Photographing Cultures in Transition to Modernity - Hannah Reyes

All around the world, indigenous and nomadic people are losing their culture to the economic forces and environmental fragmentation forcing them to settle in communities. These "transitions to modernity" are a source of curiosity for National Geographic Young Explorer Hannah Reyes. Reyes lived with a pygmy community in the Philippines who dressed in jeans and t-shirts, and would request "whitening soap" to lighten the tone of their skin. Reyes explains that through their televisions, these indigenous people learned that their darker skin was less desirable in the mass culture of southeast Asia. But Reyes explains that, at least in the Philippines, the indigenous people's transitions to modernity aren't always that simple, because the kids are often teased in schools and the parents resort to dressing up in traditional costumes to make money in the cities.