Indonesia

Irian Jaya has vaulted to fame after the recent discovery of stone age indigenous groups living in the interior. Yet the coastal villages on the outside have had interactions with Europeans for hundreds of years. However, some islands remain unspoiled and unaltered.  This girl and her little cousin live on one them. A tidal wave hit this area of coast a few years ago and her village may have been washed away.

Irian Jaya, Indonesia

© Jean-Philippe Soule 1994