Dassanech / Edition of 9 / 26" x 54"

This photograph was taken in a stark and dusty Dassanech village located on the banks of the Omo River in Africa’s Great Rift Valley. With some of the most significant human fossil discoveries in the area, the Great Rift Valley is considered the birthplace of humankind. Here the very controversial practice of women circumcision is performed.   Uncircumcised women are called animals or boys and cannot get married or wear clothes. Discovering that the Dassanech life is extreme and unyielding in the Great Rift Valley leaves an overwhelming feeling.