Adrenaline Junky 3

 This show aired in the UK about two months ago, I still haven’t seen it but I’m sure it suitably embarrassing. It was totally different from anything I’d done before, normally you just collect your clients hike them through the jungle, job done. It took us three weeks just to establish a trail and build a relationship with the local trbal people.  Although making a TV show was interesting, and yes Jack is actually a really nice down to earth chap, my main interest was the Penan.

 One of the last hunter gatherer tribes on the planet the Penan are truly amazing. Travelling from site to site collecting bush meat, fish and jungle berries as they go, rarely spending more than a couple of weeks in one place. Their lifestyle is however being threatened, and once again it is the West that causes the problems. Our demand for valuable hardwoods and precious palm-oil is literally killing the Penan. Their territory is being reduced, the wild-animals they rely on are being threatened by loss of habitat and the diseases and sociological problems associated with the logging camps are to name but a few. To live with the Penan for even a few weeks was in my mind a great privilege. These folk are naturally shy, and completely respectful of their whole family unit. One of the Penan folk I stayed with was their number one hunter, revered by the village and a dead-shot. This man could move through the jungle in near silence, tracking wild boar and shooting it with a poisoned dart. What followed was amazing, no fancy backpacks or slings, he cut some bark from a nearby tree, then threaded it through the flesh of the pig, from this he went on to make a backpack of the pig itself. The hunter weighed maybe  110Lbs and at less than 5ft the pig was almost his size and weight, but without a fuss he shouldered the burden and headed back to the camp. What followed next was the most humbling experience yet. The pig was carefully butchered by a couple of young men and then separated into exact piles of flesh, fat, hide, bones brains, you name it totally fair, and without question, complete social support.

Don’t get me wrong though, it’s a hard life, being constantly on the move, exposed to parasites and deadly diseases such as malaria. These people need what help we can give without interfering with their lifestyle and culture. The Jack Osborne show could be considered a terrible belittling of an ancient culture, or it could be seen as creating awareness of a serious issue. Including the filming of the show we provided work that allowed the tribe to buy food and supplies  that would last a year,  surely a good thing. Next year (see the website) I’m returning with a group of EMT’s (emergency medical technicians)and WFR (wilderness first responder) students to set up a field hospital and help out some of the more remote tribes. No cameras this time, instead working in conjunction with volunteer doctors and dentist, we hope to make a difference.

Keep the faith,

Jono.