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Did anybody else see this excellent programme?
Episode one, the presenter trekked in and lived with a tribe of people called the Adi. And when I say lived I mean lived, he got struck in an got his hands dirty working with them and not just for the camera - you could see there was a real friendship forming between him and the people. On one occasion, after visiting the tribes wizen old medicine women, he saw her working in her field alone and went over and did all her back breaking labour for her, he even carried all her fire wood home (a womens task) and you could see she thought the world of him for it.
He was adopted by the village leader and at the end of the programme when he left to return home his adopted brother and mother were both in floods of tears. Genuine sorrow at his leaving
It has been ages since I have seen a programme of such honest content and calibre.
The tv company were in all likely hood paying the Adi for the privilege of filming them as is the norm with all these types of programmes but what set this apart was the presenter, he didn't stand around lording it like a rich european, he didn't try to make it look like the people liked him and visa versa while hanging on the periphery and keeping his hands clean and his image intact (in fact I had never heard of him) he just respected their ways, did as they did, got dirty and wet with them, went hungry with them and eat what they ate - in essence he became one of them.
And that was the magic, the Adi liked him, he became one of them in mind and spirit.
A truly excellent programme document of a truly happy and honest people.
Brilliant :biggthump
Kim was raving about it. I was too busy working...:cry:
arctic hobo
04-01-2005, 20:05
No, but I'm truly gutted at missing it. Will there be another?
it was the first in a new serise hobo.. looks to be a gooden, i was petty annoyed that i only saw the last 15mins...
it was sad to hear him admit that not one of the adi children aspires to stay in the tribe, work in the fields etc.. and electricity is on it way.
Gary,
I did watch it and thought that it was very good, as you say it was nice to see someone make the effort to fit in with them. Not too sure if I would have been too keen on the Rat bread though but at least he tried it along with everything else. Looking forward to next week.
Brian
Fantastic programme. Does anyone know where he will be next week?
:-)
Ed
tenbears10
04-01-2005, 20:57
was watching Bend it like Beckham, Damn
Next week hopefully.
Bill
SquirrelBoy
04-01-2005, 21:04
Great programme, even moved me to shed a tear :cry:
Next week:
Tribe
Suri: For the Suri people of Ethiopia ritualised violence is a way of life through extraordinary stick-fighting festivals. Bruce Parry finds that the dominance of the gun is killing their traditions
Cant wait :biggthump
Sound amazing, i'll have to keep an eye out...
hobbitboy
04-01-2005, 22:48
I saw it, it was fantstic! best program i've seen for a while.
An excellent program! Looking forward to the next installment :biggthump
Yeah, I saw it, great programme if a little difficult to watch at times! Not one for the vegetarians :shock:
Gary, it´s just like when you visited Sweden :wink:
Gary, it´s just like when you visited Sweden :wink:
Yes mate except you have all your teeth and dont strange pigs for dinner!! :wink:
Yeah, I saw it, great programme if a little difficult to watch at times! Not one for the vegetarians :shock:
7
This is true Fraser BUT at least they are showing life how it is and not some rose coloured fashionable version of it.
Personally I think that is what makes the programme so good you can easily see its not staged for the camera, for once a programme not spoilt nor bending the knee to PC madness just an honest portrayal of native life by a guy not affriad to get stuck in with them.
Yeah, I saw it, great programme if a little difficult to watch at times! Not one for the vegetarians :shock:
:?: I had no qualms watching it - the very best thing I've seen on telly for many a moon
But then, as a kid I used to help slaughter the geese, cull the rats, put countless myxomatosis-infected rabbits out of their misery, etc etc etc
gillmacca
05-01-2005, 10:24
Next Week:
For the Suri people of Ethiopia, ritualised violence is a way of life through extraordinary stick-fighting festivals, but Bruce finds that the rule of the gun is killing their ancient traditions.
Check the calendar (select what's on) to find out about this/future and other programmes of interest
Cheers :biggthump .... something to actually watch on TV for once :-)
Ed
I also found the split between the Christain beliefs of the younger members and the traditional beliefs of the older generation interesting - it didn't seem to create much conflict within the group. Maybe the traditional beliefs will eventually die out?
gillmacca
05-01-2005, 14:57
I also found the split between the Christain beliefs of the younger members and the traditional beliefs of the older generation interesting - it didn't seem to create much conflict within the group. Maybe the traditional beliefs will eventually die out?
Hope not. If traditional beliefs disappear, then so do some traditional skills
What side was it on guys? And when?
I also found the split between the Christain beliefs of the younger members and the traditional beliefs of the older generation interesting - it didn't seem to create much conflict within the group. Maybe the traditional beliefs will eventually die out?
Fraser that was interesting as it was almost an exact copy of how our ancestors became christian - sadly I think the ADI (like us) will lose their old religion eventually though.
Well like he said, the Adi are doing all this on their own terms rather than having it forced on them because their homeland has been cut down.
Their attitude to the cattle suprised me, I mean the Masi use them as a living currency too ut it doesn't stop them using their milk and slaughtering them for food on a regular basis.
Realgar
jamesdevine
06-01-2005, 12:22
I recorded and got to watch it last night. Absolutly brillant :biggthump .
I am looking forward to the rest in the series.
James
I recorded and got to watch it last night. Absolutly brillant :biggthump .
Hiya James,
I don't suppose there would be any chance of borrowing it after you've watched it is there?
I was at work unfortunately and only saw the last few minutes. I'll quite happily bung you a couple of quid to cover post and packing.
PM me if this will be ok.
Cheers,
Martin
jamesdevine
06-01-2005, 13:14
I might be able to sort something out but as I am in Dublin it might easier and quicker if one of the guys on the 'mainland' has it on tape. If you haveno luck by tomorrow I'll but it on a new tape and send over to you.
James :wave:
it might easier and quicker if one of the guys on the 'mainland' has it on tape.
Well? Did anyone else tape it? Does anyone want to start a pass-around for this programme?
Cheers,
Martin
just out of interest http://pws.prserv.net/endeavour/bruce.htm i worked with him a few times when i was a royal marine ,he always came across as a good man,liked to have fun too, cheers
For those who arent aware - episode 2 is on tonight 2100hrs on Blairs Broadcasting Channel (or BBC to the less cynical) 2
Genius! What an extraordinary episode. What I like about this guy is that he doesn't try to interpret anything, doesn't get too philosophical or analyitical about any of it, he simply comments on the experiences he's having, and is honest about them. He reacts like a lot of us would...by saying, that's disgusting, or that's amazing.
I will never view a stick in quite the same way. I would like to have known what it was made out of, because they didn't appear to snap when making contact with somebody's head!
I also wanted to know how they killed the goat because they didn't show that bit very clearly. I was sat in front of my tv just going...wow...for an hour...the bleeding cows thing...amazing...the lips...THE TATOOING...
good on Mr Parry for having a go. :super:
tenbears10
11-01-2005, 09:00
Kim I think the goat was disoatched with just a spear, either just sharpened wood or with a metal point. Very skillful to get it right like they did.
I was impressed by the whole episode as well, I missed last weeks but I will make sure I catch the rest.
Bil
Moonraker
11-01-2005, 09:21
Very well put together programmes and absorbing to watch. Parry is a natural presenter and gets his enthusiasm across really well because of that.
The story of the Suri was compelling and vivid. As Kim says, it is the fact he just says what anyone would say and without any pretence that makes it. Sometimes I felt he was too cheerful :-) But it showed how important humour and a good nature are to communicate with others and engaging in their life won him their respect.
The stick fighting was amazing and the creeping modernity with the AK 47's now changing their lives was depressing but it reminded me that they are 'doing it for real' and out of necessity. As long as we continue our commercialised ways we can not expect those who live a primitive life style ( in that I use the term to mean closer to nature and tradition than 'simple') to be seduced into the same path.
The most poignant moment for me was right at the end, where their 'king'/ village elder hed his hand and spoke simply about us all having '10 fingers, 2 eyes 2 legs' and us all being the same under the colour of our skin and the way we live.
And especially when he said 'Remember Me'.............
I think when he said that, he also meant 'Remember Us', as he saw the changes coming.
The most poignant moment for me was right at the end, where their 'king'/ village elder hed his hand and spoke simply about us all having '10 fingers, 2 eyes 2 legs' and us all being the same under the colour of our skin and the way we live.
can i just echo what Moonraker said above in the last post (Lump in throat when he said those words a very wise Goodbye no other way to sum it up in my eyes)
bambodoggy
11-01-2005, 10:24
The most poignant moment for me was right at the end, where their 'king'/ village elder hed his hand and spoke simply about us all having '10 fingers, 2 eyes 2 legs' and us all being the same under the colour of our skin and the way we live.
I very much enjoyed the show last night and when the elder spoke at the end I was reminded of the words to a Bob Marley song "The colour of a mans skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes"..... I've always tried to live my life with this thought in mind.
The goat killing was very impressive (if you can call killing impressive), it seemed to me to be a primative relative of the bolt gun.....one hit, bang, straight down and all over....no messing, no hassle and relatively little stress to the animal.
Sad to see the guns seeping in but I fail to see how this can be stopped and wonder if it's right that I feel is should be stopped. Is it for the sake of the tribe or just because I still want primative peoples to stay primative for my own romantic visions....
I was also very impressed with the idea of bleeding the cow's monthly, it wouldn't have occured to me to do this and I did wonder about the merits of it until Parry explained that doing it meant they didn't have to kill and butcher the cow to make use of them.....to me it's the ultimate efficiency. Not pleasant but the cows really didn't look too bothered (again, relatively).
The show is great but I have to say I think the presenter makes it for me....what a top bloke!
Looking forward to next weeks show already :o):
tenbears10
11-01-2005, 10:39
I was also very impressed with the idea of bleeding the cow's monthly, it wouldn't have occurred to me to do this and I did wonder about the merits of it until Parry explained that doing it meant they didn't have to kill and butcher the cow to make use of them.....to me it's the ultimate efficiency. Not pleasant but the cows really didn't look too bothered (again, relatively).
It is also a constant source of fresh sustenance. If you slaughter something in that environment I bet you have to eat it quickly or have a decent method of preserving the meat otherwise it will go off very fast in that heat.
Bill
Moonraker
11-01-2005, 12:09
It is also a constant source of fresh sustenance. If you slaughter something in that environment I bet you have to eat it quickly or have a decent method of preserving the meat otherwise it will go off very fast in that heat.
Bill
I know what I would be using that blood for rather than gagging on it fresh :-)
http://www.unitedmanchester.com/foods/photos/blackpudding.jpg
Although, the Masai have low cholesterol mainly due to the way they prepare their milk and blood ( mixed together raw, a bit of cow dung added for 'spice' and left to ferment in a bladder for a week or so). I think that is what the guy on the recent RM series was eating. Apparently it is supposed to be good eating, tasting like a firm smoky yoghourt!
falling rain
11-01-2005, 13:32
I watched last nights programme too and it was again excellent. You can't HELP but like the bloke. He gets stuck into to everything and was even going to have a go at the stick fighting until the Chief forbid it, which on watching those guys with the sticks was a good decision. They wern't playing, they were really going for it big wiggy style. As for the Goat despatching, it was very immpressive and quick. One of RM's programmes shows the Evenk despatching a Reindeer in a very similar fashion, very quick and humane and the animal dropped straight down dead. I think he's in Borneo or somewhere near that area next week. I'll definately be watching it.
If anyone wants to watch it I've got the first 2 programmes on tape as I have to record it because I'm always out Monday nights. I,m happy to do a pass round as long as I get it back eventually. :wave:
If anyone wants to watch it I've got the first 2 programmes on tape as I have to record it because I'm always out Monday nights. I,m happy to do a pass round as long as I get it back eventually. :wave:
Yes please. I missed the first one because I was at work.
What's best, do you want to do a passround when the series is finished with them all on. Or are you happy to pass the tape around now?
Martin
falling rain
11-01-2005, 14:06
I can pass the first 2 episodes round now as I won't fit another episode onto the tape (the first bit of the tape has got something different on it, not sure what though)and will start a new tape for next weeks episode. PM me your address Shinobi and I'll get it off to you. :wave:
Put me down for it afterwards please...
gillmacca
11-01-2005, 14:39
Is there anybody who has the ability to put this on the web, so that everyone can access it (rather than passing a video around)
Again a brilliant show last night!
In next week's program Bruce will visit the Kombai tribe from Papua New Guinea:
Mon 17 Jan, 21:00 - 22:00 60 mins
Kombai
Explorer Bruce Parry is deep in unexplored jungle as he travels to West Papua to meet a tribe rumoured to be cannibals.
The Kombai people are roaming hunter-gatherers who use stone tools and bows and arrows. Bruce finds that a gift of tobacco, and joining the tribe in being naked, makes them more at ease with his presence. Bruce is soon living in a tree house with a family, joining in with their hunts, attempting to go barefoot through the thorny jungle and extracting pulp from a sago palm, the Kombai's staple diet. The biggest surprise is listening to the calm description of how one of his hosts killed and ate 'witches' from another clan, to end the terror of evil spirits
The biggest surprise is listening to the calm description of how one of his hosts killed and ate 'witches' from another clan, to end the terror of evil spirits
It is, or was, part of their normal way of life so why should it be surprising that the guy relates calmly?
I saw a program a few years ago where the presenter was in the same area an spoke to a village chief (who was totally westernised - jeans, check shirt, seiko watch), who related a similar story. When the presented challenged him, somewhat aghast and horrified that he could be so cool and collected about it, the chief just replied "That's just the way we used to do things..."
falling rain
11-01-2005, 16:14
Put me down for it afterwards please...
OK Jak, maybe if you PM, Shinobi your address as he shouted first.
OK Jak, maybe if you PM, Shinobi your address as he shouted first.
Depending on timescales, it may be easier to give it to Jak at Ashdown.
Just a suggestion :-)
Martin
Another excellent programme - its restored my faith in the bbc to a degree also.
Being unpretentious and approaching things without the usual european i am better than thou approach I think Bruce has given us all the chance to learn some new and very unique bushcraft skills also.
One of the things really I like is the way the back ground speaking is translated and subtitled so you actually get the chance to hear what the locals are saying makes you realise they arent just playing for the piper who pays the bill but actually enjoy the guys company.
He's got B**ls too - best programme I've seen since the old tracks series shame its not a bushcraft series highlighting skills too!
Now wouldnt that be something eh!
Moonraker
11-01-2005, 21:27
One of the things really I like is the way the back ground speaking is translated and subtitled so you actually get the chance to hear what the locals are saying makes you realise they arent just playing for the piper who pays the bill but actually enjoy the guys company.
I forgot to mention that Gary. Spot on. It really added to the programme especially given that he had no idea what they were saying at the time :-)
This is most definately one for the blokes...
on tonight's episode of Tribe at 9.00pm BBC2, our intrepid explorer Bruce Parry tells us how the gentleman of the Tribe he is with, push part of their anatomy back inside themselves.... :shock:
He, however, after going white, sweating perfusely and losing all hearing decided that for him...this just wasn't going to happen
All this tantalising information from Richard and Judy's tea time show! Would you warrent it. Richard and Judy talking about gentleman's bits being retracted....!
did anyone see him on richard and judy (i got a lot of spare time at the moment) tonight? he said he passed out when they did that to him!
Appears this is going to be the best one yet - several reviews all give it a big :biggthump
Emdiesse
17-01-2005, 21:55
I caught the end of it last week.
However this week i remembered it was on.
It is an amazing program. It makes me smile how these people live, they seem so happy. It is very good how the presenter gets stuck in with them and even carries out the majority of there lifes.
By the way, i'm watching it whilst on my computer. Thats why i posted before it was finished :nana:
Great program!
gillmacca
17-01-2005, 22:04
He has a lot of guts. He could have very easily been killed by these people, and some of the things he had to go through (thorn through nose, inverting his private parts) he is a brave man, but if it wasn't for people like him, we would never get to see such an insight into these kinds of people. Cannot wait for the next episode
Great programme,very much enjoyed watching it. :biggthump
You gotta admire the way he throws himself right in.
Last week, razor blade cuts in Africa, this week getting his manhood poked around to try and go from "outie" to "innie".
Good man.
Some good little bushcrafty bit there too - more important was the fact that as hunter gatherers these people had alot of time on their hands - not at all like the picture of hunter gatherers the agricultarists would have us imagine, but thats thread for another day!
Emdiesse
17-01-2005, 23:33
I noticed that.
Although they do there regular tasks everyday, they do get quite some time to them selves to enjoy things they like to do. In there case smoking.
agricultarists portray the image of the hunter-gatherers having little time lef over from the things they need to do to survive.
falling rain
18-01-2005, 08:16
I think last nights programme was the best one yet and the others were brilliant so that says something. What a fantastic series !! Bruce Parry has my utmost respect and when this series is finished I hope we see a lot more from him. I don't beleive I saw one modern piece of equipment last night. (except what the filming crew had). Everything they used was from the Jungle. I watched the whole programme completely enthralled. Brilliant !! :super:
This was the first episode I've managed to catch. What a treat! I found it a very emotional journey just watching how he interacted with these people.
I agree though, Bruce Parry is a very brave man... :shock:
I'll be sure to watch it from now on. :biggthump
Hellz
MartiniDave
18-01-2005, 08:56
Terrific program! You got the feeling he was right out on a limb in the beginning. A brave soul indeed!
tenbears10
18-01-2005, 09:12
Brilliant. Don't know about that whole willy thing though :shock:
Bill
Moonraker
18-01-2005, 09:16
Continues to be excellent and very insightful.
I kind of missed the sub titles of the tribe which we had from last week but I guess their language is not easy although from the facial expressions I reckon it would have been fairly hilarious to 'listen' :-) It reinforces for me the importance of humour and willingness to partake in the lives of those you meet and the respect it shows for them and for you.
Interesting to see the use of poisons to catch the fish and demonstrated nicely ( not legal in Europe of course). I posted some info on this before in this thread:
Primitive Ways -Fish Poison (http://www.bushcraftuk.net/community/showpost.php?p=53642&postcount=29[/url)
Some good links there.
I was really impressed with the use of tools without anything metal. Mussel shells used as a spoon and also a broken one used for cutting (after being caught from the stream and eaten I assume). Also the use of sharp bamboo used for butchering and the stone axe was impressive, until he broke it :-)
Wonder what they used to hunt before pigs were introduced onto the islands and I guess the dogs they used for hunting were non-native also. Just shows how people adapt.
One of the strongest points to come across, perhaps in a different way form last week was the reasons and willingness these essentially 'stone age' (in the sense of technology which also means highly skilled!) people looked to entering the modern world when they talked about getting lighting like the airstrip village.
It was poignant the way they talked about a history of being 'afraid of the dark' ( that real primeval feel born for true danger still from man and beast) and also a desire to move away from the historic violence typified ultimately by the cannibalism, to living in peace in a modern world. Parry mentioned this again like last week when it was the AK47 bringing their traditional lives swiftly into the modern era. The thought of such a beautiful part of the globe being ripped up and exploited as seems inevitable is heart breaking. Lets hope they have some say in their future. It is hard to believe they can survive the onslaught of convenience, exploitation and the seduction of the meaningless paraphernalia we so depend on now.
Again it was the simple act of putting his clothes on and heaving on a loaded up rucksack and his acknowledgement of that when leaving, which made this all the more clear.
bambodoggy
18-01-2005, 09:57
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.....the best one so far....really good show and as Gary says heaps of bushcraft tips mixed in. Fantastic to see no metal used whatsoever, I didn't even know there were tribes out there still that didn't at least have a cooking pot or steel knife...Wow.
Fair play to Parry for jumping in with both feet again (bare foot for three days!)....nose pierced and even had a go at the inverter thing...Ouch!!!
Just one point.... as my wife and I watched the show it seemed more and more apparent to us that it wasn't just tabacco they were smoking over there, I make no judgement on tribes uses of various drugs (none of my business) but clearly strongly condem them in the UK as they are illegal.....but heck, that was the funniest thing I've ever watched..... Maybe you guys don't think he was stoned but in my own mind I am 100% sure they all were!!!! Fantastic to see him get "so" involved in their way of life....
Nice one Mr Parry....roll on next week...should be another blinder! :super:
I'm gutting I haven't seen the rest of this series, I'm assuming they will be available at some point?
Hellz
Has anyone got some information on the firestarting method that I saw the Kombai using last night? They used a piece of rattan with a piece of wood and created friction by pulling on the ends of the rattan alternately. This method is mentioned sideways in Ray Mears' "bushcraft" book & I believe it is called the "fire thong" or "flexible fire saw" but if you "google" the first, most of the hits are about flimsy nightwear with a flamy print... I can't seem to find much about it (for instance in what countries it is/was used or even a proper description/picture of it).
BTW, Yesterdays episode was -again- a brilliant one. Next week's show also sounds like fun:
Mon 24 Jan, 21:00 - 22:00 60 mins
Babongo
To become men, the Babongo people of Gabon take a powerful hallucinogen that sends them on a life-threatening, three day trip.
Explorer Bruce Parry undergoes the initiation and finds it has some terrifying side effects.
Fabulous show. Did anyone notice how they used their belt on what looked like a piece of bamboo to start fire? There was only a short clip in the background. Looked efficient, but I'm puzzled how they caught the ember. Any ideas? :?:
Regarding the inversion :yikes: . Some tribes in the Filipines would wrap their testicles in tight bamboo with the purpose of increasing their pain threshhold. I did hear a story that is why the Colt .45 was invented, 9mm wouldn't stop them. Could the inversion be a similar exercise? MAkes Parry's attempt all the more impressive!
Justin Time
18-01-2005, 10:54
What tickled me was the BBC Wales announcer at the start of the prog warning that some viewers may be upset at the way some of the animals are treated, I guess they meant the bleeding etc. What got me squirming was the whole range of things he accepted being done to himself...
Great prog and some great folk
tenbears10
18-01-2005, 11:34
Could the inversion be a similar exercise? MAkes Parry's attempt all the more impressive!
I think the inversion was for protection. If you are runing essentially naked through the jungle with all those thorns around the last thing you want is your most delicate dangily bits, well, dangling. They inverted their penis and wrapped the protrouding bit in leaves adding more protection. IIRC some sportsmen used to invert their testicals so they didn't get smacked, not done so much nowadays I suppose.
Very little about the women of the family this week unlike last week where he explained a lot about the female members of the tribe.
Can't wait for next week.
Bill
Protection from thorns when running naked through the jungle does seem a more practical explanation. Think I'll just stick to trousers.
absolutely superb!!!! well done to everyone who was involved in the making of this series, little things like subtitling all the background chatter and not interfering with reality (like canned bird song, encouraged behavior etc) to make things 'more exciting' under the absurd notion that the viewing public wont notice.
Bruce Parry is quickly becoming one of my favorite presenters down to earth, not afraid to show his flaws, and prepared to go more than the extra mile.
I hope he continues to make many more programs and keeps a level head.
bambodoggy
18-01-2005, 14:42
absolutely superb!!!! well done to everyone who was involved in the making of this series, little things like subtitling all the background chatter and not interfering with reality (like canned bird song, encouraged behavior etc) to make things 'more exciting' under the absurd notion that the viewing public wont notice.
Bruce Parry is quickly becoming one of my favorite presenters down to earth, not afraid to show his flaws, and prepared to go more than the extra mile.
I hope he continues to make many more programs and keeps a level head.
Here here.....couldn't have put it better myself :super:
Can someone ring me just before the next one starts? I've missed every one so far:cry: :cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:
arctic hobo
18-01-2005, 16:35
What tickled me was the BBC Wales announcer at the start of the prog warning that some viewers may be upset at the way some of the animals are treated, I guess they meant the bleeding etc. What got me squirming was the whole range of things he accepted being done to himself...
Great prog and some great folk
I think that was about when they shot the pig and it ran off with two arrows in it, still alive. I'm not bothered but I can see how the more RSPCA centred watchers might get all shocked by it.
And what can I say that hasn't already been said, absolutely fantastic in every way, best thing I've seen on TV, full stop.
Well done Bruce, the show is superb this guy is definitely giving Ray a run for his money.
Frogo
falling rain
24-01-2005, 08:14
Can someone ring me just before the next one starts? I've missed every one so far:cry: :cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:
Jak especially for you....... TRIBE IS ON TONIGHT AT 9PM ON BBC 2 DO NOT FORGET....!!! OR AT THE NEXT GATHERING YOU WILL BE NOMINATED TO INVERT YOUR TALLYWHACKER LIKE IN THE LAST EPISODE !! :rolmao: :rolmao: :rolmao:
Wow...complete respect to Mr Parry.
There were so many amazing images in last nights programme, the child sat in the bucket full of water when it was raining...and the tiny toddler hacking at a piece of wood with a mini machete....two inches from his fathers leg... :yikes: I can just see my mother's expression if my dad had given me one of those when I was three!
Genius television.
Hope they give the guy another series...
Once again,
first class tv,
more please
:You_Rock_
Chris
another superb program :biggthump
some of the images brought back some nice memories of indigenous groups I have had the pleasure of spending time with, like very young children using knives and parangs and men relaxing and smoking whilst the white visitor worried about which way the tree was going to fall. :roll:
did you see the leaf flights on the arrows?
Paganwolf
25-01-2005, 11:36
FANTASTIC! Great program, it tears my heart apart to see the damage done by logging though Ive seen this first hand in Borneo and it sickens me to see it here too, i remember stopping to look at a beautiful jungle view in front of a large hill sadly when we got to the other side of the hill a mining company had removed the other side to crush up for building materials :cry: ...........but never the less its beautiful to see there are some peoples out there who will eccept and not prejudge strangers and that work,rest and play as a community, community spirit is something our society is lacking i fear.
yep gotta salute the guy he was very scared in last nights prog but he still did it.
I think that bolo (sp? drug thing) should be given to all convicted prisoners in this country - if it makes them suffer the crime they commit I bet it would half re-offending!
Anyway my compassionate liberal self aside - I didnt find it was the best one but still very good.
FANTASTIC! Great program, it tears my heart apart to see the damage done by logging though Ive seen this first hand in Borneo and it sickens me to see it here too, i remember stopping to look at a beautiful jungle view in front of a large hill sadly when we got to the other side of the hill a mining company had removed the other side to crush up for building materials :cry:
I remember my first taste of the damage done by logging, after three days of walking though pristine jungle we suddenly walked out it to a huge clearing devoid of trees, just rubble and piles of logs, I was stunned.... even more so when I saw the big road bulldozed to the clearing that snaked away though the jungle.
a short distance from the clearing was the long house of long luban here the logging companies with the assistance of the Malaysian government* had built a long house to house the Nomadic penan that lived in the forest they were cutting down.
*(governments don’t like nomads, they don’t pay taxes, they difficult to control, and they are embarrassing to a country who wants to be modern, they prefer settling them. logging companies like to settle them as it keeps them distracted and lessens the chance of them becoming hostile)
the penan that had settled down in the long house were excited, they had a generator and electric lights, a radio, and even a TV with a video player to watch the two videos they had been given.
they didn’t know just how many trees the logging company was going to cut down, they didn’t realise that when the loggers moved on the would stop supplying them with diesel for the generator or that they would not be able to hunt to feed themselves because of the damage to the land around them.
they did not know that this had happened to so many other groups of penan in before them, settled in longhouses to keep them happy and passive whilst the land is destroyed, then abandoned by the companies, only then realising that they had no food and the rivers were tainted, only the realizing that they had been cheated.
they can not go back to their hunter gather life as the forest is gone, and they do not understand the new modern money driven world that they now find themselves a part of.
On my last day at long luban I went fishing with a penan man from the village, I noticed that he did not fish in the river in the valley we were in but walked some distance over to the next valley instead. When we got back to the long house to someone who could translate I asked why? he told me that there were no fish in the valley anymore, they had gone since the loggers came, he didn’t know why they had gone, he thought maybe the noise of the chainsaws scared them like the animals.
when I had flown over the jungle on my way to the landing strip at Bario before I stared my walk in there had been heavy cloud cover, when I flew out however my heart sank as I saw with clear skys that the jungle was covered in a criss cross network of bulldozed roads and clearings with landslides in places where the clearing had removed the trees holding the soil togeather.
its very easy to cheat people who's culture is based on sharing, a people who's language does not have words for thief or stolen, and if you cant cheat them... like some of the penan who have fought back?.... well you arrest them of course.... the land belongs to the loggers they bought it from the govenment.
In Mulu I visited a penan village were the they were settled by the loggers over a decade ago. They were doing well and made a living selling baskets and trinkets to the tourists that came to visit the caves, it gave me hope for those that I had come to know at long luban, but the transition had been hard and a lot of suffering had been endured before they etched out a place in this new world they found themselves in.
I hope those at long luban do as well in the future, they have hard times ahead.
bambodoggy
31-01-2005, 12:09
Next one's on tonight everyone.....
21:00 Today
BBC2
Tribe
Documentary series in explorer Bruce Parry spends time with some of the world's most isolated tribes. While living with the nomadic Darhad herders of Mongolia, he helps a migrating family move their livestock across a high mountain pass
Duration: 60mins
(Just updated it in the calendar too).
Well reminded Bambam - one of my favourite peoples tonight - top tv!! :biggthump
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/01/03/ftribe03.xml
arctic hobo
31-01-2005, 17:13
Well reminded Bambam - one of my favourite peoples tonight - top tv!! :biggthump
Mine too, can't wait! :biggthump
Really looking forward to tonights prog,as Mongolia is a place that i've always wanted to go to,especially that meeting each year the tribes have where they have horse racing,archery,wrestling ect.am sure one of Mr Mears programmes took place in Mongolia at this meeting where he was invited to take part in the wrestling and proceeded to open a can of the proveriable whoop ass on the local wrestling types.
Ranger Bob
31-01-2005, 20:00
I'm lookin' forward to tonights show as well. I went to Mongolia 3 years ago and it will be nice to see it again! It is my all time favourite place in the world, so it will be nice to see how Bruce presents its people and the country in general! CLEM, the horse riding, archery and wrestling your talking about is the Nadaam festival, celebrating the '3 manly sports' I missed it by 2 days when I went! It would be good if Bruce included that in his show as well.
innocent bystander
31-01-2005, 22:07
hi everyone, bit new to this, but, if the mongolians can have satellite tv whilest roaming around the wilderness then i am all for gadgets.... :-P
Ranger Bob
31-01-2005, 22:14
I can't believe it!!!! Thats the exact same area I stayed in 3 years ago. Absolutly brilliant to see it again. Bruce showed the people just as they are....friendly and peaceful. For me, it was good to see Khovsgol nuur (lake) and jiglig pass again, as I treked along its western shore and over the mountains in the same place. But the highlight had to be the small town of Renchenclumbe!!! The best place on earth!!!!!
did anyone tape tonights.... mongolia is probably THE place i am most drawn to (i dont know why) and i would love to see it...!! :wave:
Tomtom its om Blairs Broadcasting Corporation so they will have the dvd in the shops sooner or later. Which in this case is great because I can honestly say that I believe it to be the best programme of its type I have seen in years.
Also I suspect next weeks programme is the last int he series. any know for sure? :?:
I saw it last night, what a great programme! Breath of fresh air...
I never usually manage to catch these programmes, i struck it lucky when i switched over and tought "this was what they were talking about!".
:biggthump
Next week's episode should be the last as there were 6 episodes planned. Bruce is going to live with the Sanema tribe in the Venezuelan jungle. And yes it's the same tribe Ray Mears has visited for "world of survival"! He's also going to try som e drug snuff (just like Redmond O'Hanlon did). Here's the details:
Mon 7 Feb, 21:00 - 22:00 60 mins
Bruce Parry learns the secrets of the spirits when he joins the Sanema, in Venezuela, to discover the strange dual-reality world in which they live.
The Sanema believe spirits dwell in everything - the river, the rocks and the animals around them - in a world as real to them as the jungle they live in. And their shamen can commune with such spirits through using hallucinogenic snuff. Now Bruce faces the task of training as a shaman to get an insight into their experiences.
His first foray with the snuff makes him light-headed. And as they prepare him for his big day, the shamen tell him what to look out for in his dreams, which is when the spirits come unbidden. Turtle, armadillo and anteater spirits are all said to circulate. According to the shamen, the spirits will leave a song for Bruce to remember in the morning.
When his big day dawns, Bruce is prepared by being painted with red dye and wearing what looks like pom-poms on his head. And as the snuff sends him reeling, and he borrows a spirit song from.
bambodoggy
01-02-2005, 10:57
Another blinder last night...so sad that there's only one more to go now....then again I guess there aren't that many tribes left ....(This week Bruce travels to deepest Sussex to meet the untamed Ashdown Tribe, he learns how to carve the perfect spoon before building up to his initiation of gravity defying leaps beside the fire....will he be able to land with all the grace and elegance of Master Shinobi??? :o): )
The family in last nights show were so nice and had a great sense of humour....the Father explaining to Bruce that with wild horses the best place to be was on the other side of a fence was so funny!
I also really liked that they chose to leave in the embarrassing bit where he let his horse loose and it legged it back to town with him chasing it part of the way...IMO most tv presenters would have edited this sort of things out so they didn't look daft in there own minds....Bruce doesn't give a monkeys and was clearly as amused with himself as he was embarrassed....it's the sort of mistake a lot of us westerners would have made and to me it showed Bruce was really just one of the lads and in no way stuck up his own bum! :ekt:
It's never a place I've been that keen to go to but I'm certainly more interested in the area now....
Roll on next weeks show....... :super:
I reckon Bruce has a hidden agenda here I think he's found a way to get the BBC to fund Drug sampling trips. :wink:
first the hallucinogenic root in Babon, now some hallucinogenic snuff in Venezuela.
and what was the stuff he was snorting from the jade container in mongolia??
prehapes the following trips will be in search of white powder in columbia and flower picking in hills of afghanistan :roll:
still I am more than happy to watch him, best telly in ages
(This week Bruce travels to deepest Sussex to meet the untamed Ashdown Tribe, he learns how to carve the perfect spoon before building up to his initiation of gravity defying leaps beside the fire....will he be able to land with all the grace and elegance of Master Shinobi???
Cheeky :-P It takes 12 years of Ninjutsu training to be able to land that safely, but only one bottle of sloe gin to cause it !!
As for Tribe last night, both Michelle and I got the feeling that Bruce didn't seem to be at ease as he usually is. I don't know what it was, just something wasn't right with him. Did anyone else pick this up?
Martin
bambodoggy
01-02-2005, 11:43
I reckon Bruce has a hidden agenda here I think he's found a way to get the BBC to fund Drug sampling trips. :wink:
first the hallucinogenic root in Babon, now some hallucinogenic snuff in Venezuela.
and what was the stuff he was snorting from the jade container in mongolia??
prehapes the following trips will be in search of white powder in columbia and flower picking in hills of afghanistan :roll:
still I am more than happy to watch him, best telly in ages
You may be onto something there Stuart.... and as I said lower down I'm 100% convinced it wasn't just tabacco he was smoking in the jungle when he had that thorn pushed through his nose....they were all giggling like.....like a group of students at a frat party! lol :rolmao:
whitebuffalo
01-02-2005, 13:46
Some truely moving television. And what a lucky man to be able to experience so much, it will be a shame to see these programmes come to an end.
Another blinder last night...so sad that there's only one more to go now....then again I guess there aren't that many tribes left ....(This week Bruce travels to deepest Sussex to meet the untamed Ashdown Tribe, he learns how to carve the perfect spoon before building up to his initiation of gravity defying leaps beside the fire....will he be able to land with all the grace and elegance of Master Shinobi??? :o): )
The family in last nights show were so nice and had a great sense of humour....the Father explaining to Bruce that with wild horses the best place to be was on the other side of a fence was so funny!
I also really liked that they chose to leave in the embarrassing bit where he let his horse loose and it legged it back to town with him chasing it part of the way...IMO most tv presenters would have edited this sort of things out so they didn't look daft in there own minds....Bruce doesn't give a monkeys and was clearly as amused with himself as he was embarrassed....it's the sort of mistake a lot of us westerners would have made and to me it showed Bruce was really just one of the lads and in no way stuck up his own bum! :ekt:
It's never a place I've been that keen to go to but I'm certainly more interested in the area now....
Roll on next weeks show....... :super:
I LIKE YOUR STYLE SIR :You_Rock_
Cheeky :-P It takes 12 years of Ninjutsu training to be able to land that safely, but only one bottle of sloe gin to cause it !!
As for Tribe last night, both Michelle and I got the feeling that Bruce didn't seem to be at ease as he usually is. I don't know what it was, just something wasn't right with him. Did anyone else pick this up?
Martin
I thought the same thing watching the programme before last but he looked ok in this one. Maybe the difference was in this one he worked hard and they were on the move alot, most of the other prog's have been filmed in a village and as such he has had more time to 'get settled in' - who knows?
That four year old lad will be carrying on tradition though so hats off to that kid!
Desperate Dan
01-02-2005, 17:12
Wow! I was with Ranger Bob 3 years ago when we travelled out there, in a country that size he chooses the town we were based in! The programme portrayed the Mongolians exactly as I remember them, so hospitable to complete strangers, and with an engrained toughness to them. Truly a wonderful people, and the best place in the world.
Desperate Dan
01-02-2005, 17:14
Oh and somoeone asked what the snuff was like, I've still got some if anyone wants a go! :lol:
Ranger Bob
01-02-2005, 18:45
Oh and somoeone asked what the snuff was like, I've still got some if anyone wants a go! :lol:
NO no, keep it away!!!!!
Top programme,really really enjoyed it.I want to go there more than ever now,what a beautifull place and beautifull people.
I also enjoyed the latest "Tribe" program shot in Northern Mongolia and thanks Bambodoggy for leading me to the right thread: here!
Unfortunately I missed the first half-hour of the Mongolia program.By any chance has anyone recorded the program on VHS video? Would he/she kindly tape your recordings on a blank tape I would send to you (provided you have the equipment to do so of course which not all tape recorders have)? I am so devestated I missed the beginning of that program...
Here is a post I had sent on the Bushcraftb TV thread some time ago, for those who have the endurance to embark on it :lol: :
"Sorry guys if my post read like I was a "hypocritical Westener" telling hunting-gathering peoples around the world they should just "stay as they are".
If this is how it read, which is possible , it didn't translate my thoughts properly...
I happen to be of a generation who saw its own quality of life deteriorate and its own culture fade away over the past decades, right here in the West, and inspite of our day and age claiming we never had it so good...
And this in spite of some welcome changes which have occurred.
Younger people may not have such a clear point of comparison.
Therefore I see my brothers and sisters in the forests of Papua New Guinea, Gabon and elsewhere experiencing quite a parallel change in their own lives to what happened and is still happening here in "the West" (to give the industrial world a common name).
These questions would require more space and time then I have here writing this post. But in short, what I find the most upsetting is, not only the logging industry pulling the rug from under these people's feet, literally...but very active and financially powerful protestant missionaries who continue to force our own religion, or rather a particular and questionable brand of it, down everyone's throat in many parts of the world.
I was raised a Christan and a protestant. I would describe my own set of values largely "Christian" in spirit.
But I don't approve of missionaries because, particularly in the documentary on the Kombai people in P.N. Guinea, as they were misleading the forest people into thinking that they would continue to "live in fear" if they stuck to their old ways and would on the other hand find peace if they embraced our ways and our Christianity (or the version of it taught by these particular protestant churches).
Aren't war and fear not part of our modern world? And as abhorrent as these people's cannibalism may be perceived by us, aren't some aspects of our world just as cruel? Come on!
The documentary showed some forest people already converted by the missionaries to their own brand of christianity (with emphasis on wearing clothes in a climate where being naked is the healthiest and most comfortable way to cope with humidity!). These converts kept saying how wondeful it would be if all forest peoples renounced their ways and beliefs, they would then be in peace ever after...this showed clearly that the missionaries made the forest people believe that our world was a world of constant peace while theirs a world of constant tribal wars and fear...which is a lie.
I just say it as I see it. A lot of "their ways" are good and were greatly appreciated by Parry. The fact that the disappearance of their culture is perhaps inevitable doesn't make it a good thing.
There is a lot in our modern world I am unhappy with, from many different angles, so why should I wish it to people who look happy, healthy and in harmony with their environment and not more cruel than any of us? At the cost of losing forever this legacy from their ancestors...which by the way is also World Heritage..?"
bambodoggy
08-02-2005, 15:24
I take it from the quiet day here today that nobody saw last nights show? I watched it...I liked it....not my fav episode but still up to Bruce's usual standard.
I did like it when he was cutting wood and they were all sitting around laughing at him coz he was making the cuts to big and basically being a typical westerner (as I said from last weeks, I'd have done the same)...he was, I believe, trying to show them that he'd work hard for them but they just thought it funny...
Best quote from last night:
First Woman: He's cutting off to big bits, he'll tire himself out in no time like tha.
Second Woman: I suppose we should help him really.
Both Women: Giggling and laughing.
First Woman: Yer...should do.
None of them got up! :rolmao: :rolmao:
After that he showed us his hands....they were blistered and cut to heck!
So..... that was the last one! I think my Fav one was the headhunters one, closely followed by the Mongolian one.
What do you guys think?
tenbears10
08-02-2005, 15:56
I thought it was a good one but it is becoming 'Bruce goes on a massive drugs bender' I think they have been great shows but the cocktail of stuff he has swallowed and snorted would make most people need a spell in the hospital to recover and it doesn't sound like it was his first time 'experimenting'.
Really good series in all though.
Was it just me or was the big village with the airstrip the same one Ray visited in his last series when he went to Venezuela. If not the scenery and football pitch looked very familiar.
bambodoggy
08-02-2005, 16:09
I thought it was a good one but it is becoming 'Bruce goes on a massive drugs bender' I think they have been great shows but the cocktail of stuff he has swallowed and snorted would make most people need a spell in the hospital to recover and it doesn't sound like it was his first time 'experimenting'.
The last few shows were definately heading that way! lol :o): Still....made for some very very funny shows! :rolmao:
Think it might have been the same place RM went to...someone on here's bound to know :o):
I thought it was a good one but it is becoming 'Bruce goes on a massive drugs bender' I think they have been great shows but the cocktail of stuff he has swallowed and snorted would make most people need a spell in the hospital to recover and it doesn't sound like it was his first time 'experimenting'.
Yeah, while I like the show it is beginning to come across as a guide to places in the world to go on a drugs bender. I wonder if the next one will be him going to the inner cities to study "tribes" there. Maybe I can see that it's a show that could be so much better. Watching a guy high on drugs starts to become repetetive.
bambodoggy
08-02-2005, 16:17
I have to admit to dozing off for the last 10 minutes when he was doing the drugs thing...as Adi says, it gets a bit boring after a while just watching somebody else being high!
Yup, I watched it as well.
My impression was that this was a tribe on the verge of extinction. Either physically or socially.They have lost their traditional way of existence (Forest nomads) and were being seduced by the neighbouring tribe into a sedantry existance which they didn't seem to be able to cope with well, with the result that they spent more and more time "shamanising" otherwise known as getting trolleyed as a distraction. I also got the impression that the neighbouring tribe were using this tribe as a form of slave labour so it was in their interest to keep the nomads subdued with promises of medical support and metal weapons. Quite upsetting really :cry:
There again, that could just be my perception.
My favourites were the tree-dwellers and the Ethiopean Suri "stick fighters."
I'm not sure if Bruce could carry on this series in the way it has been, so it will be interesting to see where he takes it from here?
Cheers,
Martin
bambodoggy
08-02-2005, 17:18
That was the last one.......for now!
I agree totally about this last tribe slowly dying out....it seems we Westerners helped too by bring in dieses that they couldn't cope with and therefore making them even more dependant on western medicine...the other tribe seems to have capitalized on this and as Martin says are now using it as cheap labour.....very sad indeed.
innocent bystander
08-02-2005, 17:25
did anyone see him on sky travel the other day? he was doing a 40 day trek across new guinea, to climb a previously unclimbed peak. The best bit was the look on his face crossing a bamboo bridge (very thin bamboo). Half of the supports started snapping with every foot step.....
giancarlo
08-02-2005, 23:11
it was a good one... the drugs and the being sick, do seem to be a common theme ;)
I think it was the same place RM went, i know when i heard the first tribe name, i thought that it sounded very familiar.... (and i wouldn't have heard it anywhere else)
shame it's the last one though, really enjoyed it... even the missus did!
Yes Giancarlo, I also thought it was the same tribe Ray had visited. I didn't really recognize its name, although it did sound familiar too, but the village and its setting looked the same and their way of cooking manioc semolina on a cast iron tray (a split second sequence).
Yes very sad, in this program particularly it felt like a culture, a people on its last legs.
They had lost the vast region of forest where they used to lead their previous nomadic life. It seemed that they had been cornered by events beyond their control and then thought of a damage limitation solution:
living nearby the other tribe (forgot its exact name, the village that looked like where Ray Mears had first landed) which was a tribe already with one foot in our modern world which could provide them with medications and some medical care. It looked like this was a reasoned, deliberate decision.
Like one of you has said, the other tribe exploits them. It is all quite sad.
I have seen films and pictures and heard direct accounts from anthropologists etc on forest tribes in the Amazon some, say, 30 years ago. The picture was so different. These people looked quite different in appearence too: sharp traditional hair cuts, wearing nothing but something round their waist or hips and maybe around their legs right below the knee, etc Their general appearance was clean-cut, sharp, everyone in the village wore the same things: it looked distinctive, it had unity in appearance: never overall shabby and sad and full of bits and bobs the way these people sort of look now.
Well, long story...logging seem to be one of the main threat and cause of the decline of these tribes and their distinctive cultures.