Lonely Planet

GLOBETROTTERPHOTOGRAPHS: GALYNA_P/SHUTTERSTOCKGOLDENUTZ/GETTY, INSAGO/SHUTTERSTOCK, PASEVEN/ISTOCK/GETTY, ALEX STONEMAN/GREENPEACEOctober 2017 Lonely Planet Traveller 27``````The film’s name refers to an inherent connectionpeople have to nature. Just how obvious was thatconnection to you, living in these communities asan outsider?One thing that became apparent to me was thatthese guys are meditating every day. Hunting is ameditation: you have to be in your senses, fully alertand aware for a prolonged periodof time, so they’re automaticallyexercising a part of themselves thatthe rest of us usually don’t. Most ofthe religions we have today havecome about since agriculture andit’s no surprise that once we startmanipulating nature, we suddenlythink that we’re above it, andthat God looks like us. What theindigenous groups have to share isthat they see themselves absolutelyas equals within nature – part of it,not above it.``````What can the rest of us learn from their outlook?I genuinely think that there are lessons all humanscan learn from these people. They are free in a waythat we have no clue about. Wherever you are in thesocial strata of our modern way of living, we are``````exhibiting the stresses of individualism andseparation from nature, from ourselves, from eachother. I believe we carry a massive level of stressbeneath the surface about what happens when wedie. From my experience, these communities don’thave that: they know they’ll be looked after and thatwhen they die, they’ll be remembered in the groundand in the trees.``````Making Tawai took up five years ofyour life. Do you feel like theexperience changed you?Absolutely. When I did my Tribeseries years ago, I was always readyto come home, because I foundit uncomfortable living away. I waslooking forward to clean sheets anda different diet, and even thoughI could see the great wonders of theway these people were living, myown desires were stronger. But Tawaitook me on an amazing personal journey and hasallowed me to be more at peace with less, somehow.I’m considering starting a community to try toemulate some of their values: focusing on longevity,respect and the non-dominance of nature.I think it would spread like wildfire.``````Explorer anddocumentary-makerBruce Parry has livedwith some of theworld’s most remoteindigenous peoples.This autumn sees therelease of his firstfeature-length film,Tawai. Named for theword the nomadichunter-gatherers ofBorneo use to describetheir connection tonature, this beautiful,slow-paced filmdocuments Bruce’smonths spent livingin tribal communitiesaround the world,from the Amazonbasin to the Indiansubcontinent. Here,Bruce tells us abouthis experiencesmaking the film.TawaiNEW FILM‘We suddenlythink thatwe’re abovenature andthat God lookslike us’Tawai will be ongeneral release atindependent cinemason 22 September 2017``````For daily travel news updates, visit lonelyplanet.com/news