The Filipino Tribe That Lives Inside a Volcano | The Last Cavemen | Free Documentary

00:51:46
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9vyx8hLa-k

Summary

TLDRThe video chronicles the journey of the Tud'Batu tribe from the mountains of Palawan to the urban setting of Rizal, Philippines, and back to their ancestral caves. It highlights their cultural adaptation struggles and inherent resistance to city living. Despite being initially overwhelmed by the abundance and noise of the city, the tribe chooses to return to their roots due to the difficulty of assimilating and nostalgic ties to their jungle home. Their life in the jungle, though harsh, is deeply linked to their identity. The narrative also underscores the socio-economic stigmas faced by the tribe while living among urban populations and their efforts to maintain their cultural heritage, including traditional hunting and spiritual practices. The video serves as a reflective look into the challenges indigenous populations face amidst modernization and displacement.

Takeaways

  • 🌳 The Tud'Batu tribe originally lived in jungle caves on Palawan Island.
  • 🏙️ They faced difficulties and stigmatization trying to adapt to urban life in Rizal.
  • 🚶‍♂️ The tribe decided to return to their ancestral caves due to the pull of their traditional lifestyle.
  • 🤝 The tribal family bonds and cultural heritage are emphasized throughout their journey.
  • ⛰️ Life in the jungle is challenging but holds personal and cultural significance for the Tud'Batu.
  • 🌾 The Tud'Batu's self-sufficiency is rooted in their deep knowledge of the forest.
  • 📚 Education opportunities for tribal children are limited but desired by families.
  • 🚨 Despite health risks, the jungle offers a sense of safety and stability.
  • 🔍 Modern civilization often views the Tud'Batu's lifestyle as primitive and marginal.
  • 💔 The return to the jungle symbolizes both hope and the limitations of integration into city life.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The narrator has spent over 20 years documenting tribal communities. Visiting a noisy town in Palawan, Philippines to understand the adaptation of the Tud Batu tribe, traditionally living in jungle caves, to urban life. Observing them at a local market, the tribe's unfamiliarity with city life is evident, and they're drawn to the abundance yet face discomfort and judgment from locals.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Embarking on a journey with the Tud Batu, the narrator experiences firsthand the stigma they face in urban environments. Visiting a modest home shared by an eight-member family, the difficulties of adjusting from jungle life to urban living are apparent. Despite working hard in menial tasks, the tribe struggles, dreaming of better opportunities for their children.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The narrator delves into government indifference towards tribal communities and highlights the stark contrast between museum portrayals and the tribe's realities. The Tud Batu, inherently skilled in jungle survival, are marginalized in cities. Family bonds are strong, but urban adaptation causes visible stress and the longing to return to their natural habitat is strong.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    A return to the mountains is imminent as the Tud Batu family struggles with city life hardships. An internal family division arises over the benefits of urban facilities versus the traditional jungle living. The tribe's resilience is interwoven with their jungle expertise, but their survival in the city demands hard work and sacrifices that weigh heavily on them.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Facing the decision to return to jungle life, the Tud Batu family wrestles with the allure of urban conveniences and the primal call of their ancestral land. This choice splits the family as some members determine to embrace the jungle once more. The narrator joins the challenging journey back into the depths of the jungle, facing natural and man-made dangers.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    Embarking on a grueling jungle trek with the tribal family, the narrator recounts the perilous conditions faced, including threats from wildlife and brutal terrain. Despite these challenges, the fear of losing cultural identity and familial heritage propels the Tud Batu's determination to reconnect with their natural roots and abandon the urban life experiment.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    Navigating through the jungle, the narrator follows the Tud Batu into the caves, an emotional and physical journey tracing their traditional way of life. The environment within the caves marks a stark transition back to a rudimentary yet spiritually fulfilling existence, highlighting a deep-rooted connection to their heritage.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:40:00

    The caves, serving as homes for the Tud Batu, reveal an intricate lifestyle unknown to outsiders. The narrator's initial sense of bewilderment gives way to an appreciation of the tribe's rich cultural traditions and forms of survival, offering a glimpse into an unchanged world where modern conveniences hold no value.

  • 00:40:00 - 00:45:00

    The narrative sheds light on the Tud Batu's deep connection with nature and their extensive knowledge of forest resources, illustrating their intrinsic survival instincts. Despite hardships, life in the cave reflects traditional practices of hunting and gathering, with teachings passed down through generations remaining vital.

  • 00:45:00 - 00:51:46

    Returning to the caves, the Tud Batu reaffirm their pride in cultural heritage despite challenges. Their adaptability is tested, yet family unity brings strength. The arrival of an explosion near their dwelling signals growing external threats, prompting reflection on the security of their way of life, as they grapple with preserving their legacy amidst adversity.

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Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • Who are the Tud'Batu tribe?

    The Tud'Batu tribe is a group in the Philippines known for living in caves in the jungle and for traditional hunting practices.

  • Where is the Tud'Batu tribe originally from?

    The Tud'Batu tribe originally comes from the caves deep in the jungle of Palawan, Philippines.

  • What challenges do the Tud'Batu face in the city?

    In the city, the Tud'Batu face stigmatization, poverty, and difficulties adapting to urban life.

  • Why do the Tud'Batu decide to return to the mountains?

    They struggle with the urban lifestyle and feel more at home in the jungle, prompting their return to their ancestral caves.

  • How do the Tud'Batu sustain themselves traditionally?

    Traditionally, they hunt, fish, and gather resources from the forest, using knowledge passed down through generations.

  • What role does the jungle play in the Tud'Batu's life?

    The jungle is integral to their identity, providing food, shelter, and a sense of belonging.

  • Are there educational opportunities for Tud'Batu children?

    There are limited educational opportunities, and many families wish to send their children to school.

  • What spiritual practices are observed by the Tud'Batu?

    The Tud'Batu maintain traditional spiritual practices and have a shaman who uses natural remedies.

  • What historical significance does the Tud'Batu tribe hold?

    They represent one of the few remaining tribes that have largely resisted modern civilization.

  • What challenges could arise returning to the jungle?

    Challenges include potential food shortages, health risks like malaria, and altering external threats.

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  • 00:00:09
    [Music]
  • 00:00:23
    [Music]
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    for over 20 years I've been traveling to
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    film peoples who live in the heart of
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    nature far from the Civilized
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    world so what may me come to Ral this
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    noisy stifling little town in the south
  • 00:00:57
    of Palawan
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    Philippines
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    because this is where tribal communities
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    in Exile have settled among them the tud
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    Batu a tribe from another era that has
  • 00:01:08
    always lived in caves deep in the
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    jungle how do they adapt to such a
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    radical change of
  • 00:01:18
    life the only way to find out is to meet
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    them I carefully observe people's faces
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    and clothes looking for the least little
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    clue
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    [Music]
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    then here they come Barefoot and single
  • 00:01:36
    file as if walking along a path in the
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    forest one of them even carries a blow
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    gun candy just candy just
  • 00:01:54
    candy I decide to follow them to my
  • 00:01:57
    surprise no one seems intimidated by the
  • 00:01:59
    presence of of a
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    camera like children who have been
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    deprived for too long they all make a
  • 00:02:06
    bee line for the
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    [Music]
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    candy their promade continues and along
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    with it for me the funny feeling of
  • 00:02:22
    being the Invisible Man but the to bat
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    are too distracted they don't know where
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    to look next it's true you can find
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    anything and everything at the rale
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    market no doubt that's why they're here
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    Spellbound by such abundance these are
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    pretty are they on
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    sale and what about these they're
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    expensive and these they're
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    cheaper these must be in
  • 00:02:51
    style not easy to resist not easy either
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    to enclose feet like these in
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    shoes
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    is that it yes that's it really yes how
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    much do you need only 500
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    G at last a first glance perhaps to make
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    me their
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    witness there's more than 500 gr I'll
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    give you a little more it's
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    Christmas thank
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    you the butcher is not very welcoming to
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    say the least clients are judged by
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    their looks and she obviously knows who
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    these cents are I only know
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    one they come from the top B tribe do
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    you know how they live where they live
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    they live in the mountains and they're
  • 00:03:40
    very poor just look at them look at
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    their clothes they've got nothing that's
  • 00:03:45
    why they look so
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    destitute don't go away I'm G to get
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    something for
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    you one of the family members is pulled
  • 00:03:56
    aside I can tell something's up since
  • 00:03:59
    everyone seems struck motionless Unsure
  • 00:04:01
    how to
  • 00:04:02
    react this is for you put it on okay
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    it's going to look great on you take
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    that off first it's going to suit you
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    perfectly look look what is
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    it it's a shirt put it on it's an
  • 00:04:16
    expensive item it's very nice an
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    American
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    brand it's too big is it too wide it's a
  • 00:04:26
    size
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    five no it's the perfect size for you it
  • 00:04:31
    really suits
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    you the quality is excellent you won't
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    get cold when you're up in the mountains
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    it's thick you look great look over
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    there the Americans are filming
  • 00:04:42
    you keep it
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    on take it off for
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    now and this is for
  • 00:04:51
    you this is much too big for me it looks
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    great on
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    you can I buy your blow gun
  • 00:05:00
    the clothing salesman is only too happy
  • 00:05:02
    to be filmed and he hasn't finished yet
  • 00:05:04
    he continues making fun of the group now
  • 00:05:06
    turning his attention to the man with a
  • 00:05:07
    blow gun can I kill a pig with this I
  • 00:05:10
    can really and what if I shoot a person
  • 00:05:13
    with it could I kill him
  • 00:05:18
    too so it really can kill
  • 00:05:21
    huh Can I have an arrow is this where it
  • 00:05:27
    goes is it dangerous it's
  • 00:05:32
    scary wow nice shot all right bye got to
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    go
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    [Music]
  • 00:05:44
    now
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    good I can tell the touts bat two try to
  • 00:05:54
    be like everybody else when they're in
  • 00:05:55
    town but when it comes to Fading Into
  • 00:05:57
    the crowd becoming Philippines citizens
  • 00:06:00
    that seems pretty
  • 00:06:03
    [Music]
  • 00:06:10
    complicated I was very shocked by
  • 00:06:12
    everything I witnessed at the market no
  • 00:06:15
    matter what they do or where they go
  • 00:06:17
    they're all stigmatized I'm not sure if
  • 00:06:19
    it was my looks of compassion that moved
  • 00:06:21
    them but in any event the tal Batu have
  • 00:06:23
    agreed to let me follow them
  • 00:06:28
    home
  • 00:06:30
    [Music]
  • 00:06:35
    eight people all from the same family
  • 00:06:37
    live here in this modest home
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    undoubtedly the culmination of their
  • 00:06:47
    dream a roof rice and a little meat
  • 00:06:51
    nothing could be more ordinary for
  • 00:06:52
    millions of Philippines but surely not
  • 00:06:55
    for
  • 00:06:58
    them
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    [Music]
  • 00:07:15
    [Music]
  • 00:07:24
    what you
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    do
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    that
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    some rice there's lots take some more
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    you want more I'll have
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    more take some
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    rice can I finish
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    it
  • 00:08:09
    I'm well aware that the fate of tribal
  • 00:08:11
    communities is a thorny topic for the
  • 00:08:13
    authorities to put it bluntly they'd
  • 00:08:15
    rather not talk about them at all I also
  • 00:08:18
    know that I'm not allowed to be here
  • 00:08:19
    even less so with a camera but the owner
  • 00:08:22
    who is not just anyone is
  • 00:08:25
    out she's the one who bind dad works for
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    even on Sundays the one they call
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    Captain the representative of the
  • 00:08:32
    village of
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    ronon the other members of the family
  • 00:08:36
    like cakan aren't paid they lend a hand
  • 00:08:40
    sweep and weed the courtyard water the
  • 00:08:43
    garden to Batu who have always lived in
  • 00:08:46
    the middle of the Jungle are forced to
  • 00:08:48
    pull out every last little blade of
  • 00:08:51
    [Music]
  • 00:08:55
    grass so this is it the El Dorado the
  • 00:08:58
    prom promise of a better
  • 00:09:00
    life for 2 years now rannis pilna and
  • 00:09:04
    the others have lived on the fringes of
  • 00:09:06
    a world that perhaps isn't their
  • 00:09:17
    [Music]
  • 00:09:22
    own one evening bad and cakan went to
  • 00:09:25
    show me who they are that they haven't
  • 00:09:27
    forgotten their past life that living in
  • 00:09:29
    the jungle is not something you can take
  • 00:09:31
    for
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    granted better yet that hunting is an
  • 00:09:36
    [Music]
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    [Music]
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    art it's as if the darts from their blow
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    guns were shot Straight From Another
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    World in a different
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    era I learned that the Philippine
  • 00:10:06
    government has paid homage to the TA
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    Batu by exhibiting their culture and
  • 00:10:10
    ancestral way of life in a
  • 00:10:13
    museum that's all it took to turn their
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    history into a
  • 00:10:17
    myth these are people that uh you would
  • 00:10:20
    appreciate life when when you see them
  • 00:10:23
    how they live in the cave how they
  • 00:10:26
    survive uh as in the urban area when we
  • 00:10:29
    don't have our cell phones our gadgets
  • 00:10:32
    we definitely you know very angry with
  • 00:10:34
    the world because oh where did I put my
  • 00:10:37
    cell phone but in that area no
  • 00:10:39
    Communications no signals all natures
  • 00:10:42
    and they live in the caves when there
  • 00:10:44
    are typhoons when the the weather is not
  • 00:10:47
    so
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    [Music]
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    good in 1978 the Western world was
  • 00:10:56
    astounded to discover the existence of a
  • 00:10:58
    previously unknown Tri tribe whoever
  • 00:11:00
    could have imagined that human beings
  • 00:11:01
    still lived in caves in the middle of an
  • 00:11:03
    unexplored jungle on the island of
  • 00:11:07
    Palawan the people of the rock had a
  • 00:11:09
    name the taut
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    Batu this people are the only tribes
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    that is uh left by civilization that is
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    far beyond reach of every human
  • 00:11:27
    being
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    [Music]
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    I can't shake the image of those plastic
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    figurines displayed in a cardboard
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    cave now I can no longer look at the
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    family the same way I know they've
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    always lived in caves light years away
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    from urban life and here they are
  • 00:11:48
    weeding a Tarot field under the blazing
  • 00:11:52
    [Music]
  • 00:11:57
    sun
  • 00:12:01
    here the tow bat are considered backward
  • 00:12:03
    people think they're lazy and have no
  • 00:12:05
    skills at all so they are only a lotted
  • 00:12:08
    the most menial of tasks the things
  • 00:12:10
    everyone else refuses to
  • 00:12:12
    [Music]
  • 00:12:21
    do the more I observe kalakan the more I
  • 00:12:24
    have the impression of watching a bird
  • 00:12:26
    turning circles in its cage
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    [Music]
  • 00:12:44
    every evening the same ritual and the
  • 00:12:46
    same boredom and The NeverEnding
  • 00:12:48
    discussions in which everybody still
  • 00:12:50
    wonders what they're doing here look at
  • 00:12:53
    us we can't even write we don't know how
  • 00:12:55
    to write it's true we can't write we
  • 00:12:58
    don't know how to speak Tagalog right
  • 00:13:00
    not even
  • 00:13:03
    Tagalog it would be better if the
  • 00:13:05
    children could go to
  • 00:13:06
    school they'd be able to explain all
  • 00:13:08
    sorts of things to us right this that
  • 00:13:12
    and the other thing at least the
  • 00:13:15
    children that's right at least the
  • 00:13:17
    children right that would be so
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    [Music]
  • 00:13:22
    great like many families the TA batsu
  • 00:13:25
    dream of being able to send their
  • 00:13:27
    children to school they've sacrificed
  • 00:13:29
    everything for this but nothing has
  • 00:13:31
    turned out as planned their faces all
  • 00:13:33
    seem worn and marked by the past 2 years
  • 00:13:35
    spent in
  • 00:13:38
    ronon when I came here I didn't know
  • 00:13:41
    where to go I thought I was going to
  • 00:13:43
    find someone to hire me but if no one
  • 00:13:45
    hires me how am I going to feed my
  • 00:13:48
    family I feel alone here and I don't
  • 00:13:51
    sleep well I hear the noise of the
  • 00:13:54
    cars back home it's not as
  • 00:13:57
    noisy
  • 00:14:00
    I'm not afraid to live in the city the
  • 00:14:02
    only difference is I didn't grow up
  • 00:14:05
    here bad doesn't say anything yet I
  • 00:14:08
    understand that the life of the taut
  • 00:14:10
    Batu has become unbearable there that it
  • 00:14:12
    can't last that everything could
  • 00:14:14
    dramatically
  • 00:14:17
    change it's true for me too when I'm
  • 00:14:20
    here I can't stop thinking about my life
  • 00:14:21
    in the mountains so we've decided to go
  • 00:14:24
    back there to live back to the
  • 00:14:27
    mountains
  • 00:14:30
    [Music]
  • 00:14:35
    go back to live in the
  • 00:14:37
    mountains that was in the
  • 00:14:39
    cards but I still find it hard to
  • 00:14:42
    believe if merely talking about their
  • 00:14:44
    troubles isn't enough for the T Batu and
  • 00:14:47
    they really do decide to leave the city
  • 00:14:49
    behind I will have to choose either
  • 00:14:51
    leave the Philippines or else try to go
  • 00:14:54
    along with
  • 00:14:57
    them
  • 00:15:00
    with their scheduled return to the
  • 00:15:02
    Jungle the hope for a better life goes
  • 00:15:04
    up in smoke and along with it the dreams
  • 00:15:07
    of money school for the children and the
  • 00:15:09
    free health
  • 00:15:13
    [Music]
  • 00:15:27
    clinic a morning like any other will
  • 00:15:32
    almost in a heavy silence the taot Patu
  • 00:15:36
    put out the fire of their former life
  • 00:15:38
    and prepare to
  • 00:15:40
    leave but half of the family are missing
  • 00:15:43
    could bind dad the only one who earns
  • 00:15:45
    money be obliged to stay
  • 00:15:48
    [Music]
  • 00:15:54
    behind no one is keeping us from
  • 00:15:56
    leaving if we want to we can take our
  • 00:15:59
    things and head back to our caves
  • 00:16:04
    tomorrow that's right
  • 00:16:07
    tomorrow but we need
  • 00:16:17
    money we can't afford to buy certain
  • 00:16:20
    things actually I get sick a lot because
  • 00:16:22
    of how difficult the work is but I
  • 00:16:24
    really need to work hard to put up with
  • 00:16:26
    the sun's Heat
  • 00:16:29
    that way I can buy clothes and
  • 00:16:30
    everything we
  • 00:16:32
    need I've been able to buy all that
  • 00:16:35
    since I've been working
  • 00:16:38
    here even if my house is in the state it
  • 00:16:40
    is even if my wife gets sick I can
  • 00:16:43
    easily take her to the medical
  • 00:16:45
    center when we're in the mountains in
  • 00:16:47
    our
  • 00:16:48
    caves the distance makes it hard to get
  • 00:16:50
    to the medical
  • 00:16:53
    center are you happy or sad to live
  • 00:16:57
    here
  • 00:16:59
    ornes doesn't answer she's made her
  • 00:17:01
    choice too she's not going
  • 00:17:05
    [Music]
  • 00:17:13
    back over the days it has become clear
  • 00:17:16
    that the two sisters were inseparable
  • 00:17:19
    but today each of them has chosen her
  • 00:17:21
    own path foress the city for ranis the
  • 00:17:25
    mountains and
  • 00:17:27
    jungle
  • 00:17:30
    [Music]
  • 00:17:37
    I came to Palawan to discover the T
  • 00:17:39
    batu's urban life and now here they are
  • 00:17:41
    heading back home up there in the
  • 00:17:43
    mountains there's no time to mull it
  • 00:17:45
    over I decide to follow them turning a
  • 00:17:48
    deaf ear to the museum administrator's
  • 00:17:50
    warnings if you do not plan your trip
  • 00:17:52
    going there it's very hard very
  • 00:17:55
    difficult the train is so difficult so
  • 00:17:57
    tricky
  • 00:17:59
    so treacherous so you know lot of
  • 00:18:02
    dangers going
  • 00:18:06
    there the danger everyone's terrified of
  • 00:18:09
    is called malaria the last three
  • 00:18:11
    filmmakers who set foot here didn't
  • 00:18:15
    survive I've also heard about groups of
  • 00:18:17
    rebels who had best be
  • 00:18:19
    avoided not to mention the insects
  • 00:18:21
    scorpions and
  • 00:18:27
    snakes
  • 00:18:30
    [Music]
  • 00:18:41
    as we enter the tall trees of the forest
  • 00:18:43
    and hear the first heady cries of the
  • 00:18:45
    cicas I have no idea what lies ahead
  • 00:18:48
    what compensation I may find or what
  • 00:18:50
    sacrifice I may have to make by
  • 00:18:52
    venturing here all I know is that this
  • 00:18:55
    journey to the edge of the world will
  • 00:18:56
    make its mark
  • 00:18:59
    [Music]
  • 00:19:18
    we've been walking for hours now soon
  • 00:19:20
    we'll be obliged to stop before
  • 00:19:23
    nightfalls and yet I've yet to seen any
  • 00:19:25
    sign of a cave or shelter something
  • 00:19:27
    doesn't seem
  • 00:19:32
    right in theory we should have reached
  • 00:19:34
    singnapan Valley where the tow bat have'
  • 00:19:37
    always lived but nothing about this
  • 00:19:39
    deeply embanked River bed gives even a
  • 00:19:41
    hint of being inhabited so where can we
  • 00:19:45
    be if there are caves around here no
  • 00:19:47
    one's ever told me about
  • 00:19:54
    them I got a cut it looks deep you're
  • 00:19:57
    right there's a cut on the side right
  • 00:19:59
    it's deep and it's already infected yes
  • 00:20:01
    there's
  • 00:20:06
    P how can they walk Barefoot in the
  • 00:20:09
    forest the least little scratch can
  • 00:20:11
    easily become infected it needs to be
  • 00:20:13
    treated
  • 00:20:15
    quickly to remove a splinter a wooden
  • 00:20:18
    blade seems to work better than the
  • 00:20:20
    blade of a
  • 00:20:21
    knife you're right I see it I'll try to
  • 00:20:23
    get it
  • 00:20:24
    out hope it's not
  • 00:20:27
    serious
  • 00:20:41
    the wind has suddenly picked up and with
  • 00:20:44
    it the promise of rain and
  • 00:20:46
    storms this is no doubt why the family
  • 00:20:48
    has decided to build a
  • 00:20:57
    shelter
  • 00:21:24
    [Music]
  • 00:21:26
    the heat and humidity are unbearable if
  • 00:21:28
    it's over 40° C but that doesn't stop
  • 00:21:31
    the tth batsu from working hard they
  • 00:21:33
    find everything they need right at their
  • 00:21:43
    feet in the city they're considered good
  • 00:21:46
    for nothing but in the jungle it's a
  • 00:21:48
    different story I'm fascinated by their
  • 00:21:51
    knowledge of the forest their movements
  • 00:21:53
    seem innate their feet don't get caught
  • 00:21:55
    in the vines they don't slip they don't
  • 00:21:57
    trip
  • 00:21:58
    they don't simply live in the forest
  • 00:22:00
    they are the
  • 00:22:26
    forest
  • 00:22:37
    can you show me how to do
  • 00:22:45
    it can you do it
  • 00:22:48
    again careful you're going to strangle
  • 00:22:51
    me make it tighter like that like this
  • 00:22:56
    yes what like
  • 00:23:02
    that is this right go on
  • 00:23:06
    pull see I did it sure it's
  • 00:23:12
    easy a Hut in the jungle it seems
  • 00:23:15
    natural to the T Batu but to me it's
  • 00:23:18
    nothing short of
  • 00:23:26
    amazing
  • 00:23:32
    [Music]
  • 00:23:51
    at Daybreak the T Batu set off once more
  • 00:23:54
    it's impossible to know where they're
  • 00:23:55
    going all I do know is that once again
  • 00:23:57
    we shall confront the jungle and climb
  • 00:24:02
    [Music]
  • 00:24:07
    mountains whether we climb or descend
  • 00:24:10
    our pace is steady eni and inao are the
  • 00:24:13
    first two words in Palawan I learn up
  • 00:24:15
    and down and patun of course
  • 00:24:26
    Waits
  • 00:24:31
    as we go on the luxuriant jungle gives
  • 00:24:34
    way to Cliffs and razor sharp
  • 00:24:38
    rocks gradually we approach the heart of
  • 00:24:41
    the
  • 00:24:47
    [Music]
  • 00:24:48
    mountain with rannis Leading The Way
  • 00:24:50
    with her flashlight the TA bat suddenly
  • 00:24:53
    leave the light of day behind and slip
  • 00:24:55
    into the darkness of a cave
  • 00:25:00
    this time I have no choice I blindly
  • 00:25:03
    follow along behind kalakan but the
  • 00:25:05
    tunnel gets narrower and we can't even
  • 00:25:07
    stand up anymore where in the world are
  • 00:25:13
    [Music]
  • 00:25:26
    we
  • 00:25:30
    who has laid eyes on this spot this
  • 00:25:32
    Monumental Cathedral buried beneath the
  • 00:25:36
    mountain even the t bat appear to be
  • 00:25:38
    lost they stop hesitate then head back
  • 00:25:41
    the way we
  • 00:25:42
    [Music]
  • 00:25:51
    came it seems impossible not to lose our
  • 00:25:53
    bearings in this endless
  • 00:25:56
    Labyrinth
  • 00:26:01
    as we emerge in the dazzling sunlight I
  • 00:26:03
    realized that instead of going around
  • 00:26:05
    the mountain we've just passed through
  • 00:26:07
    [Music]
  • 00:26:17
    it the climb seems
  • 00:26:20
    endless where in the world are they
  • 00:26:22
    going I still can't spot anything that
  • 00:26:24
    can be used to
  • 00:26:26
    shelter
  • 00:26:28
    I turn back and suddenly the to Batu
  • 00:26:31
    have once again disappeared through a
  • 00:26:32
    tiny
  • 00:26:35
    crack the first trace of human presence
  • 00:26:38
    a platform attached to the side of a
  • 00:26:40
    cliff no doubt about it this time we've
  • 00:26:42
    made
  • 00:26:44
    it just then I'm astounded to see the
  • 00:26:48
    cave is already inhabited three adults
  • 00:26:50
    and three children all live in this
  • 00:26:52
    narrow little room where they can barely
  • 00:26:54
    stand up rannis p aito and calak are
  • 00:26:58
    reunited with their family because this
  • 00:27:00
    place is nothing less than their
  • 00:27:06
    [Music]
  • 00:27:09
    home near the entrance to the cave sits
  • 00:27:11
    an old man who was practically naked who
  • 00:27:14
    is he it's impossible to catch his
  • 00:27:17
    [Music]
  • 00:27:21
    eye I find myself plunged into a
  • 00:27:24
    different time a distant era when all
  • 00:27:26
    our ancestors still lived in
  • 00:27:28
    [Music]
  • 00:27:37
    caves the family sets off again wending
  • 00:27:40
    their way into another part of the cave
  • 00:27:42
    I have to admit I'm totally
  • 00:27:46
    disorientated this time they settle in
  • 00:27:48
    and for the first time ever I see ranis
  • 00:27:56
    smile
  • 00:27:58
    a and pilna climb up a wobbly platform
  • 00:28:00
    that looks like it's been there forever
  • 00:28:02
    I suppose this is where they're going to
  • 00:28:05
    [Music]
  • 00:28:14
    sleep the old man from the entrance has
  • 00:28:16
    joined us but continues to turn his back
  • 00:28:19
    to
  • 00:28:26
    me the minute slowly slip by around a
  • 00:28:29
    campfire that protects us from
  • 00:28:32
    mosquitoes finally we see his face lit
  • 00:28:35
    by the Flames the old man is called Ido
  • 00:28:38
    he's the head of the family he's also
  • 00:28:40
    the uncle of bad who along with his wife
  • 00:28:43
    decided not to return here to
  • 00:28:47
    live inside the cave a Chasm several
  • 00:28:50
    meters deep gapes down into the bowels
  • 00:28:52
    of the
  • 00:28:55
    earth I have to admit it's very
  • 00:28:57
    unnerving you'd have to be born here not
  • 00:28:59
    to be afraid of
  • 00:29:02
    falling I've never left
  • 00:29:06
    here I was born here and never once have
  • 00:29:09
    I left this cave
  • 00:29:12
    behind really
  • 00:29:14
    never I've never left this
  • 00:29:20
    place I go down the mountains
  • 00:29:23
    sometimes but I never Venture far from
  • 00:29:26
    here it's impossible for me to lead
  • 00:29:29
    these mountains it's where I grew up
  • 00:29:31
    here in the jungle your children too yes
  • 00:29:35
    my children too all my children not just
  • 00:29:38
    me but all of
  • 00:29:40
    [Music]
  • 00:29:44
    us we all grew up here on this land in
  • 00:29:48
    this
  • 00:29:52
    cave tell them what you
  • 00:29:55
    want don't you want to say anything
  • 00:29:58
    anything she's too shy to
  • 00:30:05
    talk I'm happy here who wouldn't
  • 00:30:09
    be this is the cave of our
  • 00:30:12
    ancestors we're all
  • 00:30:21
    happy if we lived outside the cave we
  • 00:30:24
    would have no place to protect
  • 00:30:26
    us
  • 00:30:28
    it's dangerous to live in the jungle
  • 00:30:30
    there are lots of snakes but inside the
  • 00:30:33
    cave there's no
  • 00:30:36
    danger from here it's easier to
  • 00:30:38
    understand how no Outsiders have ever
  • 00:30:40
    managed to discover the entrance to the
  • 00:30:42
    cave by sheer accident I've stumbled out
  • 00:30:44
    of the myth and into reality Ido has
  • 00:30:47
    never left his cave the proof that taut
  • 00:30:49
    batsu still live hidden in the belly of
  • 00:30:51
    the mountains of
  • 00:30:56
    bwan
  • 00:31:17
    [Music]
  • 00:31:22
    this morning the entire family has
  • 00:31:24
    gathered to
  • 00:31:26
    fish everyone has their own technique
  • 00:31:29
    for Danilo Ido son-in-law it's a hoop
  • 00:31:31
    net leaves and rocks to channel the
  • 00:31:33
    river and guide the fish into the
  • 00:31:36
    traps for the time being aito and roel
  • 00:31:39
    are busy inspecting the
  • 00:31:42
    [Music]
  • 00:31:46
    Rocks Ido gathers crabs as if he were
  • 00:31:49
    plucking flowers from a
  • 00:31:52
    garden I get the feeling he doesn't even
  • 00:31:54
    look for them he already knows where
  • 00:31:56
    they are
  • 00:31:58
    [Music]
  • 00:32:15
    [Music]
  • 00:32:22
    [Music]
  • 00:32:26
    for
  • 00:32:30
    [Music]
  • 00:32:42
    the engineuity of the taot Batu is
  • 00:32:44
    inexhaustible they even make wooden
  • 00:32:46
    harpoons which work pretty
  • 00:32:51
    well tomalin idido's granddaughter will
  • 00:32:55
    most likely never attend any school
  • 00:32:56
    other than that of
  • 00:33:04
    [Music]
  • 00:33:25
    life
  • 00:33:30
    [Music]
  • 00:33:50
    it's stifling hot but the water is ice
  • 00:33:52
    cold for the first time I can tell AO
  • 00:33:55
    and the others truly feel at home
  • 00:33:57
    peaceful appeased in harmony with their
  • 00:33:59
    way of
  • 00:34:00
    [Music]
  • 00:34:07
    life as in my own childhood memories
  • 00:34:10
    fishing is a special time you reach for
  • 00:34:12
    your grandfather's hand and he helps you
  • 00:34:15
    grow these moments of Innocence seem so
  • 00:34:18
    insignificant but leave deep memories
  • 00:34:20
    that last even into
  • 00:34:25
    adulthood
  • 00:34:27
    [Music]
  • 00:34:33
    [Music]
  • 00:34:46
    the T Batu have returned to their
  • 00:34:47
    shelter in the Rocks but the mood has
  • 00:34:50
    shifted
  • 00:34:51
    radically I can tell something's
  • 00:34:54
    wrong and ranice is the first to open up
  • 00:34:58
    how can we not feel sad our friends
  • 00:35:01
    stayed behind because we were always
  • 00:35:03
    together the eight of us and they stayed
  • 00:35:05
    behind of course we're
  • 00:35:08
    sad it's hard because some of us have
  • 00:35:11
    stayed behind if we were all here we'd
  • 00:35:14
    be happy right if everyone were here
  • 00:35:16
    then we'd really be very happy but they
  • 00:35:19
    decided to stay in the city what can you
  • 00:35:23
    do yes it was their decision to stay
  • 00:35:26
    there
  • 00:35:30
    we came back to live in the
  • 00:35:31
    mountains what would we go to the city
  • 00:35:39
    for I feel happy I've welcomed my
  • 00:35:43
    brothers and
  • 00:35:47
    sisters it's good that we're together
  • 00:35:49
    once more here in the
  • 00:35:52
    mountains I don't want to go live in the
  • 00:35:54
    city even if there are also good
  • 00:35:57
    B there like here in the
  • 00:36:11
    [Music]
  • 00:36:20
    mountains today I go hunting along with
  • 00:36:22
    aito and his friend
  • 00:36:25
    Mal
  • 00:36:28
    it's not yet fruit season and there are
  • 00:36:30
    no monkeys in the
  • 00:36:33
    forest big games such as deer and wild
  • 00:36:35
    boar have almost entirely disappeared
  • 00:36:38
    I'm told foreigners come to hunt here
  • 00:36:40
    with their rifles and that the forest is
  • 00:36:42
    also being cut
  • 00:36:47
    down so the hunter set off in search of
  • 00:36:49
    smaller prey that is much trickier to
  • 00:36:52
    [Music]
  • 00:36:55
    catch
  • 00:37:05
    [Music]
  • 00:37:19
    I think I got it it must be over there
  • 00:37:21
    wait I'll go
  • 00:37:25
    see
  • 00:37:33
    here's our dinner you're
  • 00:37:37
    right but it's not enough no it's noon
  • 00:37:41
    it's already
  • 00:37:43
    late look up there there's more and more
  • 00:37:46
    of
  • 00:37:49
    [Music]
  • 00:37:55
    them
  • 00:38:06
    I realized that the taot Batu have such
  • 00:38:08
    intimate knowledge of the forest that
  • 00:38:10
    they're able to make the most inventive
  • 00:38:11
    traps a long sharpened stem coated in
  • 00:38:14
    sticky fragrant sap is used to attract
  • 00:38:24
    birds but then they still have to to
  • 00:38:26
    climb up to the Treetops to position the
  • 00:38:28
    Trap over 40 m
  • 00:38:34
    [Music]
  • 00:38:55
    High
  • 00:38:59
    [Music]
  • 00:39:08
    Ido and cakan Hunt
  • 00:39:13
    underground I noticed dozens of drawings
  • 00:39:15
    on the cave walls odd little figures
  • 00:39:17
    with owl
  • 00:39:19
    heads could this be a hidden treasure no
  • 00:39:21
    one has laid eyes on
  • 00:39:24
    before all I'm told is that the have
  • 00:39:26
    been there for a long
  • 00:39:28
    [Music]
  • 00:39:41
    time using long Rattan branches tipped
  • 00:39:44
    with thorns the hunters launch into a
  • 00:39:47
    curious
  • 00:39:50
    performance I think there are a lot of
  • 00:39:52
    them that
  • 00:39:54
    way oh there there there there
  • 00:39:57
    H it's
  • 00:39:59
    gone keep your eyes
  • 00:40:02
    peeled we need to look
  • 00:40:12
    [Music]
  • 00:40:16
    everywhere there
  • 00:40:19
    there there's loads of them there go on
  • 00:40:23
    go
  • 00:40:25
    on the bat's ultrasound is very useful
  • 00:40:28
    for navigating in the
  • 00:40:31
    dark but since the Trap is in constant
  • 00:40:34
    motion it's impossible for the bats to
  • 00:40:36
    detect it wait H there's only
  • 00:40:42
    one what I see is simply
  • 00:40:45
    incredible ah it's biting me it's biting
  • 00:40:49
    me watch out there's
  • 00:40:53
    another it's over
  • 00:40:55
    there
  • 00:40:57
    [Music]
  • 00:41:06
    [Music]
  • 00:41:14
    [Music]
  • 00:41:15
    Miss El will never know that as I
  • 00:41:18
    watched him my mind immediately jumped
  • 00:41:20
    to the lighter buried in my pocket I'm
  • 00:41:23
    very impressed by what I witness and
  • 00:41:25
    above all extreme
  • 00:41:30
    moved when Ido moves on from this world
  • 00:41:33
    a chapter in human history will be
  • 00:41:34
    closed
  • 00:41:36
    [Music]
  • 00:41:41
    forever with each passing second the
  • 00:41:44
    talot Batu prove the wealth and range of
  • 00:41:46
    the knowledge that belongs solely to
  • 00:41:47
    them back in the city none of this is
  • 00:41:50
    worth a
  • 00:41:55
    thing
  • 00:41:57
    in the caves they know bats are an
  • 00:41:59
    indispensable source of nourishment for
  • 00:42:00
    the tribe this is probably what has
  • 00:42:03
    allowed them to survive and for so
  • 00:42:08
    long even if there's not much to eat
  • 00:42:11
    kakan and Ido adore grilled bat
  • 00:42:15
    and like all people of the rock it's
  • 00:42:18
    what they like
  • 00:42:21
    best today is my lucky day nobody offers
  • 00:42:24
    me a taste
  • 00:42:41
    foro and Mal it's time to fetch the
  • 00:42:43
    traps before the sun goes
  • 00:42:55
    down
  • 00:43:00
    up there in the trees I witness a
  • 00:43:02
    rebirth young AO so forlorn in the city
  • 00:43:06
    is so visibly happy to be
  • 00:43:15
    [Music]
  • 00:43:18
    there Mal is smiling too since today's
  • 00:43:21
    hunt was pretty
  • 00:43:25
    successful
  • 00:43:34
    [Music]
  • 00:43:42
    this will be enough we're going to be
  • 00:43:43
    able to bring back a meal we just need
  • 00:43:45
    to take the good
  • 00:43:53
    [Music]
  • 00:43:55
    pieces
  • 00:44:02
    now what do we do we've got
  • 00:44:06
    enough look it's stuck to my
  • 00:44:08
    finger it's really sticky it sure
  • 00:44:25
    is
  • 00:44:33
    [Music]
  • 00:44:38
    [Applause]
  • 00:44:44
    with each passing day I observe the
  • 00:44:46
    shortage of food that is a harsh reality
  • 00:44:48
    the T Patu have no Reserve stored up and
  • 00:44:51
    in spite of all their efforts they
  • 00:44:53
    struggle to
  • 00:44:54
    survive
  • 00:44:58
    who wouldn't be worried about not having
  • 00:44:59
    enough to eat of course we're afraid of
  • 00:45:05
    that don't you
  • 00:45:08
    agree of course we think about it we
  • 00:45:11
    have just enough food we really need to
  • 00:45:13
    go out and look to make sure we have
  • 00:45:15
    enough for meals we've got just enough
  • 00:45:17
    man right just enough we also have to
  • 00:45:21
    find
  • 00:45:22
    meat that's what we
  • 00:45:24
    do
  • 00:45:28
    [Music]
  • 00:45:33
    the children are the first to
  • 00:45:35
    [Music]
  • 00:45:37
    suffer I feel pain here does it
  • 00:45:44
    hurt to fall ill or get injured here is
  • 00:45:47
    a serious
  • 00:45:49
    matter today two neighboring families
  • 00:45:51
    have come to see Ido with no hospital or
  • 00:45:54
    clinic nearby their only choice is to
  • 00:45:57
    come
  • 00:45:58
    here the cave becomes a makeshift
  • 00:46:01
    doctor's office where I discover a
  • 00:46:03
    rather special
  • 00:46:05
    practitioner I tell you can you turn
  • 00:46:13
    [Music]
  • 00:46:24
    over
  • 00:46:39
    I pray God for
  • 00:46:43
    help I ask him to give me the strength
  • 00:46:46
    to help those who
  • 00:46:50
    suffer I ask God to grant us good
  • 00:46:54
    health
  • 00:46:57
    so we may provide for our
  • 00:46:59
    needs without the grace of God there'd
  • 00:47:02
    be no
  • 00:47:06
    cave unfinished they are well now they
  • 00:47:11
    should feel
  • 00:47:17
    better Ido is a highly respected Shaman
  • 00:47:20
    perhaps the last in his
  • 00:47:22
    community I was taught to heal the sick
  • 00:47:25
    first by my grandparents and then by my
  • 00:47:37
    father I tried to teach my children but
  • 00:47:39
    they couldn't keep
  • 00:47:41
    up they didn't want to
  • 00:47:54
    learn
  • 00:47:56
    it leaves are also medicinal do I cut it
  • 00:47:58
    here yeah right
  • 00:48:02
    there is this how I do it yes you must
  • 00:48:04
    remove the
  • 00:48:10
    Box ah here's
  • 00:48:14
    one at last Ido the shaman can pass on
  • 00:48:17
    his knowledge AO never went to school
  • 00:48:20
    but here he's a model student he wants
  • 00:48:22
    to learn all the secrets of the forest
  • 00:48:24
    plants
  • 00:48:27
    first you rinse
  • 00:48:29
    it then you put it in a pot and boil it
  • 00:48:33
    when it starts to boil I breathe it in
  • 00:48:36
    you inhale the steam
  • 00:48:40
    deeply it reduces fatigue and it's good
  • 00:48:43
    medicine for the lungs got it take this
  • 00:48:47
    it's
  • 00:48:49
    anuran you take a leaf roll it in your
  • 00:48:51
    hands to release the sap then you rub it
  • 00:48:54
    here right here
  • 00:48:57
    yes can I see it because the lungs and
  • 00:49:00
    intestines are in this area the
  • 00:49:02
    intestines got
  • 00:49:03
    it thank
  • 00:49:24
    you
  • 00:49:31
    this one's called baget baget bag okay
  • 00:49:35
    what parts do we use
  • 00:49:36
    here you need to take the stem and Roots
  • 00:49:40
    I
  • 00:49:41
    see you need to pull the baggot baggot
  • 00:49:43
    out by the roots it's good for heart
  • 00:49:50
    disease an explosion followed by a
  • 00:49:53
    strong smell of powder I realiz realized
  • 00:49:55
    the sound is completely unfamiliar to
  • 00:49:57
    Ido and
  • 00:50:05
    [Music]
  • 00:50:10
    naito yes I was scared we were all
  • 00:50:13
    scared kalakan pilna Rines and the
  • 00:50:17
    [Music]
  • 00:50:23
    others by some miracle no one was hurt
  • 00:50:26
    only a scar a crater 10 m wide not far
  • 00:50:29
    from the
  • 00:50:29
    [Music]
  • 00:50:32
    cave who was the bomb meant for the to
  • 00:50:36
    Batu to intimidate them or for The
  • 00:50:38
    Outsiders that no one wants to see
  • 00:50:41
    here I know it's not safe for me anymore
  • 00:50:44
    I have no choice but to leave the jungle
  • 00:50:46
    distressed and
  • 00:50:50
    traumatized but the to Batu are going to
  • 00:50:52
    stay because they don't know where else
  • 00:50:54
    to go and and because this final Refuge
  • 00:50:56
    is their home until proven
  • 00:51:00
    [Music]
  • 00:51:10
    [Music]
  • 00:51:15
    [Music]
  • 00:51:24
    otherwise
  • 00:51:35
    [Music]
  • 00:51:45
    think
Tags
  • Tud'Batu
  • Palawan
  • tribal life
  • cultural heritage
  • urban adaptation
  • jungle
  • traditional living
  • indigenous challenges
  • Philippines
  • displacement