The edge of existence [TOP100]
The children work from an early age and in so doing they develop the symbiotic band which is so much a part of the camp ‘ecosystem’. They sleep with cattle, rise at dawn and each day is repeat of the last. The children are found around the fires in the morning where they warm themselves by lying on the ash. When the day starts, the work starts and they gather the fresh dung deposited overnight and place it on the ground to dry out. This is their fuel, a fuel for life in an existence which transcends time. Later in the day the children and teenagers gather the dried dung to fuel the fires which still have embers from the morning. These conical piles of dung light slowly and create the smoke haze which the cattle camps are renowned for. The air loses its clarity and there are plumes of smoke in all parts of the camp which creates a scene where the Mundari and their animals, cattle, sheep and goats, appear to fade into a nebulous mist. Their bond with the Earth is inextricable and sustainable.
Trevor Cole, Ireland, Dunfanaghy
