Rolf Blomberg Biography
Rolf Blomberg was born in Sweden on
November 11th, 1912. He was an explorer, writer,
photographer and filmmaker. |
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In 1934 he
arrived for the first time to the Galapagos Islands and
to Ecuador. This expedition was followed by a whole life
of travels and chronicles within a time span of fifty
years.

Guayaquil 1934 |

Indonesia 1939 |
During Second
World War Blomberg stayed in Indonesia as a neutral War
Correspondent. He participated in resistance
organizations and helped people trapped in Japanese
concentration camps.
After the war he returned
to Ecuador and made efforts for a pacific contact
with the Huaoranis Indians from the Ecuadorian
jungle. He also made six dangerous expeditions
looking for the Inca treasure hidden by
Rumiñahui, presumably located at the LLanganates
area. He discovered the world's largest toad,
called Bufo
blombergi. He produced 33
documentary films for the Swedish Television and
was the leader of several expeditions to produce
long films in Ecuador, Indonesia, Australia,
Colombia, Brazil and Peru. |

Blomberg with Cofan, Colombia 1952 |
Rolf Blomberg was
member of the Explorers Club of New York since 1955,
having been elected Emeritus Member. He was also member
of the Travelers Club of Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo
in Sweden.

Blomberg in Anaconda Swamp, Colombia 1952 |

Baby Crocodiles, Colombia 1952 |
Blomberg's
literary production includes 20 books and hundreds of
articles published in important magazines such as Life,
Sea Frontiers and National Geographic, among others. Many
of his books were translated to Spanish, English, Danish,
Norwegian, Russian, Czech and Polish. Three fourths of
his production has Ecuador as main topic, its culture,
nature and history.

Colombia 1952
As a photographer
he was a member of the Full Hand Swedish group of
photographers. With his very special Hasselblad camera,
that was provided by Victor Hasselblad himself, he took
more than 35.000 images from the whole globe, focusing in
Nature and a large diversity of Ethnic groups.
The continuous
lectures held by Blomberg in Sweden contributed so that
the Scandinavian got in touch with remote places like
Ecuador in a time lacking Television and other
technological improvements of our time.
His work has always been
published abroad and has been an important
influence for social scientists around the world.
His reports on human rights violations of ethnic
groups inspired the creation of organizations
such as Cultural Survival
(London) and Iwgia
(Oslo). These organizations have contributed in
assuming the importance of cultural identity
amongst Ecuadorians and participated in the
flourishing of social and cultural studies in
Ecuador. His bond with Ecuador was
strengthened through marriage with two Ecuadorian
women. The first one, Emma Robinson, deceased in
1952. With his second wife, Araceli Gilbert, he
settled in Ecuador in 1968, till his death on
December 8th, 1996.
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Rolf Blomberg and Araceli Gilbert, Stockholm 1968 |
Rolf Blomberg Bibliography
Underliga
människor och underliga djur
Strange People and Strange animals
Gebers, Stockholm, 1936.
Högkvarter
hos huvudjägare
Headquarters with Headhunters
Gebers, Stockholm, 1938; Tidens Forlag, Stockholm, 1951.
Tropisk
Urskog
Tropical jungle
Gebers, Stockholm, 1940; Folket i Bild, Stockholm, 1952.
Sydvart
Southbound
Gebers, Stockholm, 1947.
Nya
Smålands upptäckt
New Smålands Discovery
Gebers, Stockholm, 1948.
Vildar
The naked Aucas
Gebers, Stockholm, 1949 / 1954; Tidens Bokklubb,
Stockholm, 1956; Allen and Unwid, London; Bokforlaget Bra
Bocker, Germany, 1969; Abya Yala, Quito - Ecuador, 1996.
Såna
djur finns
These Animals Exist
Gebers, Stockholm, 1951; Tidens Bokklubb, Stockholm,
1956; Tiden Norsk Forlag, Oslo, 1959; Tidens Bokklubb,
Stockholm, 1970.
Ecuador,
Andean Mosaic
Ecuador, mozaico andino
Gebers, Stockholm, 1952.
Guld att
hämta
Buried Gold and Anacondas
Gebers, Stockholm, 1956; Carit Andersens Forlag,
Copenhague, 1956; Eberhard Brockhaus Wiesbaden, Germany,
1957; Demzuz, Moscú, 1958; Allen and Unwin, London,
1959; Folket i bild, Stockholm, 1959; Editorial Juventud,
Barcelona, 1964; Tidens Bokklubb, Stockholm, 1965; Iskry,
Warszawa, 1966; Obzor Bratislava, 1968; Casa de la
Cultura Ecuatoriana, Quito, 2002.
Xavante
Chavante
Gebers, Stockholm, 1958; Tidens Bokklubb, Stockholm,
1960; Allen and Unwin, London, 1960.
Jätteormar
och skräcködlor
Scary Iguanas and Gigant Snakes
Gebers, Stockholm, 1959.
Latitud
0°
Latitude 0°
Gebers, Stockholm, 1960; Tiddens Bokklubb, Stockholm,
1963.
Äventyr
i djungeln
Jungle Adventures
Folket i bild, Stockholm, 1962.
Människor
i djungeln
Jungle People
Gebers, Stockholm, 1964; Tidens Bokklubb, Stockholm,
1966.
Mina
Tropiska öar
My Tropical Islands
Gebers, Stockholm, 1965.
Rio
Amazonas
Amazonas River
Gebers, Stockholm, 1966.
Imbabura
Gebers, Stockholm, 1967.
Trad
Trees
(By and photographs by Rolf Blomberg)
Bokforlaget Bra Bocker, Germany, 1973.
Bufo
blombergi
Iskry, Warszawa, 1973.
Tropisk
utsikt
Tropical View
Awe/Gebers, Oslo, 1976.
Rolf
Blomberg Filmography - SF / SVT (Swedish Television)
Vikingar
på sköldpaddoarna
Vikings in the Turtle Islands
Director: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 10´ 25´´
Year: 1936
Location: Galápagos, Ecuador
I kanot
till huvudjägarnas land
In Canoe to the Land of the Head Hunters
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 12´ 5´´
Year: 1936
Location: Amazon, Ecuador
Ormar och
orangutanger på Java
Snakes and Orangutans in Java
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 8´ 4´´
Year: 1939
Location: Indonesia
Den stora
urskogsön
The Great Jungle Island
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 8´ 48´´
Year: 1939
Location: Indonesia
Erik
Lundquist, en svensk skogskarl på Borneo
Erik Lundquist, a Swedish game-warden
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 09´ 45´´
Año 1939
Location: Indonesia
Strandhugg
pa Sundaöarna
Strolling the Sunda Islands
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 13´ 57´´
Año 1946
Location: Indonesia
Svenskt i
Australien
Swedish in Australia
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 5´ 53´´
Year: 1946
Location: Australia
Quito, en
stad med kontraster
Quito, A City of Contrast
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 13´ 10´´
Year: 1949
Location: Ecuador
Galápagos
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 11´ 17´´
Year: 1949-50
Location: Ecuador
Imbabura
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 8´ 58´´
Year: 1949-50
Location: Ecuador
Panamahattar,
som inte görs i Panama
The Panama hat, which is not made in Panama
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Year: 1949-50
Location: Ecuador
Olja i
urskogen
Oil in the Jungle
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 12´ 33´´
Year: 1949-50
Location: Amazo, Ecuador
Jaramijó,
en ecuadorianskt fiskeby
Jaramijó, an Ecuadorian Fishermen Village
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Duration: 9´ 7´´
Year: 1951-52
Location: Ecuador
Anaconda
Direction: Torgny Anderberg
Expedición: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Year: 1954
Location: Amazon, Colombia
Jangada
(Series of 3 films on Manaos Opera House, Indians of
the Amazon and a fishermen village)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg & Torgny Anderberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1958
Location: Brazil
Äventyr
bland huvudjägare
Adventures amongst the head reducers
Direction: Torgny Anderberg
Expedición: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 35mm
Year: 1958
Location: Amazon, Ecuador
Blommor i
Ecuador
Flowers in Ecuador
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 7´ 34´´
Year: 1961
Location: Ecuador
Galápagos,
ett reportage av Rolf Blomberg
Galapagos, reportage by Rolf Blomberg
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 18´
Año 1961
Location: Ecuador
Inkaättlingarnas
land
The Land of the Inca Descendants
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 21´ 55´´
Year: 1962
Location: Perú
Urskogsindianernas
vite vän
The White Friend of the Jungle Indians
(Series of 2 films on Albert Schweitzer Amazon Hospital)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1962
Location: Perú
Jibaros,
ett djungelfolk
Jibaros, a Jungle Tribe
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 30´ 3´´
Year: 1963
Location: Amazon, Ecuador
Balsa
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 26´ 46´´
Year: 1965
Location: Ecuador
Indianer
på svärdfiskfångst
Indians in Swordfish Catch
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 18´ 12´´
Year: 1965
Location: Ecuador
Pedro, en
indianpojke
Pedro, an Indian Boy
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 20´ 15´´
Year: 1965
Location: Ecuador
Djungeltripp:
besök i Coloradoindianernas urskogsdomaner i Ecuador
Jungle Trip: A Visit to the Colorado Indians Jungle
Domains
Relator: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 27´ 38´´
Year: 1967
Location: Ecuador
Alfredo
från Guayaquil
Alfredo from Guayaquil
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Duration: 21´ 37´´
Year: 1968
Location: Ecuador
Indianer
är de människor?
Are Indians people? (Series of 5 films on Indian
issues)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg & Torgny Anderberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1969
Location: Latin America
Jakt på
Inkaguld
In Search for the Inca Gold (Series of 2
films on the Inca treasure)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg & Torgny Anderberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1969
Location: Ecuador
Att vara
indian
Being an Indian (Series of 2 films on Indian
issues)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg & Torgny Anderberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1969
Location: Latin America
Inka,
solfolket
Incas, the Sun People (Series of 3 films on
the Incas)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg & Torgny Anderberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1970
Location: Perú
Svenska
expeditioner, på indianstigar i Chaco
Swedish Expeditions, Through the Indian ways of Chaco
(Series of 2 films)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1971
Location: Bolivia
Indianer
i Amazonas
Indians of the Amazon (Series of 3 films on the
Campas and Yaminahuas Indians)
Direction: Rolf Blomberg & Torgny Anderberg
Format: 16mm
Year: 1974
Location: Perú
ROLF
BLOMBERG: Biography Gallery ARACELI
GILBERT: Biography Gallery
ARCHIVO BLOMBERG: Background Productions Contact Home
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