THE BONDO - 2008
The Bondo people live in extreme rural areas of the Indian state of Odisha, located in the eastern part of the country. It is a region both beautiful and rugged, and many indigenous tribes inhabit its valleys and mountains. As part of his plan to photograph the daily lives and rituals throughout Odisha he made arrangements to visit the Bondo tribe at the weekly market, when they travel down from their highland villages to sell produce in the local town center.
Katzenstein arrived early and immediately began searching for a suitable background to use for the portrait series. Once it was located and he was ready with his camera, the women lined up to be photographed. This was an unusual event for these women even though they are often photographed by a passing tourist, and they took the process very seriously, and with a good deal of fun.
The inherent beauty of their dress and ornamentation combines with their concentration and pride to create a wonderful series about women and culture. They stand straight and tall, and because they are photographed alone their diminutive size is not clearly apparent (the average height is about 53 inches).