Success And Survival Tips From The Head Hunters of Swagap

How would you like to hunt a large crocodile with cannibalistic descent and a head hunter? Donald MacIntyre, a journalist, had the courage to do so.

He has traveled to some of the most difficult environments in the world to research how people can survive with limited resources. He presents his findings in a recent TV series known as 'Edge of Existence.'

In the first episode of 'Edge of Existence', he goes to Papua New Guinea to live with the Swagap insect tribe which, in his memory, is a hunter and cannibal hero.

The tribe of insects is named after the praying mantis they worship and their center of life around the crocodile - Sepik river.

Donal commented on his arrival at Swagap:

"In the jungles of Papua New Guinea and I am far from home, I will encounter a tribe of insects. Not long ago this tribe was a cannibal and a head hunter and still, today, violent disputes occur in this part of the rainforest.

"I have come to launch myself into a completely foreign world at the very end of my existence I must prove myself by hunting for crocodiles and pigs with nothing but spears to defend myself. This is a really hostile environment. Maybe adventure too far "

Donal shows how he really felt when he was filmed at night in a canoe dug out while hunting for crocodiles:

"Get me out of here! Guys!"

However, he doesn't feel this way all the time. He has found people he can respect and whose company he clearly enjoys.

"I've traveled thousands of miles to Papua New Guinea and hundreds of miles to the Sepic River Insect."

"The conclusion is that cannibals, warriors and stone age civilizations but the reality is here, you can hear it.

Donal refers to the incredible response to the song he received as the tribe prayed for the guardian spirit to protect him during his visit. The tribe has learned that prayer, at least, makes you feel safer and better at what you do!

There are 223 members of the insect tribe. They live on what they get from the river, hunt from the forest or dig sago palm trees. They lived on the edge of existence and were unknown to the outside world until the 1950s.

The only mode of transportation is the canoe. If you can't manage any of these, you won't be going anywhere. Donal had an accident with the canoe and realized he needed to train more and 'try harder'.

Insect tribes are part of the community but they passionately preserve their ancestral beliefs and customs such as polygamy.

Donal lives with a man who has two wives and three children. A man in the region had 12 wives and 115 children.

The Insect Tribes keep their heroes alive today by raising wild pigs and sea salt crocodiles. Donals participate in both activities. Crocodile pigs and crocodiles are routine for the tribe but scary for Donal.

A wild boar is 400 pounds of pure muscle that charges through the forest and removes any incoming prey. Some hunters have been killed and injured.

Before hunting begins the spirit of the ancestors is called in to drive away the evil spirits of the forest which may bring misfortune. Modern standards are possible to exclude negative thoughts and comments that could damage any project. Hunters now believe that good spirit is with them. They expect success.

The Chairman placed Donal with the elders on the bamboo platform from the ground. They would wait there until the young man drove some pigs towards them.

Donal sat down with James, an elder, who was going to be his hunting mentor. He asks James if he believes in magic. James replied:

"I believe, I believe if one or two pigs are there, we will kill them today, I believe."

"The magic is strong?"

"I believe the miracle will work."

James tells Donal to throw his spear first. He assures Donal that he will escape and then he will throw away and hit because he knows how to kill a pig.

Donal and James, the descendants of the head hunters, are like rogue schoolgirls who talk and joke when they should be paying attention. The chairman signaled his objection.

Hunters spend time chewing on peanuts with ginger root dipped in clam powder. It's a mild stimulant that makes your teeth red.

As the drum gets stronger, it's clear that something will happen. Something came up quickly - it was a pig that hit them and passed them.

Donal and James threw their spears but both failed. The other elders also threw their spears. They missed it too. Donal commented:

"That's a pig!"

However, the young man managed to kill a large animal as they hit the wild pig in the direction of the old man. The people of the tribe do not forget to sing their praises to the spirits in search of success.

"Like most indigenous people, the men and women of the Insect tribe have a decisive role, women do all the work, their job is to fish and make sago from the sago palm.

"People expect me to spend time with them exclusively, they get suspicious when I ask them to spend some time with the women of the tribe."

However, Donal and Philip, the translators, headed upstream with women and children to a place where they could find clay at the base of the river. Philip and Donal had to stand on their canoe in a dominant role. Women must sit in submissive roles.

This is clearly the status of cultural status. I used to walk down the Ardeche river in southern France in the middle of a school trip. It seems as though I spend as much time in the water as in a canoe.

My best friend in the canoe is a female school teacher. When he took on the lead role in front of the canoe, we no longer turned around but the same thing happened when I took the lead. I think it's more about skill and balance than whether you're a man or a woman. In any case, we really enjoyed the journey, including fatigue, and laughter.

But we wouldn't have laughed if we had been trapped in the Sepik river. Falling into the water where there may be a crocodile or a bartender - something similar to pirhanha - is no laughing matter.

In the event, Donal jumps into the river and collects bad smells. He soon found out he was doing his own work! He jokes and laughs with children and women.

But when he tried to question women, they refused to answer his question. There are ethnic taboos that do not allow women to talk to men outside their own families.

If a woman breaks the taboo, the penalty is death usually caused by some kind of accident inspired by the spirits at the request of the elders.

One woman, at least, was brave enough to tell Donal that her efforts in pottery were useless! He handed them over to the children to be right. Despite laughing together, Donal found the world of women in this male-dominated society irresistible.

The day came that Donal had knocked - hunting for crocodiles in a canoe.

They hunt saline crocodiles that are invaluable to their skins for high prices in the fashion trade. They can grow up to 23 feet and are known to have robbed people from a river bank:

"We are hunting for very scary creatures that can tear you apart in a few seconds. Don't blame this scary."

The hunters make sounds that mimic the sounds of crocodiles and adults and crocodiles to bring them closer to the scene. Donal surprised:

"To me this is absolute madness but Alphonse, the leader, takes it in his stride. To him, it is like another day in the office."

He asked Alphonse:

"Do you eat meat?"

"Yes, we eat meat, this meat is good."

"What does it taste like?"

[It tastes like chicken, it makes you strong.]

"But the chicken won't bite his head."

Donal reflects that the whole experience of standing in a canoe surrounded by crocodiles is simply not a wise thing to do.

"To them it's like a 9-5 job. To me it's a nightmare, I just want to go home fast!"

Crocodiles are important for the survival of insects. They can sell alligator parts for a great price and the meat is delicious. Crocodiles are the only source of hard cash.

However, there are threats that could ruin their way of life. The five-hour boat ride has plans to build a gold mine. The villagers fear it will affect the waters of their beloved Sepik river. They have good reason to worry.

Alphonse expressed their fears:

"We do not believe in new technology, this is a human that makes it impossible."

The head of the spirit house said that the power of the spirit could not control the mining company. The spiritual home is the focal point for the men in the village. It is full of beautiful wood carvings.

Donal asked if he could enter the spirit house but refused to enter. In the past, a missionary removed and burned their statues in an attempt to convert the Christian community.

To date, the tribe has successfully maintained their warrior traditions such as archery and hunting.

People practice their archery. Donal's arrow breaks before he leaves his bow for other people's amusement. He had to ask:

"Can I borrow another arrow?"

Donal commented:

"You can't help but think that, just a few decades ago, heads and wars continued to use these weapons - spears and arrows. In their souls, seemingly ready for battle, can you imagine being in the middle of the jungle facing the prospect of war with weapons - spears and arrows? "

The head of the spirit house remembers the story of war and the head huntsman tells him of his father as a boy:

"The war was common on the lake, they used arrows and spears. My father was a great warrior who he used to fight fiercely, and killed some of the other tribes."

Donal is now brought back to today's scary reality:

"It may not be a war but it can be dangerous, hunting for crocodiles on the agenda again - this time in the dark. We gather around for secrets for other wizards who call on their spirits to protect us during the hunt.

"It's so dark in the crocodiles that we need night vision cameras to see what's going on. At night the crocodiles are more active than the heat of the day ...

"Crocs are very close, they are scary prospects. Hunters are the best in the world but crocodiles are unpredictable.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing, one of the men was standing in the water just a few feet from the big crocodile. It was really crazy. He tried to hit the crocodile but failed to hit it."

Later, Alphonse took the baby crocodile and dropped it back into the water. They finally caught a four-footed crocodile they kept in the dining room after tying her jaw. Donal is still very nervous:

"Every time we walked around the river bank after the crocodile, I came out of the cold sweat.

It seems as if this moment has taken place as the world appears to be turned upside down when photographers lose balance or control of the camera or both!

They had just killed a large crocodile about twelve feet worth six months' salary to a resident of Swagap - the crocodile allegedly but escaped with a fork.

"Well, the big night was gone but the hunters were happy with their catch. For me, I'm glad that the hunt for the croc is over, I just thought all my limbs and they were all here.

"The animal was there, he was huge and bulging and we were six inches from the water and we were less than a meter away from him.

That evening Donal was invited to join the tribe for a crocodile party:

"When I first lived with the Insects, I imagined a fierce warrior nation.

They must be brave hunters but they are also generous and resilient people who live fully from their natural surroundings. What impressed me most was their real community. "

When a man's house was burned down, the whole village turned into the next day to rebuild the house from top to bottom.

Donal commented: "That's the size of this place."

But things changed. Tribes wear shorts and t-shirts and have developed a taste for alcohol. A college student recently brought home a recipe for alcoholic beverages known as 'Steam'. The pet follows the recipe and creates 'Steam'.

The people of this tribe were very interested in the Donal world of Britain and their leaders with the queen. Later, a visit was arranged to Britain for some Swagap people.

While the hunters were celebrating, the head of the spirit house now invited Donal inside and explained that he had learned to respect Donal enough to allow him to enter.

Days later, western music played at a Donal party that left Donald drinking some 'Steam';

"That's really great!"

Tips on survival and success can be learned from the Donal and Insect tribes:

Prayer, at least, makes you feel better about what you are doing! Your beliefs and hopes can make the miracle more likely.

Get rid of any negative or negative thoughts that may be abusive to your decision and start trusting in the laws that can bring you good results. Expect success.

Don't forget to say thank you for everything you receive. Thanksgiving attracts more to be grateful.

Appreciate and make full use of the work force of our team and community

We all need to train more and do better in canoeing, archery, spearing or whatever. Darcey Bussell, Britain's most famous footballer, has just retired. He started practicing late at the age of thirteen and was laughed at by other students. He soon mumbled his laughter by spending more time practicing until the lights went out.

Be curious and apply what you learn. Your 'Steam' may be scary at first but it can improve.

Don't judge by the looks and history of the past. Former kannibali to be brave, kind and smart.

Keep your tradition alive or replace it with less deadly. Papua New Guinea's national sport is considered a rugby league. It has been seen as a replacement for the ethnic war!

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