An indigenous man of Mahmeri tribe wearing a costume of Puteri Gunung Ledang character receives a dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 in Banting, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,15 August 2021. Malaysia recorded another 20,670 new Covid-19 cases on 14 August, bringing the cumulative total to 1,384,353 cases. (Photo by Ahmad Yusni/EPA/EFE)

“For centuries, the Moken sea nomads have traveled the islands between Thailand and Myanmar fishing and foraging for food on the sea floor. Throughout the Mergui Archipelago, Moken migrate in flotillas of Kabangs (traditional boat of the Moken people), stopping at different islands and beaches. Expert freedivers, the Moken have adapted physically to an aquatic life, developing unique characteristics that let them see better and hold their breath longer while underwater”. – Taylor Weidman. Photo: Hook, an indigenous Moken man, holds a three-pronged throwing spear and searches for fish in the waters of Ko Surin National Park. March 1, 2013 – Ko Surin, Thailand. (Photo by Taylor Weidman/zReportage via ZUMA Press)

An offering of a dried baby llama and fake U.S. burn in honor of Pachamama, or Mother Earth, during a New Year ritual on Turriturrini Mountain on the outskirts of Huarina, Bolivia, Friday, June 21, 2024. Aymara Indigenous communities are celebrating the Andean New Year 5,532 or “Willka Kuti” which translates to “Return of the sun” in Aymara. (Photo by Juan Karita/AP Photo)

Ecuadorian indigenous people celebrate the festival of the moon or Kulla Raymi, in Quito, Ecuador, 21 September 2021. A circle on the ground made up of fruits and inside the Andean symbol of the chacana, multinational geometric flags and a cross that symbolizes the four cardinal points, were the setting in which the festival of the moon, the Kulla, was commemorated this Tuesday. Raymi, on a hill in Quito. It is one of the four most significant festivities of the Andean agroecological calendar, which commemorates the beginning of life and exalts women as the maximum representation of fertility. (Photo by Jose Jacome/EPA/EFE)

A Raramuris indigenous woman takes part in the “Ultra maraton de los Canones 2017” (Ultra marathon of the Canyons), at La Sinforosa Canyon, in Guachochi, Chihuahua state, Mexico on July 15, 2017. More than 600 participants from different countries take part in the 63 and 100 kilometers races, along the Tarahumara mountain range. (Photo by Herika Martinez/AFP Photo)

Many people have seen feathers as decorative items before. Today, ostrich, peacock and bird of paradise feathers can be seen in haute couture and in the costumes of indigenous peoples. They can be colorful and spectacular in their own right, but how much more stunning might they be when used as canvases for artists, eager to demonstrate their talent for the unusual? Alaskan-born and -bred artist Julie Thompson is an astounding exponent of this incredible art form.

Skulls are seen at the witch doctor kiosk during the day of offerings to the “Pachamama” (Mother Earth) in El Alto, Bolivia, August 1, 2016. Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. She is also known as the earth/time mother. In Inca mythology, Pachamama is a fertility goddess who presides over planting and harvesting, embodies the mountains, and causes earthquakes. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

Sami people from the Vilhelmina Norra Sameby, gather their reindeers herd in a corral for selection and calf labelling on October 27, 2016 near the village of Dikanaess, about 800 kilometers north-west of the capital Sweden. Sweden's Sami reindeer herders have more than hungry predators to worry about in the cold night, as the indigenous minority moves its flock to the winter pasture in the Nordic tundra. (Photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP Photo)