Going Tribal: A Great Show, Why is it not on more often?

United States
May 18, 2007 1:38am CST
One of my pet passions is tribal communities, and "Going Tribal" with Bruce Parry is a show that fulfils all my wildest expedition dreams. Not only is Bruce a genial and gentle man, he's also funny and gregious. (Wow, that was a lot of g's...) It's strange that he reaches into the human heart so easily and grabs those tendrils that make you feel like you're part of a tribe while watching the program. His obviously child-like nature is also appealing to the tribes that he visits. They often treat him as a child, giving him the rites of initiation and manhood. It's fascinating stuff. My favorite to date was his work with the Cannibal tribes of Papua New Guinea. It was both intriguing and surprising, for these tribes have often been characterised as angry and hostile people, when in fact they are frightened more of the dark and spirits! Reasons for killing other people included fear of evil, retribution, and starvation in lean times. It's hard to view them as having hateful hearts, because they don't. They were warm and loving towards Bruce, and even (this was a little heartbreaking) made whistling sounds like a sad bird, or a wounded animal's whines when he left. The description of one of his tree-house-mates was obvious. He signed that when Bruce left, he would cry bitter tears. Bruce is a guy who anybody would be happy to have as a friend. His friendship with all the tribes that he has stayed with is obvious. You can read about "Going Tribal" here: http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/goingtribal/splash.html They've also got a broadband link on that page where you can watch clips of the show, and read up on who Bruce Parry is. The real shame about the show is that they have so few episodes. I can understand - organising, travelling and filming these trips must take months! Still when and if you can catch an episode, don't miss it. Not only is it a real learning experience, it's entertaining and heartwarming, too. PS: There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the show for children. Sometimes the rituals shown as well as the nudity can be a bit too much for the kiddies. So far as I have watched it, it did not contain anything that a National Geographic Special showed. I don't think it'll rot your kid's brains. :)
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