Original subtitles

I've always been fascinated by nomads.

Constantly on the move...

This is the most beautiful journey.

'..surviving in some of the world's most remote wildernesses.'

Where's the removal van when you need it?

And living cheek by jowl with nature,

it's always seemed a wildly romantic existence.

It's the most magical place.

But it's no easy life.

It's the sort of cold that makes you feel physically sick.

And in today's modern world...

..they're under increasing pressure.

I'm going to live with three groups of nomads.

In Mongolia...

THEY SPEAK IN NATIVE LANGUAGE

..Siberia...

It's an incredibly exhilarating feeling.

..and with Nepal's last nomads, the Raute.

Namaste.

These hunter-gatherers once lived deep in the forest.

But today, there are less than 150 Raute people living as nomads,

and the pressure for them to settle is mounting...

I just want all these people to go away and leave them alone.

..as they're facing increasing threats from the outside world.

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

For over 900 years,

the dark, steeply wooded hills of central Nepal

have been home to the famously secretive Raute.

They are a group of people

who traditionally have lived

very remotely from settled people in Nepal.

These are people that really live life on the move.

But in recent years,

they've been leaving the forest and settling within Nepali society.

All except one small group. CAR HORN BEEPS

Very little has been written about them.

We don't think that anyone has ever filmed them for television before

and getting access to them

has been a very long and careful negotiating process.

It's a two-day journey into the heart of southwestern Nepal,

to a small district called Dailekh,

where I'm hoping to travel with the country's last nomadic group.

The Raute move every few weeks around this,

their traditional territory, which is roughly the size of Wales.

'17 Raute communities once roamed northern India and Nepal.

'But today only one remains.

'A small group of about 140 people.'

KATE STRAINS

I've been told that their current camp

is somewhere down in this valley.

From what I can gather, they're a quite private people,

so I don't know, really, what sort of reception to expect.

The Raute live by three guiding principles,

no settlement, no education and no agriculture.

I'm keen to know how they can hold on to these beliefs,

as they come into closer contact with more mainstream society.

As I head further into the valley, I come across a small school.

Apparently, they've recently had contact

with the nearby Raute camp.

Almost all of Nepal's Raute people

have abandoned nomadism and now lead settled lives.

There must be pressure on this last group to settle too.

Wow.

So, that's where they are.

That little camp of cloth-covered shelters.

And this is it. This is the entire Raute population of Nepal.

Right here.

You can also see how close they are to...

..the houses up on the side here,

they're camped right on the edge of people's rice paddies.

There's always suspicion between settled and non-settled people.

I mean, you know, you only have to look at our own country

and the way that people view travellers.

Given that there are so few of them left

and that there seems to be this shift towards

living much closer to settled people,

does this spell the end of the last nomadic tribe of Nepal?

TAPPING SOUND

Namaste.

This way?

Thank you.

Namaste.

A RAUTE COUGHS

Am I allowed to shake your hand? No. OK.

We've pre-arranged our filming,

and we're compensating the Raute for their time.

But there's an uneasiness in the camp

and no-one's very keen to engage with me.

Namaste.

A CHILD CRIES

What do you want me to do with it? Oh, you want me to buy it?

I want to know first, who taught you to carve?

I don't want to buy it yet.

Maybe another day.

Ah, tobacco.

It seems at the moment

that I am being seen a little bit like a human ATM

and everything is about money.

Everything, you know, that's a nice bowl. Yes, you can buy it.

I'll be welcoming to you if you pay me.

Which is, I suppose not that surprising, really,

given that there's been so little...

contact with foreigners.

It's going to take time to win their trust,

but as is often the case,

it's the children who seem the most intrigued.

KATE LAUGHS

Ready...

KATE GURGLES

KATE LAUGHS

'The Raute are moving away from the deep forest,

'where they had no need for money.'

But now, as they enter the cash economy,

they're some of the poorest people

in one of the poorest nations on earth.

The crew and I are camping a short walk from the Raute's settlement.

Today's been a really tough day.

At one point I tried to shake a woman's hand

and she absolutely wouldn't have anything to do with me.

No eye contact, she physically turned away.

KATE CLEARS HER THROAT

And that's, that's...

quite hard to deal with.

But it would be lovely to feel at some point

that there is a genuine connection and interaction...

..that it isn't just paid for.

Today the Raute have decided to move.

Namaste. Do you want me to help?

It's not clear why they're moving,

but with such simple dwellings and very few possessions,

it's a quick process packing up camp.

The Raute may not own much,

but it often takes two days to carry their belongings

to the new camp site.

You tell me what to do.

OK.

OK, so, what would you like me to do?

Excellent, it's all going very, very well!

'It is so frustrating.

'I want to help and make friends,

'but to the Raute I still represent only one thing.'

I feel very guilty...

not carrying anything particularly when you see

these little kids

walking up with their human loads.

But at the moment,

they still don't really know what to do with me

and I suppose I don't really know how to break the barriers down.

OK?

You go ahead.

She looks very, very pregnant

and although this pole weighs nothing,

I just feel...

You want to take it? Sure.

OK.

And then, a small breakthrough.

I thought that if I waited long enough

at the side off the road looking empty-handed

someone would eventually give me something to carry.

It feels... KATE PANTS

..like a tiny, tiny step...

..to being allowed in.

These hills are at 1,700m above sea level,

so walking with heavy loads in this heat and humidity

is incredibly tough.

It's all going quite well.

I've gained a pole and a goat.

KATE PANTS

It's hard work, we're doing this in the hottest part of the day.

I'm trying very hard not to show any sign of weakness whatsoever,

when you've got little things like this probably carrying more than their body weight.

While we rest, one of the most respected elders, Mein Badhu,

tells me about their moves.

The Raute used to hunt monkeys and forage for food in the forests.

But over the past decade,

with the cultivation of more and more land,

they're becoming increasingly reliant on trade.

After four hours of trekking, we arrive at the new camp,

which looks remarkably like someone's farm.

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

Let me just pop that down.

KATE STRAINS

Ah!

Phhh!

There are four Raute chiefs, each elected by the community.

One of them, Ain Badhu, has asked me to go with him to collect wood.

Each time they move, the Raute rebuild their simple shelters,

taking what they need from the surrounding forest.

So this is what the villagers are afraid of.

All the Raute are now spreading out and cutting trees down.

Now you might think, why don't they bring everything with them?

But given that they carry everything by hand

and having just carried a few poles myself,

I can understand why they just think, "Well,

"you know, it will all rot down and we'll just leave it there."

But equally, you can see why the villagers must think,

"What a waste of wood."

You need more? We're going this way? Yes.

Here?

This one.

It's illegal for Nepalis to fell trees.

They're only allowed to take dead wood from the forest floor.

So, it's going to fall this way? Mm. OK.

So, we go that side.

But the government has granted the Raute

special permission to take what they need.

It's easy to see how that could lead to conflict.

So, is this a good new site for everybody? New site...

Do you know who owns this land?

And he doesn't mind that you come and set up your camp on his land?

Do you pay him something to use the land?

Agriculture is vital to Nepal's struggling economy.

But as more land is cultivated,

the Raute increasingly encroach onto farmed land, provoking

tension between two very different ways of living.

Amnita Bamshi and her family have farmed this land

for the past ten years.

Did they ask your permission to stay on your land?

I've been with the Raute for three days now,

it's hard getting to know them, but I am starting to understand

their sense of identity.

They are enormously proud of who they are.

And there is something regal about them in their filthy clothing

and their matted hair

and yet, you know, the women walk through that camp like princesses.

They've got this incredible bearing about them.

They look magnificent...

..and if anything is going to keep them as Raute,

as these, you know, highly mobile, highly proud

obstreperous, difficult, impossible to understand people, it is going to

be just the essence of them, of what it is that make them Raute.

The next day, the Raute are gathering yet more wood

but this time to make handicrafts.

In the past, they bartered their boxes and bowls for food,

but today they're mostly sold for cash.

It's not enough to live on, so in 2009, the Nepali Government

began to give each Raute a monthly cash allowance of £6.

The Raute are clearly becoming dependent on the cash economy.

Bir Badhur, another chief, is one of the best carvers in the community.

Bir Badhur, can you tell me what you're making?

Bir Badhur has six children, his two eldest boys, Deepok

and Cupeel, are already becoming accomplished carvers.

Do you teach Cupeel and Deepok how to carve?

In Raute culture, only the men carve,

but everyone gets involved in trading,

and they seem happy enough for me to help finish these bowls for market.

We're taking the bowls to the local village of Ghodabas,

where a trader is waiting to buy them.

Like that? Yeah? Good?

I head off with Bir Badhur's sons.

It's a two-hour walk to the village,

up yet more ridiculously steep hills.

This is quite a walk to the village shops.

I thought I was reasonably fit

and reasonably strong and I couldn't beat a five-year-old.

It's funny, out of their camp the atmosphere is very different.

People seem to be a bit more open and friendly towards me,

generally a bit more chatty, a bit more eye contact from the women,

a bit of smiling.

Maybe it's just the excitement of being near a shop with tobacco

and fizzy drinks though.

The trader waiting for the Raute is from another district, 200km away.

The bowls will be refined and decorated for the European market,

where they'll sell for up to £40 each.

How much will you pay for the bowls?

Only 200 rupees, that's not very much, should you pay more?

The cash from the sale of the bowls is used to buy rice, flour,

vegetables and tobacco.

Did the sale go well today? Did you get some good money?

Yeah? And what will you do with the money now?

Kani, kani, rice.

As the Raute move closer to the settled world,

they become more exposed to all its trappings.

What do you think about things like mobile phones or televisions?

And the same for phones as well?

Do you think your life would be better if you lived in a village

like this one, settled?

This is so surprising to hear.

Wherever I go, it's always the younger generation that wants

new technology, to modernise, but here it seems these Raute boys

genuinely hold their traditions dear.

I'm going with Deepok

and Cupeel to buy supplies in the next village, Goranse.

This doesn't look like a vegetable shop.

We've walked straight into a bar, not, it turns out, to drink hard,

but for fried chickpeas which is the boys' favourite.

So, it's like a little treat before doing the vegetable shopping.

I feel a little bit like a big sister,

taking her brothers out for the day.

It's great to feel like I'm finally being accepted.

No, not often.

We don't have a monsoon but when the winter comes,

we can have very bad weather and if the weather is very bad,

then sometimes, yes, the water comes through my roof.

Would you like to live in a house like this one?

# Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O

# And on that farm he had a dog E-I-E-I-O... #

And then you do the noise that the dog makes...

# With a Woof! Woof! there And a Woof! Woof! here... #

The mood in the camp has definitely become more relaxed.

And if singing Old MacDonald helps, I'm not proud(!)

# On that farm they had a Bakra E-I-E-I-O

# With a meeeh here And a meeeh there

# Here a meeeh, there a meeeh Everywhere a meeeh... #

# Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O

# And on that farm he had a... #

What's the word for cockerel?

# Cock-a-doodle-doo... #

Brilliant!

Helping with the move,

selling bowls with the boys, and now singing Old MacDonald,

really seems to have broken the ice...

Maybe a little too much!

Quite sore!

Tulsi is Deepok and Cupeel's aunt.

She's been asking me about whether I've got a baby or not.

She's a widow,

her husband died a few years ago from what they think was malaria.

How many children do you have?

Three? And this is your youngest one? Youngest daughter.

And then the other two, you have sons or daughters?

In Raute families,

is it...good to have daughter or son, or it doesn't matter?

Hello, you're almost as pretty as your mum.

When her husband died, Tulsi lost her main source of income,

as only the men are allowed to carve bowls to sell.

She does receive the monthly government allowance,

but it's not enough to sustain her family.

But the Raute are a close-knit community.

Tulsi's brother-in-law, Bir Badhur and his sons Cupeel

and Deepok, help to support her.

Cupeel, you said you were worried about Tulsi?

Another way Cupeel helps his aunt, is by foraging with her

for fern fronds.

Traditionally a woman's job, it's core to the Raute's way of life

and provides a vital part of their diet.

How much food do you get from the forest? Do you go every day?

Is there anything else that you get from the forest?

Tulsi and Cupeel are like mountain goats...

I'm not...

Ow!

And to make matters worse,

there are the most stingy stinging nettles ever.

Ow!

Ow! God, those stingers are really strong.

SHE LAUGHS

Ow!

I think you are doing this on purpose. Shit! Everything hurts!

Oh, my God, Tulsi!

Oh, shit, right up the bum!

These stinging nettles...

SHE LAUGHS

Owww! Tulsi, I don't like it!

THEY LAUGH

Are those ones are no good?

Oh. I thought they were really juicy ones.

We snap off the ferns' woody stem, leaving a softer shoot.

The fern fronds are boiled in salted water with chillies

and then left to go cold.

Tulsi and her children will eat them with plain boiled rice this evening.

This may look like a very simple scene

but the contrast between this and a few days ago

is quite extraordinary.

I can't believe

that I've been allowed into

a widow's tent

just to help cook.

It doesn't look like much

but, for me, this feels like some sort of acceptance

and it's really special.

Thank you.

Thank you for today.

It was a really special day.

This morning, it's all change.

The Raute have decided to move again.

The decision to move is taken by the whole group,

but the chiefs have the final say.

An advance party has already scouted out a new campsite.

Slowly, the whole community embarks on the six-hour trek.

I'm helping Tulsi.

The Raute usually move when their camp becomes unclean,

if the water supply isn't good enough

or after a death in the group.

This time, they want to move to a site with more space.

In five days' time, it's the biggest festival of the Hindu calendar,

Dashain.

They want a campsite that will sustain them

for the duration of the 15-day celebration.

I suspect I've been given the kids' load.

I'm carrying firewood.

Probably not that much, 15 kilos.

But this hill is a killer.

Even for the nimble-footed Raute.

Oh, I tell you what!

Where's the removal van when you need it?

The one thing that is coming through unequivocally

during the time that I spend with these people

is that their nomadism

is right at their heart.

This is their life...

..and it's hard

but it's what makes them tick.

And I really get that.

After three hours, we arrive at the halfway mark.

My small load's been hard enough

but Tulsi's is nearer 40 kilos,

about the weight of a ten-year-old child.

OK.

Now try.

Got it?

OK.

Oh, my goodness, Tulsi! How do you carry that?

I don't know how she does this. She just walked up this massive hill.

It must weigh more than her.

Oh, my goodness!

How do you do it?

I'm going to have to admit defeat.

OK, I have even more respect for you than I had before.

Your neck must be so strong.

They make it look so easy,

and you run up and down these hills!

I don't know how you do it!

I'll take the firewood!

Being with people like this makes me feel just so inadequate.

They're so strong and resilient

and they kind of fit with this landscape

and they don't think that what they do is extraordinary,

this is just their life,

and, if I or you got the impression at all

that they don't want to grow crops

because it's all a bit of an effort and...

they like the sense of freedom.

Don't be fooled that they are in any way idle or lazy.

What I've seen today can only be achieved

by people who really, really know what hard work is.

The Raute's new camp on these man-made terraces

is surrounded by a busy road.

It feels a long way away from their traditional settlements

deep in the forest.

Capeel is

making valiant attempts to build Tulsi's shelter

and I'm trying to help as much as I can,

but Tulsi is clearly a hard taskmaster

and is demanding perfection.

Over the last decade, as other Raute groups have settled,

they've become subsumed into mainstream society,

but these last nomads attract attention wherever they go.

Villager Jit Bahadur Malla is employed by the district

to take care of this small communal plot of land.

There have been a lot of people coming to the camp.

What do you think of that?

And do you ever get scared?

VOICES RAISE

Cupeel and Deepok's father, Bir Badhur,

is embroiled in an argument with another local man.

Bir Badhur, come on, let's go.

Bir Badhur, Bir Badhur,

Mama, let's go.

Come on, now.

You go to your wife, and I'll take him.

You should listen to your wife, maybe,

and perhaps you should just... Yes, yes. ..get off this hill,

and go somewhere else,

where everyone else can just get some peace. Can you do that?

I am sorry. That's OK.

'It's been, um...

'a very tense afternoon.'

I can't say I'm surprised, really.

This...site that they've moved to is so public, and there are a lot

of people who are threatening them in one way or another.

There was one man in particular, who works in the forestry

around here, is incredibly upset that they've cut down the trees,

and I have to say, I can totally see his point,

but I am really torn.

So I feel incredibly protective.

It's really odd, but I just think,

I just want all these people to go away and leave them alone.

Um, so...

CHILDREN SPEAK

It's really silly, but...

I was looking at...

At Cupeel's face when his father, Bir Badhur, and this other man

were just yelling at each other...

..and he just looked...

He looked distraught.

Really distraught.

And as much as...

As much as the Raute say that they will always

live this life and they're proud of who they are,

you wonder whether eventually

they'll either be forced, somehow, to conform...

or they'll be forced back into the forest and away from villages again.

When people come and they shout at you

and they want you to go away, does that happen a lot?

Today's the start of the Hindu festival, Dashain.

The Raute's own belief system is a mixture of Hinduism

and Animism, the ancient belief that all things in nature -

animals, plants and the elements - possess a spiritual essence.

To help them celebrate Dashain, the Nepalese Government gives

every Raute family a special payment of £65, with which they buy

a goat for slaughter and enough food for the 15 days of celebration.

The Chief District Officer, Sagarmani Parajuli,

has arrived to make the payment.

Would the Government like, in the long term, to see the Raute

become a settled people?

Do you think they would be willing to settle?

I think it would be a shame. LAUGHTER

'It's pretty clear that by handing out this cash,

'the Nepalese Government is trying to entice these last nomadic

'Raute into becoming settled.

'I think it would be enormously sad if the Raute were just to be

'absorbed into conformist Nepali society.

'The world has become so homogenised and when you meet

'and spend time with people like this,'

you realise that there is a great deal of value in diversity.

'But my worry is that with such a small group them,

'just 143, still living like nomads, what chance do they really have?'

It may in the end be a combination

of all those social and political pressures,

and that they've become used to having a bit of cash

in their pockets that may undermine this extraordinary way of life,

but the identity of being a Raute is extraordinarily strong.

There is a real pride in their heritage,

and I don't think they're going to let that go lightly.

As dusk descends, the tension of yesterday is forgotten,

and the Raute begin their Dashain celebrations.

DRUMMING

CHEERING I am cursing these people.

For the last two weeks, they've had me singing Old MacDonald

till I'm blue in the face, and I have tried so hard to get them to

sing or dance for me, and they're like,

"Nope, we don't do it, we don't do it."

There is just something wonderful about this

atmosphere with the light failing

and this wonderful smell of very fragrant smoke in the air.

It just has this very simple joy about it,

and I think that is very much a facet of Raute life.

They have their challenges and put up with a lot

of prejudice and negativity.

Hey, Ain Badhur, how are you?

It's great.

They just have this fantastic...

..generosity of spirit!

SHE LAUGHS Particularly when they've had

a bit of Chang, which I think might be flowing quite hard tonight.

THEY LAUGH

DRUMMING AND CHEERING

This is my last night with the Raute

and tomorrow, I'm going to be heading back to Kathmandu

and then home.

And for some reason that I can't really explain,

they don't seem to be the sort of people that you say goodbye to.

So I'm just going to leave them to it, to celebrate Dashain,

and then to pack up their things and move on.

Next time, I'm in Siberia.

It's the sort of cold that makes you feel physically sick.

Travelling with a family of reindeer herders

in one of the most extreme places on Earth.

What a place to be.

Life in this freezing wilderness has always been tough...

..but now they're facing the global threats of climate change

and heavy industry.

The Yamal Peninsula is one big gas reserve.