Three Herding Societies (1982)

[Music] A distant herd of reindeer move silently across snow-covered forest lands of Europe. The tiger of northern Finland. Laps lead the herds here and watch over [Music] them. In the rugged mountains of Peru in South America, llama's grace, Ketwa Indians tend them. In Kenya, in equatorial Africa, on the hot plains of the Great Rift Valley, cattle graze under the watchful eyes of the Messiah, the Ketuas, and the laps and the Messiah. Three very different cultures that share a common way of life. Hurting [Music] laps wander the northern parts of Finland. Hundreds of years ago, they hunted reindeer. But as the number of reindeer became smaller, laps began to herd them to be sure of a supply. Herders are usually found on land that can't be farmed. [Music] Even though the top soil of northern Finland is frozen most of the year, lychen will grow. These small plants are a reindeer's main food. With its large hooves, it can dig down to the plants, which it can smell under more than 2 ft of snow. In the summer, the reindeer move to the snow-covered mountains to escape the flies and mosquitoes in the lower areas and to find fresh lykan. And the laps follow them. Laps depend completely on the reindeer for their survival. They use the skins for shelter and clothing, the meat, milk, blood, and even the bones for food. They also use the reindeer as a pack animal. [Music] So self-sufficient are these lap herders that if the modern world were to end tomorrow, lap life could go on unchanged. Every year, the government of Finland holds a reindeer roundup. The laps bring their deer in from the countryside where they're identified and checked for disease. The laps are then taxed according to the number of deer they own. Ownership of each reindeer is determined by ear markings. The old ways are changing. Snowmobiles are replacing the reindeer pulled sleds. [Music] And fewer young laps want to be herders. They'd rather drive trucks or work in factories in the cities. The laps with their traditional brightly colored clothing are a small, sturdy, hardworking people. Soon little may be left of the lap herders old way of life in [Music] Finland, South America and the great Andes mountains of eastern Peru. The Ketua Indians here have herded the llama and alpaca for 2500 years. These animals still provide the Ketuas with food and clothing. High in the cold, thin air of the mountains, they live lives built around the animals. The Ketuas are descendants of the Incas who were living in Peru when the Spaniards came in the 1500s. Even after the Spanish conquest, the Ketuas continued to live in the mountains as herders. Most of the fabrics the catchers make are woven from the wool of the llamas. The Incas used a knife for cutting wool from the animals. The ketuas use shears. After the wool is gathered, it is spun into threads. A simple spindle is used. While among the laps, only the women weave. In Ketuan society, everyone weaves. Women and men, the old and the young. The Ketuas, like the laps, have developed clothing that protects them from the cold. The fabrics they weave are often brightly colored. Llama wool is very coarse. The fabrics that are made from it are rough but sturdy. [Music] These villagers are starting a trip to market that will take them 3 days. Like reindeer, llamas are also used as pack animals. Unlike most herders, the Ketuas do a small amount of farming. They raise potatoes, which they take to market along with wool thread they've made and the materials they've woven. Without the help of the sturdy llama, such a journey would be [Music] impossible. Finally, the catchers arrive at the market to sell or exchange their goods for goods from other villagers and products from the cities. The Ketuas, like the laps, are a small, rugged people. Their bodies have adapted to the thin mountain air to allow their lungs to take in more oxygen in these high altitudes. [Music] Once trading is over, the Ketuas will return to their isolated villages. Ketuas are a more community oriented people than laps. They prefer to build their houses near relatives and friends. And the llama or alpaca can always be found in a nearby yard. A reminder that everything the catchas do is still centered around their precious animals. Eastern Africa in the great rift area of the equator, the home of the Messiah. The Messiah have been hurting their cattle on these plains for a thousand [Music] years. Everything the Messiah do is related to their cattle. Assai warriors will hunt and make war only to protect the herd or the grazing [Music] land. During the wet season, the hot plains are covered with thick grass. But in the dry season, the plains become barren. So the Messiah move their cattle toward the mountains in search of new and fertile pastures. Like the laps and the Ketuas, the Messiah live almost entirely on what is provided by the animals they heard. The laps identify their animals by ear marks. The Ketwas with brands, the Messiah rely on their good memory and on a large vocabulary of cattle terms. Unlike the laps and the Ketwas who live in cold climates and show their skills of color and design in their heavy fabrics and clothing, the Messiah put their artistic abilities to work in beads and bracelets. And like the laps and catchas, the Messiah build their homes from what their herds and the land make available. Cattle dung is in abundant supply as a building material in the world of the Messiah. In times of plenty, Messiah warriors dance to celebrate their large herds. For their lives depend on them. Three different cultures in three very different parts of the world sharing a common way of life. Hurting [Music]