The Lion Hunters

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Shot on the border between Niger and Mali over a period of seven years, THE LION HUNTERS is Jean Rouch's documentation of the lion hunt performed by the gow hunters of the Songhay people.

Opening on the Niger River, the film travels north to 'the bush that is farther than far ': the desert region populated by the Fulani cattle herders, who have requested the help of the gow in eliminating a lion, nicknamed 'The American' for his cruel cunning, who has been killing their cows.

As the Songhay society's designated hunters, the gow have developed a series of elaborate rituals to precede the hunt. We see them fashioning their bow and arrows from tree branches, and preparing the Boto poison with which they will coat the arrows, a process accompanied by an astonishing series of dances and incantations.

The gow lay traps, and test the poison on a hyena and a civet cat, but even these measures are not enough to prepare us for their confrontation with the ferocious 'American.'

Rouch has said that he made the film 'to try to give the audience a feeling of what I myself felt as I was learning the way of the lion hunt'. THE LION HUNTERS portrays the immediacy of the hunt, but it also explores the complex social organization that underlies it, and the difficult questions entailed by its representation.

'A film with great ethnographic detail...In The Lion Hunters Rouch is not content merely to challenge us with profound questions of human existence. His film also forces us to reflect on how we categorize experience, how we re-create our sociocultural universe.' -Paul Stoller, The Cinematic Griot: The Ethnography of Jean Rouch

'The effort, the success, the masterpiece of Jean Rouch in THE LION HUNTERS stems from the long patience of a filmmaker who through his fascination took the time to wonder how, through its differences, reality has the right to enchant mind and eye.' -Sylvie Pierre, Cahiers du Cinema

'Fascinating' -Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Citation

Select a citation style:

Main credits

Rouch, Jean (Director)
Braunberger, Pierre (Producer)
Zika, Damouré (ctb)
Dia, Ibrahima (ctb)
Mouzourane, Tallou (ctb)

Other credits

Editing, José Matarasso, Dov Hoenig.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

Jean Rouch; Songhay; gow; Lion hunting; Africa; Niger; Mali; ethnography; "The Lion Hunters"; Icarus Films,doc; sociss

WEBVTT

00:00:13.291 --> 00:00:17.417
MAN:
(singing native language)

00:00:19.625 --> 00:00:22.834
(lion growling)

00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:28.542
MAN:
(singing native language)

00:00:29.417 --> 00:01:31.458
(music playing)

00:01:31.458 --> 00:01:34.208
NARRATOR:
Listen, children, listen,

00:01:34.208 --> 00:01:36.834
in the Holy Name of God.

00:01:36.834 --> 00:01:40.792
Listen to the story
of Gawe, Gawe.

00:01:40.792 --> 00:01:42.667
Gawe, Gawe.

00:01:42.667 --> 00:01:44.500
The story of your fathers,

00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:46.291
of your fathers\' fathers.

00:01:46.291 --> 00:01:48.583
The story of the men
who hunt the lion

00:01:48.583 --> 00:01:51.625
with bow and arrow.

00:01:53.625 --> 00:01:56.417
This is a story
from a land called

00:01:56.417 --> 00:01:59.041
\"Gangee-Kangamoru-Gomoru.\"

00:01:59.041 --> 00:02:02.417
The bush,
which is farther than far,

00:02:02.417 --> 00:02:05.667
the Land of Nowhere.

00:02:07.667 --> 00:02:12.166
To reach this land,
one much cross the Issa Veri,

00:02:12.166 --> 00:02:14.208
the Great River,

00:02:14.208 --> 00:02:16.667
The Niger.

00:02:24.208 --> 00:02:26.041
The road to the Land of Nowhere

00:02:26.041 --> 00:02:29.041
starts on the Gorma bank,

00:02:29.041 --> 00:02:31.834
and goes to the north.

00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:38.667
At first,
there are roads and villages.

00:02:39.375 --> 00:02:40.834
One must stop in each village

00:02:40.834 --> 00:02:44.417
to fill the tanks with water.

00:02:48.291 --> 00:02:51.125
(speaking native language)

00:02:51.834 --> 00:02:55.583
(indistinct chatter)

00:03:06.542 --> 00:03:08.792
(engine revving)

00:03:08.792 --> 00:03:11.834
NARRATOR:
And then, after Bankilaré,

00:03:11.834 --> 00:03:15.083
after Teguey, after Yatakala,

00:03:15.083 --> 00:03:18.709
there are no more villages.

00:03:20.792 --> 00:03:22.750
(horn honks)

00:03:22.750 --> 00:03:24.542
(horn honks)

00:03:33.291 --> 00:03:37.208
NARRATOR:
There are no more roads.

00:03:37.834 --> 00:03:41.083
There is only the bush.

00:04:03.250 --> 00:04:06.667
And once the Erksanne Dune
has been crossed,

00:04:06.667 --> 00:04:10.208
one can enter
the Gangee-Kangamoru-Gomoru.

00:04:10.208 --> 00:04:13.166
The bush which is farther
than far,

00:04:13.166 --> 00:04:16.208
The Land of Nowhere.

00:04:20.417 --> 00:04:21.875
This a land of sand,

00:04:21.875 --> 00:04:24.208
of dust, and of mist.

00:04:24.208 --> 00:04:25.542
A land of tractless forests

00:04:25.542 --> 00:04:29.333
and of mountains
whose names are now forgotten.

00:04:30.166 --> 00:04:32.667
We call them
the Mountains of the Moon,

00:04:32.667 --> 00:04:35.083
and the Crystal Mountains.

00:04:46.333 --> 00:04:47.417
Nothing remains.

00:04:47.417 --> 00:04:50.208
However, men lived there
a long time ago.

00:04:50.208 --> 00:04:54.750
They left a kind of
book of images on the rocks.

00:04:54.750 --> 00:04:56.667
Self-portraits.

00:04:56.667 --> 00:04:57.959
A kind of book of chivalry,

00:04:57.959 --> 00:05:00.500
with two
and three-horned horsemen,

00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:01.959
carrying a shield in one hand

00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:05.208
and a spear or a bow
in the other.

00:05:05.208 --> 00:05:06.834
Who were these men?

00:05:06.834 --> 00:05:08.792
Well, no one knows anymore.

00:05:08.792 --> 00:05:12.458
They are the men of the past.

00:05:13.291 --> 00:05:18.041
The men of the past also left
these circles on the rocks.

00:05:18.041 --> 00:05:19.333
Circles with a cross inside,

00:05:19.333 --> 00:05:21.291
which might have been
magical symbols,

00:05:21.291 --> 00:05:24.083
\"gangee-how,\"
to tame the bush.

00:05:24.083 --> 00:05:26.375
They might also be the wheels
of the first chariots

00:05:26.375 --> 00:05:30.208
which crossed the Sahara
and came this far.

00:05:32.083 --> 00:05:33.375
Or perhaps they\'re the traps

00:05:33.375 --> 00:05:38.083
with which the men of the past
used to catch wild animals:

00:05:38.083 --> 00:05:40.583
crocodiles,

00:05:41.542 --> 00:05:43.625
wild sheep,

00:05:43.625 --> 00:05:45.250
giraffes, buffalo,

00:05:45.250 --> 00:05:47.166
and the great antelope.

00:05:47.166 --> 00:05:50.750
(music playing)

00:05:56.792 --> 00:05:58.458
NARRATOR:
Even if the men of the past

00:05:58.458 --> 00:06:01.083
have disappeared
from the Land of Nowhere,

00:06:01.083 --> 00:06:05.166
the wild animals
are still there.

00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:09.542
(music playing)

00:06:45.583 --> 00:06:49.625
MAN:
(singing native language)

00:06:49.625 --> 00:06:51.583
NARRATOR:
However, there are
still some men

00:06:51.583 --> 00:06:54.166
who manage to live
near the waterholes

00:06:54.166 --> 00:06:56.917
in the Land of Nowhere.

00:06:56.917 --> 00:06:59.542
These are the men
of wind and space.

00:06:59.542 --> 00:07:01.583
Great nomads,
like the Bella tribes,

00:07:01.583 --> 00:07:03.417
who roam from the depths
of the Sahara

00:07:03.417 --> 00:07:06.417
as far as the frontiers
of settled life.

00:07:06.417 --> 00:07:09.834
With their camels,
they go as far as Toudanie,

00:07:09.834 --> 00:07:10.834
near Timbuktu,

00:07:10.834 --> 00:07:13.500
the old salt marshes
of the Middle Ages.

00:07:13.500 --> 00:07:15.417
From there,
they carry blocks of rock salt,

00:07:15.417 --> 00:07:19.667
which they sell in the markets
to the south.

00:07:22.041 --> 00:07:27.542
There are great nomads,
like the Fulani-Jelgovi,

00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:30.250
who raise cattle,
and who are the last

00:07:30.250 --> 00:07:31.959
of the great Fulani nomads

00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:33.875
of the Niger belt.

00:07:33.875 --> 00:07:37.291
They pasture their animals
during the night,

00:07:37.291 --> 00:07:41.667
and in the daytime
they take them to water.

00:07:50.458 --> 00:07:53.875
But near the herds of the Bella
and the Fulani tribes

00:07:53.875 --> 00:07:56.208
lives \"moussouberi,\" the lion.

00:07:56.208 --> 00:08:00.750
The lion lives alongside
of the cattle-raisers.

00:08:04.333 --> 00:08:06.500
He\'s a friend
of the Fulani herdsman.

00:08:06.500 --> 00:08:08.458
From time to time,
he\'ll attack a sick cow,

00:08:08.458 --> 00:08:13.208
and in this way, he protects
the health of the herd.

00:08:15.458 --> 00:08:17.041
Each evening,
in the hazardous camps

00:08:17.041 --> 00:08:19.083
of the Foulani
and Bella herdsmen,

00:08:19.083 --> 00:08:21.375
the herds are gathered
into enclosures

00:08:21.375 --> 00:08:22.458
made from thorns.

00:08:22.458 --> 00:08:26.667
The young animals are safe
behind the thorns.

00:08:36.959 --> 00:08:39.583
(baby crying)

00:08:42.250 --> 00:08:45.959
(indistinct chatter)

00:08:45.959 --> 00:08:47.625
NARRATOR:
Later, when they\'re mature,

00:08:47.625 --> 00:08:50.709
they\'ll spend the night
in the bush pastures,

00:08:50.709 --> 00:08:52.000
enjoying the cool night air,

00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:56.291
but in danger
of being attacked by a lion.

00:08:56.291 --> 00:08:59.875
(goat bleating)

00:09:00.875 --> 00:09:03.166
NARRATOR:
The herdsmen
who are not in the bush

00:09:03.166 --> 00:09:04.291
hear the lions roar.

00:09:04.291 --> 00:09:06.959
They can recognize a lion
by his roar.

00:09:06.959 --> 00:09:10.333
They can tell when he\'s mated,
when he\'s eaten.

00:09:10.333 --> 00:09:11.750
They can call him by name.

00:09:11.750 --> 00:09:14.750
They can tell if the lion
comes from the north

00:09:14.750 --> 00:09:15.875
or from the south.

00:09:15.875 --> 00:09:18.333
They also know
how to defend themselves

00:09:18.333 --> 00:09:19.250
from the lion,

00:09:19.250 --> 00:09:21.667
by driving him off
with stones or a stick.

00:09:21.667 --> 00:09:24.291
They know that once a lion
has been driven off

00:09:24.291 --> 00:09:25.583
with stones or a stick,

00:09:25.583 --> 00:09:29.417
he will then
never attack a man.

00:09:31.166 --> 00:09:35.125
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:09:35.125 --> 00:09:38.291
NARRATOR:
And sleep does not come
to the Foulani children

00:09:38.291 --> 00:09:41.583
until they hear
the roar of the lions.

00:09:44.166 --> 00:09:46.458
(dogs barking)

00:09:46.458 --> 00:09:50.000
(bleating)

00:09:57.834 --> 00:10:00.750
NARRATOR:
But sometimes
the lion goes too far.

00:10:00.750 --> 00:10:02.500
He breaks the pact
with the herdsmen

00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:04.875
and attacks a cow
that is not sick.

00:10:04.875 --> 00:10:07.583
He kills for the pleasure
of killing.

00:10:07.583 --> 00:10:09.250
When that happens,
the Foulani send

00:10:09.250 --> 00:10:10.917
for the last
of the great hunters,

00:10:10.917 --> 00:10:13.917
who kill the lion
with bow and arrow:

00:10:13.917 --> 00:10:16.333
the Gao.

00:10:16.792 --> 00:10:20.291
The Gao people live
on the banks of the Goruwor.

00:10:20.291 --> 00:10:21.583
They are a sedentary people

00:10:21.583 --> 00:10:26.041
who live on the extreme fringes
of nomad life.

00:10:27.333 --> 00:10:29.417
They raise millet
and can sometimes be found

00:10:29.417 --> 00:10:32.083
gathered in farming villages
like Bedari,

00:10:32.083 --> 00:10:33.709
because they have had
to kill a lion

00:10:33.709 --> 00:10:35.834
during the millet season.

00:10:35.834 --> 00:10:38.125
A lion skin
is stretched out to dry

00:10:38.125 --> 00:10:39.375
in the center of the camp.

00:10:39.375 --> 00:10:40.667
In his nose is the \"bazaa,\"

00:10:40.667 --> 00:10:42.375
the thong
of the captured animal.

00:10:42.375 --> 00:10:45.750
The animal skull is on
the ground beside the skin.

00:10:45.750 --> 00:10:48.083
And here are the great hunters:

00:10:48.083 --> 00:10:50.291
Tahirou,

00:10:50.959 --> 00:10:53.375
Issiaka,

00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.375
Bedari-Belaki,

00:10:56.375 --> 00:10:57.583
Wangari,

00:10:57.583 --> 00:11:00.375
and Issiaka-Moussa,
who is also a musician.

00:11:00.375 --> 00:11:03.709
Each of them has killed
from 50 to 100 lions

00:11:03.709 --> 00:11:04.834
with bow and arrow.

00:11:04.834 --> 00:11:08.000
After each kill,
the old woman, Howa-Amadou,

00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:09.709
sings the praises
of these hunters,

00:11:09.709 --> 00:11:12.000
of these men who know
how to fight the lion

00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:13.000
face-to-face,

00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:15.625
and who can drag
a living lion by his tail

00:11:15.625 --> 00:11:16.583
to the village.

00:11:16.583 --> 00:11:20.375
(singing native language)

00:11:20.583 --> 00:11:23.542
NARRATOR:
She sings the praises
of Tahirou-Koro,

00:11:23.542 --> 00:11:26.709
the chief of the hunters.

00:11:27.792 --> 00:11:29.959
To Issiaka,
the youngest hunter,

00:11:29.959 --> 00:11:31.667
and the bravest of them all,

00:11:31.667 --> 00:11:32.750
she chants the praises

00:11:32.750 --> 00:11:34.417
of the ancestors
of these hunters,

00:11:34.417 --> 00:11:37.166
who are so brave that
they could fill their pipes

00:11:37.166 --> 00:11:39.458
with buffaloes.

00:11:40.208 --> 00:11:42.667
All of the Gao children,
the young hunters,

00:11:42.667 --> 00:11:46.458
practice with their bows
every day.

00:11:47.583 --> 00:11:51.083
They shoot at a bush,
which is 50 feet away.

00:11:51.083 --> 00:11:53.000
The bush is a lion.

00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:56.750
(indistinct chatter)

00:11:57.583 --> 00:11:58.333
(laughs)

00:11:58.333 --> 00:12:02.083
(indistinct chatter)

00:12:38.041 --> 00:12:40.750
NARRATOR:
Thus do they live
the year-round,

00:12:40.750 --> 00:12:41.917
the lions, the Bella,

00:12:41.917 --> 00:12:44.375
the Foulani herdsmen,
and the hunters,

00:12:44.375 --> 00:12:47.792
all in the Land of Nowhere.

00:12:50.375 --> 00:12:53.458
(birds chirping)

00:12:53.458 --> 00:12:55.083
NARRATOR:
In order to hunt the lion,

00:12:55.083 --> 00:12:58.792
the hunter first needs
a fighting bow.

00:13:00.125 --> 00:13:03.250
Wangari and Tahirou
have gone into the bush,

00:13:03.250 --> 00:13:04.417
where the lion lives,

00:13:04.417 --> 00:13:05.709
in order to cut the branches

00:13:05.709 --> 00:13:06.792
of the Taray tree.

00:13:06.792 --> 00:13:12.375
They choose a branch which is
already in the shape of a bow.

00:13:30.166 --> 00:13:34.041
Wangari raises the bow
and presents it to the bush.

00:13:34.041 --> 00:13:36.000
WANGARI:
(speaking native language)

00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:38.291
NARRATOR:
\"Look, beasts of the bush.

00:13:38.291 --> 00:13:39.834
Here is my new bow.

00:13:39.834 --> 00:13:43.166
Here is your new enemy.\"

00:13:44.125 --> 00:13:47.709
(goats bleating)

00:13:50.792 --> 00:13:54.542
(indistinct chatter)

00:13:56.166 --> 00:13:59.583
NARRATOR:
Back in the village,
Wangari and Belabia

00:13:59.583 --> 00:14:00.792
bend the bows into shape

00:14:00.792 --> 00:14:03.667
between stakes
driven into the ground.

00:14:03.667 --> 00:14:06.583
Little Ali watches them.

00:14:10.542 --> 00:14:14.291
(indistinct chatter)

00:14:19.375 --> 00:14:21.417
NARRATOR:
Now they must go
to the blacksmith

00:14:21.417 --> 00:14:23.583
to ask him
to make an arrowhead.

00:14:23.583 --> 00:14:27.709
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:14:31.875 --> 00:14:33.500
NARRATOR:
Moukayla, the blacksmith,

00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:36.959
will make an arrowhead
for two cents.

00:14:43.375 --> 00:14:48.417
A small piece of iron
is cut to the proper length.

00:14:49.250 --> 00:14:52.208
It\'s then heated
and twisted into spirals,

00:14:52.208 --> 00:14:55.208
which will hold the poison.

00:15:04.667 --> 00:15:07.208
Then, under the anvil,

00:15:07.208 --> 00:15:10.333
where it is straightened...

00:15:10.333 --> 00:15:12.709
barbed...

00:15:12.709 --> 00:15:15.166
flattened.

00:15:21.625 --> 00:15:25.375
It is then cooled in the sand
and sharpened.

00:15:41.709 --> 00:15:45.041
Tahirou-Koro,
the chief of the hunters,

00:15:45.041 --> 00:15:48.375
now has a new arrowhead.

00:15:49.125 --> 00:15:51.625
The arrow shaft
is made from reeds

00:15:51.625 --> 00:15:53.000
gathered in the bush.

00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:56.083
Wangari then trims
and straightens them

00:15:56.083 --> 00:15:57.792
on a spearhead.

00:15:57.792 --> 00:15:58.875
He rounds off the ends

00:15:58.875 --> 00:16:03.041
and carves in the knock
for the bowstring.

00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:09.083
He reinforces each end
with gut.

00:16:13.417 --> 00:16:17.667
He then drives the iron head
into the shaft.

00:16:17.667 --> 00:16:21.291
(baby crying)

00:16:30.250 --> 00:16:33.792
NARRATOR:
He tightens the wrappings.

00:16:37.458 --> 00:16:40.875
And strengthens them with glue.

00:16:46.917 --> 00:16:48.417
The arrow isn\'t feathered,

00:16:48.417 --> 00:16:50.041
but if it\'s perfectly straight,

00:16:50.041 --> 00:16:53.458
it will go right to the target.

00:17:10.750 --> 00:17:11.959
Nagi, the poison,

00:17:11.959 --> 00:17:13.542
is made from the fruits
of a tree

00:17:13.542 --> 00:17:17.000
which doesn\'t grow
in the land of the hunters.

00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:20.500
They must go far to the south,
perhaps 300 miles,

00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:23.750
to the Handelayi forest.

00:17:23.750 --> 00:17:24.834
Tahirou and Yeya,

00:17:24.834 --> 00:17:26.625
with the help of Fugi,
another hunter,

00:17:26.625 --> 00:17:28.667
go there to get the nageenya,

00:17:28.667 --> 00:17:29.792
the mother of nagi,

00:17:29.792 --> 00:17:34.583
which comes from a strapatus,
a poison tree.

00:17:35.625 --> 00:17:37.750
This is a tree
with twisted branches,

00:17:37.750 --> 00:17:39.000
whose pods contain grains

00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:43.834
within which one can find
the nagi poison.

00:17:52.500 --> 00:17:57.583
Early one morning, the hunters
get ready to make the poison.

00:17:57.583 --> 00:17:59.291
This is
a very serious procedure

00:17:59.291 --> 00:18:01.000
which takes place
every four years,

00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:05.667
and in which women
are not allowed to take part.

00:18:08.709 --> 00:18:09.792
They go into the bush,

00:18:09.792 --> 00:18:11.041
because it is in the bush

00:18:11.041 --> 00:18:14.625
where wicked things are made.

00:18:15.542 --> 00:18:17.083
The hunters go to a tokai tree.

00:18:17.083 --> 00:18:20.208
It is in the shade of this tree
that generations of hunters

00:18:20.208 --> 00:18:23.875
have prepared the nagi,
the poison.

00:18:23.875 --> 00:18:27.709
Tahirou and his assistant
Sadiki undress themselves.

00:18:27.709 --> 00:18:30.625
They put on the benta,
a pair of short leather pants,

00:18:30.625 --> 00:18:33.875
which is supposed to be
the only kind of clothing worn

00:18:33.875 --> 00:18:36.000
by the men of the past.

00:18:39.709 --> 00:18:42.500
Tahirou and Sadiki
have shaved their heads

00:18:42.500 --> 00:18:44.917
in order to purify themselves.

00:18:44.917 --> 00:18:48.625
They dig the hearth
in which they\'ll boil water.

00:18:48.625 --> 00:18:51.375
With some ashes, Tahirou,
the chief of the hunters,

00:18:51.375 --> 00:18:53.834
draws a kayli, a magic circle

00:18:53.834 --> 00:18:57.000
into which no one may enter...

00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:59.959
especially evil.

00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:06.750
Only Tahirou and Sadiki
may enter the magic circle.

00:19:06.750 --> 00:19:11.417
Inside it, they will make
serious and wicked things...

00:19:11.417 --> 00:19:14.208
nagi, the poison.

00:19:31.750 --> 00:19:33.959
Now the great operation begins.

00:19:33.959 --> 00:19:35.083
With his hands crossed,

00:19:35.083 --> 00:19:37.166
Sadiki walks seven times
around the jar,

00:19:37.166 --> 00:19:40.250
which has been placed
on the hearth.

00:19:40.250 --> 00:19:42.709
Into it,
he drops handfuls of nagi,

00:19:42.709 --> 00:19:45.542
the seeds of the poison tree.

00:19:45.542 --> 00:19:47.917
By crossing his hands,
he\'s like the animal

00:19:47.917 --> 00:19:49.208
who will be struck by the arrow

00:19:49.208 --> 00:19:52.041
and whose feet will be bound.

00:20:00.625 --> 00:20:02.959
Then, his hands still crossed,
he picks up the jar

00:20:02.959 --> 00:20:06.000
and makes it turn around
the stones of the hearth,

00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:09.041
to the four winds.

00:20:12.583 --> 00:20:14.500
Then he falls to the ground,

00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:19.250
as the animal will fall
when he\'s struck by the arrow.

00:20:19.250 --> 00:20:21.166
With his hands still crossed,

00:20:21.166 --> 00:20:24.083
Tahirou takes a gourd
filled with water,

00:20:24.083 --> 00:20:27.166
makes it move around the jar,

00:20:27.166 --> 00:20:28.875
to the north, to the east,

00:20:28.875 --> 00:20:32.583
to the west, and to the south.

00:20:32.750 --> 00:20:35.166
The gourd tumbles
to the ground.

00:20:35.166 --> 00:20:38.333
Thus, the animal who is struck
with the arrow will fall, too,

00:20:38.333 --> 00:20:42.000
even though he tries to escape
to the north, to the east,

00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:44.375
to the west, or to the south.

00:20:44.375 --> 00:20:46.458
The water in the gourd
was drawn

00:20:46.458 --> 00:20:48.667
by an extremely jealous woman,

00:20:48.667 --> 00:20:54.417
specially chosen in the village
for her spitefulness.

00:20:56.291 --> 00:20:57.583
When the jar is full,

00:20:57.583 --> 00:21:02.750
Tahirou falls to the ground
a second time.

00:21:10.333 --> 00:21:11.625
He lights the fire with a straw

00:21:11.625 --> 00:21:13.166
which has been
picked in the bush

00:21:13.166 --> 00:21:18.583
by a woman who has had much
difficulty in childbirth.

00:21:32.083 --> 00:21:35.959
(speaking native language)

00:21:52.875 --> 00:21:56.709
NARRATOR:
When the water begins to boil,
Tahirou stirs the mixture,

00:21:56.709 --> 00:22:00.917
using a gourd fitted out
with a long handle.

00:22:00.917 --> 00:22:04.709
He chants the great praises
of the botto poison.

00:22:04.709 --> 00:22:07.625
\"Misfortune.
Misfortune, Botto!

00:22:07.625 --> 00:22:10.000
The ancestors
gave you to Beeyo,

00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:11.834
Beeyo gave you to Sido,

00:22:11.834 --> 00:22:13.125
Sido gave it to Tirsi,

00:22:13.125 --> 00:22:14.875
Tirsi gave it to Boulassan,

00:22:14.875 --> 00:22:16.125
Boulassan gave it to Koro,

00:22:16.125 --> 00:22:19.333
and Koro gave it to me,
Tahirou.

00:22:19.333 --> 00:22:20.250
Heart of fire.

00:22:20.250 --> 00:22:21.959
The heart is not a rag,
but your heart

00:22:21.959 --> 00:22:23.458
is hotter than boiling water.

00:22:23.458 --> 00:22:28.291
Your heart is hotter
than the flames of fire.

00:22:28.625 --> 00:22:30.792
Hee-lee-lee-lee-lee, Botto!

00:22:30.792 --> 00:22:32.125
Oh-bo-bo-bo-bo, Botto!

00:22:32.125 --> 00:22:34.083
You are burning!
And the jar is burning!

00:22:34.083 --> 00:22:37.583
That is why you want to escape
from the burning jar.

00:22:37.583 --> 00:22:39.583
Strike the jar!
Strike the jar!

00:22:39.583 --> 00:22:43.000
You, Botto, who deny shame
and have no gratitude!

00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:45.709
The sun is hot,
the shade is hot.

00:22:45.709 --> 00:22:49.291
You cannot go forward,
you cannot go backward,

00:22:49.291 --> 00:22:53.542
you cannot go down,
you cannot go up.

00:22:53.542 --> 00:22:55.125
Hee-lee-lee-lee-lee, Botto!

00:22:55.125 --> 00:22:56.375
Your day has come, Botto!

00:22:56.375 --> 00:22:59.208
But the Akani fire
has burned the three stones

00:22:59.208 --> 00:23:00.333
which hold the jar.

00:23:00.333 --> 00:23:02.166
And inside the jar
is born a fire

00:23:02.166 --> 00:23:04.959
which will burn all the bush.

00:23:04.959 --> 00:23:07.166
Botto, your day has come.

00:23:07.166 --> 00:23:08.250
You, the woman poison,

00:23:08.250 --> 00:23:11.917
which does more harm
than the man poison.

00:23:12.458 --> 00:23:14.166
Hee-lee-lee-lee-lee, Botto!

00:23:14.166 --> 00:23:15.875
You who sting the flesh,

00:23:15.875 --> 00:23:17.208
you who sting the lion\'s paw,

00:23:17.208 --> 00:23:19.417
you who sting
the elephant\'s ears.

00:23:19.417 --> 00:23:20.625
He who feels your sting,

00:23:20.625 --> 00:23:22.250
even on the paw,
even in the ear,

00:23:22.250 --> 00:23:27.458
he who feels your sting
will fall to his knees.\"

00:23:35.959 --> 00:23:37.625
NARRATOR:
The Sidiki brings the leaves

00:23:37.625 --> 00:23:42.667
which will be used
to filter the first mixture.

00:23:45.333 --> 00:23:48.417
The seeds
are carefully preserved.

00:23:48.417 --> 00:23:51.041
They\'ll be used to make
a second batch of poison,

00:23:51.041 --> 00:23:52.166
not quite as strong,

00:23:52.166 --> 00:23:55.291
for animals which are not
as dangerous as the lion.

00:23:55.291 --> 00:23:58.959
They\'ll also be used
as medicine.

00:24:02.625 --> 00:24:06.458
Into the first mixture are
added seven grains of pepper,

00:24:06.458 --> 00:24:09.250
pieces of root from a tree
which blocks a trail,

00:24:09.250 --> 00:24:14.083
and blades of a grass
called hyena grass.

00:24:14.792 --> 00:24:17.917
Then Tahirou picks up
the burning jar again,

00:24:17.917 --> 00:24:21.000
and making the same ritual
gestures around the hearth,

00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:26.375
he boils the Botto poison
a second time.

00:24:32.250 --> 00:24:34.917
The poison is now ready.

00:24:34.917 --> 00:24:36.208
With his long-handled gourd,

00:24:36.208 --> 00:24:41.291
Tahirou pours the poison
into pieces of broken jars.

00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:46.417
In the past,
they all used the same vase.

00:24:46.417 --> 00:24:49.291
But when one of the hunters
broke a rule of the hunt,

00:24:49.291 --> 00:24:52.250
by having relations
with his wife, for example,

00:24:52.250 --> 00:24:55.750
the poison was spoiled
for them all.

00:24:55.750 --> 00:24:58.625
Now they each take
their own chances,

00:24:58.625 --> 00:25:01.208
individually.

00:25:01.333 --> 00:25:04.875
Now all of the Gao hunters,
the apprentices of Tahirou,

00:25:04.875 --> 00:25:06.625
gather in the shade
of the tokai tree

00:25:06.625 --> 00:25:08.959
to begin the work
of poisoning the arrows.

00:25:08.959 --> 00:25:10.750
MAN:
(speaking
native language)

00:25:10.750 --> 00:25:17.667
(conversing in native language)

00:25:30.917 --> 00:25:37.834
(conversing in native language)

00:25:41.875 --> 00:25:43.542
NARRATOR:
They stop working at noon.

00:25:43.542 --> 00:25:47.542
The wives of Tahirou-Koro,
the chief of the hunters,

00:25:47.542 --> 00:25:49.000
bring the food.

00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:54.041
Millet mashed with gansi leaves
and wild sorro.

00:25:55.208 --> 00:26:01.959
(indistinct chatter)

00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:15.542
NARRATOR:
They start working again
in the afternoon.

00:26:15.542 --> 00:26:22.458
(conversing in native language)

00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:27.917
NARRATOR:
Wangari has all the arrows,
and keeps a careful count,

00:26:27.917 --> 00:26:30.458
in order to know
how many layers of poison

00:26:30.458 --> 00:26:33.375
are applied to each one.

00:26:34.417 --> 00:26:36.041
The poison is good.

00:26:36.041 --> 00:26:38.083
It is already black.

00:26:38.083 --> 00:26:44.834
(indistinct chatter)

00:26:49.500 --> 00:26:51.834
NARRATOR:
Then, suddenly,
something goes wrong.

00:26:51.834 --> 00:26:54.625
Old Niendu,
a Zerba from Ouizabangu,

00:26:54.625 --> 00:26:56.875
casts the kori,
the seven shells,

00:26:56.875 --> 00:26:59.417
and declares a bad omen.

00:26:59.417 --> 00:27:03.583
\"The hunt you are about
to make is a bad one.

00:27:03.583 --> 00:27:05.125
The trail is bad.

00:27:05.125 --> 00:27:08.875
Somebody among you
has spoiled the hunt.

00:27:08.875 --> 00:27:10.500
There will be accidents, gawe.

00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:13.500
Hunters, in the name of God,
don\'t go!

00:27:13.500 --> 00:27:15.125
The hunt is bad.\"

00:27:15.125 --> 00:27:17.083
The hunters are frightened.

00:27:17.083 --> 00:27:19.083
Then, Issiaka,
the youngest of the hunters,

00:27:19.083 --> 00:27:21.125
takes his gonye,
a kind of violin,

00:27:21.125 --> 00:27:24.792
and plays the song
of the hunters.

00:27:24.792 --> 00:27:25.959
\"Gawe, gawe...\"

00:27:25.959 --> 00:27:28.125
Next to him is
his older brother, Wangari,

00:27:28.125 --> 00:27:31.083
who also sings
the song of the hunters.

00:27:31.083 --> 00:27:32.959
\"Gawe, gawe.\"

00:27:32.959 --> 00:27:36.208
Then he sings the song
of the Songhai warriors,

00:27:36.208 --> 00:27:38.792
a song which gives courage.

00:27:40.208 --> 00:27:41.333
For true courage is

00:27:41.333 --> 00:27:43.250
when one is afraid,
really afraid,

00:27:43.250 --> 00:27:44.834
and one must overcome this fear

00:27:44.834 --> 00:27:47.166
in order to be brave.

00:27:47.166 --> 00:27:51.333
This, only hunters
know how to do.

00:27:51.333 --> 00:27:58.542
WANGARI:
(singing native language)

00:28:00.417 --> 00:28:02.667
NARRATOR:
Old Niendu, who casts the kori,

00:28:02.667 --> 00:28:05.417
who casts evil spells,
says nothing more.

00:28:05.417 --> 00:28:06.542
He knows perfectly well

00:28:06.542 --> 00:28:08.625
that the kori, the shells,
do not lie.

00:28:08.625 --> 00:28:10.834
He knows that although
the hunters might be brave,

00:28:10.834 --> 00:28:15.834
the trail which is waiting
for them is bad.

00:28:18.709 --> 00:28:20.792
The poison is now dry.

00:28:20.792 --> 00:28:24.792
Bedari puts his arrows
into his toga, his quiver.

00:28:24.792 --> 00:28:25.917
(speaks native language)

00:28:25.917 --> 00:28:28.875
NARRATOR:
Now they break all the pieces
of the kadari,

00:28:28.875 --> 00:28:30.792
the pieces of jar
which were used

00:28:30.792 --> 00:28:32.166
to prepare the poison,

00:28:32.166 --> 00:28:33.583
and the stones of the hearth

00:28:33.583 --> 00:28:36.917
which was used to boil it.

00:28:38.875 --> 00:28:42.041
Over everything they place
the leaves of the tokai tree,

00:28:42.041 --> 00:28:46.041
which were used
to filter the poison.

00:28:46.041 --> 00:28:47.417
Bedari travels on it,

00:28:47.417 --> 00:28:50.875
following the age-old custom.

00:28:51.709 --> 00:28:52.834
And with their bows,

00:28:52.834 --> 00:28:55.291
their new arrows
tipped with new poison,

00:28:55.291 --> 00:28:59.667
the hunters return
to their homes.

00:29:08.583 --> 00:29:13.333
(indistinct chatter)

00:29:14.375 --> 00:29:17.542
NARRATOR:
One morning,
they leave for the hunt.

00:29:17.542 --> 00:29:20.583
Yarakala hunters
and hunters from Ouizabangu

00:29:20.583 --> 00:29:22.375
have gathered together.

00:29:22.375 --> 00:29:23.542
Following the custom,

00:29:23.542 --> 00:29:25.458
they\'ll begin their hunt
at Wazelle,

00:29:25.458 --> 00:29:29.875
in a pond where the herds
come to water.

00:29:31.959 --> 00:29:33.792
There are several ways
of hunting.

00:29:33.792 --> 00:29:37.458
The first one consists
of preparing an artificial pond

00:29:37.458 --> 00:29:38.792
around the tree.

00:29:38.792 --> 00:29:40.041
A hunter, perched on the tree,

00:29:40.041 --> 00:29:42.834
waits for the lions
to come and drink at night.

00:29:42.834 --> 00:29:43.959
When the lion comes,

00:29:43.959 --> 00:29:45.667
the hunter shoots an arrow
into him.

00:29:45.667 --> 00:29:48.250
The second hunt
consists of making a shelter

00:29:48.250 --> 00:29:49.625
out of wood and straw.

00:29:49.625 --> 00:29:51.208
The hunter
conceals himself inside

00:29:51.208 --> 00:29:55.750
and fires his arrows
through holes in the shelter.

00:29:55.750 --> 00:29:57.375
The next day,
all one has to do

00:29:57.375 --> 00:30:01.125
is follow the footprints
to the dead lion.

00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:03.917
However, these systems
are not good.

00:30:03.917 --> 00:30:05.166
They take place at night,

00:30:05.166 --> 00:30:06.458
and sometimes it\'s necessary

00:30:06.458 --> 00:30:08.083
to lie in wait for a month,

00:30:08.083 --> 00:30:10.750
or even two.

00:30:17.542 --> 00:30:19.208
The third hunt
is the \"great hunt.\"

00:30:19.208 --> 00:30:21.250
When a herdsman comes
to the hunter and says,

00:30:21.250 --> 00:30:24.500
\"There\'s a lion in the bush
a few miles from here.

00:30:24.500 --> 00:30:25.458
He\'s there.\"

00:30:25.458 --> 00:30:27.125
MAN:
(whispers in native language)

00:30:27.125 --> 00:30:30.709
NARRATOR:
And all alone, with just
his courage and three arrows,

00:30:30.709 --> 00:30:33.250
the hunter goes off
to face the lions.

00:30:33.250 --> 00:30:35.500
In order to face a lion
like that, all alone,

00:30:35.500 --> 00:30:37.375
the hunter must have
all the magic charms

00:30:37.375 --> 00:30:40.125
and all the different kinds
of courage.

00:30:40.125 --> 00:30:41.959
For the lion,
with an arrow in him,

00:30:41.959 --> 00:30:43.750
takes several minutes to die,

00:30:43.750 --> 00:30:46.125
and the only way
the hunter can avoid him

00:30:46.125 --> 00:30:47.917
is to become invisible.

00:30:47.917 --> 00:30:50.250
And then he is covered
by the dust

00:30:50.250 --> 00:30:53.375
and the roar of the lion.

00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:56.250
This is the way
Tahirou wants to hunt,

00:30:56.250 --> 00:30:57.375
but Yeya is against it.

00:30:57.375 --> 00:30:59.667
He has gone alone, 50 times
or more, to see the lion,

00:30:59.667 --> 00:31:01.875
beating his arrows together
in order to wake the lion,

00:31:01.875 --> 00:31:04.959
so that the lion will
look at him before he shoots.

00:31:04.959 --> 00:31:06.208
He\'s then stood motionless

00:31:06.208 --> 00:31:08.417
during the few minutes it takes
before the poison works.

00:31:08.417 --> 00:31:11.083
Yeya says, \"No, it\'s not
possible, we can\'t do that.

00:31:11.083 --> 00:31:14.709
The hunter must go alone.
The rest of us cannot go.

00:31:14.709 --> 00:31:18.500
No, we must hunt with traps.\"

00:31:19.625 --> 00:31:22.792
The trap is constructed
far away from here,

00:31:22.792 --> 00:31:25.458
in Swedru, in Ghana.

00:31:30.417 --> 00:31:37.000
(music playing)

00:32:10.875 --> 00:32:13.667
NARRATOR:
The traps are taken
into the bush

00:32:13.667 --> 00:32:14.875
and attached with chains

00:32:14.875 --> 00:32:17.917
to a section of tree trunk.

00:32:18.166 --> 00:32:20.917
The tree trunk
will slow the lion down.

00:32:20.917 --> 00:32:23.542
They don\'t mean to catch
the lion with the trap,

00:32:23.542 --> 00:32:24.583
just prevent him

00:32:24.583 --> 00:32:27.417
from charging too fast.

00:32:27.834 --> 00:32:29.208
Yeya, Tahirou,

00:32:29.208 --> 00:32:30.750
Ousseini, and Wangari

00:32:30.750 --> 00:32:32.917
prepare pieces of wood.

00:32:32.917 --> 00:32:34.208
They make holes for the pin,

00:32:34.208 --> 00:32:38.041
which will be connected
by a chain to the trap.

00:32:42.875 --> 00:32:46.000
(speaking native language)

00:32:47.834 --> 00:32:50.959
NARRATOR:
Then the trap is opened...

00:32:51.834 --> 00:32:56.625
and the safety bolt
is locked into place.

00:32:57.583 --> 00:33:01.125
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:33:03.792 --> 00:33:05.625
NARRATOR:
Now the hunters are ready

00:33:05.625 --> 00:33:07.709
to hunt the lion.

00:33:07.709 --> 00:33:12.166
In the bush,
a few miles north of Wazelle,

00:33:12.166 --> 00:33:14.417
there are lions.

00:33:27.166 --> 00:33:29.709
They enter the bush,
called \"the lion bush,\"

00:33:29.709 --> 00:33:32.917
but the lions are never seen
there during the day.

00:33:32.917 --> 00:33:35.125
They might be there,
behind a tree,

00:33:35.125 --> 00:33:37.792
two or three feet away.

00:33:37.792 --> 00:33:41.875
The lions see us,
but we don\'t see them.

00:33:42.041 --> 00:33:44.417
They hear us,
we don\'t hear them.

00:33:44.417 --> 00:33:48.583
They smell us,
but we don\'t smell them.

00:33:48.583 --> 00:33:50.667
The lion was here yesterday.

00:33:50.667 --> 00:33:53.542
Here\'s his dung,
here are his footprints.

00:33:53.542 --> 00:33:55.625
There was also a lioness
with two cubs.

00:33:55.625 --> 00:33:59.000
Here are the animals which
they brought with them to eat.

00:33:59.000 --> 00:34:00.875
They urinated on this shrub.

00:34:00.875 --> 00:34:03.333
They\'re not far away.

00:34:03.333 --> 00:34:10.250
(conversing in native language)

00:34:10.834 --> 00:34:16.500
NARRATOR:
A hole is dug in a spot
where the lion likes to rest.

00:34:18.792 --> 00:34:19.917
The trap is old,

00:34:19.917 --> 00:34:22.667
the blade is broken.

00:34:22.667 --> 00:34:23.792
It\'s not important,

00:34:23.792 --> 00:34:27.208
they\'ll replace it
with a piece of gourd.

00:34:40.917 --> 00:34:42.166
The trap is put into place

00:34:42.166 --> 00:34:44.333
and covered
with little pieces of wood,

00:34:44.333 --> 00:34:48.625
some pieces of bark,
and some ashes.

00:34:55.083 --> 00:34:59.333
Then they scatter dirt
on top of it.

00:35:01.083 --> 00:35:02.959
The trap is completely hidden,

00:35:02.959 --> 00:35:04.709
ready to work.

00:35:04.709 --> 00:35:07.834
Wangari removes the traces
of man-smell,

00:35:07.834 --> 00:35:12.041
taking care not to step
on the trap.

00:35:17.625 --> 00:35:20.667
Now, it no longer depends
on the Gawe.

00:35:20.667 --> 00:35:23.667
It no longer depends
on the hunters.

00:35:23.667 --> 00:35:25.709
It no longer depends on men.

00:35:25.709 --> 00:35:29.166
It depends on the bush.

00:35:38.959 --> 00:35:41.250
The next morning,
at sunrise,

00:35:41.250 --> 00:35:43.959
the hunters make ready.

00:35:43.959 --> 00:35:45.583
Tahirou-Koro, the chief,

00:35:45.583 --> 00:35:46.709
gives each man a gouri,

00:35:46.709 --> 00:35:51.208
a magic necklace which
will render him invisible.

00:35:52.792 --> 00:35:54.750
If the lion sees him
and charges,

00:35:54.750 --> 00:35:58.000
he will change into water...

00:35:58.000 --> 00:35:59.917
into a needle...

00:35:59.917 --> 00:36:02.375
into a bird.

00:36:10.458 --> 00:36:14.083
(birds cawing)

00:36:44.583 --> 00:36:48.542
NARRATOR:
Then the hunters take out
two or three arrows,

00:36:48.542 --> 00:36:50.750
set their bows,

00:36:50.750 --> 00:36:53.959
and begin to walk, quietly.

00:36:53.959 --> 00:36:56.208
The story of what happened
during the night

00:36:56.208 --> 00:36:58.583
can be told by the ground.

00:36:58.583 --> 00:37:01.125
A lioness came here
with her two cubs.

00:37:01.125 --> 00:37:03.250
Their footprints are there.

00:37:03.250 --> 00:37:07.125
The lioness sensed
that something was wrong.

00:37:07.125 --> 00:37:09.917
She sensed
that men had been there.

00:37:09.917 --> 00:37:12.083
She sensed the trap.

00:37:12.083 --> 00:37:19.000
(conversing in native language)

00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:23.000
NARRATOR:
The first trap did not work.

00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:27.250
The hunters go to look
at the second one.

00:37:27.625 --> 00:37:29.041
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:37:29.041 --> 00:37:32.583
NARRATOR:
The second trap
did not work either.

00:37:33.250 --> 00:37:34.542
Tahirou knows that the lions

00:37:34.542 --> 00:37:36.709
have foiled the magic spells,

00:37:36.709 --> 00:37:40.709
that they\'re stronger
than the hunters.

00:37:41.667 --> 00:37:44.291
Wangari brings the third trap.

00:37:44.291 --> 00:37:48.291
The lions have avoided it, too.

00:37:50.709 --> 00:37:53.834
They find the footprints again
and take care not to lose them.

00:37:53.834 --> 00:37:56.542
The lions were in Ifasi
and then went to Zurukar.

00:37:56.542 --> 00:37:59.291
There are four of them,
here are their tracks.

00:37:59.291 --> 00:38:00.458
They\'re not far away.

00:38:00.458 --> 00:38:03.750
Yet, with so much sand,
the tracks disappear.

00:38:03.750 --> 00:38:04.917
Where have they gone?

00:38:04.917 --> 00:38:06.250
They might have doubled back,

00:38:06.250 --> 00:38:08.291
and might even now
be coming up from behind.

00:38:08.291 --> 00:38:10.583
Their tracks end
at the top of a dune.

00:38:10.583 --> 00:38:13.333
They came by this way
last night.

00:38:13.333 --> 00:38:15.166
\"Go look in the bush,\"
says Tahirou-Koro.

00:38:15.166 --> 00:38:21.000
Wangari is puzzled.
He knows that the chase
is useless.

00:38:21.625 --> 00:38:23.250
Ousseini examines the tracks.

00:38:23.250 --> 00:38:25.458
Everyone knows
that this is a hopeless hunt.

00:38:25.458 --> 00:38:27.542
The lions know
that they\'re being followed.

00:38:27.542 --> 00:38:30.917
They\'re vicious now,
they might attack at any time.

00:38:30.917 --> 00:38:33.750
What is there to do?

00:38:34.125 --> 00:38:35.792
Wangari says, \"Let\'s go on.\"

00:38:35.792 --> 00:38:38.583
Tahirou says, \"We\'ll keep going
for a few days

00:38:38.583 --> 00:38:41.625
and see if we have any luck.\"

00:38:42.291 --> 00:38:44.375
Hunting in Bouma, in Togya,

00:38:44.375 --> 00:38:45.667
in Karegoussou,

00:38:45.667 --> 00:38:48.667
it\'s the same everywhere.

00:38:48.667 --> 00:38:49.792
Day in and day out,

00:38:49.792 --> 00:38:52.000
the lion is tracked
across the burning earth,

00:38:52.000 --> 00:38:54.375
through the savanna,
the forests,

00:38:54.375 --> 00:38:55.458
across the dunes.

00:38:55.458 --> 00:38:59.834
But every morning,
the traps are empty.

00:39:03.500 --> 00:39:05.834
One morning,
they find a hyena\'s paw

00:39:05.834 --> 00:39:07.375
in one of the traps.

00:39:07.375 --> 00:39:10.333
The hyena is probably the most
dangerous animal in the bush,

00:39:10.333 --> 00:39:12.625
because his soul
turns against the hunters.

00:39:12.625 --> 00:39:14.125
MAN:
(speaks native language)

00:39:14.125 --> 00:39:16.709
NARRATOR:
This hyena paw means
that the bush

00:39:16.709 --> 00:39:18.917
is tired of the hunters.

00:39:18.917 --> 00:39:21.458
The hunt must be stopped.

00:39:21.458 --> 00:39:25.917
Anyway, the rainy season
has just started.

00:39:25.917 --> 00:39:28.959
The first trees are in blossom.

00:39:29.500 --> 00:39:34.333
And so, the hunters go back
toward the south.

00:39:34.333 --> 00:39:35.583
When they get to Yatakala,

00:39:35.583 --> 00:39:40.166
the Goruwal is already filled
with water.

00:39:41.250 --> 00:39:43.709
Now, they must really
give up the hunt.

00:39:43.709 --> 00:39:45.542
When there is plenty of water
in the bush,

00:39:45.542 --> 00:39:48.542
it\'s no use stalking the lion,
who can now move about freely

00:39:48.542 --> 00:39:51.709
and is not forced to remain
near feeding grounds

00:39:51.709 --> 00:39:54.375
and water holes.

00:40:03.208 --> 00:40:05.959
But Tahirou-Koro,
Issiaka, and Yeya

00:40:05.959 --> 00:40:08.333
decide to find out
what happened.

00:40:08.333 --> 00:40:09.583
They go to consult Teena,

00:40:09.583 --> 00:40:12.917
an old man from
the Gorman-Shay tribe in Dumba.

00:40:12.917 --> 00:40:15.792
He\'s a seer who can read
in the earth.

00:40:15.792 --> 00:40:18.417
Teena cast the stars
onto the ground,

00:40:18.417 --> 00:40:20.500
throwing them by odds and evens

00:40:20.500 --> 00:40:23.458
and in series of four.

00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:31.375
This, causing
the four moons to rise.

00:40:37.375 --> 00:40:40.417
In the sand appear
\"tadiga,\" the trail,

00:40:40.417 --> 00:40:42.834
\"aldiama,\" the meeting,

00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:48.458
\"yakala,\" the young girl,
which also means death.

00:40:52.750 --> 00:40:56.333
Now, Teena performs
the \"gilebi,\" the inversion.

00:40:56.333 --> 00:41:00.417
He places the figures
in the Houses.

00:41:05.250 --> 00:41:06.417
The operation begins.

00:41:06.417 --> 00:41:08.375
The auspicious day
appears three times,

00:41:08.375 --> 00:41:11.542
once in the House of Life,
once in the House of the Trail,

00:41:11.542 --> 00:41:13.417
and once in
the House of the Word.

00:41:13.417 --> 00:41:16.000
\"Yakala,\" death,
appears six times.

00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:20.875
\"Aviangali,\" the fleeting
victory, appears twice.

00:41:21.625 --> 00:41:24.542
The seer declares,
\"There\'s a hunter among you

00:41:24.542 --> 00:41:26.709
who was born under
the same star as a lion.

00:41:26.709 --> 00:41:30.667
And he knows that on the same
day that a lion is killed,

00:41:30.667 --> 00:41:33.375
he himself will die.

00:41:33.542 --> 00:41:35.875
I do not know
the name of this hunter,

00:41:35.875 --> 00:41:39.667
but he is black.\"

00:41:39.667 --> 00:41:42.208
\"Is it Wangari?\" asks Tahirou.

00:41:42.208 --> 00:41:43.291
\"No, it\'s not Wangari.

00:41:43.291 --> 00:41:45.959
I can only say that his home
is south of the village,

00:41:45.959 --> 00:41:49.625
and that his mother
is still alive.\"

00:41:50.792 --> 00:41:53.250
The hunters know
perfectly well who it is

00:41:53.250 --> 00:41:55.250
that has spoiled the hunt.

00:41:55.250 --> 00:41:56.375
They\'ll say nothing,

00:41:56.375 --> 00:41:59.000
but they\'re forced
to give up the hunt,

00:41:59.000 --> 00:42:04.125
because this man
has spoiled the bush.

00:42:07.458 --> 00:42:11.792
A few years later, we receive
this telegram from Tahirou.

00:42:11.792 --> 00:42:15.041
\"Trap catches
lion Yatakala. Stop.

00:42:15.041 --> 00:42:16.542
Waiting for you at Aerou.\"

00:42:16.542 --> 00:42:21.041
This means that the hunt
is once again possible.

00:42:30.792 --> 00:42:34.208
Then we leave with Idrissa
Meiga, Damouré Zika,

00:42:34.208 --> 00:42:37.375
Lam, and Tallou
for the Land of Nowhere.

00:42:37.375 --> 00:42:42.500
MAN:
(singing native language)

00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:14.792
NARRATOR:
And soon,
the Mountains of the Moon

00:43:14.792 --> 00:43:16.041
and the Crystal Mountains

00:43:16.041 --> 00:43:19.583
appear in front
of our Land Rover.

00:43:20.250 --> 00:43:23.417
At Yatakala, we learn
the reason for the telegram.

00:43:23.417 --> 00:43:26.083
There\'s a new grave
in the southern cemetery.

00:43:26.083 --> 00:43:29.291
The grave of the hunter
who had tired the bush

00:43:29.291 --> 00:43:30.458
and spoiled the hunt.

00:43:30.458 --> 00:43:34.166
Now that he\'s dead,
the hunt can begin again.

00:43:34.166 --> 00:43:36.500
However, this time,
the hunters have decided

00:43:36.500 --> 00:43:38.792
to have good luck
on their side.

00:43:38.792 --> 00:43:40.250
In the evening, Issiaka calls

00:43:40.250 --> 00:43:44.500
to spirits of the bush
on his goge.

00:43:45.500 --> 00:43:50.083
(music playing)

00:44:20.208 --> 00:44:23.792
NARRATOR:
Takum, the spirit who moves
with the whirlwinds,

00:44:23.792 --> 00:44:28.542
says to them, \"Go!
The hunt will be good!\"

00:44:28.542 --> 00:44:33.125
(music playing)

00:45:09.375 --> 00:45:14.625
NARRATOR:
This year, the Fetilé Pond
is full of water.

00:45:25.166 --> 00:45:26.417
This year, the Fulani herdsmen

00:45:26.417 --> 00:45:30.166
don\'t have to draw water
for their herds.

00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:36.291
The herdsmen spend
all day in the shade.

00:45:38.458 --> 00:45:40.959
They bring water
and the traditional milk

00:45:40.959 --> 00:45:44.083
to Wangari and the hunters.

00:45:45.375 --> 00:45:49.542
The hunters are there, sitting
next to the Fulani people.

00:45:49.542 --> 00:45:51.750
They don\'t talk.

00:45:54.083 --> 00:45:55.792
The young herdsmen,
who already know

00:45:55.792 --> 00:45:58.458
how to drive off the lion
with sticks and stones,

00:45:58.458 --> 00:46:01.125
know very well
why the hunters are there.

00:46:01.125 --> 00:46:04.041
They know perfectly well
that it is for the lions,

00:46:04.041 --> 00:46:06.083
and that nobody
will talk about the lions

00:46:06.083 --> 00:46:09.750
until the Fulani chief
is there.

00:46:19.166 --> 00:46:22.625
The chief says simply,
\"Yes, there are lions.\"

00:46:22.625 --> 00:46:27.583
Old Ali says, \"There are
many lions around Fetilé.

00:46:27.583 --> 00:46:29.750
Hunters, you only
have to walk a few feet,

00:46:29.750 --> 00:46:33.333
and you can grab them
by their tail.\"

00:46:42.792 --> 00:46:47.458
That afternoon, the hunters
go out to reconnoiter.

00:46:48.542 --> 00:46:51.000
Bellebia, Yeya, Tahirou-Koro,

00:46:51.000 --> 00:46:52.917
and Issiaka go out with Ali.

00:46:52.917 --> 00:46:54.834
Ali, the apprentice
who wants to be a hunter,

00:46:54.834 --> 00:46:57.500
but who will not
have the right to carry a bow

00:46:57.500 --> 00:47:01.000
until he has proven
his courage.

00:47:10.959 --> 00:47:12.166
Here are the footprints.

00:47:12.166 --> 00:47:13.709
They\'re the footprints
of a lion

00:47:13.709 --> 00:47:15.291
who is well-known
to the hunters.

00:47:15.291 --> 00:47:18.291
He\'s stronger and cleverer
than all the others.

00:47:18.291 --> 00:47:20.959
The hunters call him,
\"The American.\"

00:47:20.959 --> 00:47:25.500
A spot of blood shows
where the American sprung.

00:47:25.500 --> 00:47:28.500
There on the ground
is a magic charm, a \"teera,\"

00:47:28.500 --> 00:47:30.083
which is hung
around camels\' necks

00:47:30.083 --> 00:47:32.917
to protect them
from accidents in the bush.

00:47:32.917 --> 00:47:37.333
The body of the camel
is nearby, under some thorns.

00:47:37.333 --> 00:47:38.834
The teera didn\'t work.

00:47:38.834 --> 00:47:40.000
The lions attacked.

00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:44.041
This is a lion
which does not eat its kill.

00:47:44.041 --> 00:47:49.000
So the hunters set their traps
as quietly as possible.

00:47:49.000 --> 00:47:53.750
(indistinct chatter)

00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:51.750
NARRATOR:
However, the American is a lion

00:48:51.750 --> 00:48:54.041
who knows all the secrets
of the hunt.

00:48:54.041 --> 00:48:57.333
And so Issiaka takes
other precautions.

00:48:57.333 --> 00:48:59.917
The spirit Takum once told him,

00:48:59.917 --> 00:49:01.250
\"Lions are like pretty girls.

00:49:01.250 --> 00:49:03.834
They adore perfume.
Open a little bottle.

00:49:03.834 --> 00:49:07.375
Put it beside the traps,
and a lion will certainly come,

00:49:07.375 --> 00:49:09.458
and he\'ll call
all the other lions.\"

00:49:09.458 --> 00:49:13.583
Issiaka buries a small bottle
of Soir de Paris perfume

00:49:13.583 --> 00:49:15.583
under a pile of pebbles.

00:49:15.583 --> 00:49:18.583
Each of the hunters places
a pebble on the pile,

00:49:18.583 --> 00:49:20.917
making the same wish,

00:49:20.917 --> 00:49:24.625
\"Let the lions come tonight.\"

00:49:55.875 --> 00:49:58.583
At the camp, Yeya prepares
the head of a cow

00:49:58.583 --> 00:50:02.250
which has been killed
by the lion.

00:50:03.834 --> 00:50:06.709
The hunters spend
the whole day under the trees

00:50:06.709 --> 00:50:09.208
with the herdsmen.

00:50:09.291 --> 00:50:11.291
They do not talk
about the hunt.

00:50:11.291 --> 00:50:12.959
If they speak too much
about the hunt,

00:50:12.959 --> 00:50:14.875
they might destroy
the spells of the bush.

00:50:14.875 --> 00:50:19.583
They might have the spirits
of the hunt against them.

00:50:22.709 --> 00:50:25.000
Ali, the apprentice,
repairs his sandals

00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:27.917
with a piece
of an old Army uniform.

00:50:27.917 --> 00:50:32.041
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:50:35.458 --> 00:50:39.041
NARRATOR:
Beside him,
Bellebia prepares a gori,

00:50:39.041 --> 00:50:41.333
a magic necklace
which will render him

00:50:41.333 --> 00:50:42.417
invisible to the lion.

00:50:42.417 --> 00:50:45.125
It\'s a simple gori,
made with a plate of leather,

00:50:45.125 --> 00:50:47.375
a plate of fur,
and a plate of rope,

00:50:47.375 --> 00:50:51.083
all enclosed
in a piece of leather.

00:50:53.959 --> 00:50:57.583
The arrows wait
in their quivers.

00:50:58.375 --> 00:51:02.083
There are other gori
in Tahirou\'s bow.

00:51:02.083 --> 00:51:03.917
Four little pouches
which contain

00:51:03.917 --> 00:51:07.875
all the great secrets
of the hunt.

00:51:17.709 --> 00:51:21.792
The next morning, the first
of the traps has gone off.

00:51:21.792 --> 00:51:23.750
It is only a jackal,
but the jackal

00:51:23.750 --> 00:51:26.375
is the slave of the lion.

00:51:26.375 --> 00:51:28.291
The jackal is \"gandi hahm,\"

00:51:28.291 --> 00:51:31.250
the first meat of the bush.

00:51:41.709 --> 00:51:47.208
The next trap has caught
a \"maridenda,\" a serval.

00:51:48.709 --> 00:51:52.458
A serval is also bush meat.

00:51:56.000 --> 00:51:57.625
You slit a serval\'s throat,

00:51:57.625 --> 00:52:01.458
and make an arrow quiver
with the skin.

00:52:09.667 --> 00:52:12.333
The third trap
has caught a civet cat,

00:52:12.333 --> 00:52:14.125
a \"zibeda.\"

00:52:14.125 --> 00:52:18.166
They use the civet cat to test
the three-year-old poison,

00:52:18.166 --> 00:52:20.875
the Botto poison.

00:52:24.500 --> 00:52:25.625
Wangari shoots an arrow

00:52:25.625 --> 00:52:27.375
into the fleshy part
of the cat\'s shoulder,

00:52:27.375 --> 00:52:32.041
while Yeya chants
the praises of the poison.

00:52:32.583 --> 00:52:34.166
This is your day, Botto!

00:52:34.166 --> 00:52:36.166
The ancestors gave you
to Tahirou,

00:52:36.166 --> 00:52:38.000
and Tahirou
took you wickedly.

00:52:38.000 --> 00:52:40.458
Whomever you sting,
his eyes are opened,

00:52:40.458 --> 00:52:41.417
but do not see.

00:52:41.417 --> 00:52:43.333
It is said,
here are the tracks.

00:52:43.333 --> 00:52:44.709
It is said, here is death.

00:52:44.709 --> 00:52:46.417
I have followed
the tracks of blood.

00:52:46.417 --> 00:52:48.500
I have followed
the tracks of death.

00:52:48.500 --> 00:52:52.458
Do your harm,
oh, Botto poison.

00:52:55.542 --> 00:52:59.417
(speaking native language)

00:53:00.125 --> 00:53:02.834
NARRATOR:
Asking forgiveness,
as he does so,

00:53:02.834 --> 00:53:04.208
Ali slits the cat\'s throat

00:53:04.208 --> 00:53:06.750
in order to transform
this bush meat

00:53:06.750 --> 00:53:08.625
into village meat.

00:53:08.625 --> 00:53:10.291
Yeya, also asking forgiveness,

00:53:10.291 --> 00:53:12.458
cuts the pouch
under the cat\'s tail,

00:53:12.458 --> 00:53:17.250
which contains musk
used in the making of perfume.

00:53:20.792 --> 00:53:24.667
And now, in the Fetilé bush,
there are the tracks of blood,

00:53:24.667 --> 00:53:28.709
which lead to the tracks
of death.

00:53:29.542 --> 00:53:31.291
But the lions
have attacked the herds.

00:53:31.291 --> 00:53:35.583
The favorite cow of Diogona,
a Fulani herdsmen from Fetilé,

00:53:35.583 --> 00:53:38.500
was wounded last night.

00:53:38.500 --> 00:53:40.250
A lion was about
to rip her throat out

00:53:40.250 --> 00:53:42.375
when the herdsman drove
him off with a stick.

00:53:42.375 --> 00:53:46.250
However, even a small lion
wound is dangerous.

00:53:46.250 --> 00:53:48.250
Diogona\'s wife cries
for her cow,

00:53:48.250 --> 00:53:50.917
because the Fulani herdsmen
love their animals

00:53:50.917 --> 00:53:53.792
as they love their children.

00:53:53.792 --> 00:53:56.625
And Tahirou-Koro,
the chief of the hunters,

00:53:56.625 --> 00:53:58.166
who knows how to kill lions,

00:53:58.166 --> 00:54:00.000
throws some dust
on the cow\'s wounds,

00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:04.083
chanting the magic formula
which cures lion\'s wounds.

00:54:04.083 --> 00:54:07.959
(speaking native language)

00:54:14.125 --> 00:54:16.834
NARRATOR:
Now, the traps
are set every night,

00:54:16.834 --> 00:54:19.875
and inspected every morning.

00:54:23.333 --> 00:54:27.166
That morning,
a trap has been moved.

00:54:27.458 --> 00:54:32.000
It might be a small lion,
or a hyena.

00:54:37.333 --> 00:54:41.208
The animals drag
the trap a long way.

00:54:49.125 --> 00:54:53.000
There it is.
They approach cautiously.

00:54:56.417 --> 00:54:57.417
It\'s a hyena.

00:54:57.417 --> 00:54:59.959
The hyena is trying
to reach the water.

00:54:59.959 --> 00:55:03.125
They hyena is the most terrible
beast in the bush.

00:55:03.125 --> 00:55:05.208
He feeds on dead animals.

00:55:05.208 --> 00:55:10.500
He\'s a \"kirkao\" animal,
a witch who eats souls.

00:55:13.709 --> 00:55:14.667
Yeya shoots.

00:55:14.667 --> 00:55:17.083
Yeya and Wangari repeat
the Botto poison praises,

00:55:17.083 --> 00:55:21.417
so that the poison will act
as quickly as possible.

00:55:22.041 --> 00:55:26.166
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:56:00.542 --> 00:56:05.208
NARRATOR:
\"Die, hyena, die quickly.
Die as quickly as possible.

00:56:05.208 --> 00:56:08.250
Go, eater of dead animals.\"

00:56:08.250 --> 00:56:11.125
Issiaka is afraid.

00:56:11.500 --> 00:56:13.250
And all of the hunters
are afraid

00:56:13.250 --> 00:56:14.917
of the hyena\'s wicked soul,

00:56:14.917 --> 00:56:17.834
which might drive them mad.

00:56:21.792 --> 00:56:25.667
Issiaka says,
\"It will never get up again.\"

00:56:25.667 --> 00:56:27.417
They drag the body out
of the water,

00:56:27.417 --> 00:56:29.500
and Tahirou goes up to it.

00:56:29.500 --> 00:56:31.083
He asks the hyena
to forgive him,

00:56:31.083 --> 00:56:33.417
and taps his three times
on the head with this bow,

00:56:33.417 --> 00:56:37.750
so that its dangerous soul
will depart.

00:56:42.083 --> 00:56:45.083
Issiaka slits
the animal\'s throat.

00:56:45.083 --> 00:56:47.000
Now it is no longer impure.

00:56:47.000 --> 00:56:49.583
Its meat, dried,
and its skin will be used

00:56:49.583 --> 00:56:50.750
to make magic charms,

00:56:50.750 --> 00:56:54.625
which they will sell
in the southern markets.

00:56:54.625 --> 00:56:56.583
And the arrow
which killed the hyena

00:56:56.583 --> 00:56:58.291
will never be used again.

00:56:58.291 --> 00:57:00.834
Yet, in spite
of all these precautions,

00:57:00.834 --> 00:57:06.208
is not the death of this hyena
a sign of misfortune?

00:57:06.208 --> 00:57:07.834
Then, their luck turns bad.

00:57:07.834 --> 00:57:11.291
One of the traps
has caught a lion.

00:57:11.291 --> 00:57:13.041
The marks of his bite
are on the wood,

00:57:13.041 --> 00:57:17.667
but the lion has managed
to break the trap and escape.

00:57:20.583 --> 00:57:21.792
The hunters are worried.

00:57:21.792 --> 00:57:24.250
Are the magic charms
on Tahirou\'s bow

00:57:24.250 --> 00:57:25.291
powerful enough?

00:57:25.291 --> 00:57:29.834
Hasn\'t the soul of this hyena
spoiled the bush?

00:57:32.792 --> 00:57:36.709
Tahirou says simply,
\"We must repair the trap.

00:57:36.709 --> 00:57:39.083
We must revive our courage.

00:57:39.083 --> 00:57:42.000
We must continue the hunt.\"

00:57:42.000 --> 00:57:46.583
(music playing)

00:58:15.667 --> 00:58:19.500
NARRATOR:
Now, there is bush war.

00:58:20.625 --> 00:58:24.917
The hunters find the tracks
of the American.

00:58:24.917 --> 00:58:26.041
Wounded in the trap,

00:58:26.041 --> 00:58:31.458
the American is accompanied
by two lionesses and a cub.

00:58:33.667 --> 00:58:37.834
That night, the lions
have come to a Tuareg camp,

00:58:37.834 --> 00:58:39.291
near Tokia Balia.

00:58:39.291 --> 00:58:40.583
They\'ve attacked a donkey.

00:58:40.583 --> 00:58:45.709
As if by challenge, they
haven\'t eaten all the animal.

00:58:48.166 --> 00:58:53.291
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:58:59.083 --> 00:59:02.000
NARRATOR:
Wangari questions
the Tuareg chief.

00:59:02.000 --> 00:59:04.625
MAN:
(speaking native language)

00:59:04.625 --> 00:59:07.875
NARRATOR:
Yes, the lions roamed
around the camp,

00:59:07.875 --> 00:59:10.500
roaring all night long.

00:59:10.500 --> 00:59:11.875
(indistinct chatter)

00:59:11.875 --> 00:59:16.083
NARRATOR:
Big Ali says,
\"They\'ll be back tonight.\"

00:59:16.083 --> 00:59:17.667
Assiaka says,
\"Let\'s put the traps

00:59:17.667 --> 00:59:19.875
all around the body
of the donkey.\"

00:59:19.875 --> 00:59:21.583
Wangari replies,
\"Though the American

00:59:21.583 --> 00:59:23.750
is strong and clever,
but in God\'s name,

00:59:23.750 --> 00:59:26.166
we are as strong
and as clever as he is.\"

00:59:26.166 --> 00:59:28.000
Tahirou,
the chief of the hunters,

00:59:28.000 --> 00:59:30.000
just says, \"Yes.\"

00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:31.917
The body of the donkey
is covered with thorns,

00:59:31.917 --> 00:59:35.542
and traps
are set all around it.

00:59:39.500 --> 00:59:42.625
The next morning,
one of the traps is missing.

00:59:42.625 --> 00:59:46.417
There are signs.
A lion has been caught.

00:59:46.417 --> 00:59:47.959
(lion growls)

00:59:47.959 --> 00:59:52.834
NARRATOR:
It\'s a young male,
possibly a son of the American.

00:59:52.834 --> 00:59:55.041
(indistinct chatter)

00:59:55.041 --> 00:59:57.959
NARRATOR:
The hunters salute
the young lion.

00:59:57.959 --> 01:00:01.709
(indistinct chatter)

01:00:05.709 --> 01:00:07.333
NARRATOR:
Tahirou, the chief, calms him,

01:00:07.333 --> 01:00:11.000
because it is not good
to kill an angry lion.

01:00:12.208 --> 01:00:15.417
Tahirou waves his hatchet
gently, back and forth.

01:00:15.417 --> 01:00:19.125
He speaks from his heart
to the young lion.

01:00:19.125 --> 01:00:21.959
And Yeya and Wangari chant
and speak the praises

01:00:21.959 --> 01:00:25.583
of the hunters
and the young lion.

01:00:25.750 --> 01:00:28.417
Then the young lion
becomes calm.

01:00:28.417 --> 01:00:31.750
Issiaka, the youngest of the
hunters, is chosen to kill him.

01:00:31.750 --> 01:00:34.166
He\'s aware that the hunter
who kills a young lion

01:00:34.166 --> 01:00:36.291
is liable to lose a son
during that year.

01:00:36.291 --> 01:00:39.291
Nevertheless, the hunt
is a serious and wicked thing,

01:00:39.291 --> 01:00:44.542
and one must take
one\'s own risks.

01:00:45.083 --> 01:00:48.834
(indistinct chatter)

01:01:37.375 --> 01:01:39.417
NARRATOR:
Tahirou, the chief
of the hunters,

01:01:39.417 --> 01:01:41.458
speaks from his heart
to the young lion.

01:01:41.458 --> 01:01:44.125
He asks the young lion
to forgive the hunters

01:01:44.125 --> 01:01:47.625
and to die
as quickly as possible.

01:01:52.250 --> 01:01:54.458
And with three strokes
of his blade,

01:01:54.458 --> 01:01:57.500
he liberates the soul
of the young lion.

01:01:57.500 --> 01:02:01.583
WOMAN:
(singing native language)

01:02:26.583 --> 01:02:28.250
NARRATOR:
The hunters start out again

01:02:28.250 --> 01:02:31.041
on the trail of the American
and his two females.

01:02:31.041 --> 01:02:33.875
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:02:55.208 --> 01:02:59.000
NARRATOR:
One morning, a flag is seen
flying in the wind

01:02:59.000 --> 01:03:00.083
over Karegoussou,

01:03:00.083 --> 01:03:04.709
indicating that a lion has been
taken near the Bella camp.

01:03:12.041 --> 01:03:13.917
Wangari says, \"Be careful.

01:03:13.917 --> 01:03:16.667
The lion is only held
in the trap by one toe.

01:03:16.667 --> 01:03:20.083
He is furious,
and he might get away.\"

01:03:22.542 --> 01:03:23.417
(lion growling)

01:03:23.417 --> 01:03:26.542
NARRATOR:
Issiaka chooses
his three best arrows.

01:03:26.542 --> 01:03:30.667
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:03:31.792 --> 01:03:35.375
(lion growling)

01:03:41.417 --> 01:03:43.083
NARRATOR:
Ataya, the chief,

01:03:43.083 --> 01:03:44.959
shouts the cry of courage:

01:03:44.959 --> 01:03:45.875
\"Moukaka!\"

01:03:45.875 --> 01:03:49.917
ATAYA:
(speaking native language)

01:03:59.417 --> 01:04:02.083
(lion growling)

01:04:02.083 --> 01:04:05.834
(indistinct chatter)

01:04:09.375 --> 01:04:12.709
NARRATOR:
Wangari then sings
the praises of the hunters.

01:04:12.709 --> 01:04:16.917
WANGARI:
(singing native language)

01:04:20.250 --> 01:04:22.417
NARRATOR:
Of their skill and courage.

01:04:22.417 --> 01:04:26.333
He sings the praises of a lion
who is about to die.

01:04:26.333 --> 01:04:30.083
(indistinct chatter)

01:04:36.000 --> 01:04:40.709
NARRATOR:
And Yeya shouts out the praises
of the Botto poison.

01:04:40.709 --> 01:04:43.834
\"Misfortune! Misfortune!
Misfortune, Botto!

01:04:43.834 --> 01:04:46.458
Here are difficult days,
poison Botto!

01:04:46.458 --> 01:04:50.667
Do harm, woman poison,
more wicked than man poison.

01:04:50.667 --> 01:04:51.750
Oh, poison Botto,

01:04:51.750 --> 01:04:54.583
if the arrow goes in,
the animal dies.

01:04:54.583 --> 01:04:56.875
If the arrow stays in,
the animal dies.

01:04:56.875 --> 01:04:59.166
If the arrow falls out,
the bones are dead,

01:04:59.166 --> 01:05:03.417
the legs are dead,
the blood is dead.\"

01:05:06.208 --> 01:05:09.959
(indistinct chatter)

01:05:10.250 --> 01:05:12.750
NARRATOR:
\"This is your day, Botto!

01:05:12.750 --> 01:05:13.709
The sun is hot!

01:05:13.709 --> 01:05:15.083
The shade is hot!

01:05:15.083 --> 01:05:16.250
You cannot go forward,

01:05:16.250 --> 01:05:17.750
you cannot go backward.

01:05:17.750 --> 01:05:18.917
Your heart is fire.

01:05:18.917 --> 01:05:20.291
Your belly is fire.

01:05:20.291 --> 01:05:22.041
Your blood is fire.

01:05:22.041 --> 01:05:23.166
Let your stomach smoke!

01:05:23.166 --> 01:05:25.083
Let your blood boil!

01:05:25.083 --> 01:05:26.542
Misfortune! Misfortune!

01:05:26.542 --> 01:05:27.625
Misfortune, Botto!

01:05:27.625 --> 01:05:29.583
He who leaves you
dies of hunger.

01:05:29.583 --> 01:05:32.083
He who takes you
vomits his death.\"

01:05:32.083 --> 01:05:39.333
YEYA:
(chanting in native language)

01:05:41.041 --> 01:05:44.250
NARRATOR:
Then, Tahirou says
the words of courage

01:05:44.250 --> 01:05:46.291
to the lion once more.

01:05:46.291 --> 01:05:48.291
\"Lion, now you must die.\"

01:05:48.291 --> 01:05:52.417
TAHIROU:
(speaking native language)

01:05:53.625 --> 01:05:57.417
NARRATOR:
Issiaka drags
the animal\'s body back.

01:05:57.417 --> 01:06:00.208
It\'s an adult female.

01:06:04.542 --> 01:06:07.667
Tahirou, the chief,
makes great magic spells

01:06:07.667 --> 01:06:10.917
in order to free her soul.

01:06:14.625 --> 01:06:16.208
He places powder ground
from bark

01:06:16.208 --> 01:06:20.125
into her nose, her mouth,
and her anus.

01:06:20.458 --> 01:06:24.709
Then, he caresses the lioness
and asks her forgiveness.

01:06:24.709 --> 01:06:26.709
If this isn\'t done,
the lioness\' soul

01:06:26.709 --> 01:06:30.500
might drive
one of the hunters mad.

01:06:35.709 --> 01:06:37.583
The hunters remove
the three arrows

01:06:37.583 --> 01:06:39.333
which killed the lioness.

01:06:39.333 --> 01:06:41.792
These are their
greatest trophies.

01:06:41.792 --> 01:06:45.917
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:07:00.083 --> 01:07:02.875
NARRATOR:
Finally, Tahirou
gives to the earth

01:07:02.875 --> 01:07:04.458
its tracks of blood,

01:07:04.458 --> 01:07:05.583
its tracks of death.

01:07:05.583 --> 01:07:08.709
He throws a small piece of dirt
onto the head of the lioness,

01:07:08.709 --> 01:07:13.000
so that her soul
will depart forever.

01:07:16.208 --> 01:07:18.959
Now, the real bush war begins.

01:07:18.959 --> 01:07:23.458
The American and his remaining
female attack every day.

01:07:23.458 --> 01:07:27.208
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:07:27.208 --> 01:07:28.875
NARRATOR:
One morning, one of the Tuaregs

01:07:28.875 --> 01:07:30.667
announces that a lion
has been trapped,

01:07:30.667 --> 01:07:33.542
towards the north,
near the Fetilé camp.

01:07:33.542 --> 01:07:37.667
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:07:41.417 --> 01:07:43.709
NARRATOR:
In spite
of the hunters\' advice,

01:07:43.709 --> 01:07:44.917
and of Tahirou\'s orders,

01:07:44.917 --> 01:07:47.917
the Fulani herdsmen, who do not
have the right to kill lions,

01:07:47.917 --> 01:07:52.083
want to watch
the killing of this lion.

01:07:54.834 --> 01:07:57.667
(lion growling)

01:07:57.667 --> 01:08:01.417
(indistinct chatter)

01:08:34.417 --> 01:08:38.375
(chanting in native language)

01:08:41.875 --> 01:08:46.250
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:08:46.250 --> 01:08:49.125
NARRATOR:
The lion, with his trap,
charges and catches

01:08:49.125 --> 01:08:50.417
one of the Fulani herdsman!

01:08:50.417 --> 01:08:53.875
I stopped filming, but the tape
recorder goes on recording!

01:08:53.875 --> 01:08:54.792
(lion growling)

01:08:54.792 --> 01:08:58.542
(indistinct chatter)

01:09:05.083 --> 01:09:08.625
(yelling)

01:09:10.333 --> 01:09:12.834
NARRATOR:
And a miracle!
Just as the other herdsmen

01:09:12.834 --> 01:09:15.834
attack the lion
with their spears,

01:09:15.834 --> 01:09:17.750
he dies,

01:09:19.375 --> 01:09:21.458
to set free
the wounded herdsman.

01:09:21.458 --> 01:09:23.000
It is Diogona,
whose favorite cow

01:09:23.000 --> 01:09:25.250
had been attacked by a lion
a few days before.

01:09:25.250 --> 01:09:27.583
And on the ground
flow the blood of the lion,

01:09:27.583 --> 01:09:31.041
and the blood
of the Fulani herdsman.

01:09:31.041 --> 01:09:32.834
Then the hunters
insult the herdsmen,

01:09:32.834 --> 01:09:35.250
and the herdsmen
insult the lioness.

01:09:35.250 --> 01:09:39.000
(indistinct chatter)

01:09:45.750 --> 01:09:48.083
NARRATOR:
Wangari says,
\"Wife of the American,

01:09:48.083 --> 01:09:49.667
yesterday
you attacked the herds,

01:09:49.667 --> 01:09:51.750
and today
you attack the herdsmen.

01:09:51.750 --> 01:09:53.041
Now, look at you!\"

01:09:53.041 --> 01:09:56.792
(indistinct chatter)

01:10:04.709 --> 01:10:07.458
NARRATOR:
Bellebia sings the praises
of the Botto poison,

01:10:07.458 --> 01:10:09.792
which kills faster
than the charge of a lion.

01:10:09.792 --> 01:10:13.125
He sings the praises of the
hunters who didn\'t run away.

01:10:13.125 --> 01:10:15.083
He sings the praises
of the Fetilé lioness,

01:10:15.083 --> 01:10:17.166
who, with her paw
caught in a trap,

01:10:17.166 --> 01:10:20.083
had the courage
to attack the herdsmen.

01:10:20.083 --> 01:10:23.667
(music playing)

01:10:59.291 --> 01:11:02.917
NARRATOR:
The wife of Diogona,
the herdsman, weeps nearby.

01:11:02.917 --> 01:11:06.375
The other day she was weeping
for her favorite cow,

01:11:06.375 --> 01:11:08.709
today she\'s weeping
for her husband.

01:11:08.709 --> 01:11:11.291
The herdsman\'s daughter
is weeping, too,

01:11:11.291 --> 01:11:13.959
weeping for her father.

01:11:23.166 --> 01:11:25.959
She cries,
until the old women say to her,

01:11:25.959 --> 01:11:27.667
\"You are weeping
because your father

01:11:27.667 --> 01:11:28.959
has been wounded by a lion.

01:11:28.959 --> 01:11:31.542
But these are things
which happen every day.

01:11:31.542 --> 01:11:33.166
There\'s no shame.\"

01:11:33.166 --> 01:11:34.917
Nevertheless,
it is out of shame

01:11:34.917 --> 01:11:37.291
that Damouré Zika
treats Diogona\'s wounds

01:11:37.291 --> 01:11:39.625
behind a blanket,
which has been stretched out

01:11:39.625 --> 01:11:42.875
to keep the people
from watching.

01:11:45.041 --> 01:11:49.667
DAMOURE:
These are small shots
that will not hurt.

01:11:49.667 --> 01:11:51.500
Here we go.

01:11:51.500 --> 01:11:55.375
The first shot,
a tetanus shot.

01:11:55.375 --> 01:11:59.250
(speaking native language)

01:12:03.041 --> 01:12:07.458
The second shot,
penicillin.

01:12:07.458 --> 01:12:10.959
(speaking native language)

01:12:12.250 --> 01:12:16.125
DAMOURE:
It\'s the best shot.

01:12:16.125 --> 01:12:18.542
(speaking native language)

01:12:18.542 --> 01:12:23.041
DAMOURE:
The third shot.
Against gangrene.

01:12:23.041 --> 01:12:26.000
(speaking
native language)

01:12:31.500 --> 01:12:33.917
NARRATOR:
Tahirou, the chief
of the hunters,

01:12:33.917 --> 01:12:35.083
says to the herdsmen,

01:12:35.083 --> 01:12:37.750
\"Diogona, you must
have done some bad things

01:12:37.750 --> 01:12:39.166
if a lion chose you twice.

01:12:39.166 --> 01:12:42.333
In the name of God,
you\'re lucky to be alive.\"

01:12:42.333 --> 01:12:44.709
The hunters tell the herdsmen
what they must do

01:12:44.709 --> 01:12:49.083
in order to appease
the anger of the bush.

01:12:49.083 --> 01:12:52.667
(music playing)

01:13:13.625 --> 01:13:17.000
NARRATOR:
Since there\'s been an accident
involving a man,

01:13:17.000 --> 01:13:19.375
the hunt stops.

01:13:19.375 --> 01:13:20.875
The hunters return to Yatakala.

01:13:20.875 --> 01:13:24.083
They put the carcass of the
lioness into the Land Rover,

01:13:24.083 --> 01:13:28.208
and all the way back,
Wangari sings,

01:13:28.208 --> 01:13:29.542
\"I sing for the true hunters,

01:13:29.542 --> 01:13:31.583
and not for the hunters
of dead animals.

01:13:31.583 --> 01:13:33.458
The name of our chief
is Tahirou,

01:13:33.458 --> 01:13:35.792
husband of Koombi,
father of Eliassou.

01:13:35.792 --> 01:13:38.709
I salute you, I greet you,
bravest of the brave.

01:13:38.709 --> 01:13:41.083
Hunter of the morning,
hunter of the evening,

01:13:41.083 --> 01:13:42.375
hunter of all time!

01:13:42.375 --> 01:13:44.208
Oh, hunters,
which of you will die?

01:13:44.208 --> 01:13:46.208
Which of you
will live till tomorrow?

01:13:46.208 --> 01:13:48.458
Oh, the lion,
I\'ve seen the fur on your paw.

01:13:48.458 --> 01:13:50.458
I\'ve seen the fur
on your forehead.

01:13:50.458 --> 01:13:53.083
I\'ve never seen a lion
as big as this one!

01:13:53.083 --> 01:13:55.166
Oh, my brothers,
the young boys,

01:13:55.166 --> 01:13:57.333
take your place as young boys.

01:13:57.333 --> 01:13:58.667
Let those who have no courage

01:13:58.667 --> 01:14:00.875
go back to the village
with the women.

01:14:00.875 --> 01:14:02.000
We, the young boys,

01:14:02.000 --> 01:14:04.583
we know what to do
to kill this lion!

01:14:04.583 --> 01:14:06.250
We are tired and calm.

01:14:06.250 --> 01:14:07.375
We are the Gao hunters,

01:14:07.375 --> 01:14:08.875
the lion-killers of Yatakala.

01:14:08.875 --> 01:14:11.625
Our name is known
from the rising sun

01:14:11.625 --> 01:14:13.917
to the setting sun.\"

01:14:25.458 --> 01:14:27.959
The whole village
hurries to Bosayido,

01:14:27.959 --> 01:14:29.750
in the shade
of the Tamarind tree,

01:14:29.750 --> 01:14:32.667
where the lion ritual
is traditionally held.

01:14:32.667 --> 01:14:36.417
(indistinct chatter)

01:14:39.250 --> 01:14:40.917
NARRATOR:
When everybody is gathered,

01:14:40.917 --> 01:14:43.959
Wangari says,
\"Look! Here is our chief!

01:14:43.959 --> 01:14:45.125
Here is Tahirou-Koro,

01:14:45.125 --> 01:14:47.709
who has had good luck
on his side.

01:14:47.709 --> 01:14:49.166
And here is Issiaka.

01:14:49.166 --> 01:14:50.834
Issiaka, the best shot.\"

01:14:50.834 --> 01:14:52.583
The women say,
\"We have husbands

01:14:52.583 --> 01:14:54.291
who are like
the warriors of old,

01:14:54.291 --> 01:14:56.792
husbands who are braver
than lions.\"

01:14:56.792 --> 01:15:01.917
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:15:03.083 --> 01:15:07.291
NARRATOR:
Yeya places barbed shackles
around the head of the lioness,

01:15:07.291 --> 01:15:08.917
which show that the bush animal

01:15:08.917 --> 01:15:11.500
is now a village animal.

01:15:11.500 --> 01:15:12.750
Yeya pulls out her tongue,

01:15:12.750 --> 01:15:14.458
and Tahirou once again
places the powder,

01:15:14.458 --> 01:15:19.208
which will free her soul,
in her body orifices.

01:15:19.959 --> 01:15:21.959
Then the lioness\' throat
is slit

01:15:21.959 --> 01:15:23.333
so that the meat may be eaten.

01:15:23.333 --> 01:15:28.083
(indistinct chatter)

01:15:30.041 --> 01:15:34.083
NARRATOR:
Wangari and Yeya
remove the trap from her paw,

01:15:34.083 --> 01:15:35.834
which hadn\'t even been broken.

01:15:35.834 --> 01:15:39.750
(conversing in native language)

01:15:48.417 --> 01:15:51.375
NARRATOR:
They kill lions,
but also to eat them.

01:15:51.375 --> 01:15:53.083
There is no better meat
than from a lion

01:15:53.083 --> 01:15:56.583
who\'s been killed
by a poison arrow.

01:15:57.291 --> 01:16:00.542
It\'s also good
for curing rheumatism.

01:16:10.375 --> 01:16:12.583
Wangari tells the women
the story

01:16:12.583 --> 01:16:14.792
of how the lioness was killed.

01:16:14.792 --> 01:16:15.959
This lioness is thin,

01:16:15.959 --> 01:16:17.583
she hasn\'t eaten
for eight days.

01:16:17.583 --> 01:16:20.291
\"She\'s a young girl,
a whore, she has no husband.

01:16:20.291 --> 01:16:22.875
She was a bad woman,
chasing men.

01:16:22.875 --> 01:16:27.500
This is what happens
to restless women.\"

01:16:27.500 --> 01:16:30.625
Then, the miracle of how
the herdsman escaped death

01:16:30.625 --> 01:16:31.625
is explained.

01:16:31.625 --> 01:16:33.375
Upon opening
the chest of the lioness,

01:16:33.375 --> 01:16:38.125
they find Issiaka\'s arrow,
right through the heart.

01:16:38.959 --> 01:16:40.709
As is the custom,
this arrow is given

01:16:40.709 --> 01:16:43.625
to the chief of the hunters,
Tahirou-Koro.

01:16:43.625 --> 01:16:47.375
(indistinct chatter)

01:16:54.375 --> 01:16:58.333
NARRATOR:
The heart of the lioness
is given to Tahirou-Koro.

01:16:58.333 --> 01:17:01.000
It will be dried and taken
to the southern lands,

01:17:01.000 --> 01:17:03.041
where it will be sold
to some important man,

01:17:03.041 --> 01:17:06.500
who will become very brave
because of this heart.

01:17:06.500 --> 01:17:10.250
(indistinct chatter)

01:17:30.333 --> 01:17:31.917
NARRATOR:
And today, at Yatakala,

01:17:31.917 --> 01:17:34.333
the drums beat in praise
of the lion hunters,

01:17:34.333 --> 01:17:36.667
of those who have brought meat
to the village,

01:17:36.667 --> 01:17:40.583
of those who have chased shame
back into the bush.

01:17:40.583 --> 01:17:44.166
(drums beating)

01:18:04.417 --> 01:18:07.875
NARRATOR:
In the afternoon,
the drums call the young boys

01:18:07.875 --> 01:18:09.166
to the banks of the Goruwor,

01:18:09.166 --> 01:18:11.208
to hear the traditional story
of the hunt,

01:18:11.208 --> 01:18:14.250
which will be acted out
by the hunters.

01:18:14.250 --> 01:18:18.375
MAN:
(speaking native language)

01:18:20.542 --> 01:18:24.166
NARRATOR:
Wangari tells how the hunters
approach the young lion,

01:18:24.166 --> 01:18:27.625
and how they killed
the young lion.

01:18:31.875 --> 01:18:33.417
Now, the parts
have been changed.

01:18:33.417 --> 01:18:37.750
It is Wangari who imitates
the Fetilé lioness.

01:18:38.291 --> 01:18:41.291
Wangari advances, roaring.

01:18:46.291 --> 01:18:47.917
Sidiki acts
the part of the hunter,

01:18:47.917 --> 01:18:52.083
and moves towards a child
who represents a bush.

01:18:52.750 --> 01:18:54.166
He approaches quietly,

01:18:54.166 --> 01:18:56.417
and shoots
at the Fetilé lioness.

01:18:56.417 --> 01:18:59.959
(cheering)

01:19:04.834 --> 01:19:07.333
NARRATOR:
The entire day
belongs to the hunters.

01:19:07.333 --> 01:19:08.625
And according to the custom,

01:19:08.625 --> 01:19:10.625
the hunters gather around
the skin of the lioness,

01:19:10.625 --> 01:19:14.500
before returning to their homes
in the evening.

01:19:19.250 --> 01:19:20.375
Issiaka, the best shot,

01:19:20.375 --> 01:19:23.250
picks up his goge
and plays \"Gawe, Gawe,\"

01:19:23.250 --> 01:19:25.458
the song of the hunters.

01:19:25.458 --> 01:19:28.333
And Wangari tells
the story of the hunt

01:19:28.333 --> 01:19:30.500
to the whole village.

01:19:30.500 --> 01:19:34.125
Children, that is the story
of the Gawe, Gawe,

01:19:34.125 --> 01:19:37.250
the story of those who hunt
the lion with the bow.

01:19:37.250 --> 01:19:38.500
The story which Wangari tells.

01:19:38.500 --> 01:19:42.041
The story of the jackal,
the story of the maridenda,

01:19:42.041 --> 01:19:43.291
the story of the lion cub,

01:19:43.291 --> 01:19:46.083
the story of the lioness
of Karegoussou,

01:19:46.083 --> 01:19:47.333
the story of the Fetilé lions.

01:19:47.333 --> 01:19:51.417
The story of the American,
who still roams the bush.

01:19:51.417 --> 01:19:55.542
The story of Issiaka,
the best shot.

01:19:56.458 --> 01:19:57.709
The story of Tahirou-Koro,

01:19:57.709 --> 01:20:01.041
the chief of the hunters,
the chief of poisons.

01:20:01.041 --> 01:20:02.792
The story of Yeya,
his little brother,

01:20:02.792 --> 01:20:05.667
Who sings the praises
of the Botto poison so well.

01:20:05.667 --> 01:20:07.417
The story of Ali,
the new apprentice,

01:20:07.417 --> 01:20:09.959
who has now earned the right
to be a hunter.

01:20:09.959 --> 01:20:12.250
The story of Bellebia,
the best tracker

01:20:12.250 --> 01:20:14.500
in the Land of Nowhere.

01:20:14.500 --> 01:20:18.041
The story of the lion,
who now also wears the bazaa,

01:20:18.041 --> 01:20:22.417
the thong of the captive
animal, in his nose.

01:20:23.583 --> 01:20:24.792
This, then, is the story

01:20:24.792 --> 01:20:26.959
which you probably
will never live yourselves,

01:20:26.959 --> 01:20:28.709
because, by the time
you\'re grown up,

01:20:28.709 --> 01:20:32.834
nobody will ever again hunt
the lion with bow and arrow.

01:20:32.834 --> 01:20:38.625
So then, here ends
the story of Gawe, Gawe.