Jungle nomads of the Himalayas | SLICE | Full documentary

[Music] fifty years ago this area teamed with tigers elephants and rhinoceros the terrai was marshland and forest infested with malaria outsiders who dared to enter seldom returned then in the 1950s to eradicate the disease ddt was sprayed across these planes opening up the region to settlers descending from the mountains raji elders have their own way of telling the story before when entering the forest we would simply pray i'm alone i face great danger come help me and the gods would come we knew they were there in this tree or that rock but now the trees are disappearing and there are hardly any rocks left the gods have fled frightened away by the number of men who could ever have imagined that the forest would one day belong to anyone with a disappearing forest many rajiv were forced to settle and had to abandon their ancestral way of life except after a long and frustrating search mama was the first raji nomad eric met mama may not know his age or where his people come from but it's up to him to divide the profits of the honey equally he's the group accountant and it's his job to sell or trade the honey for rice meat and alcohol so hey [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] there are only two things that interest raji honey and fish the forest and the river when the bees migrate the rajeev become fishermen [Music] bahadur is the leader of this group of 30 rajiv he leads by deed and example he's the most agile climber and the most patient fisherman he is mama's brother-in-law and the hunter mama would like to have been the name bahadur means the brave one mama follows bahadur assisting him as they roam the forest together [Music] [Music] my [Music] [Music] [Music] my [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] so 25 years eric vali has nurtured a passion for the himalayas and explored its remote trails since meeting bahadur and mama six years ago eric has lost count of how many weeks and months he's spent searching in vain for these elusive nomads [Music] how many times did the rajeev settle on a time and the place to meet only to never show up but if the himalaya has taught eric anything it is perseverance he has so much to learn from the rajiv who since the dawn of time has lived in this jungle asking nothing from anybody if the rajiv shift camp without warning or change their mind at the last minute it is for the sake of adapting better the raji so shy and gentle listen feel invent each moment of their existence in response to the changes of the forest when eric asks them where they're going the reply is always the same wherever the bees are going and when he asks where the bees are they reply but what the flowers are wow [Music] over the years the rajiv have seen eric return endlessly to their midst they feel his dedication for the first time the rajiv have met someone with a genuine interest in their culture in a world where traditional cultures are vanishing so quickly eric has discovered a community that is unlike anything he has ever known a community of rare beauty great strength and extreme fragility [Music] brought with him a painter friend from the upper himalaya while eric photographs the life of the rajiv norbu draws and sketches their adventure [Music] concerned mama gently insists if it's honey you want will give it to you no need for you and your team to get won't come started bahadur often says when the villager is hungry he goes to the market when a raji is hungry he goes to the forest for bahadur and the other rajiv yesterday and tomorrow are one and the same the search for food and the quest for survival are never ending [Music] villagers are afraid of the raji they'll tell their children if you misbehave we'll give you to the rajiv [Music] and yet the villagers don't hesitate to come and ask for honey or pollen to give to their wives who've just given birth or to their elders in need of strength mama admits that he would like to have been a honey hunter himself he says that the gods did not give him the audacity or the strength instead he accompanies bahadur and helps him to organize their group how much time is left for mama to teach the younger raji like meena how to make the oka used to smoke and subdue the bees um some trees are sacred they should never be climbed without making an offering to the god of the forest mama sacrifices a rooster and says please accept this life spare hours right is [Music] foreign yes our climbing gear is good but your arms are better eric tells us and the others politely make fun of all the equipment go ahead the bees are almost two-thirds of an inch long and seem to prefer paler skin their stings pierce through leather gloves uh [Music] climbing with their bare feet and hands rajiv only use ropes to reach the bottom branches and to hoist their harvest up and down the smoke of the oka is the only protection they use against the attack of thousands of bees high up in the trees a hunter has no one but himself to count on bahadur never asks questions he simply repeats his ancestors every move braving death for the survival of his people [Music] [Music] eric did not just come to testify to the raji way of life he came to live share discover fear is his companion it tells him he has reached the edge of an unknown territory and eric likes the unknown danger is necessary it gives color to life risk taking and its rewards travel together side by side nature offers no security the rajiv know this well [Music] in order to confront the void and the attack of the bees bahadur has cultivated a sense of calm and detachment in his own way he has become a master his grandfather was known as the finest honey hunter these forests have ever known the only words of advice he ever gave his grandson were if you survive a fall climb back up as soon as you can before fear devours you [Music] [Music] the raji admire and respect the bees for their efficiency in the perfect organization of their society they also fear them as the bees have already claimed more than one life yet they need their honey in order to survive making their encounter inevitable bahadur knows them intimately [Music] ah yes [Music] oh my god [Music] [Music] uh [Music] unlike honey hunters from india the rajeev never destroy the nest they only remove part of it so that the bees will not die of hunger upon their return the rajiv never take more than they need yeah woke up so okay [Music] uh dude all right bye [Music] each harvest has a different taste as infinitely varied as the color of the flowers it's as if the mouth is suddenly invaded by the scent of the forest huh [Music] [Music] how many honey hunters have fallen to their fate eric will never know the rajiv say they fall when their life is over [Music] hmm [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] over there [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] bye me [Music] erica spent a lifetime photographing and filming the forgotten communities of the himalayas [Music] hey it is time to go into town where mama and bahadur will try to negotiate the best price for their harvest [Music] [Music] oh eric sets out by the road the rajiv by the river they'll meet in several days [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] yes [Music] is foreign the best price for his fish but the shopkeeper strikes a hard bargain [Music] [Music] [Music] eric lets himself be carried away by the mood of the terrai from this point onward he abandons the jeep and decides to travel like a raji exploring a region rarely visited by outsiders [Music] [Applause] [Music] no idea [Music] the raji listen smell adapt and improvise in response to the slightest changes of nature they merge with it unlike the farmers who change transform and shape nature to their convenience the rajeev move with the wind the heat and the cold they are an integral part of the forest like the insects the elephants the rivers they are its heartbeat [Music] yes a rich man invites the raji to harvest honey from the bees nesting in his house according to tradition he'll share the harvest with the raji equally oh now [Music] no no it's at the local sweet shop where the most important transaction takes place not a drop of honey is spared [Music] [Music] huh [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] a good harvest can bring more than 120 gallons of honey um a little richer raji treat themselves to the luxury of a cup of tea before setting out with memories of this life that is not their own [Music] as quietly as they arrived the raji slip out of town it will take them two days to reach the forest huh [Applause] the raji quest for flowers bees and honey continues [Music] ah [Music] ah [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] [Music] bahadur had mentioned a giant tree but nothing prepared eric for his encounter with rajashimal the king of trees rajashimal is the only survivor of the great forest who can say how old it is or how many wild elephants have scratched their hides against its trunk standing 50 yards tall it is home to over a hundred wild bee nests the rajiv know the tree well they have worshipped it for as long as they can remember i am oh [Music] [Music] um [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] from [Music] [Music] [Music] is uh [Music] [Music] so [Music] up in the sky bahadur the tightrope walker of rajashimao is not allowed a single mistake [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] evening [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] eric and bahadur forget their fear and disappear into the giant's arms [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] huh good [Music] what hello [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] so [Music] the raji hunt for flowers and bees will continue soon they will set off leaving nothing but a few blackened stones remnants of their campfires and several tps made of branches that will be swept away by the wind and rain of the coming monsoon [Music] oh [Music] these are like men coming and going touching down here and there they smell eat like it or don't they gather their bounty and set out once again says bahadur no actually bees are not like men bees are like rajiv [Music] [Music] you

Channel: SLICE

Views: 1,062,324

Keywords: documentary, documentaries, shortdoc, shortdocs, slice, slicedocs, himalaya, himalayas, jungle, honey, bees, bee, nomad, nomads, nomadic, raji, rajis, nepal, india, family, photographer, Eric Valli, mountains, jungles, climb, climbing trees, tree, climbing, wasp, wasps

Id: mHQYZFowmPQ

Length: 47min 59sec (2879 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 02 2022