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Disappearing World, In search of cool ground, Part 1. The Mursi: The Mursi Trilogy (Teacher's Edition)
directed by Leslie Woodhead; produced by Leslie Woodhead, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 54 mins
View Teaching Guide for this video.
What made this trilogy special was that, unlike most television reportage, it had a temporal dimension. That is to say, it offered not a brutal, intrusive and uncomprehending snapshot, but a sympathetic, well-informed and thoughtful history of ten difficult years in the life o...
Sample
directed by Leslie Woodhead; produced by Leslie Woodhead, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 54 mins
Description
View Teaching Guide for this video.
What made this trilogy special was that, unlike most television reportage, it had a temporal dimension. That is to say, it offered not a brutal, intrusive and uncomprehending snapshot, but a sympathetic, well-informed and thoughtful history of ten difficult years in the life of a tribe. Its insight derived from an anthropologist, David Turton, who has been studying the Mursi for years and who was able to prov...
View Teaching Guide for this video.
What made this trilogy special was that, unlike most television reportage, it had a temporal dimension. That is to say, it offered not a brutal, intrusive and uncomprehending snapshot, but a sympathetic, well-informed and thoughtful history of ten difficult years in the life of a tribe. Its insight derived from an anthropologist, David Turton, who has been studying the Mursi for years and who was able to provide the absolutely essential explanations of the mysterious events filmed by the Granada crew. This is the kind of illumination which is often provided by books or by personal experience, but almost never by television. John Naughton This is a trilogy about aspects of the culture of two groups of people, the Kwegu and the Mursi, in Ethiopia. The titles are: THE MURSI, THE KWEGU, THE MIGRANTS.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Instructional material
Contributor
David Turton, Leslie Woodhead
Author / Creator
Leslie Woodhead, David Turton
Date Published / Released
1974
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Societal structure, Tribal and national groups, Group dynamics, Africans, Mursi
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1974 by the Royal Anthropological Institute
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Disappearing World, Masai Women
directed by Chris Curling, fl. 1974-2017; produced by Granada Media, London, England, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 54 mins
The Masai are cattle herders living in the East African rift valley: they grow no crops and are proud of being a non-agricultural people. Cattle are the all-important source of wealth and social status, and Masai love their cattle, composing poems to them. However, it is the men who have exclusive control over rig...
Sample
directed by Chris Curling, fl. 1974-2017; produced by Granada Media, London, England, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 54 mins
Description
The Masai are cattle herders living in the East African rift valley: they grow no crops and are proud of being a non-agricultural people. Cattle are the all-important source of wealth and social status, and Masai love their cattle, composing poems to them. However, it is the men who have exclusive control over rights to cattle, and women are dependent, throughout their lives, on a man – father, husband or son – for rights of access to propert...
The Masai are cattle herders living in the East African rift valley: they grow no crops and are proud of being a non-agricultural people. Cattle are the all-important source of wealth and social status, and Masai love their cattle, composing poems to them. However, it is the men who have exclusive control over rights to cattle, and women are dependent, throughout their lives, on a man – father, husband or son – for rights of access to property. A woman's status as `daughter', `wife' or `mother' is therefore crucial and this film examines with depth and sensitivity the social construction of womanhood in Masai society, concentrating upon women's attitudes to their own lives. The film details a series of events in women's lives, from their circumcision ceremonies which mark their transition from girlhood to womanhood, to the moment when they proudly watch their sons make the transition to elderhood in the eunoto ceremony.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, fl. 1974, Granada Media, London, England
Author / Creator
Chris Curling, fl. 1974-2017, Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, fl. 1974
Date Published / Released
1974
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Maasai, Arranged marriages, Circumcisions, Gender roles, Women, Cultural identity, Tribal and national groups, Religious rites and ceremonies
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1974 by Disappearing World Films. Contact Royal Anthropological Institute
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Disappearing World, The Kawelka: Ongka’s Big Moka
directed by Charlie Nairn, 1934-, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 55 mins
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved in organising a big ceremonial gift-exchange or moka planned to take place sometime in 1974. Ongka has spent nearly five yea...
Sample
directed by Charlie Nairn, 1934-, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 55 mins
Description
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved in organising a big ceremonial gift-exchange or moka planned to take place sometime in 1974. Ongka has spent nearly five years preparing for this ceremonial exchange, using all his big-man skills of oratory and persuasion in order to try to assemble what he h...
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved in organising a big ceremonial gift-exchange or moka planned to take place sometime in 1974. Ongka has spent nearly five years preparing for this ceremonial exchange, using all his big-man skills of oratory and persuasion in order to try to assemble what he hopes will be a huge gift of 600 pigs, some cows, some cassowaries, a motorcycle, a truck and £5,500 in cash. As an example of the big-man familiar from written texts, Ongka is memorable, and the film manages to convey through this main character the importance of pigs, of exchange and of prestige in the life of these Highlanders. The film-crew never in fact managed to film the big moka, as the conspiratorial and complex manoeuvres involved in setting the date thwarted their plans. But we are shown Ongka replacing tee-shirt and shorts with his ceremonial feathers and setting off to a little moka where he collects pigs he `invested' with his wife's father. The interview with Ongka's wife raises the issue of the sexual division of labour and the importance of the wife's labour in pig-rearing and moka preparation, as well as the role of women in the establishment of a big-man.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Andrew J. Strathern
Author / Creator
Charlie Nairn, 1934-, Andrew J. Strathern
Date Published / Released
1974
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Kawelka, Cultural identity, Tribal and national groups, Gifts and gift-giving, Religious rites and ceremonies, Melpa
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1974 by Disappearing World Films. Contact Royal Anthropological Institute
×
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Disappearing World, The Kawelka: Ongka’s Big Moka (Teacher's Edition)
directed by Charlie Nairn, fl. 1974, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 55 mins
View Teaching Guide for this video.
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved in organising a big ceremonial gift-exchange or moka planned to take place sometime in...
Sample
directed by Charlie Nairn, fl. 1974, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 55 mins
Description
View Teaching Guide for this video.
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved in organising a big ceremonial gift-exchange or moka planned to take place sometime in 1974. Ongka has spent nearly five years preparing for this ceremonial exchange, using all his big-man skills of oratory and persuasion...
View Teaching Guide for this video.
Ongka is a charismatic big-man of the Kawelka tribe who live scattered in the Western highlands, north of Mount Hagen, in New Guinea. The film focuses on the motivations and efforts involved in organising a big ceremonial gift-exchange or moka planned to take place sometime in 1974. Ongka has spent nearly five years preparing for this ceremonial exchange, using all his big-man skills of oratory and persuasion in order to try to assemble what he hopes will be a huge gift of 600 pigs, some cows, some cassowaries, a motorcycle, a truck and £5,500 in cash. As an example of the big-man familiar from written texts, Ongka is memorable, and the film manages to convey through this main character the importance of pigs, of exchange and of prestige in the life of these Highlanders. The film-crew never in fact managed to film the big moka, as the conspiratorial and complex manoeuvres involved in setting the date thwarted their plans. But we are shown Ongka replacing tee-shirt and shorts with his ceremonial feathers and setting off to a little moka where he collects pigs he `invested' with his wife's father. The interview with Ongka's wife raises the issue of the sexual division of labour and the importance of the wife's labour in pig-rearing and moka preparation, as well as the role of women in the establishment of a big-man.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Instructional material
Contributor
Andrew J. Strathern
Author / Creator
Charlie Nairn, fl. 1974, Andrew J. Strathern
Date Published / Released
1974
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Cultural identity, Tribal and national groups, Gifts and gift-giving, Religious rites and ceremonies, Melpa
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1974 by Disappearing World Films. Contact Royal Anthropological Institute
×
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Disappearing World, The Mehinacu
directed by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994; produced by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 53 mins
The Mehinacu live near the head-waters of the River Xingu in Central Brazil, in a single village within the protective confines of the Xingu National Park. Although the film concentrates upon the most exotic aspects of Mehinacu life, focusing on a series of rituals concerned with the planting and harvesting of the...
Sample
directed by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994; produced by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 53 mins
Description
The Mehinacu live near the head-waters of the River Xingu in Central Brazil, in a single village within the protective confines of the Xingu National Park. Although the film concentrates upon the most exotic aspects of Mehinacu life, focusing on a series of rituals concerned with the planting and harvesting of the piqui tree, these rites are firmly located in their social context: relations between the sexes in this society are formalised in an a...
The Mehinacu live near the head-waters of the River Xingu in Central Brazil, in a single village within the protective confines of the Xingu National Park. Although the film concentrates upon the most exotic aspects of Mehinacu life, focusing on a series of rituals concerned with the planting and harvesting of the piqui tree, these rites are firmly located in their social context: relations between the sexes in this society are formalised in an astonishing abundance of ritual, celebration, dances and games, performed to ensure fertile soil and good crops. Many sequences deal with the daily life of the Mehinacu, showing, for example, the sexual division of labour, with men fishing and women preparing manioc. The use of subtitled interviews provides a depth and sensitivity in the film's approach which helps to underline the concern with the fact that these Indians are seriously threatened by a road which is being cut through their territory. One of the highlights of the film is an interview with a Mehinacu elder who tells of the origin myth of the sacred flutes, a myth which is part of a complex belief system that will be lost if the Mehinacu, who are such a small group, are not able to survive under the pressures of the outside world. The film could be used to stimulate discussions of sex role differences, sexual division of labour in particular societies, and the connection between ritual and social relationships
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Thomas A. Gregor, fl. 1969, Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994
Author / Creator
Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994, Thomas A. Gregor, fl. 1969
Date Published / Released
1974
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Mehinaku, Animism, American Indians, Gender roles, Arabs
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1974 by the Royal Anthropological Institute
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Disappearing World, The Quechua
directed by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994; produced by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 52 mins
This film is set in a community of peasant agriculturalists 2 1/4 miles above sea level in the southern Peruvian Andes. Concentrating on a single family, the film explores aspects of religious and secular life. The first part of the film shows a pilgrimage to a Christian sanctuary situated close to the residence o...
Sample
directed by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994; produced by Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 52 mins
Description
This film is set in a community of peasant agriculturalists 2 1/4 miles above sea level in the southern Peruvian Andes. Concentrating on a single family, the film explores aspects of religious and secular life. The first part of the film shows a pilgrimage to a Christian sanctuary situated close to the residence of the most powerful of the Central Andean mountain spirits (Apus) illustrating the syncretism of Catholic and pre-Hispanic local religi...
This film is set in a community of peasant agriculturalists 2 1/4 miles above sea level in the southern Peruvian Andes. Concentrating on a single family, the film explores aspects of religious and secular life. The first part of the film shows a pilgrimage to a Christian sanctuary situated close to the residence of the most powerful of the Central Andean mountain spirits (Apus) illustrating the syncretism of Catholic and pre-Hispanic local religious traditions. In the second part of the film we see a fertility rite for sheep, and the attempts of certain members of the community to procure government assistance for a motor road to the village which would link them more closely with the rest of Peruvian society. This film portrays the Quechua of the village of Camahuara as being in a sense sealed off from the rest of the world, but it also shows how their way of life is integrated with the Peruvian economy. It has been criticised for emphasising that the desire for change is coming from inside the traditional society rather than being forced on it from without.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Michael Sallnow, fl. 1974, Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994, Mark Edwards, fl. 1974
Author / Creator
Carlos Pasini Hansen, fl. 1994, Michael Sallnow, fl. 1974
Date Published / Released
1974
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Speaker / Narrator
Mark Edwards, fl. 1974
Topic / Theme
Quechua, Gender roles, Cultural change and history, Pilgrimage, American Indians, Jews
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1974 by the Royal Anthropological Institute
×
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Disappearing World, The Sakuddei
directed by John Sheppard; produced by John Sheppard, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 53 mins
The Sakuddei are a small and ethnically separate community living on the island of Siberut off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their distinctive way of life and elaborate religious ceremonies, centred on the umah (ceremonial house) are under threat from the Indonesian government which wishes to `civilise'...
Sample
directed by John Sheppard; produced by John Sheppard, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1974), 53 mins
Description
The Sakuddei are a small and ethnically separate community living on the island of Siberut off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their distinctive way of life and elaborate religious ceremonies, centred on the umah (ceremonial house) are under threat from the Indonesian government which wishes to `civilise' the Sakuddei. These people are also threatened by a timber company from the Philippines which has been granted a logging concession in...
The Sakuddei are a small and ethnically separate community living on the island of Siberut off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their distinctive way of life and elaborate religious ceremonies, centred on the umah (ceremonial house) are under threat from the Indonesian government which wishes to `civilise' the Sakuddei. These people are also threatened by a timber company from the Philippines which has been granted a logging concession in the Sakuddei's territory. The first part of the film contains strikingly photographed scenes of ritual life in the umah, while in the second part there is an interview with a representative of the government who wants to send the Sakuddei children to school in a government village on the coast. The adults fear that the children will lose touch with their own customs and identity if placed in such an institution. Their concern forms part of a moving and dramatic film which explores the contrast between the Sakuddei's way of life and the various pressures of modern Indonesian society on them: Islam, money, police, administrators and the lumber companies.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Reimar Schefold, 1938-, John Sheppard
Author / Creator
John Sheppard, Reimar Schefold, 1938-
Date Published / Released
1974
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Sakuddei, Societal structure, Animism, Cultural views, Exogamy, Asian ethnic groups, Jews
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1974 by the Royal Anthropological Institute
×
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Disappearing World, Masai Manhood
directed by Chris Curling, fl. 1974-2017, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 54 mins
This film was made after Masai Women and in the same area. Together the two films provide a vivid view of Masai men and women and their place in Masai society. The Masai are pastoral nomads in the East African rift valley with a social system which differentiates sharply between men and women and between age-sets....
Sample
directed by Chris Curling, fl. 1974-2017, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 54 mins
Description
This film was made after Masai Women and in the same area. Together the two films provide a vivid view of Masai men and women and their place in Masai society. The Masai are pastoral nomads in the East African rift valley with a social system which differentiates sharply between men and women and between age-sets. A particularly crucial distinction is made between men who are moran (`warriors') and more senior men classed as elders. After circumc...
This film was made after Masai Women and in the same area. Together the two films provide a vivid view of Masai men and women and their place in Masai society. The Masai are pastoral nomads in the East African rift valley with a social system which differentiates sharply between men and women and between age-sets. A particularly crucial distinction is made between men who are moran (`warriors') and more senior men classed as elders. After circumcision men live in the forest on the fringes of Masai society as moran debarred from marriage and excluded from crucial decision-making procedures.
The film is focused on the life of the moran and on the dramatic eunoto ceremony which marks the important transition from warriorhood to full social maturity and the responsibilities of elderhood. The moran are given an opportunity in the film to talk about warriorhood and they sensitively strive to explain their ideals to the anthropologist. Their words are effectively translated in sub-titles. There is much valuable information in the film on the events leading up to the eunoto ceremony including a fascinating sequence on the joking abuse directed by the moran at their mothers and on the ritual procedures involved in the rite de passage itself.
This may well be the last eunoto ceremony ever to be held as the pressures on the Masai to change their way of life are increasingly strong, and the film is important for the way in which it conveys the drama of the events and their significance both for the participants and for the Masai social system.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, fl. 1974
Author / Creator
Chris Curling, fl. 1974-2017, Melissa Llewelyn-Davies, fl. 1974
Date Published / Released
1975
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Maasai, Men, Religious rites and ceremonies, Cultural identity, Tribal and national groups
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1975 by Disappearing World Films. Contact Royal Anthropological Institute
×
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Disappearing World, Mongolia, Part 1: On the Edge of the Gobi
directed by Brian Moser, fl. 1960; produced by Brian Moser, fl. 1960, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1975), 53 mins
Mongolia is a country the size of Western Europe with under 1.5 million people but over 23 million head of livestock. This film concentrates on life in the great plains of Mongolia, at the foot of the Altai mountains, where the ancient skills of the Mongol horsemen coexist with the new methods of the socialist rev...
Sample
directed by Brian Moser, fl. 1960; produced by Brian Moser, fl. 1960, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute, 1975), 53 mins
Description
Mongolia is a country the size of Western Europe with under 1.5 million people but over 23 million head of livestock. This film concentrates on life in the great plains of Mongolia, at the foot of the Altai mountains, where the ancient skills of the Mongol horsemen coexist with the new methods of the socialist revolution of 1921 which brought collective farming to the steppes. Professor Owen Lattimore, who serves as commentator, is the West's lea...
Mongolia is a country the size of Western Europe with under 1.5 million people but over 23 million head of livestock. This film concentrates on life in the great plains of Mongolia, at the foot of the Altai mountains, where the ancient skills of the Mongol horsemen coexist with the new methods of the socialist revolution of 1921 which brought collective farming to the steppes. Professor Owen Lattimore, who serves as commentator, is the West's leading authority on Mongolia; he first crossed the Gobi in 1926. The Granada film crew were the first documentary unit allowed in from the West, during summer 1974 and winter 1975.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Owen Lattimore, 1900-1989, Brian Moser, fl. 1960
Author / Creator
Brian Moser, fl. 1960, Owen Lattimore, 1900-1989
Date Published / Released
1975
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Speaker / Narrator
Owen Lattimore, 1900-1989
Topic / Theme
Mongolian, Communism, Cultural change and history, Asian ethnic groups, Inuit
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1975 by the Royal Anthropological Institute
×
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Disappearing World, The Kirghiz of Afghanistan
directed by Charlie Nairn, fl. 1974, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 52 mins
The Kirghiz of Afghanistan are a group of some 2,000 pastoralists living on a bleak mountain plateau in a narrow isthmus of land between the borders of the Soviet Union and China. For nine months of the year heavy snows cover the ground, which was formerly used only by the Kirghiz for their summer pastures before...
Sample
directed by Charlie Nairn, fl. 1974, in Disappearing World (London, England: Royal Anthropological Institute), 52 mins
Description
The Kirghiz of Afghanistan are a group of some 2,000 pastoralists living on a bleak mountain plateau in a narrow isthmus of land between the borders of the Soviet Union and China. For nine months of the year heavy snows cover the ground, which was formerly used only by the Kirghiz for their summer pastures before the borders were closed, virtually terminating the contact of this group with other Kirghiz communities. Although the film shows dramat...
The Kirghiz of Afghanistan are a group of some 2,000 pastoralists living on a bleak mountain plateau in a narrow isthmus of land between the borders of the Soviet Union and China. For nine months of the year heavy snows cover the ground, which was formerly used only by the Kirghiz for their summer pastures before the borders were closed, virtually terminating the contact of this group with other Kirghiz communities. Although the film shows dramatically the ten-day journey which lowland traders must make to reach this remote people, as well as scenes of a Kirghiz wedding and the traditional Central Asian sport of `buzkashi' demonstrating the horse-riding skills of the people there is very little about the pastoral economy and society of the ordinary Kirghiz. The main reason for this is that the film focuses on the remarkable wealth and authority of their leader the Khan by far the wealthiest pastoralist on the plateau. Ninety-five Kirghiz families work for him as shepherds and herders. The film's principal concern is to show the way in which the Khan wields his power (using interviews with him and illustrative scenes) which thus turns The Kirghiz into a study of oppressive paternalism in this remote corner of the world. There is, however, some disagreement over the interpretation of the Khan's role.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Nazif Shahrani
Author / Creator
Charlie Nairn, fl. 1974, Nazif Shahrani
Date Published / Released
1975
Publisher
Royal Anthropological Institute
Series
Disappearing World
Topic / Theme
Kirghiz, Cultural identity, Local customs, Tribal and national groups, Kyrgyz
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1975 by Disappearing World Films. Contact Royal Anthropological Institute
×
