Brazil, 2012

It was already mid-morning and the sun was starting to get too bright to photograph. A group of young Kayapó women had gathered to collect a handful of beads from an incoming traveler, which they use to make their beautiful bracelets. She was the last one in line, waiting patiently for her turn while casually ignoring my camera. When she finally did turn to acknowledge me, I found myself captivated by her inscrutible countenance as she lifted her chin and allowed me to snap a portrait of her. “Menire” is the word Kayapo women call themselves; a complex identity woven through culture, belonging, and a matriarchal heritage as rich as the rainforest.