Those who looked to the sea: The Americas | SLICE | FULL DOCUMENTARY

the Hostile sea can also be for some people a protection several communities from South America hiding from the Seas currents have used it to reclaim their freedom in Honduras the garafunas were slaves On The Run who managed to escape their fate by settling on isolated Shores they fish grow crops follow the beliefs of their African ancestors and structure their life around a single rule to do what they please the kunas from Panama have fought for their independence in the past nowadays they are their own Community sheltered from others by the sea in Colombia the Appalachian Indians live in an arid and remote land they escape by dreaming and finally the jangadiros in Brazil have built their identity based on their love of sailing using their jangada they Venture away from the shores to fish and enjoy the ocean that makes them free men and women [Music] the sea created us say the garafunas sentence of slaves live today in tightly knit communities along the coast in Honduras away from the world and its noise with one foot in the sea and the other one on the ground the garafunas have never forgotten their African roots [Music] the day begins at dawn for garafuna sailors editos 52 years old a well-respected captain he's always been a fisherman and the ocean holds no secrets for him we have to be careful during the launch it's not something to be done lightly the waves can be treacherous here it can make the process difficult we need to locate series of three waves and wait for the right time [Music] once the wave barrier has been crossed there's no need to head to the Open Sea to find fish [Music] it's enough to navigate along the coast be vigilant [Music] the Sandy floor rapidly becomes deep here and the cold currents running along the shore attract Shoals of fish that swim just a couple of dozen meters away from the beach [Music] the history of the garafunas begins in the Caribbean on Saint Vincent Island survivors from several shipwrecks carrying black slaves blended with the Arawak Indians living on the island they were then hunted by the English and ended up on the coast of Honduras just over 200 years ago today there are people in their own right in Latin America [Music] should we go over there no better over here if we want to catch something we need a big perimeter fish are smart they keep moving in order to see the movie near the surface we need to keep an eye everywhere people on the beach help us by screaming and pointing at the fish everyone here is able to locate the tiniest movement on the surface we all know how to read the sea can you see anything keep an eye on the birds what about over there what are you doing there are too many of you the fish are going to escape go help them see we got them foreign the way back after fishing is always a special moment the catch is divided among fishermen before being sold to the members of the community right we can begin the distribution where seven Sailors so that's seven shares once we've shared we'll sell what's left [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] is a village of almost 2 000 inhabitants lost on a wild Coast [Music] 400 families live here without running water or electricity they're all garathunas garafuna a word that means cassava eater [Music] behind the village the foothills of the American mountain range are like another ocean a series of waves and steep hills covered with tropical vegetation [Music] women such as salsa edito's wife are responsible for taming this Wild Land a land that was terranulis a land of no one before the garafunas settled here [Music] just like our fathers mothers before us and our children after us [Music] the jungle comes back very quickly 15 years ago there used to be a plot here now the forest is back living near the jungle is a constant struggle [Music] this is hard labor indeed what a plight every day we have to fight against weeds removing weeds cutting planting again and again so real sacrifice really is without cassava there can't be garifunas cassava is just as important as the fish men catch in the sea yeah no single individual owns land around here instead the community distributes plots to each family the community owns the Deeds for all of our lands for the vast territory around us thank you people interested in building hotels and making palm oil would like to get their hands on our land we have to fight constantly in order to preserve the boundaries of our country we won't let them get our land this is Gary Funland we were born here and we'll die here we'll never leave foreign [Music] at the height of the day the heat is stifling Punta Piedra falls into a deep Slumber it's not until the end of the day that a breeze from the sea finally starts blowing an opportunity to go fishing on the beach [Music] oh yeah we like to come and catch crabs at the end of the day just us the women and the kids after the day's heat and work it's really nice [Music] [Music] foreign it's based on coconut milk and banana puree this one has crayfish in it but a regular fish also works we use the richness of our land and combine everything it gives us when cooking I want to say machuca is a strong symbol of the garafuna culture it's the result of a mix just like us it's like our language it Blends African French and Arawak words it's a bond that connects us with each other we're proud of it one for all and all for one that's how it works here there are no distinctions between us when we go fishing we leave together and we come back together the thanks to God that's enough for us we're all descendants of slaves that never became slaves and that is in our blood [Music] edito goes out to sea again he moves away from the shore for another kind of fishing [Music] you think it's full I hope so it's quite heavy this one's nice every day at sea or on dry land the garafunas fight to maintain their most precious Legacy survive and to stay free through the years and despite some wandering they managed to remain within Hispanic America 's are from here but also from over there from Africa on the other side of the Atlantic Africa that is so far away and yet unites them [Music] [Music] the journey continues South we leave the garafunos behind to go to meet the kunas a people from Panama who have fought to remain independent years ago the kuna Indians left the mountains in the north of Colombia to escape from The Conquistadors [Music] a string of islands in the Caribbean Sea became their Refuge a people of the land who became a people of the sea in order to preserve their lifestyle and culture [Music] the land of the kunas it spreads over 200 kilometers along the Panama isthmus a territory made of a wide strip of land located at the foothills of the Darion mountains along with an archipelago of 400 Coral islets Sheltering The Villages to move between islands the kunas use Ulus four to five meter long perogues sculpted from one trunk of hardwood Ulus aren't equipped with a Rudder or keel their Sails are a patchwork of old pieces of fabric held together with a simple sprit [Music] this is the way to El Tigre that's where Leo his wife and his daughter live a tiny Island two days away by boat from the nearest Road this is one of the 38 inhabited islands in the San Blas archipelago isolated and protected by the ocean and the mountains the people of El Tigre have managed to preserve their lifestyle and identity any newcomer to the island must first pay a visit to the Sailor The Village's traditional chief [Music] a long time ago our ancestors used to live in the mountains when the Conquistadors came they had to run away then they discovered these islands that there was no food or water the one who created the world as it is told them they could settle down here and he'd give them everything they needed to live whenever we fish and bring back a lot of fish we have to share it with the community nobody owns the sea it is the wealth of all kunas [Music] only have to open their door when they want to fish sheltered from the wind between the island and the continent the Lagoon's warm water is full of fish a simple nylon thread and a hook are enough to catch what's needed to survive it still demands some skill though when the bait is at the bottom the fish comes closer to eat we listen and we'll feel it one two three and you pull this is the method my grandfather taught me this one has a beautiful color we call it yellow Della and kuna it's very nourishing there are plenty of different ones big ones small ones this one is small because it lives in the reef [Music] there's something white over there this is the coral reef [Music] it's a protection it's like a wall there are lots of waves around here that's where the fishermen go because it's full of fish crayfish and octopus [Music] people from El Tigre wouldn't be able to survive without the continent near them however every day crossing the swamps men women and children head towards dry land that's where they get fresh water grow vegetables and fruit Hunt game uncut wood the huge Forest seems to eat up the boat is one of Central America's last primeval forests the cooners call it boniganas birit sanctuary this plant will protect us from evil spirits yeah okay [Music] people of El Tigre use slash and burn agriculture plots of forests are cleared before being burnt in order to fertilize the ground it allows them to produce rice bananas yam and especially cassava which is the basis of the kuna's diet once we've removed everything we replant small pieces see we all replant like this so we don't end up without cassava I don't take much since it's only for myself tomorrow other people from the village will come it's important to replant we're from the land but we've learned to live with a sea since we can't stay here because of the danger there are mosquitoes bees grass snakes crocodiles that's why it's better to live on the island but we still have to head back to dry land to the motherland to gather food cassava mangoes coconuts the nature around us is a part of us the island is best for living but dry land is necessary God gave us all of this [Music] thank you today The Villages streets are flooded storm during the night has swamped the island El Tigre is barely above sea level and the beach is offer no protection against the waves in order to protect themselves the inhabitants try to slow down the erosion of the island by planting trees today after 74 years in this world I've seen a lot of changes the most important is the rise of the level of the ocean when the tidal range is high the village is completely flooded we never had that before the islands are disappearing quite simply look at this coconut tree it is about to fall there are no more roots the waves nibble at the land and The Roots in a short while the tree will fall there's an island facing precisely the same erosion problem beard shrinking they used to be big it'll disappear one day that's for sure foreign the Islands located away from the shore are the most endangered ones most of them are uninhabited but still play an important economic role every kuna family owns land on these islets covered with coconut trees for many of them growing and selling coconuts is the only way to make money this is my Camp the family's camp I used to live in Panama Panama I worked there for eight years but one day I decided to come back to my Village because while I was working I kept thinking about my Village I always kept it in my heart it's different in Panama at seven in the morning your boss tells you to come to work I felt as if I was in prison as if I had no Freedom it's different here we can come to the island fish pick up coconuts [Music] Cassie you wake up whenever you want [Music] you're free here thanks to the numerous islands that shelter them from the ocean the cooners have kept their independence [Music] they live in an isolated and protected location that they try to preserve because they know that if it ever disappeared their people would Disappear With It [Music] and Central America continues after Panama the next stop is in a nearby country Colombia and its 50 million inhabitants please in the north the Appalachian Indians live on a rough and dry land swept by violent winds and burned by the Sun [Music] C is necessary to their survival but its resources are becoming scarce and in danger their existence fishermen Shepherds and farmers but rain is rare and so to attract it they organize dances and rituals following the traditions of a people living balance between two worlds [Music] careful this one is aggressive it's quite dangerous [Music] this is the spine it goes inside the skin and it's impossible to remove it Pepe is 52 years old and a skilled fisherman every morning he brings up his Nets as the sun rises [Music] he belongs to the way you Indians community a community of about 685 000 people living in a desert near the border with Venezuela the Apple lunches which means people of the beach are ways living along the coastline a couple of hundred Avalanches settle down in the Bay of portetti in the northeast of Colombia including Pippi [Music] Hill Harbor protected by a maze of Mangrove and looks over the bay it's open to Nature and sees a constant flow of children cousins and Friends of the family [Music] he can feed this little Community with the fish he catches the fishing hasn't been great so today's catch will only serve to feed my family and the members of my community there's not enough to sell but whenever I catch 8 or 10 kilos of fish then I sell them this is our main means of survival in a way it's our daily bread for our children and extended family members without fish we couldn't live here the guajira peninsula is a desert swept by strong daily winds [Music] instantly crushed by the Sun and forgotten by the rain as if it refused to bathe the land [Music] a life of precarious balance with goats applying some meat to go with the fish and also milk and wool Lena is Pepe's wife when her husband is out fishing she sits in front of her Loom to weave The Hammocks and the bags the family uses women are extremely important in this community they are the ones who own the land Lena owns dozens of hectares around her house that are used to feed the family's goats as the afternoon draws to a close Pepe gathers his flock in a pen to protect them from stray dogs like a good shepherd this one needs to feed [Music] as far as I'm concerned I don't want to give up on the Customs that are part of our amerindian identity initially we were wandering Shepherds not fishermen we discovered the sea quite late in our history so now we do both shepherding and fishing apple and cheese are able to fish and breed goats that's what it means to be Appalachian [Music] away Legends says they were born in the mountains of Venezuela some 7000 years ago [Music] appalaches have always been isolated living with what little they could get from the sea and their flocks they've never been colonized and continued to this day to feel special we only speak Spanish when necessary for instance when someone from the outside is visiting but our language is why you Nike it's important to speak our language because I don't want our culture to disappear I want our children in the future to make it their own to defend it in their blood in their veins I want them to fight for their indigenous identity Indiana [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign the meaning of dreams is a key element of our culture dreams foretell the future thanks to them we come in contact with our ancestors Spirits oh through important dreams our ancestors warn us about major events that will impact us or our community as a whole in a Land of heat and dust rain is precious and solitary and it never comes unannounced [Music] um it comes through dreams can be seen in the clouds and foretold in the shape of the waves the signs announcing rain are deciphered during meetings that take place in a house on top of this hill it belongs to the one leading the community the one called the authority everyone meets there young and old men and women they all come to listen to the tale of the most recent and important dreams [Music] I had a dream two days ago the sun had just come up the sea was calm I was on the beach in portete when the sea suddenly Drew back then I saw two Horsemen dressed in white riding fast on the sand their clothes were dazzling like pure white and I was very impressed by the speed of their horses [Music] silly fast this is very clear indeed this kind of dream is easily explained it means rain will come the speed of the horses means it'll come soon [Music] to face the threats of this life balance between two worlds the appalaches rely on help from the gods in order to attract their benevolence they regularly honor them through a special dance called Yona performed on the spot Pepe is preparing the honor is announced thanks to Drums that invite people from nearby villages to join in [Music] afterwards girls receive makeup to honor polowie the sea goddess they use a mushroom-based paint to draw fish and shells on their face while men tune their drums for the coming celebration little by little the sun sets and gives way to the likes of motorcycles used as makeshift spotlights this dance is always eagerly awaited the woman has to run so that the man falls she goes forward with her head down in order to push her partner off balance is the one leading the movement the man can only react to her attacks by going backwards skillfully but he must never lose his balance and fall in front of him symbolizes if he doesn't pay attention while walking backwards he'll fall we also use this dance to call out the rain Jonna is an offering to the Gods in order to attract their benevolence and also so they send rain regularly we decipher our dreams and then summon the rain through this dance these are the steps we must follow to bring this precious rain [Music] the next morning rain hasn't come but Pepe thinks it'll happen within a couple of days the rainy season from September to December will start Pepe can see it through small Signs That Never Lie la marea the water level is high the temperature is stuffy these are signs of major rainfall am I right thank you [Music] the landscape is changing it's already much less dry and in three days everything will be different everything will Bloom cactuses will Bloom there will be fruit when it rains we catch lots of fish because they come out of the mangroves and look for food in the depths of the bay for us it's time to take out the Nets once the rain is over the men get ready to go to Sea on the little beach of portiti [Music] years ago it was beautiful here you just threw out an ad and you caught a lot of fish you went out to fish and there was plenty of crayfish but there's much less now life is tough but I don't want to forget my culture or not hand it down to my children because I think it's beautiful here and we should defend this place the boats take away the Shepherds who become sailors [Music] they'll look for the fish they need to survive between desert and ocean they go out on a sea that feeds their family along with their imagination and their dreams yeah the journey continues East leaving behind Colombia and its sea Shepherds the destination is the northeast of Brazil an immense region known for its light long sandy beaches [Music] lining a coast swept by the wind fishermen of the Brazilian nordester have learned to face the sea with a curious boat oh they venture out into the Open Sea to catch the fish they need [Music] they are also born competitors more than anything they love to test their navigating skills during regattas that reward the best sailor in the village [Music] take the boom and bring it here Luis is 21 years old and already he has a lot of experience at sea take the wedges he's a fisherman just like his father and grandfather before him and every day he jumps on board a jangada a boat typical of this part of the coast in Brazil that can be translated as rafta is what we're best at it's sturdy solid well designed the jungada offers the best safety we always try to improve it by making it thinner and thinner so it stays as close as possible to the Sea [Music] strong constant winds sweep the coast see here is difficult and often dangerous those venturing out must have a good knowledge of sailing and more than anything they must be able to maneuver the gengaras these slender boats particularly effective at navigating across waves [Music] the ones able to do so are called jangadiros [Music] they live in the northeast of Brazil Luis lives in canto Verde a small village of a thousand people with a large community of fishermen this upgraded windsurf board is quite unexpectedly a very efficient skiff the jungada goes as far as the fisherman dares it can be 15 16 20 kilometers [Music] a good jungadero knows where the fish are he's capable of locating them if you're not capable of doing that or you don't know how to sail then you can't catch anything nothing at all you have to know the C to recognize the marks on the surface that way you know where to throw your nets when you know all this then you're a good jungle [Music] [Music] all right when the sun sets behind the dunes most jangadiros from Canterbury head back home they bring back to their family the fish they have caught [Music] this is my house I live here with my family my father and my three brothers [Music] Adriana Lewis's mother is in charge of the house [Music] Ivan his 52 year old father is a renowned fisherman the commander or Master as the ones able to lead Crews during several days of fishing are called here [Music] Lewis is 21 years old and already married and a father he shares his parents house with his wife and children but hopes one day to be able to be independent I'd like to become a commander so that I could sail as much as possible but I need enough knowledge and experience to gain the trust of those I sail with it I think I can make it but it must be determined and move forward that's the price to pay to become a boat master did they kill I must teach him correctly so that he does everything right and doesn't hurt himself or have an accident it's all about trust he must be able to count on his knowledge and I must be able to count on him and all of this takes time of course we have to move on carefully Sharma an example when we sail in the evening and there's no GPS I must teach him how to read the stars and so during the night we look at them together to know when to jump on board and where to go if I don't properly share my knowledge with him such as everything I know about the location of the stars and the light cycles the consequences for him and his crew could be dire if he's unable to get his bearings it's easy for him to get lost at sea which can be very dangerous foreign the northeast of Brazil is poor Evans Family survives thanks to what little money they managed to get from the sea trophies wandering the regattas are often the only decorations in a house they're displayed in an obvious way so that everyone can quickly estimate the worth of the Sailor living here the culture of these fishermen places great respect and esteem on the winners of such competitions between jangadiros we have the same blood he has the same willpower as me he wants to win to be honored by his friends just like me I've given him this passion I trained him so he'd want to win the races such competitions oppose the best fisherman and brighten up the life of the coastal Villages a life of work and routines little by little boats and crew members gather on the beach getting ready for the Regatta that is about to start the choice of the sale and the method to adjust the rigging are well-kept secrets that will make a difference for the best fishermen friends and advisors busy themselves around the boats every family has a champion they hope will win the race that's a lot of pressure for Lewis which affects his mood all of this must be fixed better look here it's not even straight it's not serious work really not much a few seconds before the race Begins the boats are placed on a starting line Lewis has one of the best spots Evan on the other hand is a bit to one side and has little hope of an easy victory Lewis's boat takes a good position right from the start [Music] but the race is long almost two hours the contestants must sail twice around the boys with a black flag [Music] the wind has a speed of 20 to 25 knots and the crews must control their speed and turn as close to the boys as possible to avoid losing ground [Music] stress because of the Regatta is that his father me is one of the best Champions among legendos and he wants to be better than me he wants to show me that he deserves to be a commander because he makes the right choices he doesn't want to fail [Music] but despite a good start Lewis makes a mistake on the last lap he turns too far away from the boy another contestant catches up and overtakes him he's now 50 meters away from the leader [Music] to the race second a couple of minutes after the winner thus conceding to his opponent the joy of a victory he very much hoped for [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you did it all wrong you went too far away from the buoy and the other guy overtook you you should have stayed much closer to it you turned way too late well it'll be for next time we're already preparing the next Regatta they'll be very skilled people it'll take place in two months oh second place is a bitter result for someone who had dreamed of becoming a champion just like his father but he also knows that he's only 21 and the future lies ahead Lewis is one of The Village's best Sailors and probably one of the next Masters he'll have other opportunities to show off his skills to everyone on the beach Evan is preparing the evening meal he knows that his son Lewis will assume command of a boat in a couple of years despite not winning this last Regatta a bit further away a group of musicians is rehearsing their capoeira movements famous Brazilian martial art Canterbury is shared by every villager I gave him the strength of character and the will to fight I'm convinced he'll be a good boat master in my heart I can feel something beautiful I feel a lot of pride it's a great pleasure to see my son becoming a true sailor just like me my wife is very proud of him too and we won't stop here I have another younger son I'm already teaching him the knowledge necessary to navigate just like I did with Luis before and so all of my sons will be able to defend our fishing tradition and become great Boat Masters that's what I wish with all my heart as is often the case in Brazil rain shows up Suddenly a bit like all these unexpected events that turn these people's Destinies upside down its journey to America has been an opportunity to share the pride of Pepe edito Leo and all the others pride of having succeeded in preserving their community's identity while asserting their independence yet they all feel like they live on the edge as if being appalachi garafuna kuna or jangadiros was a fragile privilege amidst the changes taking place in the world foreign

Channel: SLICE

Views: 717,215

Keywords: documentary, documentaries, shortdoc, shortdocs, slice, slicedocs

Id: SK8tv-KweV8

Length: 52min 3sec (3123 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 09 2023