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Added: 14 years ago.
Video Description
If you are outside the UK you will not be able to watch any of the video on bbc.co.uk/tribe for rights reasons. However, you may be able to view video on the Discovery Channel's "Going Tribal" website.
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The Adi are subsistence farmers who live in the foothills of the Himalayas in the far north east of India. Even today, many of the tribe have never met a European - their home is in Arunachal Pradesh which, until recently, was the only Indian state which was closed to foreigners. The Adi enjoy considerable control over their own affairs and development and benefit from state government initiatives set up to preserve tribal culture. Yet globalization and the lure of the modern world is increasingly having an impact on the Adi and the other tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.Adi life
The Adi live in a wild and beautiful area. There are more than 500 species of orchid here; elephants, tigers and leopards live in the abundant forest, along with the white-browed gibbon, civets, the sloth bear, the Himalayan black bear, the red panda and many species of deer. The 100,000-strong Adi are one of 25 major tribes who live in the state, along with a number of sub-tribes. The name Adi means 'hill man'. The tribe divides into two main divisions - the Bogum and Onai - each of which is subdivided. There is a highly developed system of democracy and all major decisions in a village are taken by the Kebang (village council) only after full consultation with all members of the tribe.
The Adi survive in the heat and humidity of the Siang Valley. They are self-sufficient thanks to the cultivation of rice, growing crops in the thin mountain soil, and hunting. Adi will eat most birds and animals and even some insects. One species of beetle is especially sought after - but only if it can be eaten alive! Squirrels and other rodents - including rats - are a favourite dish and are an important part of traditional feasts. The Adi breed an animal called a mithun, a forest-dwelling herbivore which is a cross between a water buffalo and a cow. However, these animals are usually only slaughtered during festivals. The rest of the time, the mithun wander the forest unrestricted. Their owners know each animal's identity, and a man's wealth is judged by the number of mithuns he has. 'The first thing a son must know is all of the mithuns within my family,' the headman or 'Gam' tells Bruce Parry a few days after his arrival in Jorsing village.
Both men and woman wear their hair closely cropped, and polygamy (having multiple partners) is still practised. Boys and men have a dormitory club in the village called Moshup and, in some villages, the girls have a separate club called Raseng. These dormitories used to be where young Adi would learn about their traditions and duties, but most children now attend government schools. The curriculum they study ignores the intricacies of tribal knowledge and culture, and this is having an increasing impact on the self-esteem and identity of the young Adis. Today, few young Adi want to work in the fields in the same way as previous generations.
Source: BBC
Documentary Description
Tribe (known as Going Tribal in the United States) is a documentary television series co-produced by the BBC and the Discovery Channel, and hosted by former British Royal Marine Bruce Parry. In each series, Parry visits a number of remote tribes in such locales as the Himalayas, Ethiopia, West Papua, Gabon and Mongolia, spending a month living and interacting with each society. While there, Parry adopts the methods and practices of his hosts, participating in their rituals and exploring their cultural norms. This often enables him to form personal bonds with the members of each tribe. Parry tries to learn the basics of the tribe's language but is also accompanied by a translator.
The series is co-produced by BBC Wales and the Discovery Channel. A second series aired in July, 2006 and the third began on 21 August 2007 on BBC2, and ended on 25 September 2007. No further series have been made, though Parry's 2008 series, Amazon has a similar synopsis. Parry was awarded the BAFTA Cymru "Best On-Screen Presenter" award in 2008 for his work on the 'Penan' Episode. A BAFTA Cymru "Best Camera: Not Drama" award was also awarded for Gavin Searle's work in the same episode.
Going Tribal follows former Royal Marine and expedition leader Bruce Parry as he tests the physical limits of living with ancient tribes in some of the world's most remote areas. Parry sheds social trappings (and sometimes his Western clothes) by living alongside people from the virtually unexplored areas of the Himalayas, Ethiopia, West Papua, Gabon and Mongolia. To the degree possible, while spending a month immersed in each society, Parry also tries to adopt the methods and practices of his hosts. Parry enthusiastically embraces jungle hunting and the rituals of the warrior, being taught by strangers how to survive using bows, arrows, blowpipes, dogs, spears, traps, snares and clubs. He must cook and eat his catch using traditional methods such as hot stones, waxy leaves and bamboo pots.
Parry is accompanied by a translator, but learns the basics of tribal language. The series is accompanied by subtitles. Viewers hear unique languages and watch the sometimes-graphic practices of living and surviving in the jungle among some of the world's disappearing cultures.
Going Tribal is co-produced by the BBC Wales and the Discovery Channel.
Sources: Discovery Channel, Wikipedia
