Children around the world
“Now, how do I solve this problem?” – Child with mobile phone, Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Mother and child, Changdam, Langtang Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Children on the beach, Tortuguero, Limón, Costa Rica. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This boy participates in the annual Lantern Festival in the city of Taitung, Taiwan. During this festival, volunteers undress to represent Handan-yeh, the Daoist money god. As he dislikes cold, people shell the volunteer with firecrackers to heat him up. This picture shows the boy prior to the bombardment. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word
Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won’t sing
Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass
Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke
Mama’s gonna buy you a billy goat
And if that billy goat won’t pull
Mama’s gonna buy you a cart and bull
And if that cart and bull turn over
Mama’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover
And if that dog named Rover won’t bark
Mama’s gonna buy you a horse and cart
And if that horse and cart fall down
You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town
So hush little baby, don’t you cry
Daddy loves you and so do I!
Traditional song, possibly originating in the southern United States.
Austria
Wearing traditional dresses, this very young courting couple participates in a music festival in the village of Prägraten, Virgen Valley, Tyrol. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Cambodia
The Khmer are the most numerous people in Cambodia, accounting for over 97% of the 16 million people in the country. They are descended from the founders of the Khmer Empire (802-1431 A.D.), foremost among Southeast Asian Hindu kingdoms. This empire left a superb legacy in the form of the Angkor ruins. The pictures below are all from the Angkor area.
Little Khmer boy, drinking from a coconut. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little Khmer girl, three years old, is very proud of her new school uniform. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Khmer children, playing outside their home, Banteay Srey. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Khmer girl is taking care of her infant brother. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Kina
This little boy has fun, playing on a toy police motorcycle, Guiyang, Guizhou Province. Note his fancy hairstyle. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Giggling school girls, Guiyang. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces of south-western China are home to approximately 50 tribal peoples, who often wear very colourful traditional dresses. Other pictures of these tribes may be studied in the gallery at People: Tribals of China.
Girls of the Bai minority, clad in traditional dress, pose for tourists, Dali, Yunnan. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Shuei tribal woman carries her child in a traditional backpack, Guizhou. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Young woman and child of the Yi people, Yuanyang, Yunnan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little Yi girl is playing with bits of banana leaves, used by her parents to wrap around goods, which they sell at a market in Yuanyang. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Yi woman, clad in traditional dress, visits a market in Yuanyang, carrying her child on her back. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Yi boys, playing with a wheelbarrow, Guizhou. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little girl, eating with chopsticks, Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Comoro Islands
These girls in the town of Moroni, Grande Comore, assist their mother, peeling cooking bananas. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Costa Rica
Tortuguero is a small island in the province of Limón – a very peaceful place with a friendly and relaxed population.
Children on swings in evening light, Tortuguero. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little girl in her finest dress, Tortuguero. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little girl of mixed Spanish and African origin, Tortuguero. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Denmark
This little girl is sitting in a field, full of dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), central Jutland. This plant is presented in detail on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Despite being somewhat sunburned, this little boy is enjoying his sandwich at a beach on the island of Lyø, Funen. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This happy little boy is well dressed for cold weather. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Danish postcard from c. 1920, depicting a little girl, dressed up for a studio photograph. (Photo: Public domain)
During forest walks in eastern Jutland, this little girl got tired. In the upper picture, she is sleeping in the child carrier on her father’s back, and the lower picture shows her, riding on her mother’s shoulders. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Typical girl of the blond, Nordic type, 12 years old, Zealand. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Breast-feeding. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
A little girl and her father enjoy a merry-go-round, Bornholm. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This one-year-old boy is enjoying a bath in the kitchen sink, Copenhagen. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Following a heavy rain shower, this little boy has fun, splashing in a puddle, Jutland. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little boy, playing with a bucket, Jutland. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During a trip to the Laxá Valley, northern Iceland, this little Danish boy is admiring a chick of golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little girls, playing with flower pots in a wash tub, Jutland. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little Danish girl in a photo studio, anno 1946. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
While his mother is busy filming with her video camera, her child is more interested in my doings. – Bornholm. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is home to a multitude of peoples, the largest of which are the Amhara, counting about 20 million, or c. 27% of the country’s population. The pictures below show children in various regions of this vast country. Other pictures may be seen on the page Portraits, and in the gallery at People: Tribals of Ethiopia.
Amhara herding boys – and a shy girl, Chacha. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Amhara girl is taking care of a smaller sibling, Gosh Meda. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Oromo children, herding cattle, west of Dinsho, Bale Mountains. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
‘Is he dangerous?’ this baby on his mother’s back seems to think. – Lalibela. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Girl with braids, Negelle. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Girl with a peculiar hairstyle, Nechisar National Park. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boy, peeping through a fence, Negelle. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Children, carrying sacks of fodder, Bahir Dar, Lake Tana. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Shy young girls, one of them with a peculiar hairstyle, Lalibela. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
France
Multi-ethnic kindergarten children, Paris. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Guatemala
Guatemala is presented in detail on the page Travel episodes – Guatemala 1998: Country of the Mayans.
Most women and many girls in this country wear a gorgeous blouse, called a huipil, consisting of several layers of cloth, sown together into intricate patterns. Every village in Guatemala has its own distinct huipil colours and patterns, and almost every woman weaves the cloth for her huipil herself. These gorgeous blouses are not only worn at religious festivals or other important events, as one might judge from the beauty of them, but constitute a part of the daily dress.
Wearing a blue huipil, this little girl is assisting her mother, washing clothes, Santa Catarina Palomo, Lago Atitlan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala, is a gorgeous old Spanish colonial town, with cobbled streets, pastel-colored houses, arches across the streets, and a huge number of spectacular churches. The pictures below were all taken in this city.
“Grandfather, something is wrong with my bicycle!” (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Carrying a smaller sibling on her back, this girl has brought goods to a market to be sold. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little street vendor, selling souvenirs in the city square. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This child is very snug on her mother’s back, while she is shopping at a market. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Holland
Little girls, clad in local dresses of bygone days, Enkhuizen Outdoor Museum, West-Friesland. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Iceland
For the major part of the year, Icelandic sheep roam the mountains freely, but when winter is approaching, they are driven into a large enclosure, where they are divided, according to owners, who recognize their animals from their ear-marks. They then drive the sheep back to their farms on lorries.
This little boy is assisting his parents, rounding up sheep at Fnjóská, near Akureyri. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boy and golden retriever, watching rounding-up of sheep, Fnjóská. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
India
Aboriginals of India are small people, many of Australoid descent, which lived in the forests for thousands of years. When the Dravidians, and later the Aryans, invaded India, these tribal peoples were driven into remote areas. Many still live in the states of Odisha (Orissa), Chattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Unfortunately, the culture and way of living of these peoples are rapidly disintegrating, and many have lost their land to entrepreneurs, who extract coal, iron and other minerals from it. Owners of paper factories have persuaded several of the tribes to plant eucalyptus trees on their land, promising these people a large outcome from these trees. However, they omit to inform them that eucalyptus trees dry out the soil, often leading to scarcity of water in areas, which were previously covered in lush forest.
When the pictures below were taken in 1997, many tribal peoples had still preserved part of their traditional ways.
Young Sabara mother with her infant son, Sabari River, Odisha. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sabara boy near the Sabari River. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Shy Mali girls in a village near Jeypore, Odisha. One of them has smeared yellow paste in her face, presumably to protect her skin from the fierce sunshine. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Paraja girl, her hair adorned with flowers, is selling peas at a market in Tanginiguda, Odisha. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Another young Paraja tribal vendor at a market in the town of Kotpad. Note the tattoos on her arms. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Gadaba tribal girl with her grandfather, near Jeypore. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In areas dominated by Tibetan Buddhism, or Lamaism, many boys spend longer or shorter periods of time as apprentices in local monasteries, called gompas. These buildings, and other aspects of Buddhism, are described in detail on the page Religion: Buddhism.
Lamaism is the dominant religion in the province of Ladakh, north-western India. These boys are apprentices in a monastery in the village of Lamayuru. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
At the partition of India in 1947, millions of Muslims emigrated to the new state of Pakistan. Many stayed in India, though, and today Muslims constitute about 170 million people, or c. 14 % of the population, scattered throughout the nation. The following pictures show Muslim children at various places in India.
Girls in the city of Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little girl is assisting her mother, harvesting saffron flowers, Pampur, Kashmir. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little boy watched me intensely for a long time, before he decided that I was not dangerous. – Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Pretty Muslim girls, Pahalgam, Kashmir. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The girls in the picture below, from the city of Bijapur, Karnataka, are dressed up for a Muslim wedding. Patterns have been applied to their hands, using dye made from the henna plant. This species is described on the page Plants: Plants in folklore and poetry.
(Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The following three images depict Indian school children.
These children in the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, are transported to school in a very unusual ‘school bus’ – a pushcart! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Bhokta tribal children, photographed during a lesson in a village school near Bodhgaya, Bihar. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This girl in Leh, Ladakh, has strapped her school bag around her forehead. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Changpa father and son, encountered on the Pulo Konka La Pass in Ladakh, live as nomads during the summer months. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little Hindu girl in the village of Seventri, Rajasthan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The parents of this little girl in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, wished to take a picture of her beside the donkey. However, she seems to be a little afraid of it. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Kindergarten children, Mukkali, Kerala. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The vast Thar Desert stretches across the state of Rajasthan, and further west into Pakistan. The main part of this desert is level sand or gravel plains with scattered bushes and trees.
This desert is surprisingly densely populated, inhabited by a number of peoples, who belong to various religions, such as Jains, Bishnoi, Muslims, and Hindu Rajputs. Scattered across the bleak landscape lie numerous towns and villages. One such town is Jaisalmer, close to the Pakistani border, which was founded in 1156 by a Rajput prince, Roa Rawal Jaisal.
You may read more about this fascinating area elsewhere, see Travel episodes – India 2003: Camel safari in the Thar Desert.
Little girls, dressed in their best finery, Jaisalmer. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little girl is carrying water in a brass jar, near Jodhpur. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Muslim and his children enjoy the evening, sitting on a sand dune near the village of Bambara, situated in the heart of the Thar Desert, near the border to Pakistan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Muslim children, Bambara. A white paste has been applied to their face to protect the skin from the fierce sunshine. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
On a chilly morning in the Thar Desert, this boy and his father are warming themselves at a tiny fire. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Wait for me! – Bringing home her family’s cows shortly before dusk, this girl in the village of Kaza, Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, is holding on to the tail of one of the cows. Usually, Himalayan cattle owners do not let their animals graze out at night for fear of attacks from wolves or bears. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Village boys, Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This girl has been collecting ferns in the forest for her family’s evening meal, Asi Ganga Valley, Uttarakhand. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little girl in the Markha Valley, Ladakh, is playing an ancient game. She throws several pebbles into the air, trying to grab more pebbles from the ground before catching the falling ones. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
A wandering musician and his son enjoy a break outside the Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The musician has only one leg – the artificial one is seen to the right. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boys, carrying loads of empty sacks, Lata, Uttarakhand. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boy from the Markha Valley, Ladakh. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Indonesia
The Batak are a group of closely related Austronesian peoples, including the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, Angkola, and Mandailing, who live in a large area of northern Sumatra. My acquaintance with these people stems from a visit to Lake Toba in 1975.
More pictures of the Batak may be seen on several other pages on this website, including Culture: Musicians, and in the gallery at People: Tribals of the Sunda Islands.
These Batak children have fun, bringing home water buffaloes after work in the paddy fields, Samosir Island, Lake Toba. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Batak children, playing with bamboo stems, Samosir Island. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little boy – large gun, Ubud, Bali. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Minangkabau tribal boy has been sprayed with mud from working in a paddyfield, Kotubaru, Sumatra. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Best of friends! – Kintamani, Bali. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During a Hindu temple festival near Ubud, Bali, these small boys are playing with a drum. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sasak tribal girl, carrying embers in a bowl, Senaru, Lombok. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little boys, Ubud, Bali. The smallest one is a bit wary of me. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Children in a playground, Ubud, Bali. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Iran
Boy in the city of Bandar Shah, south-east of the Caspian Sea. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The Lur are a people, living in the Zagros Mountains, south-western Iran. My rather bizarre adventures in this area are related on the page Travel episodes – Iran 1973: In the mountains of Luristan.
Lur herding boys, two of them wearing huge traditional herders’ felt cloaks. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Lur boy, twelve years old. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Iraq
For thousands of years, a huge marsh area in southern Iraq, between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, was the home of the Madan tribe, whose way of life was completely adapted to the wet habitat. They moved about in canoes, built their reed houses on islets, and made a living by hunting and fishing, growing rice, and raising water buffaloes.
The regime of Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (1979-2003) put an end to their way of life by draining the marshes, as a retaliation for the Madan siding with the Americans during the First Gulf War (1990-1991).
This interesting wetland is presented in detail on the pages Travel episodes – Iraq 1973: The hospitable mudir, and Iraq 1973: Dust storm and sheep’s head.
This picture of a Madan father and son was taken in 1977, prior to the destruction of this area. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Children in the village of Hamar. It is often the duty of Arabian girls, however young, to take care of a smaller sibling. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Jordan
Little Arab boys also have secrets! – Azraq. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
School boys in their class room, Aqaba. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Kyrgyzstan
Children of different races can be the best of friends, as in this picture from Karakol, showing a Russian boy (left) and a Kyrghyz boy. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Malawi
Lake Malawi is the third-largest lake in Africa, 575 km long and up to 85 km wide, covering an area of c. 23,000 km2. The majority of the population of this area are various Bantu tribes, including the Achewa, who live around the south-western corner of the lake.
My adventures on board a ferry on this lake are related on the page Travel episodes – Malawi 1997: A three-day ferry cruise on Lake Malawi.
This boy has paddled his dug-out canoe out to our ferry, hoping to sell a few mangoes to passengers. Soon a furious haggling over the price begins, and when the two parties have come to an agreement, the fruits are handed up, and coins are tossed into the canoe. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Happy Achewa children, bathing near Cape Maclear in the south-western corner of the lake. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little Achewa girl from the village of Chembe. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This happy little Achewa boy from Chembe is on his way out into the world. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Malaysia
The indigenous population of Borneo consists of various Malayan tribes, known by the common name Dayaks. One of these peoples are the Punan, who live along the Rajang River, Sarawak. My stay in a Punan village is related on the page Travel episodes – Borneo 1975: Canoe trip with Punan tribals.
Punan girls, pounding rice on the veranda in front of a longhouse. With a graceful movement of her foot, one of the girls in the lower picture pushes back some of the rice into the pile, without making any pause in her pounding. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Myanmar
Once in a while, this girl in Bagan would dance along the road, gracefully swaying her hips, while still balancing a large bucket of laundry on her head. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
In Myanmar, a white paste is made from branches of the orange jessamine tree (Murraya paniculata), locally called thanaka. This paste protects the skin against the sun and also makes it smooth. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Nepal
The majority of the inhabitants in the Kathmandu Valley are Newars, a people of mixed Caucasian and Mongoloid origin.
Newar kindergarten children, enjoying their lunch, Kathmandu. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Newar boy in the village of Bungamati is wearing a topi, a typical Newari style hat. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During the Hindu festival of Bisket Jatra, celebrated in the city of Bhaktapur, the little Newar girl in the picture below, dressed in her finery, is gathering coins from a shrine, which have been brought as an offering to the god Kalo Bhairab – the local name of the great god Shiva. Rice kernel have been applied to the red tika mark on her forehead, which is only done during major festivals.
Bisket Jatra is described on the page Religion: Hinduism.
(Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During Losar, the Tibetan New Year, these Tibetan boys, clad in their best finery, pay a visit to the great Bodhnath Stupa in Kathmandu. This stupa is described on the page Religion: Buddhism. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little girl helps her father washing a carpet, Shyabru, Langtang Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Stark naked, apart from flip-flops and a rosary, this little Gurung boy enjoys a warm spring day, near Syange, Lower Marsyangdi Valley, Annapurna. The flowering tree near the suspension bridge is a coral tree, Erythrina stricta. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Walking down a lane in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Valley, this boy is drinking from a bottle. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boy with rhododendron flowers, Bharku, Langtang Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Girls, Pati Bhanjyang (top) and Kiul, Helambu. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Walking along the Rapti River, southern Nepal, this little girl has a firm grip in her grandmother’s skirt. To the right is a zebu ox, described in depth on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little girl with her mother’s sandals, Lower Marsyangdi Valley, Annapurna. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Girls on their way to school, Bungamati, Kathmandu Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Girls, washing pots and pans in the polluted Vishnumati River, Kathmandu. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
School children in the Kali Gandaki Valley, Annapurna. The girl to the left is of Mongolian origin, whereas the other one is Caucasian. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Limbu girls, doing homework, Hangdewa, near Taplejung. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During the midday heat, this Gurung child in Ilam is playing with a metal cup and a bamboo stick. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boys, playing in the Rapti River, southern Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Early in the morning, these boys are passing through smoke, which seeps out of a house in Chame, Marsyangdi Valley, Annapurna. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
A red tika mark has been applied to the forehead of this Hindu girl in the Marsyangdi Valley, and rice kernels have been pressed into the paste, indicating that a major Hindu festival is taking place. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Hindu girls, Trisuli Valley, central Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The common greeting in most parts of the Himalaya is Namaste, approximately translated as ‘I salute the divinity in you.’ While greeting, you cup your hands in front of your face or chest. These sweet little children were photographed in the village of Betrawati, Trisuli Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Children in the Himalaya are accustomed to work from an early age. The following pictures show Nepalese children, performing various tasks.
This little boy is doing his very best to help his mother, bringing firewood to her kitchen. A chicken is surveying his efforts. – Shyabru, Langtang National Park. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This girl from Navagaon, Arun Valley, is carrying a load of foliage from the forest to her home, to be used as fodder for her family’s cows. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Another girl with a huge bundle of fodder. Note the sickle in her hand, which she used to cut the grass. – Marsyangdi Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
It is often the duty of Himalayan girls, however young, to take care of their smaller siblings, while their mother is busy elsewhere. – Chichila, Arun Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Using oxen, this boy is ploughing a field in the Marsyangdi Valley. His mother walks behind him, sowing maize kernels one by one. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This girl in Sankhu, Kathmandu Valley, is carrying a basket, laden with fodder for her family’s buffaloes. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boys, carrying firewood to their home in Chame, Marsyangdi Valley. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During a hike towards the village of Gul Bhanjyang, Helambu, my guide and I took shelter from heavy rain in the first small hotel we encountered along the trail. As it turned out, the house owners were out working in their fields, but their three sweet little daughters made tea for us, and soon their parents returned. As the rain continued for the rest of the day, we spent the night with this sympathetic family.
This hike is presented in detail elsewhere, see Travel episodes – Nepal 2009: Across a snow-covered pass.
These sweet little girls made tea for us. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Wearing his mother’s flip-flops, this little boy is trying to move a plank, the size of which is obviously beyond his abilities. – Marsyangdi Valley, Annapurna. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Hiking towards the Lamjura Pass in eastern Nepal, I passed these children, who were playing outside their home. As Nepalese children will often do, they shouted something after me. When I went up to photograph them, they suddenly became very silent, watching my doings with deep interest. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This elderly Gurung man in the Kali Gandaki Valley, Annapurna, is taking care of his grandchildren. Their parents are probably busy, working in the fields. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This village boy enjoys himself, playing on a simple flute, made from a thin bamboo stem, Basantapur, eastern Nepal. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little boy, playing in a basket, Kathmandu. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Pakistan
Peasant boys, Kot Sabzal, Sind. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Spain
Little girls, dressed up for a carnival, Los Christianos, Tenerife, Canary Islands. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sri Lanka
Veddas are the aboriginal people of Sri Lanka, thought to be of mixed Negrito and Australoid origin. They were driven far into the jungles by invading Sinhalese, a people from North India, who, in the 6th Century B.C., conquered most of Sri Lanka, creating an advanced civilization, comprising several competing kingdoms. The various peoples of Sri Lanka are presented on the page Travel episodes – Sri Lanka 1974: Among the Veddas.
Vedda children in the village of Polebedda, near Mahiyangana. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little Sinhalese girl, playing on a rocking horse, Horana. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This little Sinhalese girl lives with her parents in a temporary shelter, built for Buddhist pilgrims, who make the demanding ascent to the temple atop the sacred Adam’s Peak. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Sinhalese boy in Polonnaruwa makes a living as a snake charmer, playing his flute to make a cobra (Naja naja) ‘dance’. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sinhalese boy, climbing a coconut palm to pick nuts, Hikkaduwa. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Sweden
Girl, admiring petroglyphs from the Bronze Age, Vitlycke, Bohuslän. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
These children enjoy participating in the Midsummer’s Festival, taking place in the village of Himmelsberga, Öland. The girl is wearing a flower garland around her hair. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Taiwan
Taiwan is home to a multitude of peoples of Malayan origin, who inhabited this island long before the invasion of Chinese peoples. Today, these indigenous tribes are numbering about 600,000 persons, or c. 2.5% of the island’s population. They include the Bunun, numbering about 50,000 people, mainly live in the mountains in the central part of the island.
Bunun tribal girls, Dilih. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Mosaic, depicting a child with tattooed face, artwork of Song Lin tribals in Wanda, near Wushe. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The prevalent religion in Taiwan is a peculiar mixture of Buddhism and Daoism, described in detail on the page Religion: Daoism in Taiwan.
During the Daoist Boat Burning Festival, which honours the God of Plague, Wang-yeh, celebrated on the island of Siao Liouchou, this boy is dressed and decorated as a Bajiajiang, a devil-like, beneficial being. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During the Daoist Lantern Festival, celebrated in the city of Taitung, this little girl has also been decorated as a Bajajiang. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Decorated girls participate in a parade, likewise during the Lantern Festival in Taitung. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Accompanied by music from gongs, children, dressed as Bajajiang, perform a dance in front of a temple during the Tiger God festival, celebrated in the town of Shingang. The ground is littered with debris from exploded firecrackers. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
When fireworks explode during a Daoist festival, celebrated in the town of Pitou in honour of the Mother Goddess Mazu, this little boy covers his ears. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little girl, Taichung. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
While on a day-trip to a persimmon (Diospyros kaki) plantation in Xinpu, these school children assist in peeling the fruits, in order for them to be dried. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During a trip to a local city park in Taichung, these kindergarten children are all wearing masks. The picture was taken during the outbreak of corona virus in February 2020. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Tanzania
Near Lake Natron we met these Masai boys, who are wearing elaborate head ornaments, adorned with ostrich feathers, bits of brightly coloured cloth, and small birds, which the boys themselves had killed. This ornament indicates that soon the boys will go through initiation ceremonies to become morani (warriors). – One of the boys seems to make fun of us with his club! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
One of these girls in southern Tanzania is a mulatto, whose British father has very fair hair. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This boy, carrying an axe, is on his way into the forest to gather firewood, Salale, Rufiji River. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Thumbs up! – Little girl from the town of Lindi. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This boy has caught a young African broadbill (Smithornis capensis) and is now carrying it on his head, Litipo Forest, southern Tanzania. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Little boys, playing on the beach, Bwejuu, Zanzibar. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Thailand
Little children in Bangkok, playing with a gate. The girl wears no trousers at all, and the boy will soon drop his. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Tibet
My adventures in this fascinating country are related in detail on the page Travel episodes – Tibet 1987: Tibetan summer.
Boy from Shigatse, wearing a natural ’scarf’ around his neck – dirt! (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
During a visit to the Tashilhunpo Monastery, Shigatse, this little girl, wearing a fancy hat, has fallen asleep on her grandmother’s back. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Another sophisticated hat, Shigatse. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Turkey
At Pamukkale, western Turkey, water, containing dissolved calcium bicarbonate, is running down a slope over a wide area, where the mineral is deposited, and, over time, has formed numerous bluish-white terraces, some dry, some containing ponds with shallow water.
Children, bathing in some of the ponds at Pamukkale. The little boy in the bottom picture enjoys his bath stark naked, whereas his mother is dipping her toes, dressed very modestly. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Uganda
Little Bantu girl, carrying fruits, Kambuga. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
United States
This little boy is well supplied with gear for catching water creatures, Shu Swamp, Long Island. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Vietnam
This little boy has fun, playing on a toy fire truck, Hanoi. Note his fancy hairstyle. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Holding on to his grandmother’s hand, this little boy in Hanoi turns his head to see what I am doing. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Zambia
Shy little girl, clinging to her brother’s shoulder, Chinsanka. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Boys, selling edible mushrooms along the road, Serenje. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The majority of the population in Zambia are various Bantu peoples. The Unga, who live in the great Bangweulu Swamps, are presented in detail on the page Countries and places: Bangweulu – where water meets the sky.
Unga boy, punting his canoe along a river channel in the Bangweulu Swamps. To the right is dense vegetation, consisting mainly of papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) and reed (Phragmites australis). (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Most Unga women wrap a gaily coloured cloth, called chitenge, around their waist. Babies spend most of the time on their mother’s back, wrapped in a chitenge. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Unga woman and children, catching fish in a big basket. The children will try to shoo fish towards the woman, who is holding the basket beneath the surface, lifting the basket, when fish are above it. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Unga girls, pounding cassava roots (Manihot esculenta) to make flour, Ncheta Island. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
These Unga boys assist a relative, pulling a fishing net into the canoe. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Unga woman, breast-feeding her twins, Kasoma Lunga. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
This Unga girl, who is staying in a temporary fishing village in the swamps, carries lake water in a big bowl to the kitchen. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
Unga school boys in their class room, Ncheta Island. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
The Bena Kabende live near the town of Samfya, northern Zambia. Other pictures, depicting this tribe, may be seen on the pages People: Women are more than half of the world, and Portraits.
Bena Kabende boys in the village of Manokola. The smallest one has mud all over his face. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)
(Uploaded August 2016)
(Latest update March 2023)