Meet The Natives: England and USA
Intriguing documentary that turns traditional anthropology on its head. Five tribesmen from a remote South Pacific island travel 10,000 miles to observe the natives of a strange and exotic land - Britain and USA.
Armed with video cameras and warm clothes, five South Pacific islanders travel around the UK recording their experiences of living with representatives of the three 'tribes' of Britain: the Working Class, the Middle Class, and the Upper Class.
From KFC bargain buckets to karaoke, housework to fox-hunting, and dog parlours to stately homes, the five ambassadors immerse themselves in modern British culture, making profound and moving observations along the way.
What natives say: "People from England and USA come here and see about us. But what if we go to them and live in their tribes and learn their customs?"
In the past 100 years the British monarchy has lost a lot of its shine. However, in a tiny corner of the South Pacific, one royal is worshipped. A far cry from Britain's most controversial prince...
The locals of Tanna eagerly await the return of Prince Philip, who they believe is an ancestral spirit who emerged from a volcano to marry the queen. "According to a prophecy, the spirit who became Prince Philip is due to return".
In anticipation, his 89th birthday saw the island irrupt in celebration, and although the 'second coming' never happened the villagers spirits aren't dampened. "One day his spirit will come and rest here".
Proper loved how the ranchers were blindsided by how much they genuinely connected and were disarmed by sincere charm,beautiful to see!!!!
Tanna, Charming people and great bums. Loved the working class English family. The husband had prepared by learning the language and the only English man who undressed to dance in their tradition. Kudos to you and your wonderful family. You entered into the sociological, anthropological test with full commitment and honesty. The Tanna men's reaction to homelessness was inspiring. The English pamper their animals but in a land rich with so much wealth, why are some people hungry and homeless - animals are more important than humans. Predictably, the interview with Prince Phillip was not filmed. Personally, I think that would have been a real sociological, anthropological curiosity given his lack of social graces. However, it was interesting watching the way the Tanna men were being "indoctrinated" about the "rituals" English class style about eating "properly" and the very wooden antics of the English upper class. I am guessing that they had to be prompted, from their wooden lives, to get up and join in the dance.
Sorry to burst people's bubble, but Tanna isn't quite as isolated as they seem in these shows. They are very much on the tourism map nowadays; they have the world's most accessible active volcano on Tanna, and they now have lodgings and 4wd tours to take you there.
The local govt is run in conjunction with the chiefs of villages, so they do retain some of their local 'kastom'. But they had already become more aware of Western civilisations and the cash incentives it brings. 2 Survivor series (an Australian and a US) were filmed in Vanuatu, about 4 islands further North from Tanna (roughly a 40min flight). The Vanuatu tourism board began pushing itself as early as 2002 - the England documentary here is from 2007. By this time, Australians (if not many other white-man folks) would have been strolling through their village 3 times weekly on organised tours.
Just look up google images, Albi is in about 3 or 4 pictures. He was also looking after Karl Pilkington in a later British (Sky TV) show which visited Vanuatu/Tanna.
These people stick mostly with their traditional beliefs, but they have very much merged with the realities of the modern world. There is internet on Tanna now, and I am sure they will be amongst the first to know when the Duke of Edinburgh ceases to be.
Moshe Silman dies after self-immolation at Israeli protest (Haaretz)
Connection and Community
Prayers for Moshe Silman. When despair leads to desperation terrible things can happen. It is not that difficult to fall between the gaps and get lost in many "civilised" societies. A good nation will provide a decent safety net, and on this front the State of Israel does not do too badly, but connections of community, friends and family are vital to physical, emotional and spiritual health.
A BBC documentary shown a few years ago depicted some South Pacific people from an island near Papua New Guinea who were transported to the streets of London. They had real trouble understanding the homeless people's plight that they witnessed in the street. On their island a person who had suffered a fall was always helped in some way.
'Western culture "full of so many useless things" What a great observation and so true. We westerners may be forced to simplify things in the near future, like it or not. And that probably isn't such a bad thing.
That's a classic look on Jobu's face when the one guy says "if you see any nice girls, don't touch them" LOL hehehe
Lovely people. ?
Good thing there is no oil.
Definetly a doc every "civilized" person on earth should watch.
Righteous people and culture...too bad no one offered them the respect, truth and insight they deserve regarding wars vs peace and our warmonging ways . Also, that prince phillip is not a son of god hahaha.
I believe their message of a worldwide harmony, unity and peace may be very unattainable of a goal.
Perhaps, people should start with caring, sharing, love, manners, respect and truthfulness, any good things that make you feel happy inside your heart and soul... as small achieveable stepping stones towards that larger goal.
,
genuine love and authentic kindness networked throughout a community can exist. it only takes everyone coming together and that generally involves requiring a leader; then power, an agenda and/or greed (sometimes blackmail) get in the way once they see the sway they hold.
but all religiousness aside, if you'll look at the community described at the end of Acts chapter two starting around verse forty four it says, "and all the believers were together, and had all things common. And they sold possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, according as anyone had need. And continuing steadfastly with one mind day by day in the Temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food in gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people." That sounds just like those villages taking care of everyone whenever, like building a house for someone and not making a big deal about it. Or all the tribes coming together at the meeting place under the massive tree to discuss, make decisions, have ceremonies, dance and just be together.
I'm not sure if it is actually possible to achieve this level of oneness across the nation because of the fact we circulate worthless pieces of paper, and those richest, and others completely sold out to the system, are not easily relinquishing control. (for one small example: why do you think oil tycoons are suppressing the electric car with such fervor?) Because we are the slaves of the system called modern civilization. The act of working or the notion of working is very valuable. And while the result of this modern civilization has done many things in the way of making life easier and more convenient, and raising the all-around quality of life, for those who can maintain a "job"(maybe don't ask the homeless or recently laid-off) it has made us helpless and dependent on those who own or control the major lifelines like water, electricity/power, food and machines of all kinds. Who are these men and women really? Not 'what are their jobs?',(i certainly know they don't "work" in the sense that those in the system must "work") but who are they as people? Not in a judging way, but more in the way as if your children will be around them and you'd just like a little background info. And i'm not talking about a P.R. statement. When money or material accumulation is the end goal of an individual, then there is not much any one can do for him/her, aside from persuasion.
We all talk a big game but do we take deliberate actions to bring about a result?
Pure and undefiled religion before God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Peace love unity harmony sound very good, but unless any measures are taken amongst the individual first, it will not be able to be contagious among the populations. If you do not exhibit that which you speak, of what appeal is your message?
i want to live on Tanna.
I also want to live on Tanna. They are genuine, from the inside out. They share everything in joy, love and peace. How can I write to them ? Google "Tanna, South Pacific?
I hope we didnt send them back with small pox.
By far the best thing I've watched in my life, and I've watched a TON of stuff.
It was a masterpiece in so many ways (both the USA and UK parts).
I was smiling, laughing, cheering... It was just... amazing.
FANTASTIC! LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!
AWESOME doc!
really good doc. Specially to tell all that how artificially and fake life now a days people live.You don't need many things to be happy.its just amazing. specially when they raise the question to so called modern and developed society tht why the people are homeless?? just becoz they dont parents to take care or wht??
didnt watch the whole series yet.......cant wait to finish all
wow, it's so refreshing to see these people having fun with things we take for granted or boring.
LOVED this documentary! Their warmth just puts a smile on my face! I would love to live like them...
Does anyone know where I could watch the rest of the USA episodes?
prince philip god?very odd...if they only knew
I noticed that throughout the documentary, the men of Tana kept saying that on their island, people live in harmony. And yet based on their expectations and comments, there is strict gender roles and great inequity between the genders. And so i wonder...if the ambassadors from Tana had included women, would the comments be the same? Perhaps female ambassadors from Tana would express great envy at the women of the west for our independence.
Chances are, females from Tana would go home feeling a great sense of loss since they have to return to their 2nd class citizen position.
Actually, sociological data would show the reverse.
In the western world women have become more and more unhappier the more they've taken on male roles.
And you're doing a big act of bull*ittng by using the term "2nd class citizen". Since when are the male roles the good stuff?
In traditional cultures men do abc, women do xyz. You decided that doing xyz makes you second class? BS! Why isn't doing ABC the worse position?
EVER THOUGHT that there are men who would prefer to stay home and cook, and that dislike the burden of risking their life chasing down animals and hunting them? There's negatives and positives to each role. To pretend that men got the goodies, and women got the bad crap is just a deceitful lie. Both roles/specializations had positive and negatives. BOTH WERE EQUALLY RESTRICTIVE. MEN WERE BARRED FROM DOING "women stuff" TOO. So don't act like men had freedom. In the old roles NEITHER had freedom.
Not that straightforward as we really do have strict gender roles in our culture too. it is thye familiarity that makes them invisible and somehow "natural" to us. I highly doubt their women feel oppressed or unequal in any way.
Surely the overall inequality in our culture is a million times greater than there's, anyway? We think it fine for one family to own huge estates, while others are homeless. There are many of us, male and female, who feel a greater sense of loss when we look at what the Tana have, that we don't!
LOL as an american, I feel bad that these visitors to the west are fed english food LOL LOL
At least give them something GOOD, like westernized chinese food.
steak and kidney pie.....ew LOL LOL
"LOL as an american, I feel bad that these visitors to the west are fed english food LOL LOL"
All I can say is "as an American" then, you're displaying your ignorance. This notion that English food is really bad, mostly came about because of WW2, and the fact that food was seriously rationed, and that situation continued for quite a few years after the war had ended. So people had to survive on very limited choices and meagre amounts of food, which they had to try and eke out, and use as creatively as possible. Nobody chose that, they were tough times.
Interestingly, many studies were subsequently carried out, that showed that the generations that lived through the war, were actually very healthy as they didn't eat excessively.
The UK has always had an amazing variety of quality regional foodstuffs and dishes, not that your casual ill-informed outsider would know. My home county of Lancashire for example, produces what is widely regarded as one of the finest cheeses in the world. It would be very easy for me at this point to snigger at American cheese, especially the spray stuff in a can, and I'm pretty sure that just like in the UK, I could go to any major American city and find food that I wouldn't be so cruel as to feed to my dog, but I know better than that, and if I were to travel around the USA, I would surely find superb regional food, just as I do back home.
Fascinating!
I would have been even better if they had 3 females and 3 males in the group instead of a group of 5 males. It would have shed even more insight.
whole lot gong on there. but somehow i was most struck by the fact that they only ever included reaction shots after untranslated speech. Maybe it was edited that way, but it just looked like a bunch of i@#$%^ nodding to gibberish they couldn't possibly have understood.
trying to wrap my head around the balls it took for those guys to make such a journey. Damn they handled themselves and schooled some of me.
What human beings, uplifting program.
i m 100% positive somewhere in the world someone is worshiping ME.
Wading thru the docs around I was really down about the flavor that most docs are in. Another conspiracy theory, another unanswered question with 40m of time just to get to no point. It was rattling me because I kept searching for one with happiness instead of doom, gloom, and worry sprinkled in. Well, here it is! Those without money living happy lives. It was fun to see how they viewed outside countries because I too look at other cultures or else I would be here. If only their women weren't second class I might actually want to visit. That tho is true of most cultures pre "civilzation" - women are not worthy of making decisions and are just maids and toys for the bedroom to breed babies.
What a wonderful documentary. Just loved it! it changed the way i think...
I really enjoyed the documentary. I thought the men from Tanna were enchanting and wonderful as well as insightful about many aspects of British life. There were some errors in my viewing and I was not able to see the entire series although I am going to try and come back. I think I saw most of it. I think I enjoyed most that many of the people were real on the film. It is anthropology in the making.
Very refreshing documentary. Thanks Vlatko. The people seemed realy authentic when they were surprised and showed lack of understanding concerning things and situation that we take as normal (like artificial insemination or homeless people) The tribe life sounds idilic but I only wonder how it would be to be a woman in that tribe... may be it is great that men take all the decisions and so on... but it is just a thought...
@dano I can't see any 'MR' here so I guess you mean me. Yeah sorry, that's basically what I meant here. By getting a full view of technological society, they're probably going to be far less likely to aspire to it, because they get to see all these downsides. Everything being about money and 'stuff', to the expense of all these things they value, like community, time, traditional spirituality and connection to the land and its life - and of course, happiness. They seem to keep their view that it is they who are rich, and not the rest of us.
By the way although I'm not American or British, I am Australian, which in the scheme of things is basically the same thing. I have travelled through Europe (Western and Eastern), to the US, Mexico, the Pacific Islands, and much of Asia (I spent a year there recently), so I know the rest of world isn't just like where I live. I've also been to Africa too, with my parents (who've travelled more than I have), though I was too young to remember it.
I'm also half-Finnish, and I speak the Finnish language, which is unlike almost any other language from that part of the world (which are basically all Indo-European), so offering a somewhat different model of the world from most other Western languages. I'm not saying that it has anything in common with that of traditional Pacific islanders, but I'm aware that there are other ways of looking at reality.
Although I can't say I've spent time with people living quite as traditionally as this tribe, I have lived with subsistence farmers off the electricity grid (in Laos and Indonesia), and I know their approach to life is different. And I've seen how the effect of the introduction of television in particular to such communities changes things dramatically - ie the projection of a false fantasy into the minds of people, the time it consumes, and the cultural damage it brings.
I guess what I find especially interesting is that the first piece of modern technology the Tannans are taught to use is the video camera - the means of creating television for others (and themselves), so that they can tell their own stories to the world instead of the other way round. And I'd say they will be much wiser whenever they do have contact with the world of broadcast media.
@MR actuallly, that's the point. They are more happy without any technological development and that's part of the show. That's something I just can't support, that you americans, and you UKs, think that the whole world is like you. I have lived in Asia, Africa, Europe, US, Canada, SouthAmerica and Mexico, and believe me... WE ARE DIFFERENTT!!!@! so... that's part of the charming of the natives... that THEY DON'T KNOW ANY TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT!!!!
I dont know where you got that idea about, us thinking the world is just like us. Im speaking as an American, but I think some Brits will agree, that the problem with the world is, its not American enough. Ill ignore your condescending implication that we arnt worldly and say that, most of us have been all over the world. Also, ill point out that every country, religion and sexual orientation are living here without us all killing each other, with exception of a few knuckle heads. So ill say it again. The world needs to be more like us. I know that wouldnt happen in a million years, but its the worlds loss, not ours.
BTW the word that was blanked out in my post above was st up id. I understand not wishing to have abusive words in the posts here, but that level of automatic censorship a little extreme. And it makes that sentence look very weird. I just wanted to say that the tribesmen are intelligent guys. :)
I'm not sure about that Karen. My feeling is that these adventures where they bear witness to the full force of Western technological life may well have a much more positive effect on the tribe than having it leech in bit by bit as it has with indigenous tribes the world over. These guys aren't stupid, by any means. They know what they like and what they don't like when they see it, and by actually visiting the UK and US, they don't get an edited and sanitised version of what the West is like as they would once they're exposed to TV.
Ignorance is bliss. Even with 3 simple rules of protection; stay together, don't take anything, and don't touch anyone. Undoubtedly, the travelers will be changed for ever. If these tours continue our ideas and attitudes will haunt them like a bad nightmare and indeed will cause personal conflicts. The whole society will become self-conscious. Education applied cautiously.
middle class my ass
@Sam
Well said. I thought that there was a hint of undeserved pride or accomplishment on the parts of the middle class artist woman & upper class Sir. What I mean to say is that it almost seemed as though they were showing off a trophy/collectible to their colleagues & friends in such a way as "look at me", "what a wonderful person I am foe hosting these primitive men". The artist in New York seemed to have the same vibe. It was only the people & families who actually understood what it is to work for a living that bridged the gap, connected , & showed a real interest in these men. Like your rabbit hunter & the taxi driver from the working class family who took the time to learn a few phrases of their language.
I loved this documentary, one of my favourites on here. Those five men are really amazing to me, and I have a lot of respect for their way of life. I always find it incredible to see how others live in other parts of the world, and to hear about their values and beliefs. Recommended to everyone!
Well made docs, they represent England fairly enough. But I was so disturbed by them. In fact I had to keep stopping and starting.
Why was I disturbed? I'm not sure. Something to do with the fact that we're invited to be voyeurs and sort of simultaneously marvel at the noble savage whilst sniggering ever so politely.
I'm with Jim Elliot on this - cross cultural exchanges where people from both cultures are held in equal respect YES, but entertainment NO. I noticed that few Brits wanted to really know about these men's lives.
There's been a bit of talk here about class. Of course. Britland is riddled with it. And there are some odd ideas here too. There's a tremendous amount of prejudice against middle and upper class people in the UK. Modern British attitudes are more or less that these classes are not something to aspire to but rather privileged classes to be pulled down. This series truly glossed over all such acute issues. I liked the way the visitors got on well with the rabbit catcher - he was as authentic as them. I'm afraid the rest of my fellow countrypeople didn't seem much more than skin deep in comparison to the Tannans and the rabbit catcher.
I found this incredibly touching and I couldn't help but smile every time they were amazed by the things they had never seen before.
Their cheerful, humble and curious personalities are so lovable! We have so much to learn from these beautiful people.
We in "civilization" are back-to-front in our ways.
These men seem more intellectual then men I've had conversations with; that have multiple PhD's and masters' They are more humble than the most religious men I've ever personally known.
They are more caring than my own mother, who does loads of physical charity work for people in hard times.
It makes me fell, if humans were a breed in some kind of contest, these people from Tanna would be the breed standard for humans. The best possible example of what a human should be.
Great doc.
is it just me or is the video bouncing all over the place?
how eloquent and humble these men are. we can learn so much from them
@ Imightberiding
You said: "You must not have had the opportunity to travel much."
Your right I haven't, like I siad we would be considered as under the poverty level if we were anywhere besides where we live, southeastern US. The people that call themselves middle class here are usually in the same boat as us, not much money but we own land. Land is considered wealth here, hince our middle class rating even though we are broke mostly. As far as my assessment that France and Canada have a better standard of living, I didn't decide that watching this show. Do the research unfortunately it is true, has been since the recent recession started. I don't know about England, I was basing that on what I saw on the doc.
CNN and MSNBC just ran stories on the amount of Americans leaving for France and Canada to get better jobs, provide a better education for their children, and have a better retirement. Not to mention the better health care situation they enjoy. Not that these countries are not guilty of stupid things as well, but they haven't went down as badly as us.
I love America but the truth is we have gotten lost. You can't borrow yourself out of debt, we are heading for more trouble and I am already worried about getting a job when I graduate from college. I wasn't smart enough to get the right degree the first time around, not much you can do with a theology degree, except teach or write a book. I am no writer and other things keep me from getting a job teaching. We are doing many of the same things that landed us here, but expecting a different out come. But hey wtfdik, right.
@ McGarvey
You are absolutely correct! I'm sorry it's late or early. I am familiar with the story/legend & their beliefs. It's the Prince Philip thing that threw me. Ignore my rambling in my other posting.
Cheers!
Oh man! There's more to it than just the three British episodes. I spoke too soon. This is never ending. These poor bazturds are headed to the U.S. next. Searching for "Tom Navy". Maybe if they spit off their hotel balcony during one of their prayers for success in New York or L.A. they'll not only find him they might have the misfortune of actually hitting him. Good luck to them. Now that I think about it, I think it might be one of these islands of Vanuatu that worships the downed WWII pilot called "John" whatsisname I briefly mentioned above. Charming culture, it's good to travel & experience other places (education/knowledge & all that) I just hope it doesn't ruin them too much. We're all too cynical & jaded in the west for any hope any way. It would be nice if they could return home & escape all our Bulls#@t. O.K. now I'm going to sleep. Or maybe I'll just stay up for the day.
@ Imightberiding
Prince Philip thing - sort of, but the story seems to start at some point in the 50s/60s. These people had an ancient legend about a son of a mountain spirit who traveled to a far away land and married a powerful woman. When they saw the authority and power of the queen they decided that her husband was the god of their legend returning. The pilot was John Frum and the cargo cult surrounding him also began in Tanna.
Just wanted to add.... thanks for posting this. It seems to be a joint production between Vanuatu Television & British Television. For this reason I no doubt believe it to be some what scripted & intentionally humorous & ironic. It is however entirely entertaining if not eye opening to things long forgotten or lost. I would go so far as to say that it is in the vein of a wonderful little film from the 80's which I'm sure most everyone has seen. If not it is well worth a look. It's called "The god's must be crazy". Same sort of comedic yet heart warming & thought provoking culture clash. At any rate, my previous comments were meant in a spirit of light heartedness & I really just want to say thanks again for posting this. Couldn't stop watching all the episodes. Now, I finally have to go to sleep. zzzzzzzzzz
@Kara Kittle
O.K. Now breathe....
@ everyone & this Prince Philip thing
Obviously many years ago while Britain was conquering & pillaging the known world they stopped in at Tanna & probably told them that they were subject to their authority & thus the King of England was their lord. It's easy to see the "Lost in Translation" issue here. I can't recall at the moment but not that far away is another island nation that worships an American pilot who landed on or near their island back in the 40's or 50's. They to this day believe him to be God or a god.
@ez2b12
You must not have had the opportunity to travel much. Believe me, England or rather G.B. as a whole does not have a higher standard of living than we do in Canada & the U.S.A.
You are confusing the true meaning of the class systems. What does working class mean? What does middle class mean? What does upper class mean? Sure the pig farmers at the beginning of the visit to England were wealthy but they were middle class which by it's very definition means they don't have to work, have others that work for them & if they so choose may have several hobbies. His pig farming & her art community. It's the same over here it is just more evident there because most of the population are truly working class people just like myself. I am from Canada although I have lived in the U.S. in the past for many years. I have also had the privilege & opportunity to travel a bit. It seems to be unique to the states where every one thinks of them selves as middle class. Unfortunately for most of them it's simply not true.
Sorry, didn't mean to go on. It is the wee hours of the morning while I watch this doc & have to say fantastic! Rather unfortunate for those 5 kind men to think the rest of the world is populated by uptight repressed British people. Oh! Did I say that?! Sorry again. (CDNism)
All hail Vlatko for another great documentary/program.
The tribe they picked is so fantastic. They're open-minded, proud, curious and friendly. It of course means they have no oil, otherwise BP would have already messed up the environment they live in, their lifestyle and customs.
I love their conclusions about the western culture and the fact they like our culture is really flattering. I'm so glad they had fun in England and US.
The tribe has it's own youtube channel, and if anyone fancies it's open to visitors! All they ask for in return is seeds, love and respect :)
A relative of mine with whom I share a common name was a Christian missionary who attempted to make contact with a notoriously violent tribe in Ecuador.They killed him and his associates with poisoned darts and spears before they even had much of a chance to introduce themselves. Since then, Western pressure has successfully penetrated and supplanted its own culture, displacing most of the traditional customs and practices of the aboriginals! I knew of his story from a young age and so I have thought a lot about this over the course of many years.
We are relentless and determined to compare these worlds with ours, especially from our lofty position (so we like to believe).
Although this video series and the other seem pleasant and innocuous, we introduce something that does not belong there for the sake of our knowledge, and in this case, our entertainment.
We shouldn't dare to do this no matter whether it is inevitable or not.
@ Muhannad Faza
There is such a place where a lot of cultures do indeed come together to live. It's called the United States.
People come here from all over the world with their customs and practices and many do not ever think to give them up. I do agree with ez2b12 about how misleading it is for Prince Phillip to do that, but I am amazed at the patience the British people show when these men tell them they have come to ask him to come home.
For me, this was another "my morality is better than your morality" tale. The fact that these men comment that England is not as it should be is disturbing to me because they are judging it on the criteria of how things work in Tanna. They do not think women are equal to men. They themselves do not understand that England and the US are filled with people who have different moralities and those people have to learn to live together.
Yes, there is homelessness in both countries and there are poor people in both countries but to these men in Tanna, they judge according to how it is in Tanna. Do they not realize that someone paid a lot of money for them to be sponsored? The pig farmer grows big pigs, yes, but he also grows them to feed a population larger than what is on Tanna.
Life would be wonderful if we all got to live in an island paradise. The chief said something at the beginning to his men "if you see a pretty girl, don't touch her"...does that mean that on Tanna, girls are touched whenever the men feel like it? If that is the case, then these men can't be as good as they want us to believe.
awesome!!!! I could not stop watching them. Could it be possible to find a way to recreate this principles in our modern cities? to find the way to live like a big tribe but at the same time to keep our technological and scientific knowledge? I dream with that civilization and I just hope that one day my eyes could see it. A kind of auto sustainable tribe, connected world wide to anothers and sharing with everybody.
Outstanding!! I could not stop watching, and when it was over I was sad that it came to an end. A must see for all.
I'm about half way through...Positively brilliant. Recommended for ages 8 to 88. I dare you to watch this Doc without a big stupid grin on your face, and the occasional tear. Their reaction to the homeless man's story particularly moved me, shows a level of compassion which we have long lost.
@ez: I truly believe one's freedom ends where others begin, but sadly that line is very hard to draw until we are actually forced to draw it, which always raises passionate debates where logic and common sense seem to lose ground. I think we will be wrestling with these questions at least until we finally see how pointless they are, which I don't see happening in my lifetime, and I am still young..
@ Cliff
Any respectable anthropologist would see through the odd ideas these guys have about prince Phillip or Tom navy. I am sure they would do the research required to find out how these guys got these odd ideas, maybe not though. I am no anthropologist but I saw very quickly that they had made some gross mistakes in their assessments of Tom Navy, who he was and what he really stood for. I have no idea where they got the idea that Prince Phillip was the son of their god, probably from british explorers I would imagine.
I thought the fact that Prince Phillip played along with their assumption was kind of cool, but horribly misleading. I suppose though I would not want to burst their bubble either, they seem so happy in this belief. Then again do we not have some responsibility to promote reality in the world? It's a tough question to answer in this case. Maybe we have no right to take these beliefs from others that seem to have built a perfectly peaceful and happy society around them.
I am an atheist and have in the past tried to promote scientific reality to believers of creationism or other biblical metaphors that misguided individuals take as historical fact. The difference here, if one exists, is that these people have commited wars and destroyed peace in the past, all in the name of their beliefs. But it could be looked at the same way. If they have managed to find a way to be happy maybe we have no right to challenge these beliefs no matter how much science and common sense say they are false. Most believers are in no way responsible for wars or violence in the name of their respective religious dogma.
Then again fundamentalist organizations in the US, such as the religious right, are responsible for the religious corruption of our secular government, gays being treated as if they are secondary citizens, and much predjudice against other religions such as Islam. Lately they have even went so far as to promote hate and violence against those they find religiously undesirable. Just as most christians can not be held accountable for the crusades or the burning of suspected witches in times of old, the average practitioner of Islam can not be held accountable for 9/11 or terrorism in general.
So, where do we draw the line between personal freedom to believe whatever you like and social responsibility to promote reality and tolerance. Its a hard question to answer and one I wrestle with often as a theology major and political activist. On one hand I would never want to take someones beliefs that make them feel more secure or happy, on the other we have to make sure these beliefs do not infringe on others rights to believe something totally different and live accordingly. What do you guys think?
SO good! This should be showed to all anthropology majors. Gives you a great idea of how early (and maybe even today's) anthropologists could have totally been off on there analysis of other cultures. The tribe members were very inquisitive and interested but the majority of their theories were way off...but it's expected due to the drastic difference in cultures. Imagine how much anthropologists and sociologists are getting wrong in their research. Great documentary! Would love to see these guys travel the globe doing this reverse-anthropological perspective. Awesome.
Entertaining doc.
Good one...
Such an awesome set of shows!
I made the mistake of watching this while trying to go to sleep... here I am at 5 am writing this. Doh! :)
I cried the whole way thru. Just seeing all we have forgotten about life and all we will never relearn because of our arrogance. This was so beautiful,and inspiring. Thank you.
HI
“Meet The Natives – England and USA” among other films wich I keep reciving in daily basis, and it is another injoyable experiance.
I think it is worthy that such films should reach all families screen houses around the world, to introduce and educate people about other nations culture and related costumes, believe and social live, supported with translation (subtitling),
I am sure this is not a new idea, and do realize the complicated technical process and the productions phase to introduce such films supported with subtitling format of related to mother tong of each nation, but I think its worth it.
Tks
@ Kara Kittle
Yeah, didn't you know that? Well its actually a toss up between him and that Mr. Whipple guy from the charmin commercials, but my money is on Phillip for sure.
The Son of God is Prince Phillip?
This is a must see doc. One of the best i have ever seen. Very refreshing to hear common sense reactions to problems we tend to over complicate. Also wild to see that compared to England the US has a much lower standard of living, the people on here they call middle class would be considered as rich were i am from. The people they call working class is about equal to what we would call middle class.
I wish i could move to somewhere that had this standard of living and a more liberal attitude, not to mention somehwere that keeps religion and politics seperate instead of just pretending to like here in the US. France and Canada would also be good places to live from what i understand of them. If something doesn't give soon the world will see Americans trying to immigrate to other countries, instead of everyone coming here.
Who knows, if I could finish my education in England, Canada, or France maybe I could get a job when i get out of school. Here in the US, unless something changes, my diploma will be just another decoration hanging on the wall while I work at the local grocery store or fast food joint. Thats if the other college grads have not taken all these jobs.
Fantastic film. We are all One.
Score! Semi naked tribes :P
Damn!
It will take me days to wach all of this through!
None the less reverse anthropology sounds fun ^.^