and oil and gas companies that threaten the environment and their way of life. As a result, many cite a rise in locally based activism.The traditional occupation of the Nenets is large-scale reindeer herding. Several thousand Nenets reindeer herders roam the #Yamal Peninsula, owning about 500,000 reindeer. The traditional dwelling of the Nenets is a conical tent, a chum.They have a shamanistic and animistic belief system which stresses respect for the land and its resourcesTOTAL POPULATION: about 45 000
Veps, or Vepsians (Veps: vepsläižed), are a small Finno-Ugric people, who speak the Veps language, which belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages , traditionally living in the territory of Karelia, Vologda and Leningrad regions in Russia.Nowadays, almost all Vepsians are fluent in Russian. The young generation in general does not speak their native language.The Orthodoxy spread among the Veps in the 11th-12th centuries, but pre-Christian beliefs, for example, in the house-spirit (pert’ižand), were preserved for a long time; patients seek help from the healer (noid)Total population: about 6400
#Crimean Tatars (Crimean Tatar: qırımtatarlar, къырымтатарлар) or Crimeans are a #Turkic ethnic group who are an indigenous people of the Crimean Peninsula ( #Crimea ) along the northern coast of the Black Sea in Eastern Europe.The formation and ethnogenesis of Crimean Tatars occurred during the 13th–17th centuries, uniting #Cumans that appeared in Crimea in the 10th century with other peoples who ever inhabited Crimea since ancient times and gradually underwent Tatarization, including the Greeks, Italians and Goths.Today, Crimean Tatars constitute approximately 15% of the population of Crimea. There remains a large diaspora in Turkey and Uzbekistan.The Crimean Tatars are subdivided into three sub-ethnic groups:- the Tats (not to be confused with the Iranic Tat people, living in the Caucasus region) who used to inhabit the mountainous Crimea before 1944- the Yaliboylu who lived on the southern coast of the peninsula before 1944 and practiced Christianity until the 14th century;- the Noğays (not to be confused with related Nogai people, living now in Southern Russia) — former inhabitants of the Crimean steppe.The Crimean Tatar language (qırımtatar tili, къырымтатар тили) is a Kipchak Turkic language.The vast majority of Crimean Tatars are Sunni Muslims.TOTAL POPULATION : about 540 000
The #Hazaras (Persian: هزاره, romanized: Hazāra; Hazaragi: آزره, romanized: Āzra) are an ethnic group native to and primarily residing in the #Hazaristan (#Hazarajat) region in central #Afghanistan and generally scattered throughout Afghanistan. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and are also significant minority groups in neighboring Pakistan, mostly in Quetta, and as well as in Iran. They speak the #Hazaragi dialect of Persian, which is mutually intelligible with Dari, one of the two official languages of Afghanistan.Despite being one of the principal population elements of Afghanistan, the origins of the Hazara people have not been fully reconstructed. Genetic and linguistic analysis show that Hazaras are a racially mixed group with Hazaras having varying degrees of Mongolic,Turkic and Iranic ancestry.Hazaras predominantly practice Islam, mostly the Shi’a, with significant Sunni, some Isma’ili and Non-denominational Muslim minorities.Hazaras are considered to be a persecuted group in Afghanistan, and their persecution has occurred various times across previous decades.Total population: about 8 millions
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