Wild West of the East
By Gary Joseph Cohen
14 Aug 2009
A frequent traveler through the American Southwest, I was not prepared for the profound familiarity of the Tibetan plateau. Both terrains, rugged and climatically confrontational, brutally honest yet delicately versed in the most understated of flora, could in the wink of the eye be one land.
The people who call Tibet "home" reflect the sensibilities of the land in concrete terms of tenacity and resilience. More profoundly, in the great expanse of open space, and in the compression and slow churn of geological strata, the land makes its presence known on the faces that till, reap and traverse its craggy folds. I saw in these faces, and heard in these voices and in their songs and dance, echoes of the Oglala and Navajo nations, and became a believer in the Bering Straight.
I saw in my own ancestors' journey, out of Africa and into the Middle East and across the Eurasian bowl, a legacy of restlessness and survival hard-wired not just in my own stratified cortex, but entangled in the larger skein of humanity. How did I go all the way to Tibet to wind up back in South Dakota or Tuba City, USA? Suddenly the West seemed no more distant than the looming hips and shoulders of Everest, glued to the blue horizon.
9 responses
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Charles Hess said (15 Aug 2009):
Great story
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Simon Kossoff said (17 Aug 2009):
This is a really really wonderful essay, Gary. The images are just stunning! I love all of them and I'm a huge fan of your work and vision. It looks like it was a fantastic trip too and one I'd love to take myself. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
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Michael Adams gave props (17 Aug 2009):
Thanks for sharing. These are some wonderful photos that really bring out the characters of each.
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Erika Pisu gave props (22 Aug 2009):
my vote!
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eithne mythen gave props (27 Aug 2009):
A beautifully written essay, and terrific photos...
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Liliane Arizmendi gave props (28 Aug 2009):
voted!
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AJ Mears gave props (14 Sep 2009):
The earth is round. The further we go from home the closer we get to returning.
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Nick Nicks said (30 Sep 2009):
Fantastic Essay! This is one of the trips on my "Bucket List". How was it? Any advice? I'm looking to do it in the next few years.
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Alexis Gerard gave props (4 Oct 2009):
What great work. Voted of course
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