Desert of Skeletons. Hunting Day | Tribes - Planet Doc Full Documentaries

In this documentary the bushmen are going to hunt a orix.

When they are out hunting, the Bushmen always walk in single file. Tuka is the best hunter, and will kill the animal. He is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the hunt. From this moment on, he will be in charge of the operation. Once they have chosen the arrows with the freshest poison, Tuka moves to the front of the line.  

The hunt has begun.

They have hit a male oryx. If the arrow has hit a sensitive area, such as the neck or the lungs, the oryx will fall down dead in a matter of hours, but if not, the slow chase can go on for several days. The arrow punctured the oryx's left lung, resulting in a slow, painful death. The Bushmen are, in fact, extremely respectful of their natural environment, as many anthropologists have pointed out. When hunting, they are careful not to wound the females or the young. They gather only what is strictly necessary in order to eat, and they use the minimum amount of wood for their fires. For thousands of years, they have lived in perfect harmony with these extremely marginal lands. This meat will provide enough food for a couple of weeks. They preserve it by smoking, and it belongs to the community as a whole. When meat is taken back to the village, a taster, normally an old man, must test it before anyone else can start to eat.

Desert of Skeletons. Survival | Tribes - Planet Doc Full Documentaries

There is only one thing more important for the Himba than their physical appearance: the cattle. They are the basis of their economy and a subject which arouses a great deal of passion and rivalry.  It is more than a merely economic activity, affecting also political, social and religious aspects of life. Building and repairing the huts is traditionally the work of the women, as is milking the cows.

Kushai, Samgao, Tuka and Bo left Chonwati several hours ago. Not even they know when they will return the hunt can last for days, or even weeks. Nonetheless, they take with them only what is strictly necessary: the bows and arrows, the iron bars, a knife, the implements to make fire, and tobacco. To compensate for the lack of water, the men know a number of tricks. One is the Koa, which lies hidden beneath the ground. It is a fleshy bulb whose roots contain a bitter liquid.  This they use for drinking and washing, out here on the scorching desert plains.

Desert of Skeletons. Himba Women | Tribes 

Polygamy is practised among the Himba, and Komané may have sexual relations with whoever she wants, provided she asks her husband for permission. But it is important for a woman to be the first wife, as this confers certain privileges, such as the care of the sacred fire, which give her a more dignified status. In Himba culture, image and appearance are all-important.  

Desert of Skeletons. Himba Tribe | Tribes 

In this documentary we meet The Himba tribe who lives in Namib Desert.

Seven hundred kilometres northwest of Chonwati, in a remote, mountainous region called Kaokoland, lie semi-arid lands where a cattle-rearing tribe has settled permanently. 

The Himba are one of the most interesting, and most intact tribal groups in Africa. They have a reputation as the most competent herdsmen in Africa. This is what they are famous for, but their success is not due to their knowledge of cattle alone, but also to their organisation and social relations.Himba society is organised according to the principle of dual lineage. All Himba people are born into the matriarchal clan of their mother and the patriarchal clan of their father. Lineage on the mother's side determines inheritance of material wealth, including the cattle, while the father's side decides how groups are organised, and the structure of authority. Opembe is a small settlement inhabited by just two families. Yakujá Yambirú is the Omuyona, or clan chief. Yakujá is married to Wazindi Kiruá, and together they have had three children. The oldest, Navizó, is responsible for the cows, and will inherit them. The youngest son is called Kamá Iguan, and he is in charge of looking after the goats.

Desert of Skeletons. Desert Weapons | Tribes 

We continue in the Desert of the skeletons where the Bushmen manufacture their own weapons and prepare for the hunt.

They know that during the dry season hunting is much easier than in the rainy season.  Kushai, Samgao, Tuka and Bo have decided to go hunting. At this time of year, the animals all gather around the few pools that still have water, and in all likelihood they will be able to hunt something decent to eat.

Namibia is one of the African countries with the greatest variety of wildlife. In the Etosha National Park alone, the largest in the country, covering an area the size of Belgium,114 species of mammals and 340 different types of bird live.

The four Bushmen get ready for the hunt. Their most powerful weapon is to be found below ground. With the help of the metal bars they have acquired through barter with other tribes in the region, they dig holes, looking for tiny spheres which look as if they are made of ceramic. Back at the camp, the men get everything ready to concoct the potion. The first step is to scrape and then pound the seeds from the Kamungarunga tree, which grows wild here in the Kalahari desert. While Tuka prepares the arrows, Kushai will take charge of the preparation of the poison.

Each hunter carefully covers the tips of his arrows, making absolutely sure the deadly mixture does not come in contact with any cuts they may have on their bodies. If it does, it can cause severe suffering, and even death. The small metal tips are strong enough to make a small wound in the animal, and the poison will then do the rest.