- Ancestry In I
- Past Connections to Modern Relations
- Photography: Lakshmi Narayana Rao Satyavolu
- Archiving, Renovation, and Editing: Pranav Volety
- Context and Stories: Nagamani Vaddadi
“Ancestry in I” began as a project this summer. In the bottom of my grandmother’s cabinet, I found a book containing breathtaking landscapes and striking portraits taken by my great great grandfather Lakshmi Narayan Sathyavolu. In his travels to Kedarnath and the border between then British Raj India and pre-occupation Tibet, he had managed to take with him a camera. With it, came the untold stories of people and culture in those distant regions.
This project is rooted in the same spirit as my longitudinal project “Nangpa”, which takes a look at Tibetan diaspora, late-stage memoricide, rebellion through spirituality, and my own experience with Tibetan culture in my life. I went to my elders to learn about my lineage. There were stories to be told and dogmas to be acknowledged in their telling. I learned of Independence from those who lived during Partition. I learned of Gandhians and Leftists alike in their efforts to create better and of how political waves had/were impacting our views today. However, most fascinating was the cyclical nature of our family. The same interests and characteristics of my great great grandparents had circled back to me.
I find myself understanding my role as an observer to the beautiful heritage and culture introduced to me by my dearest Sonam Ivanova. The culture I’ve come to love and admire is one I realizing more and more comes with a weight and study that demands care and respect.
Archive was a word redefined to me by one of my colleagues and close friends, Kaleb Autman. We’ve also discussed kinship, community, and spiritual lineage. These themes circle and underline the project I’m sharing today. It’s interesting that a century after my ancestor’s journeys, I find myself documenting Tibetan diaspora here in the US.
It would be safe to assume many of the Tibetan people featured in this collection had been forced out of their homes and fled to India and Nepal due to Chinese-Maoist occupation forces in their ongoing Tibetan genocide. It’s as unfortunate as it is intriguing that our families hold the history and context we look elsewhere for.