The magazine of the photo-essay
March 2020 back issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
Big Heart, Strong Hands is the story of the women on the Estonian islands Kihnu and
Manija in the Baltic Sea. Geographically isolated, over centuries a strong sense of
community spirit and a steadfast attachment to their ancestor’s customs has
developed. Often viewed as the last matriarchal society in Europe, the older women
here take care of almost everything on land as their husbands travel the seas.
Gjelstad has photographed the daily lives and activities of the women, their clothing,
bedrooms, kitchens and farmhouses as well as the surrounding landscape – even a
ceremony in a deceased person’s kitchen only three hours after she had passed
away. She has also interviewed the women about their lives, struggles and losses
and their thoughts on the future. We learn of the development of this unique society,
the harsh conditions it endured over many decades as part of the Soviet Union, as
well as its culture and folk dressing customs. These are the hushed voices of culture
bearers who need to be heard, for this is a small society rapidly moving towards
western standards, and where traditional culture and identity is inevitably slipping
away.
by Anne Helene Gjelstad
© Anne Helene Gjelstad
www.dewilewis.com
