A visual documentary of the disappearing living traditions of Asia.

Collection of traditional and modern objects including a wooden bench, a bicycle rickshaw with a man, a woven loom, a snake-shaped decorative knife, a large clay water container, a sailboat, colorful sandals, a yurt, a spinning wheel, a chess piece, and a decorative headband.

Asia is changing faster than any other continent. From the eagle hunters of Mongolia to the sea nomads of the Sulu Sea, thousands of years of human knowledge are disappearing in a single generation. Disappearing Cultures is a dedicated archive committed to photographing, recording, and honoring these communities while they are still here to tell their own stories.

Woman hanging blue fabric with white patterns on a clothesline outdoors during sunset.

Cultural Heritage Stories

How the Miao People Write Stories on Cloth with wax and indigo

Using molten wax and deep indigo vats, the Miao artisans document ancestral myths in a silent language that has survived for over two thousand years.

The Last Harissa Maker Of Srinagar: A 24-Hour Traditional Winter Ritual

This labor-intensive process of hand-mashing meat is a cornerstone of Kashmiri culinary heritage that requires immense patience and skill.

The Blood Sport of the Indonesian Archipelago: Inside the Sumbanese Pasola War

On the remote island of Sumba, the arrival of sacred sea worms signals the start of the Pasola, a thunderous display of spiritual warfare.

They say that when an elder dies, a library burns to the ground.

In Asia, the libraries are burning.

My name is Prestine Davekhaw, a photographer from Penang, Malaysia; and for the next 10 years, I am traveling the continent to sit by the fires, listen to the songs, and capture the faces of those holding on to the old ways.

This project is born from a simple belief: Humanity is beautiful because it is diverse. From the indigo dyers of China to the horsemen of Sumba, I am seeking out the threads that bind us to our ancestors. The urgency to document disappearing cultures is required because the window to document these traditions is closing.