Mundari cattle camp by Trevor Cole

The cattle camp, seldom visited by outsiders, is quite simply incredible. I saw Sebastiao Salgado’s photo of these camps years ago and there is no change that I could see. The Mundari are friendly and enjoy being photographed.
Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

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The cattle camp, seldom visited by outsiders, is quite simply incredible. I saw Sebastiao Salgado’s photo of these camps years ago and there is no change that I could see.

The Mundari are friendly and enjoy being photographed. The dust and smoke intermingle to create and inimitable atmosphere. We arrived in the late afternoon when the light was soft and warm with long shadows. The tribe have all their wealth in their cattle and there are thousands of them. When young men of the tribe get married the dowry may be as much as 40 cattle. 

At night they sleep with their cattle to protect them and they carry Kalashnikovs to do so. Cattle rustling is commonplace and is a cause of conflict. The Ankoli Watusi cattle have the largest horns (perhaps a metre long in some cases) I have ever seen and the biggest of the cattle may be worth $500. During the day the cattle disperse from the banks of the Nile into the long grasses of the alluvial floodplain. They return at dusk instinctively.

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Whilst they enjoyed having their photographs taken, they were always at work. We were a novelty to them and their reaction to us was welcoming. They collect the dung deposited overnight and spread it on the ground, some of it is used to coat  the cattle horns with a veneer of manure. We watched as boys immersed their heads in the flow of fresh urine from the cattle. The outcome of this is to make use of a natural antiseptic and to change their hair colour to red or even bleached blonde! They relentlessly brushed around the huge camp ensuring that it was organised despite the huge numbers of cattle and smaller numbers of goats. The cattle are tied to a peg at night to ensure their security. They have their own parking places! There are forked sticks (small trunks) spaced around the camp which the night watchers/guards climb onto with their AK47’s or Kalashnikovs to watch over their wealth.

Shooting at dawn and dusk is perfect as all the cattle are in place. The more you see, the more you realise that there is an inextricable bond between the tribe and their cattle. The way they lead them, rub ash into their skins, attend to their needs, use their milk, dung and urine. It is a symbiotic relationship where there is an understanding of the cattle which goes beyond normal animal husbandry. They take pride in their animals and the whole community of man and beast is interconnected. I have never seen anything like it. On the previous evening the air was filled with smoke from the dung and kindle wood fires to keep insects at bay. The dust is used to help dry the dung which is laboriously collected and piled in the mornings. It is then dried as fuel. As the sun sets in African style the light, smoke and dust create an ethereal atmosphere which makes it appear that the Mundari and their cattle fade into a mist. An ancient mist, trapped in time, where tribal traits and traditions are perpetuated in the twenty first century. [Official Website]

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

Mundari cattle camp | Trevor Cole

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Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
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