In Bukhara Uzbekistan, the Mugat people are a distinct ethnic group that has remained nomadic even as modernity took root in the region, they are widely called “gypsies.” Wandering through cities and villages, scraping a living from fortune-telling, seasonal work, recycling bottles, or construction labor, they are considered dirty or cursed. However, when I arrived to document their culture they could not have been more welcoming. Despite a language barrier, I simply mentioned the player on this boys jersey, among several other players I thought he would like, and we immediately had a connection. We kicked a plastic bottle back and forth a bit before he started showing me up with the tricks he could do with the bottles while sorting them to be sent for recycling.
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