LIVING FIELDS

When the glaciers moved across what is now the American Midwest in the last ice age—flattening the earth along the way—they missed the Driftless Area of Southeastern Minnesota. The name suggests land without aim or direction. But because it escaped the crush of glaciation, the Driftless is a biodiverse place filled with unique geography, flora, and fauna. In midsummer the backwaters of the Mississippi fill with lotus blooms and with a squint, the river bluffs could be mistaken for some place in Southeast Asia. Minnesota became a refuge for many Southeast Asians fleeing the upheaval of the Vietnam War and the ensuing Cambodian Genocide. For many Cambodians who survived the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge regime, nature is a source of alienation and fear. This photo is part of a series called ‘The Living Fields’ which places refugees in gentle reconnection with the land.