Himalaya – Die Kindheit eines Karawanenführers (1999)

Himalaya – Die Kindheit eines Karawanenführers: Directed by Eric Valli, Michel Debats. With Thilen Lhondup, Gurgon Kyap, Lhakpa Tsamchoe, Karma Wangel. An aging chief’s last stand, lessons for the new, and the education of a young chief-to-be played against harsh Nature in Nepal’s Dolpo. When his son dies returning from Tibet’s salt lakes, Tinle blames Karma, his son’s friend, refuses to give Karma his blessing as the new chief, and organizes a rival caravan to take the salt to lower Nepal to trade for grain. He, a few old men, his son’s widow, his grandson, and his second son, a monk, set out on the arduous journey. Fearing storms, Karma has led his caravan out of the village before the auspicious day ordained by the lamas. Tinle’s group catches Karma’s before the final pass; the two stubborn men lock wills with Tinle’s grandson watching.

“One reviewer asks if we (Westerners) can ever see the world through anotheru0026#39;s (non-Westerner) eyes. Good question. Thereu0026#39;s no u0026#39;yesu0026#39; or u0026#39;nou0026#39; answer because we canu0026#39;t get into peopleu0026#39;s heads. The cultural viewpoint from the standpoint of the actor in the cultural setting is always different from the outsider. As intruders into that world, we can observe, wonder and learn. Yes, indeed like voyeurs, my friend but these are not u0026quot;primitiveu0026quot; people. These are people who have adapted to a way of life and developed means of coping with it. Since many of these people live isolated lives, the cultural diffusion of technology invades their worlds slowly. (We anthropologists see this fact as a mercy) This film is a wonder. As one reviewer asks, can we watch a film for over a 100 minutes of people walking? It depends. What do you want? Adventure? Rent a Hollywood spawn with phony chases, lots of CGI and god-awful writing. This is a simple story but one basic to the human condition. Loss, death, coming of age, transition, love and resurrection. This film is full of archetypes but without the contrived devices found in so many Western films. The adventure is that of the daily lives of these people who live always on the edge. It is most unfair to judge this simple tale and its depiction from the same viewpoint of another mythic journey. Thereu0026#39;s only the violence of nature and the triumph of human will to survive– not happily ever after, but just for another day. As an anthropologist who spent over 25 years working with pastoralists (nomadic herders) in Africa, Central Asia, South America and the Middle East, I was delighted with this unpretentious story. I never worked with yak or reindeer [I highly recommend the exceptional u0026quot;Pathfinderu0026quot; for an excellent view of the Lapps]herders and the presentation certainly squared with everything Iu0026#39;ve read about these dynamic, wonderful people.”