Ed Stafford's Rite of Passage (2025) s01e05 Episode Script

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(MONKEY HOWLING)
(IMITATING MONKEY SOUND)
(HUNTER SPEAKING)
ED: There is quite a lot of foliage
between us and them
so they are well-hidden,
that's the problem.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(MONKEY HOWLING)
ED: Welcome to filming in the Jungle.
I'm Ed Stafford.
As an explorer and survivalist,
I've made a career out of
mucking about in the wild.
If I'm honest,
I've never really grown up.
ED: Look at that.
So now
PILOT: Ready, guys?
ED: I've set myself a mission
.to see how cultures
across the world
navigate the messy business
of becoming an adult.
I believe many of us
in the modern world
have lost our sense of identity.
But I'm hoping by immersing myself
in the often-extreme trials
that young people face,
I can figure out how these rituals
make us better members
of our communities.
ED: I've never experienced anything
even comparable in terms of pain.
By joining them on their journey,
I hope I'll learn to become
a better man
(TINICO SPEAKING)
ED: maybe even grow up
ED: Expelliarmus.
Okay, he wants me to jump.
I'm going to jump it now.
and successfully pass my own
"Rite of Passage."
(PLANE ENGINE STARTING)
PILOT: Ready, guys?
Okay, we're off.
(PLANE ENGINE REVVING)
I'm on my way
to visit the Waorani people.
They are people I've been
fascinated by for a long time.
And uniquely, they have virtually
zero concept of time,
living solely in the present.
ED: The Waorani village of Bameno
is deep in the rainforest in Ecuador.
I've been travelling
for two days now
and this is the final leg
of my journey,
a two-hour flight,
right into the center
of the Amazon jungle.
This or a three-day boat journey
are the only ways
to get into the village.
ED: Think I'll stick with the plane.
ED: The rite of passage into
adulthood for these guys
involves expert levels of jungle
and hunting skills.
These guys have two hunting weapons,
the blowpipe and the spear.
And I've got a week
to master them both.
(PLANE ENGINE REVVING)
That is a bumpy runway.
ED: Crikey,
it looks like the villagers
have come out to meet me.
Okay, let's go and say hi.
(SINGING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(PENTI SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(PENTI SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: Penti's been expecting me.
I wasn't expecting to see
quite so much of him.
But I guess in this sweltering heat,
it does make sense
not to be too covered up.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(DAVOTO SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: Some Waorani are said
not to be receptive to visitors
from the outside world.
I certainly wouldn't want to be
on the wrong end of a blowpipe.
But, so far so good.
(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: I'm about to go and be put
through my paces in the jungle.
It's a great opportunity for me
to get to know the guys,
find out from their perspective
how important hunting is.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
-(PENTI SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
ED: This is me starting my journey
in terms of trying to learn
how to hunt.
(BLEEP)
I'm excited.
(BOAT ENGINE REVVING)
Penti says that the boys start
with blowpipes
and then graduate to using spears.
To be accepted as warriors,
they have to master both and prove it
by bringing home an impressive kill.
ED: These two boys here are currently
going through their rite of passage,
and Sivo,
is almost reaching that stage
where he has done his training.
ED: Out of the young boys,
two out of three haven't
caught a monkey before.
They've shot small birds,
stuff like that.
So, they really are
in the same boat as me.
(ED SPEAKING)
-(PENTI SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(LAUGHING)
(BIRD TWITTERING)
ED: These guys are slipping through
the jungle extraordinarily deftly.
And, uh, I feel like
I'm sort of stumbling through
and smashing through at the back.
Simply moving through the jungle
with a blowpipe is no easy thing.
The guys in front
make it look so simple.
But I can assure you,
with all the vines, and fallen trees,
it's not at all.
Mine keeps getting banged
and snagged on everything.
(MONKEY SCREECHING)
(ED SPEAKING IN LOW VOICE) I thought
that was a monkey at first.
But it's obviously the guys who are
starting to call for the monkeys.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: These guys have hunted monkeys
for literally millennia
and it is sustainable.
The monkeys are abundant.
And I think it's because of that,
that they haven't had an impact
on the population.
(MONKEY HOWLING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(IMITATING MONKEY SOUND)
(ED SPEAKING)
(IMITATING MONKEY SOUND)
(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(IMITATING MONKEY SOUND)
(IMITATING MONKEY SOUND)
(ED IMITATING MONKEY SOUND)
(COUGHING)
All the boys have got
different levels of experience,
and it doesn't seem
to be age-related.
Adrian has got
a brilliant monkey call,
slightly less inhibitions, I think,
because he's of a slightly
more naive age.
Whereas Silba is a bit embarrassed
by doing the calls.
And then Sivo,
much more experience,
quite proficient.
Me, 49 years old, complete numpty.
Embarrassing.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
ED: Waorani boys start learning
how to use blowpipes
from when they're tiny.
I've got a lot of catching up to do.
It's quite a beast to handle,
isn't it?
Okay.
I think my tuba playing prowess
will come in handy now.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(LAUGHING)
(BAHI SPEAKING)
This is the vine
that produces the toxin
that they put on the end of the darts
that causes the monkeys
to fall out the trees.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(BAHI SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: We take the vine
back to the village.
Tomorrow we'll be cooking up
a deadly poison.
I actually really love the fact that
the rite of passage here has been
interwoven into
the very fabric of life.
These guys have obviously
been brought up in the jungle.
And so, all of this information
has been amassing
year upon year upon year
for their entire childhood.
This is building up skills that are
gonna allow them to be valuable
to the community and to their wives
and to their children.
(BIRD TWITTERING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
ED: As it's my first night here,
the village want to give me
a proper Waorani welcome.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(ALL SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
The whole lot? Drink it, okay.
(LAUGHS)
(SINGING)
(ALL SINGING)
Come on, okay.
ED: When in Rome
(SINGING)
ED: I'm not a hundred percent sure
what is going on at the moment,
because I don't understand
anything that's being said.
I feel very welcomed,
that's the main thing.
(ALL SINGING CONTINUES)
ED: Okay, we're going in together.
(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
The thing that Penti was
the most keen to convey, I think,
was how he wants to continue
how his ancestors have lived.
The same cultures
they've always lived by.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
ED: You've got a really
traditional house there,
and then you've got
a basketball court made out of, uh,
metal and concrete in front of me.
It's, uh,
invariably a juxtaposition
but we're in a modern world,
aren't we?
Since I was welcomed,
a lot of the men
have put a pair of shorts on.
Women have put tops on as well.
That ceremony was to demonstrate
that they have a rich culture,
they have traditions.
But I guess,
like all indigenous tribes,
they're trying to find a balance.
They're trying to balance,
keeping their customs
with embracing the modern world.
(ROOSTER CROWING)
It's 5:45 a.m.
Everyone is just beginning to stir.
(COUGHING)
That was quite a night.
The amount of farting,
spitting, coughing.
I think I managed to get
about four hours sleep.
Reminds me of boarding school.
(LAUGHS)
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(RAIN PATTERING)
ED: Oh, my goodness!
Look at that.
It's a tapir.
I was not expecting that.
A tame tapir.
Oh, no, this
camera's completely fogging up.
It's hoofing it down with rain.
Welcome to filming in the jungle.
(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
Such a nice attitude towards life,
isn't it?
There's so much freedom,
and it just
enables them to have more time,
bonding with your kids,
time bonding with your wife,
time
chatting, time making jokes,
time caring for each other I guess,
looking out for each other.
From what I can see,
there's smiles all round.
And you don't necessarily find that
in more Western, modern society.
(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: So I'm fire hardening the darts.
I'm terrified that at some point
this whole thing
kind of just go up in flames.
And he's going to have spent
hours carving these darts.
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: It's a neurotoxin
that paralyses its victims,
causing them to suffocate.
This poison is used
for killing monkeys.
And if I was to jab
one of those darts in my arm
it would kill me instantly.
I feel like Sleeping Beauty.
Don't prick your finger.
It is quite sobering to think
that these are sharp sticks
and they're full of
a lethal venom now.
I'm reminded that fast-tracking
this rite of passage
in just a few days,
something the Waorani spend years
building the skills for,
is dangerous work.
(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: Just 0.03 grams
of this poison is fatal,
if it enters the bloodstream.
But surely a little bit on
the tip of the tongue won't hurt me.
I hope.
(TEPENE SPEAKING)
ED: Just tasted a lethal toxin.
It tastes toxic.
It has a very strong flavor.
It's almost like battery acid.
I think that tiny amount
on the end of your tongue,
which is spat out,
isn't obviously any
dangerous level.
I'm hoping it's not anyway.
(ED SPEAKING)
Introducing kids of 10 years old
to something that is, uh,
inherently life threatening,
they therefore,
learn about responsibility
from a very young age,
and that is invariably
part and parcel
of this rite of passage ceremony,
isn't it?
It's saying goodbye to the naivety
and the foolishness,
and the carefreeness
maybe of childhood
and embracing the responsibilities
that are attached to growing up.
Kids have to learn how to do this.
If not, they're not going
to survive out here.
Therefore, there's no option
but to embrace these risks.
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: Poison darts ready,
it's time to put them to the test.
(TENSE MUSIC)
(MONKEY HOWLING AND SCREECHING)
Tepena is using a piranha jaw
and the teeth on it
to score a mark in the dart,
and in doing so
he's making a breaking point
so that when it enters a monkey,
it actually snaps off
and the monkey can't pull it out,
which means that more of the toxins
actually enter the blood stream.
(MONKEY HOWLING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ADRIAN SPEAKING)
ED: There's a troop of monkeys.
A small troop of monkeys
at the top of this tree.
Very difficult to see them
from down here.
There is quite a lot of foliage
between us and them
so they are well-hidden.
That's the problem.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(ED SPEAKING)
No wonder they make so many darts.
We've had quite a few shots
and no one's hit one yet.
It's possibly because
the tree is so high up
that it's proving difficult
to kill them.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(SIVO SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(BAHI SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(BAHI SPEAKING)
Okay, he's hit one,
and we're waiting for the toxin
to take effect.
(ED SPEAKING)
(SIVO SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
The guys couldn't get up
to a position
where they could dislodge it and
it's a bit of a stalemate
I'm afraid.
Whether that monkey survives or not,
I don't know.
ED: The Waorani would
never let a life go to waste.
They'll come back later
to see if the poisoned monkey
is more accessible.
But for now,
it's a fail for me and the boys.
At the same time
as we were trying to get the monkey
down from the tree,
Tepena went off to a further
troop of monkeys that he could hear.
So he's now separated from the group.
We're gonna head back to the boat.
Everyone's got grins on their faces,
everyone's happy,
but yet again we're returning home
without any food.
The village relies on food
from the hunt for survival.
It's not just the rite of passage
that's at stake.
(TWITTERING)
ED: Tepena's back,
and, unlike me and the boys,
he's not empty-handed.
It's dinner time.
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
ED: It's brought everyone together.
It's a kind of mini celebration
in itself.
Everyone is more relaxed now.
Immediately you could
see all the smiles.
I think the thing that struck me
the most about that was
witnessing just how much
Tepena grew in stature.
And how his demeanor
changed completely
because he'd come back
and he'd provided for the community,
and he was therefore
fulfilling his role.
And that's how value
is seen within this community.
If you can catch a monkey,
then you're worthwhile being around,
aren't you?
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: It's a very sort of
distinct taste.
I have to admit, it's more the
concept of eating monkey,
rather than the meat itself
that's difficult.
It is always a contentious thing
to eat something
that is so closely related to humans.
(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: To these guys,
I guess, meat is meat.
You know, food is food.
And it's born out of necessity.
It's born out of practicality.
It's what's available.
And they've been doing it
for centuries.
(SIVO SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(DAVOTO SPEAKING)
ED: Absolutely no waste here
whatsoever.
Davoto is preparing the head for me.
(ED SPEAKING)
That's better, actually.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
-(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: They seem keen for me
to try all parts of the monkey.
(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
(PENTI SPEAKING)
It's like eating a bouncy ball.
I can't actually get
my teeth through it.
Exploding bouncy ball. Wow!
Eye juice.
(PENTI SPEAKING)
ED: Chilled monkey brains.
It's like eating pate
or something like that.
It's quite rich and fatty.
That is actually a delicacy.
That's the nicest bit
of the monkey by far.
(BAHI SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(BAHI SPEAKING)
That was amazing. Stuffed.
(INSTRUMENTAL DRAMATIC MUSIC)
ED: Okay, so the blowpipe was a fail.
But one big kill with the spear
means we can still pass
the right of passage.
This is something that is designed
for these guys specifically
to kill crocodiles or caiman.
Unlike the blowpipe,
this weapon means getting into
close contact with a deadly predator.
(ED SPEAKING)
(ADRIAN SPEAKING)
ED: He's got a massive grin
on his face and very happy,
I think, to be given
the responsibility
to actually make one of these.
It's not a kid's toy.
It's obviously potentially lethal.
And I think that that is obviously
all part and parcel of
how he is beginning to
acquire the skills necessary
to be proficient in hunting.
When the hunters
don't bring back a kill,
it's the women's job to make food
to keep the community going.
(ED SPEAKING)
(ATINKARE SPEAKING)
(LAUGHS)
(ED SPEAKING)
-(ATINKARE SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(ATINKARE SPEAKING)
(DAVOTO SPEAKING)
ED: I feel a bit deflated now.
(ATINKARE SPEAKING)
ED: I think I'm butchering this job,
by all accounts.
(ED SPEAKING)
(LAUGHING)
(ED SPEAKING)
Okay.
So in a world of no blenders,
clearly the best way
to mash up the yucca
and turn it into a form
that can therefore
become a drink is to masticate it.
ED: I've eaten so much Yucca.
(ED SPEAKING)
That's why they're laughing at me
because they think
it's a woman's work.
(ED SPEAKING)
(DAVOTO SPEAKING)
ED: The reality for a community
like this,
where kills aren't guaranteed
on every hunt,
is that the women's role
in providing food
is just as vital as the men's.
It keeps hitting
the back of my throat
and I get this gag reflex.
(ED BURPS) Excuse me.
Oof!
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: Yeah, I like it.
Is it customary to slurp?
(ED SPEAKING)
(LAUGHING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
ED: Mm-hmm.
Okay.
(ENGINE STARTING)
(ROOSTER CROWING)
ED: We're on the boat
heading upriver.
We're heading to a place
where Tepena thinks
we are most likely to find caiman.
This is particularly big night
for Sivo
because if he were
to catch a caiman tonight,
I think that would be
a very significant demonstration
that he's gone through the training,
he's got enough experience,
and he's ready to enter to adulthood.
And it's a big night for me too.
It's my last night with the tribe and
so my final chance to prove myself.
It's starting to get very dark.
To catch a caiman,
you have to head out at night.
(ED SPEAKING)
(SIVO SPEAKING)
ED: It's a big night for us to try
and prove ourselves as hunters.
Whereas the two boys behind me
are just having a little giggle.
Not a care in the world.
They're at very different stages
of their journey.
The reason for the torches is
is caiman have very reflective eyes.
Not only does the torch light
enable us to spot the caiman,
but there's an element
of being transfixed by the light
that makes them stay in one place.
If they can get the spear in,
the next phase is to actually
jump out of the boat
onto the back of the caiman
and kind of wrestle it into the boat.
It does seem somewhat reckless
to jump in the water
with something with that
powerful jaws and that sharp teeth.
There's no doubt in my mind that
caiman can kill.
Caiman can grow up to about 15 foot
in the Amazon
and a 15-foot caiman is a man-eater.
So, there is a very big
element of danger here.
ED: Not least for untrained hunters,
caiman are known
for their rapid reflexes
and can react to being provoked
in just one twentieth of a second
crushing human bones in the process.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: He's out the water, isn't he?
Can you see him?
His whole head's out the water.
Time for Sivo to step up to the plate
and catch himself a caiman.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(SIVO SINGING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
I hate to say it,
but that was a golden opportunity.
Sivo had a caiman
proud of the water,
super proud of the water.
Literally showing the whole
of the underside of its neck,
which is obviously
a vulnerable position for it.
And he messed up the strike
and he didn't get it.
Aah! Poor guy.
(ED SPEAKING)
(SIVO SPEAKING)
ED: Sivo sadly missed his chance.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: Come on, come on, come in.
Forwards, forwards.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, it's on the
Ahhh! (BLEEP)
Ahh!
No.
That's frustrating.
The back of the spear
got stuck in my poncho.
And, uh, so I couldn't pull it back.
So, it slipped off the end of the
spear.
Quite mixed emotions about that.
Clearly really chuffed
to have struck it
and actually hit it.
ED: This isn't going exactly
how we planned.
But there's no way
we're giving up just yet.
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
ED: Oh, well done.
I mean, it ain't big, but you know,
it's a start.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(SIVO SPEAKING)
To an extent,
that takes the pressure off.
You can tell by the grin on his face,
he's happy.
Even a caiman of this size,
you just would not want to
put your finger in its mouth.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
It's a very quick death.
It's not struggling
or suffering at all.
ED: With Sivo now having
successfully hunted a caiman,
it's my turn.
Pressure's on, Stafford.
You're in the hot seat.
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
ED: Caiman in there.
It's quite out of the water.
Those eyes are burning,
burning orange.
Yeah.
Yeah!
Got it, got it, got it.
Got it, got it.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
ED: Okay, watch your feet.
(SIVO SPEAKING)
ED: It's a caiman.
It's not the massivest caiman
that I've ever caught in my life,
but it is a caiman.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: This is the process for me.
This is understanding the process.
I feel very honored
to have taken part.
(TWITTERING)
(DAVOTO SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(SIVO SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
-(TEPENA SPEAKING)
-(ED SPEAKING)
Okay, head's coming off.
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
Oh! Oh!
(DAVOTO SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
(TEPENA SPEAKING)
(ED SPEAKING)
ED: There's certainly
no time pressure.
Because, as we've seen
in all areas of life,
the relationship with time
is very different.
But also, because this
isn't a focused exam.
It's far more long-term.
It's far more integrated within
the whole culture of living here.
And for this community,
it works extraordinarily well.
I think life here isn't easy.
It's tough.
That said, there are
a huge amounts of positives.
People have got far more time
for each other,
be that the less time pressure,
be that the
every single meal
is eaten as a family.
It's happiness, it's peace,
it's connection to our kids,
it's love.
(ED SPEAKING)
And I think if I can
incorporate that in some way,
then I think my time here
would have been well spent.
(ED SPEAKING)
He's sucking not blowing!
He's sucking not blowing!
Don't know why I washed in the river,
there's a shower here.
I just can't wait to get
my wet pants off at the moment,
they are sticking to my bum.
That's it, we are drifting
backwards down the river,
so it's not a perfect scenario.
Yes!
Yeah, yeah, yeah!