Don’t choose a place for what your eyes see but for what your heart feels. Let yourself be carried away by the love of the knowledge so you will never be a tourist, you will be a traveler.
Our first 2018 team, of talented photographers, filmers and visual storytellers went to Hungary for the Hortobágyi Lovasnapok festival, last July, to create the first of many ‘Circle of Cultural Connection’ projects. Every year, a three-day event takes place in the Hortobagy National Park, which is part of the Great Plains in Eastern Hungary (the largest protected National Park of the nation and a UNESCO cultural world heritage site since 1999).
Ever since 1671, horsemen and shepherds have been coming together for this event. Today, the festival is still celebrated and symbolises the ancient lifestyle of the horsemen that is still present in this area (though in small numbers). As the horsemen show off their traditions and impressive horse-riding skills, the festival is a colourful celebration of the Hungarian cultural heritage and – perhaps – a homage to “the last wranglers of Europe”.
Want to know details about the experiences of the participants and their day-to-day during the project? Find all this and more in the project journal they wrote during the trip!
In this page you can also see a short clip of “behind the scenes”.
Two weeks before the start of the project we had an introductory meeting at the office of the Jimmy Nelson Foundation in Amsterdam. Here we were warmly welcomed by Jimmy and his team members, after which we discussed the goals and the details of the project. Hungarian photographer Zsolt Repásy, residing in Budapest, joined the meeting via Skype. This kick started the very first ‘Circle of Connection’ project of the Foundation, with the aim to document the traditions and lifestyle of the “csikós” (Hungarian wranglers) and their Nonius horses of the Hortobágy National Park in Eastern Hungary.
After arriving at Budapest airport the night before, the Dutch delegation of the Hungary team (consisting of Kieke van Maarschalkerwaart, Pam Hesselmans and Jeroen Cox) was united with Zsolt Repasy as he joined us for a morning coffee at the hotel. From here we drove 200 km to the east of Budapest to our accommodation in the village of Hajdúszoboszló, located close to the Hortobágy National Park.
Later that day we went out to explore the nearby “Hortobágyi Lovasnapok” festival area, which is located in the Hungarian puszta, on the Great Plain of Eastern Hungary. During this 3-day cultural event, the csikós from the 300 year-old Máta Stud Farm (along with other horseback riders) showcase their traditions and horse riding skills.
Here we soon met Lajos Garai, one of the csikós who introduced us to their lifestyle for the first time. We all enjoyed this energetic chat with him, that was full of anecdotes as well as in- teresting facts about the csikós profession and lifestyle. We immediately decided to have a recorded interview with him later in the weekend. We also had the chance to meet Péter Szladek, PR Manager of the event and the Stud Farm, who kindly arranged for us to meet the csikós working on the puszta (grasslands), in the National Park.
The rest of the day we walked around on the festival premises and witnessed several spectacular csikós performances, some horse dressage shows, as well as Gulyás (cattle) shepherds showcasing their impressive longhorned grey cattle.
For dinner we went to the landmark Hortobágy “csárda” (traditional roadside restaurant), built in the late 17th century, where we had the opportunity to taste Hungarian specialities made of grey cattle meat.
We went out to the festival to see more performances and to build more connections with the wranglers working in the stud farm. Next to the stage of Hungarian folk dance performances, we had the chance to dress up in traditional costumes (the guys as shepherds, Pam and Kieke as women from the farm) and had a few nice pictures taken. It was fun!
We also created video recordings and photos of the wranglers showcasing some of their skills in the arena. We also watched and enjoyed some traditional folk dancing and a gypsy music concert which are still a vivid part of the Hungarian cultural heritage even these days.
After breakfast we had a discussion on how to approach the documentation and storytelling of our project. After everything was planned out, we enjoyed another nice day at the festival. We witnessed more performances, horse races and csikós competitions: where a jury judged the appearance of the csikós, specifically reviewing their clothes, clean appearance, horses and accessories. Later on we joined Lajos Garai in one of the stables. Here we interviewed him and took several portraits of Lajos and some fellow wranglers.
We all got up early at 3.30 AM in order to arrive on time at the stable of the National Park. Ádám Bordás, one of the csikós from the farm, was waiting for us and at sunrise we witnessed the horses riding out onto the “puszta” where they can roam and graze all day.
We followed Ádám to a small hut in the field with a water well next to it, here we had the real opportunity to gain insight into the everyday routine and lifestyle of a contemporary csikós: providing water to the horses, making sure the stud is not roaming off the designated grazing areas, and performing for groups of tourists who arrive in horse-drawn wagons several times a day. The wranglers work in a daily rotation and between 10 and 11 AM, Csaba Fe- kete arrived on his horse to replace Ádám for the rest of the day until sunset.
We recorded an interview with Csaba next to the 200-year-old well, where he proudly told us more about csikós clothing and accessories. Later that day we got a whip cracking masterclass by Lajos (who joined us in the meantime), which was a hilarious experience for everyone. Unfortunately that evening we had to leave early because of a big in- coming thunderstorm, which turned the road into a muddy stream that made our car slip off the road a couple of times.
Today the project came to an end for Zsolt as he had to leave for Budapest. After buying some souvenirs, we said farewell to him and then headed to the puszta for the final day. Given our adventure yesterday we decided this time to leave the car at the entrance of the Park so we hiked out onto the plain where we met Ádám at the hut. We saw him riding out with two other csikós to meet a horse-drawn carriage with tourists to give them a small demonstration and to have their pictures taken.
We hung out at the hut together with Ádám for the rest of the day and we also made some preparations to create drone footages of him mustering the horses to the watering well; this would add a nice aerial perspective to the documentary.
As Zsolt, who many times acted as an interpreter for the group, was not here anymore to help us translate, we drew a map for Ádám to help us show what and how we wanted to film. We also used the Google translate app on Pam’s phone to be able to have some conversations with him, which worked out really well. We had some good laughs together.
After sunset Ádám rode back with the horses to the stable where they would spend the night. He invited us to meet him there, so after our hike to the stable we were just in time to film him approaching the barn while the sky was lit by countless stars. Outside the barn we sat together, shared stories and laughter and it felt like we were, for a moment, part of the csikós community.
We already start processing all the photo and film material and drove back to Budapest with a big smile.
Jeroen: “I now realize that throughout the process of finding and connecting with individuals whom you’ve never met before, you hold a mirror in front of yourself as you are continuously comparing yourself with the other individual, group or culture you have just experienced.”
Pam: “I feel gratitude towards the Csikós; for their friendly hospitality, openness and willingness to share. They offered us a special glimpse into their way of life and traditions in which solitude and friendship between man and horse play a central role.”
Zsolt: I think all of us had to leave our comfort zone and definitely stretch, learn new skills and definitely learnt more about ourselves as individuals and as a team.
Step into the world of the Csikós with the team! Learn more about their lifestyle and traditions with these interviews done by the team members.
Enjoy this great video, hear the Csikós telling their story and see the beautiful landscape of the Great Hungarian Plain.
The Hortobágy region of Eastern Hungary has been a cradle of traditional agricultural and pastoral professions for 11 centuries, many of which have been tightly connected to the live stock. Shepherds herding horses, sheep, cattle, pigs and goose were the characteristic, nomadic or half-nomadic pastoral professions on the Great Plains or the “Puszta” (the Hungarian steppe). As the name suggests (“puszta” means barren or wasteland in Hungarian), life here has never been easy. The daily routine of the shepherds started around early dawn around sunrise and normally ended after sunset, with no weekends. While this has changed a bit, as present day shepherds have day-offs (regulated by labour laws), weekends are non-existent and they work around long hours in daily shifts. Some shepherds are half-nomadic, spending only the daytime outdoors, while others (for example cattle herders) are often fully nomadic, spending even weeks outdoors in the field with the live stock.
Back in the days, the “csikós” (wranglers, herders of the horses) were on the top of the “shepherd hierarchy” and had the most respect. However, shepherds used to live in a brotherly way, depending on and supporting each other. Since the wranglers didn’t have meat, they sometimes helped out other shepherds with horseback riding and in return they received meat. Shepherds used to cook outdoors in the plains where they spent their whole day and the most popular meals were the ones they could cook in a “bogracs”, which is a steel cauldron-like kettle on fire. Different stews made of grey cattle, sheep and pork are still the characteristic specialties of the region.
Photo: Zsolt Répásy
The “csikós” wear blue shirts and pants in the Hortobágy region (elsewhere white is the traditional colour of shepherd outfits), a black vest, boots and a characteristic hat with a wide rim. A feather is an important part of the hat, signifying rank and respect. Most often people put a crane feather on their hats as cranes have been one of the most widespread birds of the region. (During their migration, a flock of 70-120 thousand cranes cross the Hortobagy National Park’s area.) The other most widespread choice is the feather of bustards.
Photo: Pam Hesselmans
Wranglers always carry a handmade leather whip (with wooden, hand carved grip) which is used to guide the animals (never for hitting them), a small knife for all-around purposes (eating, cutting ropes etc) and an “old-school”, mechanic pocket watch on a chain.
Photo: Jeroen Cox
Although the “csikós” profession has been in the families from generation to generation, often times there are still enthusiastic “applicants” who only see the “shiny” side of this lifestyle, their proud posture, strength and death-defying riding skills with unattached saddles. The reason for using unattached saddles, which is quite rare, is that they can mount any horse faster in case they need to switch horses.
Photo: Kieke van Maarschalkerwaart
Very few actually remain and become one of them, as soon as they experience the daily hardship. It is a very tough work and life, not only due to the long hours and hard physical labour, but they spend most of their days alone out in the puszta, and many applicants cannot endure that solitude for long.
Photo: Kieke van Maarschalkerwaart
These days it is unsure how long this traditional profession will survive as there are very few young wranglers who choose this way of life so unfortunately the chances are there that it will disappear along with other traditional pastoral professions.
Photo: Jeroen Cox
The Hortobágy region of Eastern Hungary has been a cradle of traditional agricultural and pastoral professions for 11 centuries, many of which have been tightly connected to the live stock. Shepherds herding horses, sheep, cattle, pigs and goose were the characteristic, nomadic or half-nomadic pastoral professions on the Great Plains or the “Puszta” (the Hungarian steppe). As the name suggests (“puszta” means barren or wasteland in Hungarian), life here has never been easy. The daily routine of the shepherds started around early dawn around sunrise and normally ended after sunset, with no weekends. While this has changed a bit, as present day shepherds have day-offs (regulated by labour laws), weekends are non-existent and they work around long hours in daily shifts. Some shepherds are half-nomadic, spending only the daytime outdoors, while others (for example cattle herders) are often fully nomadic, spending even weeks outdoors in the field with the live stock.
Back in the days, the “csikós” (wranglers, herders of the horses) were on the top of the “shepherd hierarchy” and had the most respect. However, shepherds used to live in a brotherly way, depending on and supporting each other. Since the wranglers didn’t have meat, they sometimes helped out other shepherds with horseback riding and in return they received meat. Shepherds used to cook outdoors in the plains where they spent their whole day and the most popular meals were the ones they could cook in a “bogracs”, which is a steel cauldron-like kettle on fire. Different stews made of grey cattle, sheep and pork are still the characteristic specialties of the region.
Photo: Zsolt Répásy
The “csikós” wear blue shirts and pants in the Hortobágy region (elsewhere white is the traditional colour of shepherd outfits), a black vest, boots and a characteristic hat with a wide rim. A feather is an important part of the hat, signifying rank and respect. Most often people put a crane feather on their hats as cranes have been one of the most widespread birds of the region. (During their migration, a flock of 70-120 thousand cranes cross the Hortobagy National Park’s area.) The other most widespread choice is the feather of bustards.
Photo: Pam Hesselmans
Wranglers always carry a handmade leather whip (with wooden, hand carved grip) which is used to guide the animals (never for hitting them), a small knife for all-around purposes (eating, cutting ropes etc) and an “old-school”, mechanic pocket watch on a chain.
Photo: Jeroen Cox
Although the “csikós” profession has been in the families from generation to generation, often times there are still enthusiastic “applicants” who only see the “shiny” side of this lifestyle, their proud posture, strength and death-defying riding skills with unattached saddles. The reason for using unattached saddles, which is quite rare, is that they can mount any horse faster in case they need to switch horses.
Photo: Kieke van Maarschalkerwaart
Very few actually remain and become one of them, as soon as they experience the daily hardship. It is a very tough work and life, not only due to the long hours and hard physical labour, but they spend most of their days alone out in the puszta, and many applicants cannot endure that solitude for long.
Photo: Kieke van Maarschalkerwaart
These days it is unsure how long this traditional profession will survive as there are very few young wranglers who choose this way of life so unfortunately the chances are there that it will disappear along with other traditional pastoral professions.
Photo: Jeroen Cox
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Jeroen Cox </br>
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Jeroen Cox </br>
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Jeroen Cox </br>
Jeroen Cox </br>
Jeroen Cox </br>
Jeroen Cox </br>
Jeroen Cox </br>
Jeroen Cox </br>
Jeroen Cox </br>
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Get to know who the team members are, what they do, why they joined the Foundation, their overall experience with the project, and many more details.
His main focus in photography are people and their cultural heritage, where he always prefers to submerge into the community for longer periods of time. His visual work about the Buso festivities has been widely published in National Geographic Traveler, VICE media and numerous online and printed media. “I plan to create a detailed coverage of the cultural heritage of the Carpathian Basin, including folklore and old traditions. I’m shooting both digital and film.”
As a photographer and storyteller I’ve been passionate about cultural heritage of communities that not just preserve their values and traditions but are living their traditions. It’s easy to find such tribes around the world, but I believe that everyone should be first aware of his/her own culture and make sure to support it, document it, make sure to do everything necessary to contribute to the upkeep of the culture (s)he is living in. After a few years documenting cultures around the world, this revelation was the reason why I left those projects behind (or rather changed priorities) and started to document the cultural heritage and traditions in Hungary, where I was born. The work of Jimmy Nelson has been a great inspiration to me and I thought it would be a perfect symbiosis to combine the goals of the Jimmy Nelson Foundation (JNF) and my vision, plans and values I hold dearly. This is why I came up with the idea of the Csikós project which became the pioneer in the “Circle of Cultural Connection” project.
It always requires planning and a great deal of thinking when you work on project that would normally require years to document thoroughly. The “Hortobágyi Lovasnapok” (the local event showcasing wranglers, horseback riders, performances etc) has been on my “list” for a while and I thought it would be a great way to get a sneak peak into the life of wranglers and also to meet and build connections. When documenting the lifestyle of a community, it is crucial to have a network, you need to know at least someone, otherwise it will be very hard (sometimes impossible) to get really close and people will not open up easily. With the team we were lucky to be able to meet some of the “csikós” (wranglers) during the event which made it all easier for us. I knew that we will only have a very little time to document their lives outside of the event, when they are busy. On the other hand, since the csikós spend most of their time in the “Puszta” (Great Plains of Eastern Hungary), they are used to calmness, few words, so you need to approach with respect and cannot rush on them.
It was an amazing experience to get a closer insight to this traditional lifestyle that has been present for centuries in the region. It was also very rewarding to see how passionate the Dutch members of the Team felt about this project, that documents during getting acquainted with a tradition and lifestyle that is so much different from what they saw earlier.
Being a pioneer is always special. It can be a gift but it can and will increase pressure too. Your responsibility is to present how something can be done, and done as well as possible. You need to set example and set the standards. I think all of us had to leave our comfort zone and definitely stretch, learn new skills and definitely learnt more about ourselves as individuals and as a team. I very grateful to everyone in the team (Kieke, Pam and Jeroen). We didn’t just complete a project, we had fun, lots of fun. I loved the positive energy, the can-do attitude and the eternal curiosity. These are all indispensable when working on a creative project.
Pam has been travelling the world for over 30 years working for a dutch airline. “I feel very passionate about photography as it invites me to connect to my surroundings and to others in a profound way. I love to portray people in their natural environment, always seeking to capture a moment in which to convey the feeling of a location and in which there is beauty!”
With a father who worked in aviation, as a child I grew up with certain ideas and fantasies about ways of life on our planet .. it felt very natural that I would set off later on to discover my own world. During the more than thirty years that I now work and travel for the same largest Dutch airline as my father ever, I have become fascinated and inspired by the rich diversity of cultures, religions and customs that give people worldwide a sense of being and belonging.
Often I use my camera as a means to get close. Characteristic local scents, sounds and colours that affect the senses combined with observing and intense focus during photographing invite me to feel fully present and connected. During those ‘right moments’ I frequently feel carried away by the beauty that unfolds before me.
For some time now during my travels I have noticed an increase in globalisation worldwide. Many cities become more and more similar as if they are sprinkled with commerce, exploitation and pollution under the veil of so-called innovation and progress. It is questionable whether we should be content with that .. the world is changing so rapidly now, consequently cultures and traditions are on the brink of being lost.
This is why I feel very much engaged with the intent of the Jimmy Nelson Foundation which is to increase general awareness and involvement with regard to cultural diversity around the world, by documenting and sharing the unique character, wealth and pride of indigenous societies. To ultimately connect people all over the world.. United as one!
Given the limited time we were able to spend with the Csikós on the puszta, I initially experienced some pressure while trying to capture ‘the right picture at the right moment’. Fortunately the project was a joint venture and the various expertises in our team proved to complement each other very well.
It feels certainly in place to honour jimmy Nelson for his truly wonderful work which is an inspiration to so many people. I feel very blessed to have been part of the first kick-off project of the Foundation. Many thanks to the Hungary team members Kieke, Jeroen and Zsolt for their inspirational co-operation and kindness! Also I feel gratitude towards the Csikós; for their friendly hospitality, openness and willingness to share. They offered us a special glimpse into their way of life and traditions in which solitude and friendship between man and horse play a central role.
My wish for humanity is to awaken to the beauty that surrounds it. To ultimately discover that what is encountered in the outer world is merely a reflection of the inner world.
To all enthusiastic photo- and videographers who will go out on future projects to come for the Jimmy Nelson Foundation, I do wish you will all have an an equally great experience!
Jeroen is a 24 year old enthusiastic filmmaker based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. He loves to run around with his camera and a backpack full of gear to capture the beauty of foreign life and culture. “I’m looking forward to capture the unique character of the horsemen lifestyle and traditions at the Hortobágy horsemen festival.”
For years I have been dreaming about traveling the world and documenting the beauty the world has to offer in each individual’s and collective’s cultural richness. So as soon as I saw that there was a possibility to join one of the projects of the Jimmy Nelson Foundation my heart skipped a beat. I quickly applied with a portfolio and motivation. A skype meeting and a phone call later the word was out! I was invited to join the team going to Hungary to document the lifestyle and cultural heritage of the Csikós: the last wranglers of the Hungarian great plain.
The 25th of June I traveled to Jimmy’s office in Amsterdam, where I got to meet the man himself, Tessel van der Putte and my fellow team members: Kieke van Maarschalkerwaart, Pam Hesselmans and Zsolt Repasy (skype). After the project briefing by the team and an inspiring talk by Jimmy I felt as ready as prepared and unprepared as I could be at the same time. One question by Jimmy stuck with me: Why do you want to do this? I could not answer that question on the spot that day, but now in retrospect I know it all the better.
During the trip I have learned many lessons thanks to my experienced team members, who inspired, guided and pushed me towards a natural interaction with the locals. By creating and maintaining this space of mutual respect with the locals I was able to get closer to the Csikós both literally and figuratively. On the other hand I also enjoyed helping the team with technicalities, social media and creating video content; some factors where I really felt I could add value to the team. This experience reminded me of the first reason why I wanted to join the “ Circle of Cultural Connection” project: to learn! I learned by Jimmy’s inspiring words, Zsolt’s patience and strategic mind, Kieke’s enthusiasm and pragmatism, Pam’s kindness and drive to always dig deeper and of course I have learned a lot from the Csikós themselves!
The second reason why I wanted to join the project was my curiosity. Somewhere in me there is always this drive to understand how man and machine work in the contemporary society. For me the highlight of the trip is therefore meeting Ádám Bordás, the youngest of the csikós. With 24 years, we both share the same age, but our lifestyles could not be further apart. As the days progressed we slowly learned more and more about his life and how he as young boy just naturally flowed into the csikós lifestyle, following in the footsteps of his father. The determination and passion with which he lives the csikós lifestyle has left me with nothing but utter respect for Ádám. In retrospect this was the most rewarding experience of the “ Circle of cultural Connection” project: to find connection with strangers, to make new friends.
I now realize that throughout the process of finding and connecting with individuals whom you’ve never met before, you hold a mirror in front of yourself as you are continuously comparing yourself with the other individual, group or culture you have just experienced. This experience helps to develop more appreciation for your own culture and lifestyle as well as those from your newly made friends.
I would like to thank Jimmy, Zsolt, Kieke and Pam for this great experience! I hope to embark on many more international photo and video assignments in the future and will always gratefully look back on this awesome experience!
Kieke van Maarschalkerwaart is the project manager of the Jimmy Nelson Foundation and went to Hungary for the Founadtion with the team.
She has the heart of a true adventurer and story-teller. Having traveled the world as a tour guide around the world she was also the camerawomen joining Jimmy Nelson to his travels in Siberia. “No journey is the same and it is always surprising to see what crosses your path. I like to be challenged to stay inventive and creative: whether this is an adventurous far away destination, or more relaxed, and close-by home.”
Thank you to everyone who was involved in this project. A special thank you goes to the lovely men below, it would not have been possible without your support. Köszönöm!
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