Through the "friend of a friend" tentacles of Instagram, I connected with Lhamu for a photo session in the neighborhood of SoHo. I was initially puzzled as to her heritage; but quickly narrowed it down to a Himalayan Kingdom...Nepal or Sikkim, and perhaps even Bhutan (a long shot though). Lhamu (the name means "goddess") confirmed she was originally from Nepal, and is a Hyolmo; a member of indigenous people mainly from its Eastern and Northern regions. Despite my familiarity with the region, I had never heard of this group nor of their distinctive language, and also learned that the Hyolmo word for "thank you" is "thujichey".
For larger sized photographs:
Lhamu by Tewfic El-Sawy on Exposure
