The Last Kyrgyz Nomads of the Afghan Pamir | FULL DOCUMENTARY

[Music] it in fore foreign spee speech foreign speech speech [Music] to go meet the kiris of the Afghan pamier you must set off on a long and difficult Expedition leaving kabo the Afghan Capital you must first take a weekl long drive along a rocky path then leave the car behind and begin a journey on foot and on Horseback up a narrow mountainous Corridor 250 km [Music] long after 10 days of climbing you finally get to a plateau wedged between Tajikistan Pakistan and China here 4,300 m above the sea level live the very last kyese of [Music] Afghanistan secluded and organized in small groups of mountain camps the 1,200 kirgis left struggle to survive the kirgis of Afghanistan are the most isolated high altitude community on the planet neglected by history and development they live in a distant past just as their ancestors did [Music] here there are no vehicles no electricity no crops not even a tree at this altitude nothing grows the kirgis are nomadic herders they trade their animals for goods that they seek in the valley which is a week away on foot for nula and his relatives these sheep are their only source of [Music] wealth for although he is 20 years old neula still hasn't been able to afford a wife yet he belongs to the same Clan as the chief and even for this family it is difficult to arrange a wedding and maintain the cycle of life and generations to come in a world where progress advances at great speed the kirgis of Afghanistan struggle to stay alive can they survive here or is their Destiny inevitably going to lead them elsewhere the tribe's future is in the hands of Roshan nul's Uncle he took control of the community last year once the old Chief passed away fore foreign The KES of Afghanistan have a tormented history they used to travel freely throughout all of Central Asia following the seasons to take their animals to the best grazing lands at the end of the 19th century the great Empires divided the region among themselves the nomads refused to submit themselves to the authority of these distant States and SE refuge on the high plateaus of the Himalayas but the borders kept creeping closer and closer locking the kiris in between China Pakistan and Tajikistan constraining them to Afghan soil on a narrow strip of land on the other side of the borders just a few kilometers away there is civilization shops schools and hospitals but the kis are forbidden from Crossing these invisible lines Exile is a difficult choice to make but Roshan must find a solution for his [Music] tribe before they leave life must go on at all costs for nula the future depends on his wedding Wally is his father he is the chief's eldest brother and he must help nula start a familye speech forch fore Wally is the eldest member of the clan and according to the tradition he should have been chosen as Chief instead of his younger brother Roshan he now dedicates his time to his children's future while he sealed a paack with a neighboring Clan he's going to trade his 18-year-old daughter against the wife for fore speee speech speech fore foreign foreign for life is demanding in the pamier the region has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world oneir of all women die during child birth and half of all children never make it to the age of 5 years old for speech fore foreign spe wulu is going to be traded so that her brother nula can get married this is a common practice for the kiris next summer she will marry a man she does not know she will first meet him on their wedding day the young woman does not question her parents' Choice when asked what she thinks of this arrangement for the kirgis women must submit themselves to the community's harsh rule they must get married and bear children to ensure the tribe's [Music] survival nula is fortunate in the pamier many men never get to marry at all [Music] and although it's challenging for families to gather 100 sheep for a wedding matters are getting worse as the kirgis spend part of their herds to buy opium this problem affects many inhabitants like Aziz another of the Chiefs Brothers the little wealth he has is going up in smoke foreign foreign fore fore [Music] speee for foree foree [Music] [ __ ] to his wife's distress Aziz spends most of his days smoking soon his family will have no sheep left without life stock there will be nothing to eat the family's survival is at [Music] stake in November winter time starts rolling in over the pamier mountains temperatures fall below 0° bre and everything is covered by a blanket of snow relaxed moments are rare for men as well as for women every winter the kges fear the death of their livestock it is the lack of feed more so than the cold that thins the herd one after the other men travel to the plateau seeking the few toughs of grass left following her mother's instructions wulu prepares a gift for her future husband bu has the rest of the winter months to finish her tro she must prepare all of the items a bride must owne fore speech forch foree forign for once she puts on her white Veil wug bu's life will change she will leave her family to work for her [Music] husbands in January temperatures dropped to nearly minus [Music] 40° for w neula and everyone else survival time has [Music] begun [Music] by one of the chief's Brothers is Will to go trade Yaks to get Goods for the [Music] clan fore foree urun B is going to lead the expedition to buy goods from the wahi the neighboring farmers who live down in the valley he has convinced nula to accompany him on this risky Journey from which some never return the young man must first get his father's permission foreign fore foreign foreign speeech foree spee the most important thing for Wall-E is his children's future but he must let his son go so that the whole clan can survive the harsh and long-lasting [Laughter] [Music] winter [Music] [Music] this is nul's first Winter Caravan it is a ride of Passage that will mark his progress into adulthood and a decisive step for all kyes men the community's survival depends on this Expedition it is the only one planned this [Music] winter for 7 Days the men are going to fight the bitter cold and the dangers encountered while following the river that leads to the valley a 150 km [Music] Voyage urun boy knows this pass very [Music] well fore fore fore fore [Music] for hey [Music] speech for speech foreign fore [Music] foreign fore fore fore spee fore foree [Music] speech on the mountain slopes or on the Frozen River the Caravan inches its way down this long Corridor it is the only path to the outside world urun Bai is the Scout while nula sprinkles sand on the ice to Help the [Music] Animals this first expedition is a difficult learning experience for nula but it is crucial in several years he will be the one to lead his Clan's [Music] Caravan [Music] w [Music] after a long week of effort nula and urun bai's journey comes to an end they arrive at sarad home of the wahi farmers a glimpse of civilization that is vital to The kyes Travelers after resting for a few days they will set back on the return Voyage the goods they find here will help them survive another [Music] [Music] winter 6 months of winter have gone by and spring has arrived at last providing a much needed break to both men and [Music] animals life resumes and the kiris go back to their regular activities with the animals that survive the cold and lack of food every year it's the same routine ancestral AC activities that have been learned by all from an early [Music] age [Music] hey [Music] for wulu as well as her brother neula this new season is special in a few weeks time each of them is going to get [Music] married for the old Shepherd of the clan supervises the packing foreign foreign speee spech fore spe foreign [Music] spee [Music] the kires can go back to their nomadic Lifestyle the grazing lands are depleted at the Winter Camp they must search for another spot they can only go from one side of the narrow Plateau to the other their migration is short because of the tight borders [Music] at the summer camp everyone lends a hand to set things [Music] up here is where neul's Clan is going to live for the next 6 [Music] months foree speech speech wul bu's wedding will be first then it will be nul's turn the clan is getting ready for these important events aiz comes down from his opium Haze to repair the damage brought by the winter [Music] for w Cooks fermented milk that will be dried and made into cheese in the winter most of the milk is left to the animals for their young but in the springtime the kgis make cheese it is set aside for later or traded for other Goods at the summer camp Roshan keeps a close watch on the animals of his clan the young Chief is concerned about a new danger that is targeting his herd for speech foreign foreign fore for [Music] part of the tribe fled to Turkey some 30 years ago the young Chief would like to join them his brother urun Bai is going to attempt to The Exodus once again he is the one to make the faithful Journey for urun is going to Cabo 20 days away where he will board an airplane to Turkey the trip is as ambitious as it is uncertain when spring arrives so do the traffickers they travel the country to sell their merchandise the poison that's killing aiz and his [Music] brothers fore spech foree foree for as his children's weddings draw nearer W he continues to squander the few heads of livestock he has left fore for spee fore for foreign [Music] fore [Music] BAS [Music] [Music] wul bu's wedding is coming up she takes advantage of the last few moments with the women of her clan soon she will have to leave [Laughter] [Music] them for nula the wedding is also imposed upon him he does not know his bride to be but he lives his last weeks being a single man with a light [Music] heart tomorrow wulu is going to get married but neul's wedding date has not been determined yet Wally must first sacrifice a sheep as a gift to the neighboring Clan his son's family-in-law will then decide on a [Music] day for before the end of the ceremony Roshan the chief heads away Roshan is upset he feels disowned by Wally in the entire Community foreign [Music] for for w is honored by the marriage of his children Roshan on the other hand is jealous unlike his older brother he feels he has not earned the trib's respect he has been the leader for 2 years and yet still hasn't arranged the Clan's Exile a messenger brings the cooked meat to the neighboring [Music] Clan wulu anxiously waits for the next day wondering what her future husband might look like [Music] speech speech fore I want [Music] to the groom's entire family has come from the neighboring campsite 4 hours away by horse they are welcomed with flower a precious staple and a symbol of [Music] prosperity this party is a truce for the Rival Brothers Roshan GRE the guests and goes back to becoming the chief Wall-E supervises what's happening in the kitchen he must make sure that everyone is well served as elsewhere in the world on a wedding day the meal is copious four sheep were slaughtered to feed the H hundred guests some yurs are reserved for men others for women nearby wugu is getting ready wulu will soon leave the family's yurt a demanding separation for this girl barely out of childhood wugu is waiting for her turn to appear in the wedding [Music] parade the groom arrives with his two best men they are welcomed by the women of the clan [Applause] on the other side of the river the men of both Clans are playing a game of bukachi an equestrian joust for Daredevils the goal is to snatch a headless goat this is a friendly game where winners get get small prizes like cigarettes Roshan the chief shines at this game the blows do not put him [Music] [Music] off the exact origins of the game are unknown but some say that they date back to genas Khan's Mongol hordes who would loot Villages catching women and livestock while at full [Music] gallop back to the campsite Wall's Clan offers new clothes to the groom he dresses up in front of everyone hidden under the red fabric the Mother-in-law passes a white Veil on the bride to show that she approves the alliance with her [Music] son next comes the naika the ceremony wugu is placed behind the cloth that conceals her from the men the only Mula of the area celebrates the ritual the sacrament is a mix of Islam and ancestral traditions for the groom will not be allowed into the yurt until the wedding is official by sharing water and bread the couple exchanged their consent then they are left alone finally wug Buu discovers the face of her husband they can get to know each other they will spend the next 3 days in the nuptial yurt wugu will follow her man to her new family in a few days it will be nea's turn to get married Wally will have fulfilled his role as a father yet he remains worried about his children's future for just like his brothers Wally thinks that Exile is the only solution for the community thanks to a satellite phone ran gets in touch with his cousins in Turkey speech speech for speech [Music] [Music] fore without news from urai what lies ahead for the k is uncertain in the chief's Clan neula is the only one who remains confident [Music] [Music] man foreign foreign spee [Music] spee

Channel: SLICE Full Doc

Views: 161,158

Keywords: documentary, free documentary, raw, afghan, nomads, asia

Id: 7GihrYNL3s4

Length: 51min 20sec (3080 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 21 2024