Temple Monkey Collective

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Camera: Rolleiflex

What makes it special: The human social condition is often easier to understand when it is emulated by an innate being. Watching the Temple Monkeys, I was struck by how much of our behavior is socially structured, rather than instinctual.

The story:  "There was a distinct sense of timelessness as I walked the cobbled paths of an ancient mountain village. The holy city of Pushkar had become home to our foreign posy of wandering travelers. I spent the week immersing ourselves in the cacophony of color and sound that made up this peaceful place. I joined the raucous celebration of a wedding train that extended for hours throughout the entire citadel. I explored the white marble temples surrounding the lake, bartered in the market place for elaborate handy-craft, and ate our fill off the street vendors. I wandered the maze of this holy land for days with a camera in hand, feeling my way into the wide range of sights, sounds and smells. The light was exquisite.

In the center of town the spider monkeys reigned. They interfaced seamlessly with the human world around them, and yet appeared to live by their own rules. Preying on the foreigner, they made a game of snatching a backpack out of the hands of an unsuspecting distracted voyeur. Watching the emotional drama the charged human to primate negotiation was priceless. There was one temple in particular that they had staked out as their own. They lounged, they listened, they caressed, they teased and even squabbled. They held space as if they were no different then their robed human counterparts in the temples next door."