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In this video, I'm going to show you some of Africa's most remote tribe and I'm joined by one special person. Hi, I'm Deanna. I'm Drew's wife. This is going to be an amazing adventure. Welcome to Angola, one of Africa's most remote countries. I'm here to meet the Himba, a tribe that has survived for centuries in the desert heat, completely untouched by modern life. Few outsiders ever make it this far, and even fewer are invited to truly understand their way of life. My mission is to learn how the Himba have held onto their identity and to find out what their ancient wisdom can teach us about connection,
belonging, and what it truly means to be human. But before we arrive, I want to support the Himba by picking up some supplies. I bought some corn flour. Wow. That's Thai white rice. That came a long way. What's that for? Oil. For cooking. like frying stuff. Never good to show up empty handed.
We just arrived to the Himba tribe. Very, very remote. It was eight hours of driving from 2:00 a.m. to 10:00. Deanna just got out of the car and is teaching them hopscotch. Whoa. On. Yeah. Good job. Yeah! Oh, okay. Yeah. Sorry.
They're covered head to toe in the clay. That's my esposa. Yeah, like. What? Yeah. I learned from them, she learns from me. So, their village is made up of this circle. It's about size of a football field in every direction. In the middle of it right there is where the cows go. When you walk, you're stepping on cow poop. I mean, this whole floor. E-everything that you're stepping on is cow dung. And while it might sound gross to you, consider that cow dung is actually used to build their houses, as you can see.
The material is cow dung. It dries up and it becomes an excellent shelter. protects you from the sun, the rain, and it keeps the roof over your heads. This is inside the home here. It's actually quite cool in here. And. they just hang stuff up high, sleep on the floor here, bowls, cups. These stuff in every corner here you can find things. Got a little place for a fireplace here. It's hard to believe that we are so. far away from any cities.
It's an eight hour drive to Lubango, which is the nearest city, which is actually quite a town. There's tiny little villages along the way, but you're just in the mountains here. It's so cool. Actually, over those mountains is Namibia. We were told that the Himba, they move back and forth depending on cattle, depending on weather, and they're allowed to just take a little canoe down the river and cross into Namibia. Their face is their passport. They don't actually have passports, but the government sees them, the border police, and they obviously let them go because they stick to their lands. It's pretty cool.
The Himba women are so beautiful. They have these incredible hairstyles. Clay all over their bodies, very decorative. This is pretty cool. The Himba have one of the most distinctive looks on Earth. Their skin and hair are covered in a red paste called otjize, which is made from butterfat and clay. But it's not just for beauty. It protects them from the brutal sun and keeps their skin healthy in the desert heat. The red color also connects them to the Earth and their ancestors.
Women style their hair into thick braids that show their age and status. Young girls wear two braids in front, and married women wear a leather crown called an erembe. Every detail tells a story about who they are and the life they've preserved for centuries. Oh, my God. This is so cute. Can you do the braid, like a? Oh, my God, I might not be able to. They immediately took an affection to Deanna's hair, and now they're braiding it, like, quickly.
Deanna wears these like, nipple tape things instead of a bra, and they think it's hilarious. Oh, my God. Nipple tape. Yeah. I was wondering how the boys cut their hair, and it turns out this kid has a little knife, and he just takes water and puts it on the hair, and then he cuts it perfectly. Look at this. When you talk about tradition, this might be one of the coolest ones of any culture in the world. The hairstyle, it's, it's how you're seen 24/7, and it's literally been carried down for thousands of years the same way.
We could be living in the 21st century, we could be living in the 7th century. This is what it's been like. My wife and I like to travel and meet new people and thank you for welcoming us in. And we brought you guys a bunch of gifts. So yeah. So, thankful for this. And. so they would present you with a dance. Yeah.
So, the corn starch that we brought over, they've already started cooking it, making it ugali or fufu or whatever you call it in different parts of Africa. But it's basically, either cassava or corn mixed with water. It's very simple. They eat it alongside pretty much any meat. Oh, my God. I never even thought about how itchy that would be. Wow! She burned her hand holding the pot. No pain? Just hanging with the boys. It's moments like these that you just learn to not listen to the mass media on TV.
The news feeds you all negativity, bad stuff about the world. Everywhere I go, people just hang out. And, and there's corners of the world that are just so incredible, like right here in Angola that just don't get documented too much. And that's sort of my mission to go out and show you guys the side of the world that brings peace and positivity and happiness. Okay, this is super cool. I'm glad I walked down here because this is like their secret hangout. This looks like a old riverbed that used to be here that dried out. And all the Himba ladies are just right in front of me, chilling.
They're still braiding their hair. They're some of the most beautiful people I've ever seen in my entire life. This is now a two-way traffic street. We have the cows coming in and then the goats coming in. Oh! The goats and the cows! Well, they're taking turns! To the Himba people and to all the tribes around this region of the world, cows are everything! It is money, it is dowry, it is milk, it is babies, it is food, it's work. It's everything! It's taken me about 10 years of coming to Africa and visiting tribes to actually fully embrace this and understand it. And it's hard to
explain it. If you're watching this video, you have Wi-Fi and you likely live in a city or a town or a village, and you need money to survive. But here, this is their money. This is their wealth. If they break their leg and they need to go to the emergency room, they would sell a cow to get money and then use that money to pay the doctor. They don't hold physical cash. It's so cool that in today's day and age, you can experience this. It's officially nap timeee. Something that never fails is Snapchat filters. Check this out.
Yeah, the ladies want to try. That is too good! Just letting him try. Music. Wait, wait, wait. -- Rihanna. The Himba people of Angola are so much fun. And, we're gonna give them one of our Osmo and see what kind of footage we get.
All right, the camera's rolling. We're giving it to her. Here you go. Like this, like this. Yeah, like that. Oh, this is so cool! That is so cool. Like that, like that. And yeah, we're vlogging! Yeah. It so fun! Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Hiiii! This is her own vlog. Yeah. Good.
They told me they're walking to the well here. There's a well. I'm following them. As we are heading to get water with the lovely Himba tribe. Now is a great time to tell you how I stay connected when I travel in remote places like this, and that is through Surfshark VPN. The sponsor of this video. Surfshark, always keeps me safe and anonymous online and it protects me on sketchy public Wi-Fi, so I don't have to worry about hackers stealing my data.
Guys, listen, I have been hacked before brutally on YouTube and it was not a fun experience. When I opened up my YouTube channel, it was horrific! The last seven years of work has gone down the drain. I'm not sure I will get it back. With Surfshark, it acts like a digital shield for all my devices. Whoa. This is the well. This is cool. Whoa! This is the well. This is cool. So, they take a bucket and they go all the way down.
Okay. Very manual labor here. And they pick it up. And then they put it on this log. It's an incredibly cool well! While I'm here in Angola, I got this little hotspot device that I can stay connected anywhere in the country. And then I log into Surfshark on my phone to be connected in over a hundred different countries that I can choose from. Whether it's a block show, a big sporting event which I often watch, or local news back home. One account works on unlimited devices, which is incredible. Deanna and I slept in a hotel last night and we were up all night watching Netflix and we were logged into our account back in the US from here in Angola. Plus,
Surfshark blocks ads and malware with clean web so I can browse faster and safer. Right now, Surfshark is hooking up my subscribers with an exclusive deal. If you click the link down below and use the code Drew at checkout or scan the QR code on screen, then you will get four extra months of Surfshark VPN. Try it out risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee at surfshark.com/drew and we have plenty more to learn here from the Himba tribe. There's another well here. Fresh water and all the goats are coming in and this is how they give the goats water. Wow! Time to feed the goats!
Okay. Got to turn it. Oookaay! Yeah. Pretty incredible. They have a fresh source of water for the goats and for themselves. The next activity they are doing is mixing the sour milk. It's unclear if it's goat or cow, but they spent a long time mixing it.
She's been doing this for like 30 minutes. So, you know it's going to be mixed pretty nicely, and they're going to enjoy it. Nice little arm workout here. That kid just turned around and threw up everywhere, right outside the house. That's something I was not expecting to see and now he's crying. Can I ask you a question, Mr. Chief? Tell me about the life in your village. The good parts, the bad parts.
It's good when you have your cattle. Like for example, this boy here. If he sells one of it and then he takes the money for drinking and stuff, bad stuff. So, that's a bad thing. Does that happen. all the time? Yeah, it happens often. It's an important thing for a boy to grow up and look up for the animals and then, they can help the community. So, they don't actually hold cash. Their cash is cattle and yeah, they would sell the cattle to get money. Is it important for you guys to have any kind of health care doctors if you get sick, or do you prefer all natural remedies? So, he says, uhh, their local medicine is not that good.
But whenever they have a situation they cannot handle, they go to a hospital. When we were driving here, we saw a school not far away from here. I've understood that people here are not studying. Is it, is it a goal of yours that maybe someday the kids will go to school? Yeah. They think it's a good thing to study. They want too. And nobody go to school right now. Nobody. They would like to start right now. Because the school is so nearby.
What's the holdup, is it money or is it just the, is it just like getting in the right headspace to go to school every day and to change your lifestyle? Transportation? Back then, they would not, they didn't know anything about school, the importance of school. But right now they, uh, they want to be involved into school. So, it's going to be like a new thing hopefully. Yeah. Have you ever left this community to go into a city, and do you want to go into cities? I've never gone to the city.
I, I've only been here. If you go into the city, what do you think would happen? Like, what, what do you think you would see? All I can find in town is just drinks, booze. Drinks! Movies and, uh, more booze and. food. That's all he wants is booze. That's what he finds when he goes to town. Oh, he's right. All right, that's why it isn't moving. So, the town came to him, right? Where do you think we come from? When you see us as, as white-skinned, what do you think of?
I'm a man of God. I don't know where they came from. They probably came from America. What do you think about America? America. I would like America to rise up and be the greatest. You know, think about how great America is or will be. He wants America to be such a. America. But he thinks it's a small place he said? Yeah, he thinks it's a piece of land. He is. Yeah, man. Yeah. If you could say one message to everybody in the world, all the countries in the world, including America, what would you tell them? Yeah.
America. Spending time with the Himba people reminds me why I love meeting tribes around the world. Every tradition, every ritual, and every smile carries centuries of wisdom that can't be found online. Which brings me to the next tribe, the pygmies of the DR Congo, who are known as the shortest people on the planet. We have just jumped in the car here from Kigali, and we are heading six hours to the border of Congo. With a few stops along the way and it's just such a pleasure to be back in this beautiful country.
Deanna always wanted to see the pygmy tribe always. So, that is the mission of this trip. We are here to go visit the Pygmies. Yeah. I'm so excited! This is where the journey begins. Meet Obed. I met him back in 2018 on my last trip to the DRC, where we went to a Congolese wedding. There's so many people here. And hiked up a volcano to see the world's biggest lava lake. The lava just illuminates the sky behind me.
Lucky for us, he's here to show us around once again. We've been driving for about six hours through the beautiful countryside, seeing a bunch of friendly people out the window, and now we are just moments away from crossing the DRC border. Are you nervous? Oh yeah, a little bit. For? The Pygmies? I want to. Yeah, I want to. I really want to meet them so bad. You always get that anxiety before you cross a land border in Africa. It's just that the fear of the unknown. Maybe it's because I've had so many problems in the past. All right, camera's got to go off.
We just arrived at the border, and too many police. Oh, you take them as well. I got to shoot on my phone. Check out our bags? We got our yellow fever cards, yellow vaccines, and passports. It's kind of crazy. There's a lot of people and hustle and bustle in here kind of getting pushed around. Everybody seems unhappy because the border closes at 3:00, and it's like 2:45 right now. I haven't been in a line like this since I was crossing overland African borders by myself. All right, we got our stamps.
Now we got to run in the rain back to the car. We made it to the Congo! All the way from Philippines and Arizona to the Congo. welcome to Congo! Most Everything is dramatic, everything Yeeyyyy. is crazy. Yeah. We popped into a local supermarket here to buy some food for ourselves and for the Pygmies because we will be spending overnight with them. I don't know what to expect. It's always fun to walk in supermarkets in different countries and see what they have. Marie! Oh, my God, they have Marie.
I want to pop some champagne with the Pygmies. Travel tip. Always buy nuts when you can because they're healthy, they're full of protein, and they keep you full throughout the day. And these cashews look fantastic. You want 100 bucks? Thank you. Should be enough. You have mentol. This is rice, long grains for the Pygmies. Bring some they will be eating up today. 2 more? Get two more. Should I buy more? So, it's going to be around 200? Yeah. All right. We're buying all this stuff just for the day, the overnighter.
Uh, okay, so we need to check. This is scratched. This is scratched a little bit. This is okay. Come on, bro. That's perfect condition. He won't accept the bill because it's torn. Uh, yeah, because scratched. Oh, yeah. Yeah, this one. A little bit. Show me the tear. No, with it, with it, this, this one. Show me the tear. Yeah. All right. This is all that we got. A team of five people to put everything in the car.
All right. Ready for Pygmies? Ready for Pygmies. Okay. Yeeeyyy! Let's see! All right. We are ready for the Pygmies! We are cruising through Bukavu and it is very chaotic. It's more than what I have expected. As we are driving, Obed is telling us about a short detour to a national park where we can visit the world's biggest gorillas. To be honest, I'm feeling pretty anxious to get to the Pygmies quick. But we simply can't pass up this opportunity. Do you want to see the gorillas? Yes. Yeah. Yes! We're on very bumpy roads here, passing through some villages. And I think we're just minutes away from the gorillas.
All right, we are at- the checkpoint. Here we go! They let us pass. Roger, roger. Rangers are nice. We have arrived. Morning! Yeah. Nice to meet you. I'm, I'm Juvenile. Deanna. Nice to meet you. Deanna. Ooooh! My sister. Drew. Oh! Yeah. Drew. How are you, bro? Yes. Fine. This park has worth of 600,000 hectares. The trek has commenced through the forest. We are walking exactly through the jungle as Obed says.
This is, uh, my 150th time, yeah, to see the gorillas. Really? 150? Yes, I kept counting from my childhood. I was born with gorillas. It's mandatory to come into the forest with two people who are armed. For one, the gorillas are wild. You never know if they could attack. And for two, there are rebels in the area. And that's why Virunga National Park is completely shut down, which is the other one across the lake, because there's been attacks, kidnappings, and all that stuff. So. we just got to be safe out here.
It's pretty swampy in here. Oh, we step down in, like, inches of mud every step. We are just moments away from spotting the gorillas in the wild. Oh, my God. They're right behind us. Oh, my God! Is that normal? Yeah. Yeah, it's normal. I thought we were just getting attacked, oh my God! It's not for territory. It's just to say. I want to cross. Yeah. Oh, I got it. That's how they do it. There is only one place on earth where you can visit eastern lowland gorillas, and that is right here in the DR Congo.
I once visited their cousins in Uganda, the mountain gorillas. But this experience is already better because it's one third the cost and there are literally no tourists around us. We are able to get a private look up close and personal at these fascinating mammals who share 99% of our DNA. Behind us is a mountain gorilla. It's amazing! It is so cool! It's so cool! Right there. Obed, thank you so much. I think this is, uh, an experience for everyone here because these creatures are unique for us, the work we're doing is also to try to preserve the habitat
of them. So, like here, that's, that's a female. Don't worry there are female. He's so big. We're just literally in the wild, with the gorillas. Oh, my God. There he is! So crazy. He's coming towards us. Silverback just farted really loud and everyone's laughing. Guys, this is seriously one of the coolest experiences you can have anywhere in the world, being in the wild with the last remaining mountain gorillas. I'm so glad I got to bring Deanna here to experience it with me. The Congo is such an impressive country and uh, just really enjoying life at the moment.
It's amazing. I can't believe it. And you keep farting. That was the best experience of my life. All right, Gorillas was amazing! Thank you, Obed. Thank you for visiting my country. My beloved country. Do you like it, Deanna? Amazing! But you only have to go with Obed. Someone take a shower over here. Yeees. Look at you. Now. to the Pygmies! To the Pygmies. To the neighbors of the gorillas.
They now. They live near the park? They live in the park. Now, they're out for conservation purpose. But they are. neighbors, literally the neighbors of the gorillas we are visited.- This is literally like living in the mountains. Deep in the mountains. We just keep going and going. I don't know where we're going. So, our car is having a problem with the tire and we got stuck right here. We got a flat tire. So, it doesn't work. Yeah. So, this one is broken? This means that we must make the trek uphill to reach the Pygmies.
We got a crew following behind us. This is your dream. This is uh, really a trek to get up here. Basically, walking straight uphill with all of our stuff. They're so nice. Right?! Compared to the city people. After walking 45 minutes through small villages and passing by roadside shops, we made it. Oh, my God! Uh, good. How are you?! I can't comprehend. We have just arrived into the Pygmy village and whoa! Lots of emotions to take in here. Oh, my God.
Hello. Nuts! They're nuts! These are Pygmies. Exactly. Oh, sorry! I'm sorry. He's happy to see you coming here. Thank you. He's like praying for your, uh, your peace and the nice stay in the village. He's asking your names. So, because he doesn't know you, he needs to know the names. You by the names. My name is Deanna. My name is Drew.
Say most of, most of the time when we receive guests, we give them welcoming dance. I don't know what to say right now. I'm speechless! It's sooo incredible. A celebration of life. And just happiness! This is probably the coolest experience I've ever had with you. I love you. Happy anniv, hon.
There are about 300,000 Pygmies left in the world, and they live scattered around the rainforests of Central Africa. From Cameroon to Zambia. This group of Pygmies that I'm currently visiting are not the same ones that I spent time with a few years ago. That tribe is located over 4,000 miles away. Although both groups are culturally very similar, these ones are going through difficulties because they are being removed from the jungle. It is so difficult. It's a brutal change to be, uh, here for us.
It's very meaningful to also show them that we mind their life. Us as humanity we are coming and having a common ground of understanding these impacts together. Many anthropologists think that Pygmies are the direct descendants of late Stone Age hunter-gatherers of the Central African rainforest, and they evolved over 130,000 years ago. Remarkably to this day, the Pygmies live a similar lifestyle as their ancestors, involving hunting, dancing, and singing.
Various theories have been proposed to explain why the average height of the Pygmies is well under 5 ft tall for adults. Some say it's due to low ultraviolet light levels in rainforests, resulting in low levels of vitamin D, which limits their calcium intake for bone growth. This also explains the evolution of their small skeletal size. Other explanations include a lack of food in the humid rainforest and the need to constantly move through dense jungle. So, tell me what it's like being a chief of a village?
He says to be able to handle the whole family, he needed to do a training of a being, a being a lawyer, like community lawyer. Can I ask him about his childhood? Like, did he grow up in the jungle? He was born in the jungle, and he grew up in the jungle. In 1975, that's, that's when they started kicking them out from the forest. That's when the park was being created. For him now the condition pushed him to think that it's better to go back to the forest because they have a tiny land here and just squeezed inside.
The wish really to be to expand it. Can I ask him what happened to his eyes? The rebels met him in the jungle in 1996 and they started cutting his face. Yes, they were ravaging everything, taking everything. What!? We were just here next to the forest, and they met me in my small house. And then that's when they started cutting me and they took most of everything I had in my school. What!? With a knife or what? With a panga. A machete. Can you tell me about the lifestyle of the Pygmies? So, we used to be in a forest. That was our, our life here. But we started fighting with rangers, forest rangers. And they were shooting at us and, yeah,
like it was a conflict between them and rangers. Yeah, it's like taking a fish out of water. To be honest. But are they happy with being merged with civilization? Together. Yeah, integration. So, he says we are happy also to live like others, but we are still forgotten. Because he's, he's saying if I can find access to, to the hospital, to school, and have my land and my family, that will be okay. We can integrate ourselves very quickly and forget our tradition. Yeah. Before, they could find medicine, medication from the forest.
The forest was everything for them. Yeah, herbal. But now they don't have access to the forest. They really request to get access at least to the those modern hospitals. Yeah. So my wish now, even if I'm here, I wish that we find, we get advocates. Then expand our land because we are growing big family now. That way we shall be happy with this site and not think about the forest. The good thing is everyone lives in peace. Like if you are okay in your house and they are okay, that's what you wish. Yeah. Beautiful. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Don't come for the last time. We wish you come often here. We need visitors, and I will make them happy. Can we. I thank you very much. The person from. America, then they are welcome also. from Philippine. My heart breaks hearing about the Pygmies struggle for self-preservation. What would you do if your own government kicked you out of your homeland and forced you to be neighbors with strangers who share nothing in common with you?
The Pygmies are a prime example of a problem we don't talk about enough. The fact that indigenous rights and environmental conservation are often in contradiction with one another. They take them away from the forest but then. And there's no sustainable way to. There was no. there was nothing that they. No alternative. Right? There's no alternative. So they just, like, okay. But, they're still there. Just go in. They just like, kick them and then what?
Right, so that's a problem. Yeah. That's a big trend now because, uh, people are just flying miles to talk about climate change. But exactly, this is the impact of climate change. People should think that these people out of the forest, how they can survive, how can they be part of the conservation? Because they're the right people. Exactly, what I mean. And they take care of the forest. And this doesn't even factor in the country's ongoing humanitarian crisis. From civil wars to ongoing coups, where innocent local people are often facing unnecessary violence.
I don't pretend to have the answers, but it is my hope that hearing from the Pygmies directly and advocating their voices on my YouTube channel will remind the rest of the world what's really going on in the heart and soul of Africa. We have all the rice bags that we brought, 100 kilos, and we are distributing them to everyone in the village right now. So, the ladies have been cooking the food that we brought over, and it's in big pots here. And I think everyone's going to come feast together. Me and Deanna are going to kick back and eat the snacks that we brought here because we don't feel it's right to eat their food. But it's really just a pleasure to be here and enjoy the atmosphere.
The chief has to be the first to pick. That is huge! How can he eat all that. That was a massive plate for the chief. They need to. This is really a, a crazy scene. As soon as the food arrived, everybody goes nuts. It's almost like every man for themselves. But we definitely have enough to feed everyone, which is a good sign.
This is cassava leaves. And this, I said, is a staple food for here. So, we mix it with the palm oil, and it's really good. Yeah, I think this is a symbol of, uh, humanity. Sharing with them their food and you eat on the same plate. It shows a big respect to them and. also, they understand a lot of things too. After eating, as you can guess, they continue to dance. You got to love the energy here and the spirit of enjoying life to the fullest.
This little brown thing he's holding is a. it's a flask for booze. He celebrate the rat! Obed, why is he doing that? Because he has taken it from 100 kilometers in the ground. It's a beaver! They're holding beavers in their hand. I guess that's dinner. I've been fortunate enough to visit many tribes over the years, but I've never had a welcoming like this. We just showed up unannounced, and the moment they saw us, the chief welcomed us in. And they're singing and dancing and drinking.
Unbelievable! This is so cool! Is this what you expected? No. But so, it's so fun! It's way more than I expected. It's amazing! This is, uh Everyone has his own. They like it. They really like it. They literally have a plant taller than me next to their house. Yep, that's. He's saying it's going to rain, so we need to. drink and dance more. And then after making fire, they will be, it's kind of like a campfire. So, then they can drink and dance around the fire. So you can have.
You realize some of them, they, they're similar to the. Cameroon, Cameroon pygmies, others similar to the. Central Africa. So, they are kind of the same people and all actually have the same names of the tribe as well. Because in a. Cameroon, they call them Baka. But if I. we are like three. mile, 3000 miles. Yeah, they don't know each other, but they, they're similar. To me that's crazy that they, they're 3,000 miles apart, but they speak the same language and they look the same and they dance the same. Wild! Okay. The night is approaching. They're still dancing, I don't know how many hours it's been. But I'm feeling more comfortable here with the people and
I honestly have no clue what's happening over the next 15 hours. No idea. But that's part of the adventure. That's, that's the reason why we came here. Just to explore and figure it out. As the sun begins to set and the dark clouds are rolling in, the Pygmies aren't stopping anytime soon. We decided to trek back down the mountain to the car so we can get our belongings for the night. But little did we know about the ongoing disaster with our flat-tired vehicle that is now stuck in the mud. And to make things even worse,
the storm that the chief predicted has just made landfall. My God, it's pouring! It's raining so hard outside. We dipped into like, the school. And. we got to wait out the storm. -Bro, you were not kidding about the rain. It's the adventure, yeah? Yeah. Drew, there are kids outside. Okay, bring him inside. What? Oh, my God. I think, you know what?
I think we're gonna get stuck here. Obed, what do we do, man? We're stuck in the park. now, uh. So, We have no. tents. where to sleep here. How can we sleep in here? We're on, like on the floor. Yeah, I have something. Like this come, I will show you where. No, like this. Yeah. Okay, so. Just wait for them to fix the car there. So, what if they don't fix the car? They're fixing it. They're fixing the car. So, hopefully they fix it.
They, they don't have any choice. We can walk. If you don't mind. But it's still muddy. But it's muddy. Can we just sleep here? If you can get motorbikes, why don't they just take us to the Pygmies. To the Pygmies! To where?! Drew, it's. We can just still go? It's not really. Where, are we gonna sit. We sleep? All right, change of plans. The rain stopped. So, they gave us some rain boots and walking through the mud back to the Pygmies to go sleep as originally planned. The trek at night and the weather is quite cold now, but we'll get there. We made it. This is much better than the proper, like. So, this is our bed situation.
We actually have a bed and they put a little mat over it. And we're good. We're cooking. I'm good, I'm good. I like this life. It's my childhood life. Are you okay, Deanna? So, we're warm, we got a fire, we got food and we got wine. Hop there. Good? Sweet. I will try. This is my shower.
Is this as glamorous as honeymoon you thought it would be? Is than hold bottle. Look. What! S,o he fixed the car, this guy? Yeah, he's the one who fixed it. Oh, my God, bro. Where I come from, nobody could do that. Zero, zero people. He's Superman. They will wait for the rain to pass out. Yeah. I just dipped in the Pygmy tent. And it's so smoky in here. Can't see anything. My eyes are completely. Oh. I am literally crying from that smoke in there.
Why are people screaming? What is going on? We managed to get a few hours of sleep and woke up to the sound of loud banging noises. All right. It's 3:30 a.m., and we're still listening to the pygmies outside. Drumming and dancing. Never stops.
The Pygmies are crazy! They're just nonstop partying. And they're not doing this because we're here. They just do this because that's how they live! This is sooo wild! We're going on like eight hours now. The Pygmies pretty much nonstop dancing and drinking and singing, except for when it poured rain. They only took an hour break, and now they're back at it. This is awesoooomme!
I got this light thing that I brought from home, and I turned this into a rave! Spending time with the Pygmies has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life. But now I'm heading east to Ethiopia's Omo Valley, one of the most culturally rich places in Africa. Cold and rainy. All right, we're at a roadblock here because it's pouring rain outside, and there's a sinkhole, which means we can't pass.
We got to go all the way back. My God, bro. What the! There's literally a sinkhole in the road. I don't know what we're gonna do now. Oh, my God. It's pouring! Well, that sucks. So our guide, Kali, took off his shoes, and he's going in the grass to see how deep it is. We're good, bro! We can do it? Yeah. I think we're trying to go over this. What if the car falls? What the! Yeah. Holy! This is Kali.
He will be our guide as we navigate the treacherous roads to the Omo Valley. I'm so happy to be back exploring Ethiopia, one of two African nations to never be colonized by a European power. This means the cultural traditions of the Omo Valley remain untouched, and the greenery is bursting with tribal diversity. And Deanna's making friends already. Driving on some bumpy roads to meet the Mursi tribe, a tribe I visited seven years ago and it's stuck in my head as one of the most fascinating cultures I've ever seen. So, we're on our way now. And the adventure begins.
The Mursi tribe are a group of nomads who live and breathe livestock. Today, there are only about 12,000 members remaining. While they do welcome tourists, I tread lightly as an outsider because I really want to show you what the women look like here, and how they've kept the custom of hanging clay plates from their lips for centuries. We've arrived to the Mursi tribe here. Nice to meet you. Oh, this is so cool. How are you? Yeah. He's looking at himself in the little screen here. Very nice? They're doing that traditional song and dance now.
Tell me about the process of when you started putting the lip plate in. When she started, it's, uh, like, very painful, and even she was crying, you know? And it was like, a lot of, like, uh, bleeding It was, you know. Yeah. What is the reason why you pierce your lips? She said it's our tradition, our culture. For a wedding, she needs to do it, you know? Otherwise, she will not also get a good husband. How does it make you feel when you wear it? She feel a like a proud. She feels like it's her tradition and culture, so she feels proud, she said.
How do you feel when other people visit, like, such as us? Happy. She's very happy. Yeah. And also they take out their tooth here. Yeah, it's, like, to help them to get the accent. Yeah. As soon as a Mursi girl turns 15, her lip is cut and a small wooden stick is inserted. Over a few years, the gap is stretched and the front teeth are removed to fit heavy clay plates, which are sometimes as big as a basketball.
The meaning of the plate symbolizes a woman's fertility. The larger it is, the more cattle her husband will bring as a wedding gift to her father. Look, now in the normal time, they hang it like this, you know? So when they have, like, the ceremony or. something, they put the plate. So they can eat, they can drink, uh, they can work their works. Like, before they did it from wood, now they do it from the plate. Clay. Yeah, clay. What kind of things make you happy?
We like to have a lot of cattle. And, uh, to have a lot of wives, and to respect the village, you know. It's cool to see the positive sides of tourism. It's bringing a lot of money into these people. They sell the clay lip plates, which is pretty cool. And we're going to buy some right now. Man, that's pretty heavy. What do you have? How much? $4, okay. I will buy this one. Yeah. Well, obviously it's been rainy and muddy, so there's not a lot of activity happening around here. But it is pretty surreal to be here and see their home.
And their homes are just little huts for sleeping, for cooking, and for shelter. Just interesting interactions with the Mursi. Like the lip plates are something that you'd never expect to see, and it's really cool that the traditions are still being carried out today. I would be naive to tell this story without confronting the ethics of tribe tourism, because it's my duty to be transparent as a travel journalist. About 15 years ago, tourists started coming to the Omo Valley,
and the meeting of cultures continues to cause disruptions to Mursi lifestyle. But don't get me wrong, Mursi people want tourism. As they openly explain, they can charge a lot of money for it. When you get money, your lifestyle will be easier. All in all, I tipped about $1,500 just to capture content over three days. These funds will go towards clothes, medicine, and food, but I'm also told that it may support their substance abuse. When you visit sub-Saharan Africa, always try to be aware of where your dollars are going. We are now entering the big marketplace here in the Omo Valley where all the different tribes in the area come together, and they hang out, they sell things, they drink beer.
Let's go check it out. I'm Shilo, I'm, I'm your local guide today. I met him in the Omo valley six years ago, but he doesn't remember me, sadly. Okay, nice to meet you friend, again. He's not. I'm here with Shilo from the Banna tribe, and he is taking me around the market here. I can't forget that face. Hello, I'm Shilo. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, Shilo. Your English got a little better, man. A lot of practice.
Oi, thanks man. Just in this market, we have three tribes. Banna, Hamer, and Tsemai tribes. Think look at now the hairstyle. Yeah. She's not married. She's married and they are not married. What do we have here. This is a goat skin. That's meaning, like, for them, like a ring. When we are married, we use the ring on our finger. That's the meaning for them. Goat skin. This is the shells of the coffee. People that drink all over the Omo Valley, they drink the shells of the coffee like a tea.
A shell. What do you think of this market? It's amazing. Is it like, what you thought it would be? It's so cool because they come from different tribes, so it's so cool seeing them come together. And they always smile at your camera? Not really. Like, we almost got hit by two people. What Deanna explained is actually true. Some people. like the camera and they smile, and some people don't. We make sure to give tips to everyone, four to five dollars just for a photo or a video. So, we're just, uh, trying to enjoy.
Like, this lady's happy, she's smiling. Okay. That was a chicken?! She just whipped out a chicken and the wings of the bird hit my hand. These shoes are made from car tires. Basically, take the tire, they shred it up, and then it's durable, lasts forever. But these things are really cool. They're masks, they're chairs, they're clay, sculptures. What I love about the tribes here is that they're hustlers. They're creative. They make things.
They have stuff that they sell. We're actually going to buy a piece right now for our house and ship it. Hopefully, we can get it home from Addis Ababa. $100? Yeah. Yeah, let's do it. So. I think it's worth 100 bucks. You think so? Yeah, it is. This is wild. We found a bar here. That's a sign for the local beer? Yeah, for local beer. And we get inside. It is pair, it is pair. Oh, she has a chicken. She brings a chicken, uh, for selling, you know.
These helmets that the Banna women are wearing actually double down as bowls for eating and drinking beer. They make the local beer, it's called farso, and they make it from maize sorghum by fermenting, you know? And it's a beer they use for both purposes, like a food and alcohol. And it tastes really bad. Very sour. They take water from here, from the river. That water cannot be clean. Yeah. And then they boil it here. They boil here.
This guy, look what he holds. You see this one? You see all man they hold this one Like a chair and like a pillow. She's from the Banna tribes. Yeah. Her husband, he has three wives. Look at this ring on her neck. She's the first wife of the husband. The second wife, two rings. The third wife, three. We found the rings on the neck. It's a bullet. Meaning, like. She's a knight. Oh, why does she have a bullet? And look at the head like.
She put the bullet because she's from the warrior. Like a warrior husband she have, you know? She, her husband, only one wife. She don't put anything else. That's cute. It's beautiful. Conscious not to overstay my welcome, I soak up my last impressions of the market and we hit the road again to drive four hours deeper into the Omo Valley.
The stakes are high as we continue to search for the bull jumping ceremony, which happens only a few times a year. After a long drive, we are making it to. another village to spend the night. The weather has really cleared up. It's beautiful outside. Hi. Hello. They are the traffic police. Oh, my God, babe. We almost killed. Holy crap! I'm just here enjoying my banana. There are thousands of cows on the road. We've made it to a beautiful place.
Hamer tribe near the border of Kenya and South Sudan. You can see goats behind me. You can see the cows starting to come in. The people are out and about. The sun is setting. Just an absolutely beautiful moment out here. Hi, how are you? The Hamer tribe has about 60,000 members remaining, and they're known for their beautiful hairstyles, colorful beads, and scarification of their bodies. Is that real?! Yeah, real, with a razor. This is a scar, uh, It takes to heal, like many days to heal.
They are nomads who live in small huts with their cattle, similar to the lifestyle of the Mundari tribe that I showed you just over the border in South Sudan. Their entire economy, diet, and social status relies on cows. It's important for many things. Like, you know, we sell them and. get money. and to survive, you know, buy a lot of different things. Tell me about, uhm, the life here? When we woke, wake up early in the morning, the first thing we do is a coffee ceremony.
We have like prayers and we bless the children and for everyone, we pray. Then we go with the cattle to the. Oh, what time does that happen? Uh, around six. I think we're sleeping here, so if I come back at 6:00 a.m. I can see the coffee ceremony together? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Awesome. All right, the sun is just about to set. We're going to head to our guest house, which is just down the street from here. And be back early morning for the coffee ceremony that the guy was telling me about.
And just taking in the beautiful, incredible Omo Valley. One of those moments I'm just having, just to be grateful for everything, grateful for the life that I live, grateful to be able to travel and especially grateful to have the opportunity to document stories like this and put on social media and have it be seen by millions of people around the world. It's incredible. Signing off for tonight, me and the chickens and the lovely kids here. Hello. hello, Hello, hello. And we will see you in the morning. Good night.
I just woke up to that sound. I can hear that they're chanting. And yes, these are the amazing huts that we slept in last night. This is Eco Lodge. Fantastic. I can't wait to go see what's going on. This morning is not just any morning because I woke up to the great news that there is a bull jumping ceremony tonight, but it's at the other end of the Omo Valley. I can already sense a crazy energy in the air. But first, coffee. This is such a cool moment. It is 6:00 in the morning.
I'm in a hut with the Hamer tribe. They're drinking coffee, we're hanging out. I'm sitting on these tiny chairs. What a moment this is. It's good. Yeah. It's really good. Oh, it's massive. So far, this is the best moment I've had in the Omo Valley by far. He's washing his hands with coffee. Kali, Deanna, and myself are heading three hours inland to find the place where the bull jumping takes place. We just arrived in a village. They have a very special ceremony going on.
Yeah, this, you know. Now they are very close family, so they are giving their happiness that, uh, man changed from child to the adults, you know? So after that he can protect his village. He can be a warrior, yeah? Like a. like a man. As we are quickly finding out, the bull jumping ceremony is way more than just jumping over bulls. After the women finish their singing and dancing, we head into the village together where we are offered all the beer that we can drink.
We are inside the little hut which is where all the beer is stored. All beer. Local beer. Yeah, it's called Farso. This one, they mix with hot water and sorghum. Whoa! That's the beer? Yeah, that is daka. Sorghum. Then look, this one mixed with hot water. What is that? Oh, how long did it take to, to brew that? Yeah. More than. Uh,. Months. Yeah. Months? Oh, wow. That's bad. No, it's like beer. I can't believe you just tried that! This is so cool.
We're just sitting here and members of the Banna tribe. These ladies came and sat right next to us and started singing. More and more people are filling in for the big celebration. Pretty cool to watch and witness this. I thought she was going to grab my camera, but she started dancing.
They love you here. These ladies behind us are cooking food for everybody at the ceremony. Uh, this one, they make like a bean, you know? Like the kidney bean. They boil it and after, they mix with the dry porridge. They are a very lucky family of the jumper. So they serve the people. I think they love Deanna because first they whipped her into dancing and now she's cooking with them. More? Yeah. Little does Deanna know that the food she is cooking is very much an acquired taste.
Deanna, you can spit it out. This is so cool. People are starting to come in as the sun is going down. The ceremony is about to start. Everyone's drinking, and we've been here for three hours now, so people are feeling more comfortable with us and spending time with us and joking around. It's amazing. You're about to jump. How are you feeling?
He's nervous, he feel nervous. Yeah. Because if he falls down, the family will start. Feel nervous? It's almost time for the ceremony. But before the big event, friends of the bull jumper compete to see how high they can jump. Film the guy, cause he is a different moves. Everyone's like tribal, and then he was just like dancing. It is kind of funny. Now the ladies are going to get whipped to show their love for the jumper. Who's the whipper?
This is crazy! Everybody's pushing, screaming. They're grabbing me. Look at the scars on her! Too crazy! I got to move. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jesus! As intense as this scene gets, remember that every woman here gave consent to being whipped to pay respect to the bull jumper. It's a tradition that has existed here for a very long time. But not as long as this voodoo ritual which is about to bring good luck to the contestant. Everybody's running, so we're running with them.
The jump is about to happen right now. Everybody's running. Oh, my God! I almost stepped on a gun. Hey, you must step on it. Probably a good idea not to step on that, right? There must be 500 people here right now. What the hell is going on! This is the craziest thing I've ever seen! All right, okay, okay, okay, okay.
And just like that, the bull jumper officially becomes a man and is able to get married. The Omo Valley is truly one of the most special places on Earth, and I'm so glad that you were here to witness it with me. Whether it's the Himba tribe of Angola or the pygmies of the D.R. Congo, Africa's diverse tribes show us that happiness doesn't come from what we own, but from knowing who we are and where we come from. The world is changing fast, but these people prove that it's still possible to hold onto our roots. I leave this journey feeling grateful, grounded, and a little more human. And I hope it inspires you to see the world with softer eyes and an open heart.
