Americans only see mountains, while indigenous people see "sacred" ▎ The miracle of Himalayan mask dance

Chris Rainier
Documentary Photographer

Renowned for documenting endangered cultures and traditional languages worldwide, he was awarded the Lowell Thomas Award by The Explorers Club in 2002 and elected as a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 2014, specializing in cultural preservation. He is the founder and director of the Cultural Sanctuary Foundation, a global philanthropic organization dedicated to protecting biodiversity and traditional cultures.

Text Source: Photographer documents world's most dramatic ritual masks
Chris Rainier: Follow Your Passion
chrisrainier.org
Photography: @chrisrainier
Editor: Wang Cong

Chris Rainier's Photography Series "Masks"

"We live in an extraordinary era,  
an age of astonishing technological advancement.  
Yet we also live in a time of unprecedented destruction  
of our natural environment and the planet's biodiversity.  

We have become aware of environmental protection and climate change,  
but what about the loss of marginalized cultures and languages?  
Every two weeks, an elder passes away—  
and with them, an entire language system,  
traditional rituals, and a unique cultural identity perish."  

...  
Chris Rainier

Chris Rainier · Himalayan Region

Beyond Travel Magazines

From his earliest memories, Rainier traveled the world with his family. Growing up in Australia, England, Canada, Africa, and California, his love for nature inspired him to pick up a camera and document distant cultures, captivated by the mystery and beauty of indigenous peoples. Even in his early years of photography, Rainier recognized that traditional cultures were fading—a reality he could not ignore.

Alaska, USA

Burkina Faso, West Africa

"I know no place is as perfect as a travel magazine portrays,  
so I want to truly immerse myself in these communities  
and use photography to draw attention  
to marginalized cultures."

Driven by his passion for photography and a strong artistic vision, Rainier decided to become a professional photographer. To pursue his dream, he worked as an assistant to the renowned American photographer Ansel Adams. Rainier recalls that Adams possessed boundless curiosity—even at 80 years old, he began learning computers and found endless joy in it.  

This experience gave Rainier a new revelation: "You must reinvent yourself and embrace life with passion."

Northwestern Canada

The Meaning of a Mountain

After working with Adams, Rainier became a photojournalist, covering major wars and disasters for *Time* and other publications. Throughout his career, he remained committed to documentary photography, journeying to New Guinea, West Africa, Borneo, Nepal, India, and Afghanistan. He connected deeply with the land, capturing the spiritual essence of cultures as he experienced them—freezing those moments in time.

New Guinea

Rainier said while photographing indigenous peoples: "I try to slow down, to truly adapt to their way of life—to understand and respect how they think."

"An American might look at a mountain or forest  
and see only potential natural resources—  
but Indigenous people recognize the 'sacred.'  
Learning to perceive the world through multiple dimensions  
is a privilege, one that allows you  
to truly understand the other."

Communication through body language was often slow, but Rainier remained patient. His respectful approach gradually earned their acceptance—sometimes requiring weeks just to capture a single photograph.

The Law of the Forest

"Northern Australia is an ancient land. Today, those who thrive there are people hidden within dense forests, with one foot still in Eden. I spent a decade exploring New Guinea, venturing into secluded valleys, climbing tropical mountains, and navigating winding forest rivers. The deeper I went into the wilderness, the closer I came to uncovering the essence of human origins."

New Guinea

"The forest taught me  
how to quietly merge into another culture,  
how to ask meaningful questions,  
when to remain silent—and how  
to adapt as the environment changes."

"Photography's philosophy is both complex and simple—Rainier seeks to create a sense of reciprocity. 'I want viewers to not just *see* these cultures in my images, but to *feel* immersed. When I photograph sacred sites, dances, or tribal traditions, I aim to leave people visually—and spiritually—transformed.'"

New Guinea

Behind the Masks, the Living People

Rainier's fascination with ritual masks began in the mid-1980s during a photography expedition to New Guinea, where he encountered a tribesman adorned with feathers of paradise. This moment planted the seed for his later *"Masks"* series. Immersed in local traditions, he became utterly captivated by mask culture—and resolved to trace the footsteps of sacred masks across the world.

New Guinea

From the Mongolian steppes to the Amazon rainforest, the forests of West Africa to the Indian subcontinent, the highlands of Nepal to Bhutan, he captured dramatic portraits of Mongolian shamans, Bhutanese monks, and more. His new book *"Masks"* brings together over 130 images, showcasing the diversity of mask cultures across regions. His mission: to rekindle the vitality of masks and reveal the spiritual significance of mask dances.

"I want to show the audience that they are, in fact, alive—  
not just exhibits behind glass in a museum.  
Yet even so, these mask rituals are vanishing,  
as modernity sweeps across the world like a tsunami."

Alaska, USA

Indonesia

Northwestern Canada

Sacred Dance

"Every mask, in some way, hints at the overlap between the natural and spiritual worlds—whether Canada’s bears, Alaska’s ravens, or Bhutan’s deer. Through mask rituals, they connect all things, embodying cultures that live within nature, revere it, and stand in awe of it."

West Africa

"Across cultures, religions, and even in modern times, masks reveal a universal human thread—whether as gateways to other realms or symbols of tradition, they transform the ordinary into something profound.

Rainier once met a Mongolian shaman who, upon wearing his mask, would slip instantly into trance. The mask became an emblem of identity, a catalyst for instantaneous transformation."

Mongolian Shaman

"Since the dawn of humanity, we have worn masks. We wear them to celebrate, to honor spirits, to mark the passage of life, to remember the dead—binding us closer to the meaning of existence. I document mask rituals to convey to viewers a sense of sacred inner spirit, the full weight of the mask’s role.

A photographer’s duty is to preserve tradition. Photography can revitalize, sustain, and amplify rituals worldwide. These records matter so that, fifty years later, a local youth might see an image of his grandfather or great-grandfather dancing a vanished dance—and feel stirred to lift the mask again."

"Sometimes I set down the camera  
and dance around the fire."

Bhutanese Cham

"Masks hold a transformative power—  
the unexplained strikes deeper  
than what we can comprehend.  
They are vessels of hidden forces,  
ones we can neither escape nor control."

—Pico Iyer

Chris Rainier's work has been published in magazines such as Life, Time, National Geographic, and The New York Times, with his photographs collected by museums around the world. His published books include Keepers of the Spirit, Where Masks Still Dance: New Guinea, and Cultures on the Edge.

"An American may look at a mountain or forest  
and see only potential natural resources—  
but Indigenous people perceive the 'sacred.'  
To learn to understand the world through multiple dimensions  
is a bestowed privilege,  
one that allows you to truly comprehend the other."