I’m cheating a bit today and rather than sharing a Photo of the Day, I’m sharing a video. And it’s not mine (though how I wish it was!).
This was taken in 1976 and shows the first contact with a tribe in Papua New Guinea. I could go on and on about how amazing this is, but you just need to watch the video…
Interested in Papua New Guinea? Join me in August, 2011 for the 50th anniversary of the Mt. Hagen Singsing. We have just 2 spots left! There won’t be any first contacts, but it’ll blow you away none the less!
See other lovely photos at DeliciousBaby!
Just beautiful, Beth! I found this so moving on so many different levels. It takes such courage and trust to explore the unknown, to push our fears aside and open up to the wonders around us . . . Thanks so sharing ~
Wow, his eyes are so intense when he looks directly into the camera. I can just imagine what it going on in his head, it is so surreal. Can you imagine being these guys, never seeing anything like this and walking out of the jungle to a camera crew and some dude. Incredible.
Wow. Amazing.
Sort of sad in a way too though since much contact with outsiders hasn’t gone way well for indigenous people, historically.
It is interesting to think about–all the technology that has been created. If only it could be used more for good than destruction!
I was thinking the exact same thing, Beth Shepherd! Well articulated. 🙂
@Beth and @Christy – You’re right, contact with outsiders has not traditionally gone well with tribal groups. Unfortunately, it’s often as a direct result of the tribe’s own government. Brazil and Papua New Guinea are cases in point where the government is literally selling land out from underneath the indigenous groups and they aren’t getting anything in return.
But these tribal people also cannot be denied things that would truly be beneficial to their survival, such as medical care. Or a knife.
The trick is to find the happy medium of what truly improves their lives and what takes away from their traditions. And who gets to judge that?
It’s a question I struggle with every day as I lead tours to remote regions such as PNG and Bhutan. I’ve talked to locals and while my random sampling likely doesn’t represent the vast majority, what I hear is that tourism is NOT what harms local communities. Tribal people often want to hold on to their culture but do they have to be denied a mirror or antibiotic in order to do so?
I don’t have the answer. But questioning it and bringing these sorts of things into travelers’ consciousness is important. And I think this video does a great job of that.
Beautiful!
This reminds me so much of my encounter with Pygemies deed in the Republic of Congo many years ago. The look in their eyes when the saw us and our landrover was unforgettable. Loved this video. It’s so comforting to know that there are still places in this world where the nearest McDonalds isn’t just aroubnd the corner.
This is one of the most amazing videos I have ever seen.
A beautiful video, Beth. Fascinating. All the emotions expressed.
This is so wonderful! I don’t do videos of my travels, and sometimes I wish I had a video camera to capture things that are hard to write about or show with photos.
Fantastic! So when they like something, looks like their gesture says, “That’s a kick in the head.”