Meghalaya, meaning ‘the abode of the clouds’, is a state in north-eastern India, bordered by Assam to the north and east and Bangladesh to the south. Often referred to as ‘The Scotland of the East’, its landscape is shaped by the foothills of the Himalayas, which trap the moisture-laden clouds and create one of the wettest climates on Earth.
A land of rolling hills, deep valleys and perpetual mist, Meghalaya seems to exist between earth and sky.
The Jaintia have a matriarchal social structure.
Women are not so much the owners of land and material possessions as their custodians and protectors. In Jaintia tradition, ownership ultimately belongs to the community. Land and possessions are entrusted to individuals or families to use and care for. When they are no longer needed, they are returned to the community.
The village council chose this sacred site as the setting for the group photograph. It is a place where the living come into contact with their ancestors, a place where memory, community and the spiritual world meet.