For nearly two decades, photographer Irina Werning travelled across Latin America documenting people with exceptionally long hair, exploring its cultural and spiritual meaning. Her project Las Pelilargas examines how hair can represent identity, memory and a deep connection to nature, particularly within Indigenous communities where it is seen as an extension of the self and spirit.

Blending anthropology and portraiture, the work brings together black-and-white and colour photographs taken in remote villages, domestic spaces and natural landscapes. Some portraits feel playful and intimate, while others take on a surreal quality. Differences in hair texture, colour and styling highlight individuality alongside shared traditions.

Werning began the project in 2006 while photographing Indigenous Kolla communities in the Andes. Fascinated by the women’s long hair and the stories behind it, she continued travelling through mountain towns, meeting people and organising local hair competitions. Over time, she discovered that long hair had become both a symbol of cultural continuity and a quiet form of resistance. In Ecuador, she also photographed Indigenous Kichwa men and boys wearing long braids as a way of reclaiming traditions once suppressed during colonial rule.