Amazing Quest: Stories from New Caledonia | Somewhere on Earth: New Caledonia | Free Documentary

foreign [Music] foreign [Music] is an extraordinary strip of land surrounded by long barrier reefs and the unfathomable Pacific Ocean its vast Lagoon holds a wealth of Secrets waiting to be discovered scientists in numea are studying the behavior of sharks these kings in the ocean are indispensable to the equilibrium of the underwater world [Music] Soaring Over the world's most beautiful lagoons and discovering the Wide Open Spaces of this land on the main island of granter adventurers waiting for those who dare to live out their dreams lifu in the Loyalty Islands promises a voyage back in time to a world steeped in kanakh Legends and deeply rooted traditions [Music] [Music] foreign the Loyalty Islands means plunging into melanesian culture in search of a lost age and getting a glimpse of the invisible Spirit of the canax Marcel lapashas is a child of the jokin tribe [Music] an is Joe meaning Spear and Keen meaning so you're the spear when you come here you arrive you walk around a bit you do as you please but when you mess up I need a key to get out of the tribe and I'll show you the way out that's what joking means [Music] [Music] there are not many beaches around the island but there are coral reefs they're a living treasure and everyone here watches over them [Music] Marcel protects his fishing spots his underwater Garden where he harvests what he needs fish Lobster giant clams foreign I was born on lifu I'm not a little Chief I'm not a big chief no I'm just myself No Frills or anything I keep it simple nature here is generous here on lifu nobody is dying of hunger we have nature all you have to do is go out and Serve Yourself foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] this is my land the canac has his land he doesn't need to go anywhere else this is how I see things I never felt the need to live anywhere else I've always lived here I made my choice hey it's summer in the South Pacific during the school vacations Marcella's nieces and nephews who live in numea an hour and a half away by plane come to lifu so every summer a dozen or so kids invade Uncle Marcel's House of Happiness it's also called the bokua the nice spot you see we never get bored here ever since we were kids the name my father gave the house when he laid the first stone to build it they're preparing a family event away from prying eyes Marcel wants to teach the children the secrets of making a Bunya a traditional melanesian dish all right everyone pitches in with the preparation they gather the ingredients prepare the fire choose the right banana leaves Bunya is made with chicken fish and even bats it's a traditional dish rich with symbolism these are the first leaves you have to place in the Bunya you have to heat them to soften them up yeah as the children are here with us for the vacation we'll take this opportunity to teach them how to cook Bunya then they can eat it afterwards foreign is working to make this event a solemn occasion Bunya plays an important role in the social cohesion between the generations [Music] the family the tribe's communal life it's very important we're always together in everyday life and there may be some tension sure but the family it's always the family foreign [Music] a symbol of honor and respect the yam plays a role in the founding myth of melanesian society into a connect Legend at the beginning of the world the moon tossed a yam cake wrapped in banana leaves into the ocean and this gave birth to Taya kanaki the first man [Music] [Applause] the akanaki asked the spirits to teach him how to survive on Earth thus man learned the secrets of Nature and the magic of stones and plants ever since man has been farming the land and the yam has remained an important symbol in kanakh society this story handed down Through the Ages is what binds the melanesians to their land [Music] the tribe lives here on the edge of the cliffs we have the cliffs we have the sunset we have it all about the new season this is why I stay here in my home as well where I live with my wife and children that's what keeps me here here we say I mind the house foreign every day in the late afternoon Marcel heads into the forest to work his land or set traps for coconut crabs if it rains tonight we'll go out let me come out when it rains they don't like it if it's too dry there's no rain Marcel is spitting bits of coconut meat all around the trap a simple but very efficient way of chumming for crabs we turn the coconut with the hole facing down okay so when the crab comes it's not going to be easy for him to eat it's going to take some time we make it hard for the crab put in the opening you see underneath now we just hope that the humidity and the smell of the coconut draw the crabs out of their holes [Music] when night falls Marcel checks his trap lines just like a fur trapper [Music] foreign [Music] look look this trap here it has a crab on it is but it's not very big he said they get a lot bigger than that it takes a lot of force to try to pry them off this one is it's average size hear the claws and the mouth between the two claws and it uses these smaller claws here you see to scrape out the coconut meat to the hole we made and carry it to its mouth you can break anything put your skin and flesh and then even crush your bones even your fingers [Music] and then even my wrist so bandages to grab my wrist he can break it that's for sure but that's the more bigger ones there are no streams or rivers on lifu to get fresh water the Islanders have to climb down to an amazing reservoir of crystal clear water the caves of leafu are ritual sites some are connected to the ocean and they are mostly unexplored Marcel is going to enter the run on no Grotto Angel a member of the site's caretaker Clan is guiding him the site is taboo to enter one must pay homage to the spirits of the ancestors [Music] the two stones here symbolize two women the invisible Spirits you have to perform the ritual gesture Angel told me to deposit leaves and stones to request the protection of the two Guardians the cave wow so that's why we perform the ritual gestures performing the ritual we feel their presence [Music] 20 meters beneath the forest floor the entrance to The Grotto is nearly invisible for Generations the member of Angel's tribe have been coming here to draw their drinking water [Music] [Music] these reservoirs are fed by rain water that seeps down through the porous Limestone soil this geological feature of zifu has allowed people to settle permanently in the Loyalty Islands by providing them with the source of fresh water [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] Hollows nature and time have sculpted underwater cathedrals and created these Eerie surreal landscapes [Music] in New Caledonia everyone respects the taboo sites and the sacred Spirit of the ancestors the traditions and practices are transmitted in secret By Word of Mouth in the chief's long houses the tribe is the heart of life here yes there are other lives other worlds Beyond the Horizon but I like it here within the tribes I have no regrets and that's how life is this is my life I'm at home in my tribe and that's pretty cool [Music] the island of lifo is steeped in the canac spirit coming here is an encounter with the melanesian soul and the free generous beings that live here like Marcel lapashas a man indispensable to the happiness of his family and all the children of the jokin tribe from Marcel's tribe in the Loyalty Islands to the Lost valleys of grandeur it's a two-hour flight that transports us into another world [Music] [Applause] the center of the main island is a territory of mountains forgotten forests and inaccessible Rivers this is an island still tinged with Adventure [Music] thank you [Music] LaRue seems like she's running on pure adrenaline you could have been Californian or Australian if her grandfather hadn't decided to settle in New Caledonia in the 1970s the entire family has stayed ever since this horse woman is a student in numea whenever she gets the opportunity she leaves the city to go Galloping with Mina her trusty mayor [Music] this is where I was born and raised so of course I'm right at home here I really can picture myself living anywhere else you never know what the future has in store for you but I think it would be hard for me to live Caledonia for good this is how I want to live my life doing what I want when I want and not having to answer to anyone foreign the Inland territory on the main island is called labrus the bush most of the people who live there the brusa are descendants of the early French colonists the kaldash Awana is quite familiar with this world where the myth of the Caledonian Wild West lives on [Music] foreign to satisfy her craving for the extreme Awana practices free fly a discipline of free fall is placed in the fleeting moments of weightlessness just before opening the parachute before every jump owana rehearses the figure she's going to execute [Music] this is a passion to go even further a desire to test your limits a desire for an adrenaline rush it's a number of things I need all that all my activities revolve around it I can't see myself spending an entire day in front of my computer I need my nature my freedom I need my activities it was very important to me [Music] while we're going up in the plane if we're doing a jump that's a little new we'll run through the movements like when we have to grab on to each other Etc [Music] then when it's time to jump we don't think about anything anymore we know exactly what we have to do we're completely isolated in our own little bubble [Music] [Music] this is quite simply one of the most beautiful spots on Earth there are not many places where you get to jump over such a stunning landscape we're really lucky here [Music] it goes very quickly and then you land but you managed to savor every second of the jump so it seems to last a long time that's the magic it transforms one minute into a lasting moment [Music] every person has a favorite element I feel great up there I think it's my element I feel like I'm flying I feel wonderful foreign as if I were in total osmosis with the air [Music] Awana is heading for the west coast and the land of the stockmen as the Caledonian cattle razors are known in reference to the Cowboys of nearby Australia horseback is a good way to go meet the stockmen I got it Cindy baronay grew up with horses and cattle in a rural environment where children learn to ride at the age of three now Cindy runs the nemeara farm [Music] thank you it's something that's in your blood our parents and grandparents brought us up in this way of life and we want to carry it on to perpetuate it it's a way of life hola the world of the Stockman has lost nothing of its authenticity Cindy has 120 hectares of grazing land for her 40 odd head of cattle and horses Cindy studied ethology animal behavior she trains her horses herself gallop I don't know hola the slightest movement has meaning for her in my position if I move towards her she'll Gallop if I move back she slows down that's how horses communicate amongst themselves by gestures and body movements understanding and reproducing this form of communication is the basis of ethology it's very interesting because each horse is different they each have their own personality they learn slower or faster so each way of training will be different how do you feel [Music] Maybe Awana used to do competitive equitation and jumping as well she and Cindy share the same passion for horses but in very different activities this is the heartland of New Caledonia the ranch the training Coral the stockyard the paddocks the horses there's a lot of cattle raising in Caledonia so of course we need horses they're an integral part of life here keep driving them Cindy I'll go ahead in the dust of these parched lands the two horse women have come to help g-slan Santa cross round up part of his herd [Music] is one of Cindy's neighbors just something of a local Legend and a notorious loudmouth he has a herd of around 1 000 head of cattle and the Iron Will that goes along with it [Music] here between Mountain and Lagoon the drought has not spared his herd we're just praying it'll rain how long can we hold out all the cows here are calving right now in a month I'll have another 300 calves 300. that's a lot I remember some years when they killed the calves at Birth to save the mothers I really wouldn't want it to get to that point well enough to be able to feed them but I have seen years when they kill the newborn calves for the sake of the mothers well if everyone does their job the cows will be well capped as they say why not why not let him through come on [Music] [Applause] in this heat they have to coax the herd gently keep the weakened animals from running and figure out the boss's bellowed orders hey hey these are wide open spaces the idea is to channel the cattle so none of them Veer off to the side it's very tricky there's a lot of brush and the animals get into it we don't always see them I'm used to working with little herds of small calm cows this herd is huge so it's not the same job it needs several hands not the same work it's no picnic [Music] hello hello now watch there you see uh I'll try with the big one there's a lot of testosterone in this business it's a very very masculine milieu as a girl it's not easy to prove yourself Cindy really knows what she's doing she's managed to earn their respect that's good I don't know [Music] passed the initiation to Cindy's world the Rough and Tumble world of the stockmen [Music] foreign [Music] after this taste of Cindy's everyday life Awana can't wait to get back to the sky and the exhilaration of speed and altitude [Music] take a deep breath we leave the plane you maintain your position this morning it's awana's turn to invite Cindy into her world she wants Cindy to share a unique experience the thrill of a parachute jump over one of the world's most beautiful lagoons along with their instructor Maxime it's great to turn someone on to a new experience afterwards you take the plan yourself or not but I think it's really worth sharing [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] the plane has reached an altitude of 4 000 meters the Free Fall will last 50 seconds come on [Music] at close to 200 kilometers per hour the speed deforms the body and sets your cheeks flapping it's an intense fleeting moment of pure extreme Sensations [Music] from the sky or from a Hilltop the view of Cindy and awana's land down under is breathtaking a vast expanse of matchless beauty where Adventure is never very far away foreign onia the mountains in the region of the Stockman Overlook the immense Barrier Reef one of the most beautiful in the world the wealth of underwater life makes the reefs an ideal field of study for marine biologists [Music] these unspoiled reefs are home to large schools of sharks a French marine biologist has decided to spend his time and energy in the study of shark behavior [Music] UVA is an isolated parcel of land in the Loyalty Islands in the tradition of this atoll the shark is an emblematic sacred animal it is even the protective totem of several Clans on the island just the thing to arouse German's curiosity [Music] ever since his childhood in the south of France he's dreamed of living a life dedicated to the underwater world and the shark King of the oceans for most people sharks are frightening animals they're both respected and feared whereas they are in fact just animals that you have to treat with a lot of respect because they are after all predators I mean a shark isn't sad it's neither cruel nor kind it's just an animal that feeds on its prey foreign I would like to show everyone that being afraid of them is not going to protect the Sharks it's by diving with them going to see them I think it's something that everyone should get a chance to do [Music] in Canada culture the land and the Sea belong to the tribes so before undertaking any project in Uva Jeremiah must ask permission of the Elders of the muli tribe foreign [Music] the elders here tell that the Sharks once saved their ancestors by guiding their pierogues through the reefs ever since anyone who hunts them is cursed with Misfortune and disease beneath the chief's long House of muli germa has come to request permission to approach the sharks foreign respecting the custom means humbly asking for the protection of the elders as I enter the chief's foreign I bow before you I come with the utmost humility to share with you a very moving personal moment I performed this ritual with you with a great deal of emotion with your permission we hope to dive and meet these animals on their own territory to deepen our knowledge of them in a habitat where they are truly protected and have thus maintained their natural behavior there we can take notes and attempt to understand why we humans have such a great impact on sharks foreign you have things to do if you can call on the inhabitants of muli you will be able to do these things the door is open to you an exchange of words and an exchange of gifts Gemma has gained access to the ritual path you were welcome here yes thank you [Music] in his six months living here in New Caledonia jeoma has been discovering the riches of the kanak culture [Music] thank you the island of UVA is located on the edge of the Coral Sea it's home to large schools of sharks Jama has come to this remote corner of the Pacific to dive with these great predators [Music] Hong Kong this is going to be a great dive look there you see just below the surface wonderful another one and there's a younger one look at the big one he has to see you and an excellent diver he has agreed to show us his secret spots that are literally swimming with sharks be a shark is going to profit from mourinho's experience foreign the young scientist is very concentrated he's getting ready for an encounter like no other in the animal world [Music] [Music] [Music] I felt so small in the midst of those sharks it really hits you in a moment like that they're really the Lords of the sea when you're in the middle of 20 or 30 sharks you have a certain respect they're curious they come over to take a look at you there's something new for them you're trying to disappear down there I felt good I forgot everything time gravity down there with those sharks circling me I tried to put myself in their place to understand them to see how they might react [Music] these are potentially dangerous animals with big sharp teeth so of course they frighten kids and everybody else but in the end they're magnificent harmless animals when you enter their habitat when you go down to observe them [Music] um as you get to know them you realize that they are just living beings and have no interest in humans like all scientists knows that it is urgent to protect sharks they are one of the ocean's most vulnerable and endangered species in new caledonia's Coral Sea natural park shark fishing has been totally prohibited since 2013. [Music] [Music] yeah okay we have to remember that these animals merely tolerate Us in the oceans in the lagoon they're the Lords of the sea and they call the shots down there I work on the principle that to observe them to establish a dialogue with him I have to assume a neutral approach to do nothing unnatural to provoke an interaction with them [Music] foreign [Music] has always dreamed of traveling of Adventure and science this morning he's leaving Uber to go to numea on drontaire the main island [Music] [Applause] the young 24 year old scientist is beginning his marine biology thesis on sharks and has recently joined the Apex project an ambitious undertaking of the new caledonia's Institute of research and development the ird [Music] the ird researchers have proven that the shark population around the inhabited areas of New Caledonia has dropped by 90 percent with dramatic consequences on the reefs as well as for the future of the oceans [Music] in this remote corner of the world a team of scientists is working to prove that man influences the behavior of sharks which are indispensable for the equilibrium of the oceans this is the goal of the oceanographic mission to which Jama is wholly committed a three-hour boat trip to the South is the amide lighthouse today's mission is to catch and release gray or white pointed sharks for a year now the ird team has been carrying out regular Missions at Sea in order to implant sharks with radio tags and take samples of their DNA note down the tag number 57786 this technique will allow the scientists to track the sharks from a distance they've already tagged about 100 specimens with this radio device but in areas quite far from human activity as they make new captures closer to numea they'll be able to cross-reference the data that they've gathered we know that if the Sharks disappear from new caledonia's Lagoon the biodiversity will drop as with the productivity of the fish so of course the Korra will not be as beautiful all the fishermen who have been to those remote areas say that in a spot where there are fish there will be a lot of sharks that's a normal situation for an ecosystem a lot of sharks if the Sharks disappear then it all disappears if we want to preserve the vast Lagoon with all its riches we have to try to preserve the Sharks okay we okay let's go [Music] like all fishermen the scientists need a good dose of patience [Music] this is the first time we're fishing in a zone so close to human activity we've been here for two hours I think we could be here all day I hope we get at least one that's how it is it's like when we go out to Virgin Territory we throw in the line and in 30 seconds we get a shark we release it and five minutes later we catch another one [Music] all right thank you [Music] so here we go wait wait [Music] we hooked into a little shark he's not talking too hard we'll go as fast as we can so as not to hurt him we have to go quickly now we'll ease him into the harness take all our samples then let him go good news we've been out here for three hours and this is our first fish the shark is putting up a fight the operation has to be done quickly they mustn't Tire the shark okay we're good here we've got him it's a tricky moment for the shark immobilized at the surface of the water has only a few minutes to measure the fish and take his blood and DNA samples then he has to make the incision to implant the radio tag a little to starboard that will give him some oxygen he's okay there he won't feel a thing on his fan I'm going to take a little sample at the end contains DNA with it we'll be able to work out the genetic relationship with other sharks we've sampled we'll learn where they migrate for reproduction the second bit of fin will allow us to deduce the shark's feeding habits whether he goes to feed out in the open sea or in the lagoon Etc okay I'm inserting the radio tag tag is placed in the gray shark's belly [Music] it will emit a signal for four years [Music] it's time to release the fish without harming it for German the operation was a success capture is a victory for the scientists and each release is a very moving moment that gives full meaning to their research [Music] great work guys well done it's in a natural encounter we catch the shark so we have a certain domination over it I prefer the shark to be underwater at ease in his own element and I visit his habitat rather than the other way around foreign [Music] you have to keep under control to keep working calmly and efficiently most important you mustn't hurt the shark we're always happy when the shark swims off unharmed [Music] in a few months 200 sharks will be equipped with radio tags the data gathered will be a gold mine of information it will allow the scientists to determine the maritime zones that need to be preserved as sanctuaries for the sharks in New Caledonia the scientific Community has given itself four years to solve the mystery of The Disappearance of the reef sharks indispensable to the equilibrium of the lagoons [Music] my dream for the future would be to continue this way of life to continue protecting the Sharks to observe them and make people aware that it's possible to live with them to leave them alone to let them play their role of Predator I know that in 10 years I'll still be working with sharks [Music] thank you foreign [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 305,108

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), somewhere on earth, amazing stories, amazing stories from New Caledonia, amazing quest, New Caledonia

Id: Wcf2gyrON6A

Length: 52min 5sec (3125 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 19 2023