Sentinels

THE SENTINELS 

Guardians of memory, vision and voice 

Sentinels guard the quiet truths.
They carry songs through fire.
They keep watch at the edge of the unknown.

Protecting what is sacred, fragile, and unfinished.      

The Sentinels, was originaly published in June 2018 as the Epilogue to the book by photographer, Jimmy Nelson, entitled ‘Homage to Humanity,’ Rizzoli, NYC. 

© 2018-2025 Bréon Rydell

breonrydell.substack.com

THE WARNING SIGNS – THE RISING TIDE

The RISE of EXTREMISM today is not occurring in isolation. It is part of a broader pattern – a backlash against pluralism, memory, multi-culturism, historical landmark achievements, truth, and even beauty. All this is happening at a time when many people are exhausted, frightened, distracted or lulled into complacency by the challenges of survival.

The role of my artistic work, poetic, defiant – is intended not as decoration, but as a vital RESISTANCE aimed at combating the destructive forces facing society. 

Erosion of Truth and Memory
Extremism thrives on false narratives. It seeks to erase inconvenient truths—whether historical atrocities, democratic ideals, or human rights. When storytellers, artists, and cultural voices are silenced or ignored, a vacuum is created—one filled by propaganda.

Normalization of Violence and Division
As hateful ideologies gain ground, the line between public discourse and incitement blurs. Violence is no longer the fringe—it becomes policy, law, performance. Minorities, dissenters, artists, and thinkers become targets.

Decay of Democratic Foundations
Democratic systems don’t just fail overnight—they erode when enough people stop caring. The greatest danger is indifference. When fear or cynicism overtakes hope and engagement, the system collapses from within.

VALUING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Part of an essay by Bréon Rydell, inspired by The John Muir Trail—Yosemite, and time spent in Ojai, California, 1987-91.

Unlike the situation in Meso-and South-America, when European explorers began to arrive in North America, little was yet known of the sophisticated indigenous civilisations that had flourished for centuries in pre-Colombian America. The great expanse and wide range of environments that North America offered, meant that the native Indians lived as hunter-gatherers in scattered communities throughout the vast continent. There was a major difference between the aspirations of the French, English and Dutch explorers, whose primary interest was in making these newly discovered territories into their homes, and the Spanish, whose activities in Central and South America were mainly directed to extracting the wealth of these regions in order to take the treasure back to Spain. The Spanish also, via their priests, sought actively to replace the population’s pagan religion by Christianity.