River Monsters (2009–2017): Season 3, Episode 12 - Special: River Monsters Goes Tribal - full transcript

Wade: I'm Jeremy Wade,
biologist and fisherman.

I'm used to hunting down

the world's fiercest
river monsters...

There's a fish on.

Using high-tech rods and reels.

Now I'm sailing
out of my comfort zone...

as I go in search of the last
of the world's great fishermen.

Imagine a tribe
that somehow catches fish

using handmade kites
and spiders' webs...

Who, instead of nets,
weave a great garland of vines

to bewilder and trap
whole schools of fish...



who swim
in shark-infested waters,

yet no member of their tribe
has ever been killed.

Half-fishing, half-magic,

these ancient techniques
are on the brink of extinction,

and I want to learn what I can

before they are gone and
lost beneath the waves forever.

I'm heading
to a tropical island paradise,

one of the most remote places
left on the planet.

Halfway around the world,
the Solomon Islands

lie like a necklace
deep in the South Pacific,

a scattering of nearly 1,000
stunning islands.

My final destination,

one of the most untouched parts
of this wilderness...

The Marovo Lagoon.



From up here, I can really see

why these islanders
are such expert fishermen.

The pieces of land
where they live

are just so tiny
and insignificant,

there really isn't enough space

to support
any kind of life at all,

so the only way
you're gonna survive

is by harvesting the sea.

I fish for research or pleasure,

but here
fishing is a matter of survival.

When I was about 13 years old,

I read Ernest Hemingway's novel
"The Old Man and the Sea"...

An epic tale of a man
in a tiny boat,

struggling to catch a huge fish
on a handline.

Now I want to use
just a hook and a line

and my bare hands
to catch a beast of my own.

For three weeks, I am going to
live with the Vahole tribe,

who have perfected a staggering
array of fishing techniques.

Many of their methods are found
nowhere else in the world.

They have a good claim to be the
world's most expert fishermen.

Handline fishing
is a speciality.

I'm heading
for a village called Tamanecki

in the heart of Marovo Lagoon.

I've heard that the people here
worship sharks,

and although they fish and swim

in waters where these predators
are common,

they believe that they
are protected against attack.

These are some of the world's
most shark-infested waters,

so the Vahole tribesmen
occasionally hook sharks

while handlining
for other fish...

But when they do,
the revered animal is released.

For me, catching a shark
on nothing more

than a thin, handheld
piece of line and a hook

and then releasing it unharmed

is the ultimate
in catch-and-release fishing.

The question is...

Will these mysterious tribesmen

reveal their secrets
to an outsider?

This is a land
drenched in mystery

and, all too often, blood.

Once known as
"The Land of the Headhunters,"

here rival tribes
raided villages

and cannibals
ritually ate their victims.

For centuries,
the arrival of a strange boat

could mean an attack.

These islanders still have a
healthy suspicion of strangers.

Now, I've been told,
they're all devout Christians,

so I'm not worried
that they'll eat me,

but I do wonder
if they'll accept me.

- Hello.
- Hello.

Nice to meet you.

I'm Jeremy.

Hello. Nice to meet you.
Jeremy.

- Roland.
- Hello, Roland.

Nice to meet you.

This used to
be a British colony,

so many of the villagers
speak some English.

This is going to be my home,

and, if I'm successful,
my tribe.

Visitors are rarely seen here.

There's no electricity,
and there are no roads.

Around 60,000 years ago,

explorers set sail
from mainland Asia

to colonize these islands.

These are their descendants.

Vincent is one
of the village elders

and gives me permission to stay
in the communal longhouse.

Privacy isn't included.

All right, well, this is home
for the next couple of weeks.

I'm not sure if I'm always gonna
have the same audience,

but it's quite a nice spot.

Time to settle in, I suppose.

Vincent, the reason
I'm interested

in spending some time here
is because I go fishing a lot,

but it's a very different
kind of fishing

to what you have here.

And this is
a big fishing village?

Yes.

And, you know, a lot of
different techniques here?

Yes.

There are still people
who know how to use

the old types of technique?

Yes.

- Yeah.
- Yes.

- Are you a fisherman
yourself?
- Yes.

Okay, so you can show me...

Forget the fishing.

It seems hooking Vincent
into a conversation

is going to
be my greatest challenge.

The tribe is probably as curious
about me as I am about them.

I get out some of my lures to
show them how I normally fish.

Ugh!

Every tribe has its own
ancestral fishing areas,

and as an outsider,
I need permission

to fish in the holy territory.

And before I can handline
for a shark,

I'll first need to be accepted
by the tribe.

Vincent has promised that
my initiation to tribal fishing

will be in the morning.

That sounds like
the village alarm clock,

so I guess it's time
for me to get up.

Vincent has sent me out
on a fishing expedition,

but I soon realize
I'm the only man there.

I'm realizing
that before Vincent will reveal

any of the tribe's
traditional fishing techniques,

he's going to make me start
at the bottom of the ladder...

Digging for clams
with the ladies.

A bit like an Easter egg hunt...

You go out in the garden,
and you're delving around,

except these are muddy shells.

But what's interesting
is that the fishing that I do

is always, on the whole,
pretty solitary.

Whereas, you know, here...

Although it's work, it very much
has the feel of a day out to it.

There's quite a lot
of chatting and...

You know,
so it's enjoying your work.

You know, if you've
got to get food anyway,

you might as well enjoy it.

But I can't help wondering
what the women make of my help.

Do the men ever do this work?

But they're interested
in eating them, are they?

Right, but not actually
doing the work to get there?

Right.

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah.

Oh, okay.

In the searing heat
with no refrigeration,

we take the clams
straight back to the village

to cook up a meal.

This is the hand-to-mouth world
we all came from.

Yeah, I think maybe
the women are eating this

before the men
can get their hands on it.

They've done all the work.

Polish them off quick.

Mmm, the soup...
The juice of these shellfish...

Is fantastic, actually,
really nice.

Gosh, it's all gone.

No, I've only been here
a short time

but, I mean,
just today in particular

really makes me feel that I'm
becoming part of the community.

Okay, I didn't contribute
particularly brilliantly

to actually getting this meal,

but, you know,
I've helped to tuck in

and actually demolish the food.

I seem to have gained some kind
of acceptance from the women.

Now I need to impress the men.

Temperatures here
often soar into the 90s,

and with intense humidity,

the nights offer little relief
from the sweltering heat.

Tonight I'm trying once again

to engage
the village elder Vincent.

This one is from South America.

And this one I catch on a...

I've spent years
exploring the world's rivers,

but I have very little
experience with marine fish

and no experience at all with
the Vaholes' unique methods.

Vincent:
What fish is that?

This one is a bull shark.

Traditionally,
the sharks here were said

to protect the people
of the village

and the people of the lagoon.

Is that something
that people believe now?

Vincent explains
that from ancient times,

special, sacred sharks
have protected the tribe

and guarded their lagoon
from rival headhunters' raids.

I feel I'm stepping
into another reality.

The Vahole see all fish
in a hierarchy,

and at the very top are sharks.

They're not merely
the most dangerous,

but also the most intelligent.

If someone in the tribe
accidentally hooks one,

they cut the line.

My hope is to bring one in,

remove the hook,
and then release it.

But before I can tackle

anything as cunning
and dangerous as a shark,

I have to win
Vincent's respect and trust.

Wade: This morning, the
entire village is taking part

in a highly elaborate and rare
form of fishing.

But instead of a fishing rod,
I'm handed a machete.

We're preparing for a technique
called the corral,

which is a very
labor-intensive technique,

a lot of work.

The entire village
is going to take part.

Two of the village elders...
Vincent and Lawrence...

Are leading the preparations.

We are going to catch enough
fish to feed the entire village

using just some vines

and the cooperation
of the tribe.

Do the women ever help this job?

Yeah, sometimes they help.

But none here today?

Clearly,
Vincent is a man of few words,

and I'm wondering if I'm asking
too many questions.

After hours
of cutting, tying, and winding,

the vines are ready for fishing
the next day.

Now the entire village

is going fishing
in shark-infested waters.

It looks like
I'm about to test the claim

that the tribe has immunity
from shark attack.

I'm not sure if
I'm the fisherman or the bait,

but I'm doing my best
to look unconcerned.

Hundreds of feet of vines
are tied together

to form a huge floating chain.

This will be used to herd whole
schools of fish into a trap.

What I'm amazed about
is that this is not a net.

You know, this isn't really
a physical barrier.

Well, it is, up to a point.

So I'm intrigued
to see how it works.

You know, there's possibly
a bit of psychology going on...

Fish psychology.

For some reason,
they won't come past this.

Somehow this thin vine
must scare the fish

and drive them
into the heart of the trap.

Right, we've now
actually closed the circle.

This is the end of one vine.

The end of the other one
is that way.

So you can see now

we're starting to get
a double line of vines,

and it's getting thicker.

The best spearmen in the village

stand outside
the circle of vines,

ready to pick off any fish
that might break through.

It's a bumphead parrotfish.

A great catch, but as the blood
trickles into the water,

no one else
seems at all concerned.

Bull sharks are often seen
in these waters,

and from experience,

I know their grim reputation
as man-eaters.

Sharks can detect

one part of blood
in one million parts of water,

and the tribe and I plan

to spend the whole day
waist-deep in the sea,

spearing fish.

What's happening now
is the finishing touches

are being added to the trap at
the center of the ring of vines.

The noose begins to tighten.

Normally, these would be fish

that I would admire
in an aquarium.

Now I have to kill them.

It's a measure of my immersion
within the tribe

that spearing fish
is becoming second-nature.

Where I come from,
if something looks pretty,

you don't stick a spear
through it.

But, I mean,
everything looks pretty here.

You've got to eat something.
You've got to stick a
spear through something.

If you didn't do that,
you'd starve.

The villagers only catch
what they know they can eat.

If they catch too many fish
in the corral,

they'll release
what they don't need.

With no electricity or fridges,

the fish need to be eaten
straight away,

or they'll rot
in the tropical heat.

Each fish is wrapped
in palm leaves

and smoked in a fire overnight.

This feast will fill up
the entire village.

The next morning,
as I see the whole village

coming in to enjoy the food,

I feel proud
to have helped with the corral

and to have been part of this
living chain of tradition.

Fishing their way is how I hope

to earn the tribe's trust
and respect.

Wade:
On one island, I've heard
about an incredible technique

so fantastic-sounding,
I can't believe it's true.

I have to say this
is probably the strangest kind

of fishing preparation
I've had to do.

James is one
of only two surviving men

on this group of islands
who know how to do this.

He has never before shown this
to an outsider.

Wade: This spider...
he bite?
James: Yes.

He bites, this one?

All right.

This technique uses no hook.

Instead, we're collecting
a spider's web.

Very good.

Pull tight, okay.

Ah.

Finished, ready.
Ready for fishing now?

Yeah.

And there's no rod.

Instead, we'll be using
this elaborate handmade kite,

stitched together
from banana leaves.

James may be willing
to share his secrets,

but I'm the apprentice here,
so I'll be doing the paddling.

The movement of the kite

causes the web to skip
temptingly across the water.

We're after needlefish.

They hunt small fish
near the surface

and can jump out of the water

at speeds
of nearly 40 miles per hour.

The theory is that
the needlefish's teeth
act as the hook,

getting tangled in the fine,
sticky mesh of the spider's web.

The kite is up in the air,

but getting it up
is just the beginning of it.

What we've got to do
once it is in the air

is get our position,
speed, direction correct

so that the lure
just skims across the surface

without swinging around
in the air

or being too deep below,
dragging along.

I feel privileged to witness
a centuries-old technique

that only a handful of men
have mastered...

And sadness to see it come
to the very end of its time.

Is that a fish?

Yeah, we got a fish.
We got a fish.

That's very strong, yeah?
No, that's not coming off.

Absolutely caught like this.

Looks like the wind
has gone, actually.

But, my goodness,
when the conditions are right,

when you get this working,
it's just so ingenious.

It's so amazing.
Very, very clever.

And to be part of it,

to actually catch a fish
without a hook, without a rod,

just a bit of spider's web
and a kite,

you know, I'm not sure...

If you just told people
about that,

I'm not sure
if they'd believe you.

Even the smallest catch
is shared out.

- Hello, Vincent.
- Hello.

- How are you today?
- Good.

Vincent is keeping an eye
on my progress,

and he selects
who will be my fishing mentors

to teach me the tribe's
secret techniques.

Are you Morgan?

Morgan is an expert
at handlining,

which is the tribe's
primary method of fishing.

Eventually, I hope the tribe

will allow me
to handline a shark.

But I have to be patient

as I gradually progress
up the fishing ladder.

Morgan is going to teach me
a technique called kura-kura...

Morgan: Very close
to the size of a hook.

Using just vines, a rock,
and a lure made from a leaf.

Then you just put it like this.

Then a hook.

The idea is that
the rock sinks to the bottom,

carrying the lure with it.

Then, with one tug,
the lure is pulled free.

So when you pull,
this comes towards the surface,

and this will
just sort of flutter?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

I feel the eyes of the village
on me.

This is my first
solo fishing test.

Wade:
For three weeks, I'm living

with some of the world's
greatest tribal fishermen.

I have only one week left,

and before I leave, my real hope
is to handline a shark.

But first,
I have to hone my fishing skills

using just a rock
to sink the line

and a lure made from a leaf.

Just looking to see if I can...

I can just see a speck
down there in the distance.

It's coming towards me.

I can't see anything
homing in on it.

There we go... a fruitless drop.

Still nothing
hanging on to that.

Actually,
a lot of energy goes into it,

and not only do I not have
a fish to eat,

but I don't have something
to take back to the village.

So I'm getting behind
with my rent, shall we say.

Maybe waiting...

Whoa!

All right, that's not a fish.

Wade: It seems Morgan
is beginning to trust me.

He now reveals
a very special fishing secret.

This is haru-haru,

the ancient
and traditional technique

of cursing at the fish.

After a few hours
of totally fruitless fishing,

I'm willing
to give anything a go.

Right, see what
you can do, then,

you useless, scaly abominations
of this particular reef.

Ah, you call yourself fish?

You can't even eat yourself
a piece of leaf.

What's going on?
Are you that pathetic?

Morgan doesn't seem impressed
by the power of my insults,

and nor do the fish.

Soon my frustration
gets the better than me,

and I really let rip.

You

useless, putrescent fish

oh just... ah!

Just... oh, ah, mm-hmm.

- Come on!
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ah!

It's getting closer.

Yeah, oh, here it is!
Here it is! Here it is!

Here it is! Here it is!
Here it is!

A bit of an anticlimax,
but it is a fish.

Look at that.
It actually took that lure.

It took a leaf.

So that is a fish

that has come
on a totally inedible bait...

Just purely a piece of leaf,
a rock, human ingenuity,

a lot of effort,
and there's a fish.

And probably,
even though it's small,

one of the most memorable fish
I've caught.

This 9-inch trevally
means just as much to me

as any monster fish I've caught.

And it takes me one step closer
to my ultimate goal...

Handlining a shark.

I return to show Vincent
my catch.

Hello, Vincent.

- Oh, hello.
- Hello.

I wanted to tell you
about my kura-kura fishing.

- I caught a fish.
- Yes.

I was going to bring it
and give it to you,

but I put it down somewhere,
and someone's taken it.

But I really did catch a fish.

It was about that big.

- Oh, that's good.
- So, it's a fish.

But I can't show you. I think
it was a type of trevally.

Although I've caught my fair
share of fish in my time,

Vincent somehow makes me feel
like a total rookie.

Just one.

That wasn't really enough.
I think...

I've only got five days left,

and I'm still hoping
to handline a shark.

While I'm living here, I have to
earn my keep and make sure

that I'm contributing
to the communal pot.

But every day, the fishing
techniques are getting tougher.

Lawrence is a village elder

and supposedly a crack shot
with the bow.

The tribe has probably
been catching fish this way

for thousands of years.

Mullet eat algae off leaves,

so they're very hard to catch
using a hook.

Lawrence tells me
that they tend to shelter

in between the mangrove roots.

Any place where
they can shelter...

Yes.

Yeah.

- Oh!
- Hey! Hey!

Wade: Lawrence is one of
very few people in the village

who still use a bow and arrow
to fish.

I've got just a few hours
to learn

what Lawrence has mastered
through decades of practice.

Now it's my turn to hit
a small, fast-moving fish

while standing
in a wobbly canoe.

This one.

Dah!

It really does concentrate
the mind if you're fishing,

by whatever means,
to fill your own stomach.

Got one! Got one!
Got one!

Lawrence fires in another shot

just to make sure the fish
doesn't wriggle off my arrow.

Okay.

I have to say that I've got
a dying fish in front of me,

but I'm actually feeling
very pleased.

It's almost as if
I've tapped into something,

you know, very, very deep
in my psyche for this.

And it is
an interesting feeling,

and it has got a certain
rightness about it, as well.

You know, this is food,

and I've just caught myself
some food.

As I delve deeper
into the life of this tribe,

I feel I'm being swept
into a primordial current

that stretches back
across the oceans for millennia.

I want to find out more

about them and
their extraordinary beliefs.

Is it true that no Vahole person

has ever been attacked
by a shark?

Yes, yes.

So it's never happened?

It's never happened.

But strangers?

So as long as the stranger
is part of the community,

part of the Vahole people
for a short time,

then the stranger
is also protected?

Yes.

Lawrence believes
that now I, too,

have this special protection
from sharks.

I discover
that while no Vahole person

has ever been killed by a shark,

five people
from neighboring tribes

have been killed
in recent years.

Catching that fish has given me
the reward I most wanted...

The tribe is beginning
to accept me.

It also means
that finally I have a fish

to bring back to Vincent.

My mullet is thrown in the pot

along with the rest
of the day's catch

and some rice that they have
bought from other tribes.

You know, it feels very good.

The children were all being
very restrained.

And then as soon as...
It's almost like a starting gun.

You know, they all just...

Look at that.
It's all almost gone.

So, that's very good to feel
that your food is appreciated.

So it does feel like I've made
a real contribution here.

Wade: I have been living
with the Vahole tribe

in a remote part
of the South Pacific

for nearly three weeks.

I have brought home fish
for the tribe.

I have learned their ways.

And now I've been
given permission

to attempt to catch and release
a shark...

A dream I can trace back
to when I was 13 years old.

The most common form
of fishing here

is perhaps
the simplest there is...

Just a line and a hook.

No rod, no reel.

It was Morgan who took me
handlining before,

but this time the quarry
will be very different.

That's a bit of stingray

because that's what everyone
says is the bait for sharks.

And slight apprehension,
actually,

before putting it in the water

because this is a small,
wobbly, dugout canoe.

You know, normally,
if you're fishing for sharks,

you've got a big boat,
you've got a reel

to keep the line handy...

While I'm gonna be using
a handline.

So I've got line
around my ankles.

Something could take off
at speed...

There's always the possibility
that line will catch me.

I have chosen to fish

in the narrow strait
leading into the lagoon.

The deep waters here funnel and
eddy with the shifting tides...

The perfect spot
for sharks to lurk.

Morgan is a man of few words
and guards his secrets closely,

so when he opens up, I listen.

Why is that?

Morgan reveals that this spot

is home to a shark
sacred to the Vahole tribe.

I suddenly wonder
if I should be fishing here.

But before I can take out
my line, something bites.

Now I'm tightening.
I'm tightening. I'm tightening.

Got something on.
Got something on.

The cameraman is in the boat
directly in front of me.

If we collide,
I could end up in the water.

The boat's moving towards you!
Move the bloody boat.

Move the boat!
It's moving towards you!

There's a shark on.
There's a shark on.

I'm having real trouble holding
the line with my bare hands...

Real trouble.

I don't want to wrap it
around my hands

'cause I'm over the side then.

Right, the boat's now going.
That's good.

That's a bit of relief,
actually, because...

Right. The boat is now going.

It's when the boat isn't going
and the fish is accelerating,

I'm taking all that on my hands.

The line's like a cheese cutter
on my bare hands,

so I pull on a glove.

So, I'm being very cautious.

I'm just getting
that line in slowly,

just constant pressure
on the shark, tiring it out.

Is it gone?

Is it gone?

It's gone. It's gone.

What's happened?

That's actually bit
through the wire.

That's bit through the wire.

That felt that that was well
and pretty hooked, which it was.

And so much for actually
taking the hook out.

That shark has taken the hook.

I finally got the chance
I'd been waiting for,

and I've blown it.

God.

After all that...

I'm hoping
Vincent can enlighten me

about the mysterious shark
that took my bait.

Yeah.

Kisu pa lingutu.

There's no way?

Okay, right.

So you're saying
there's one shark there

which is the defender
of the lagoon.

Yes, yes.
Maybe you know that...

Vincent believes that what I had
on the end of my line

was no ordinary shark.

I had, in fact, hooked one
that is sacred to the Vahole,

which protects the tribe.

Word that the sacred shark, kisu
pa lingutu, bit through my line

quickly spreads.

Lawrence,
another of the village elders,

is the man who taught me to fish
using a bow and arrow.

He tells me there's
something he can do to help.

I'm profoundly moved

by Lawrence's prayer
for my success.

The tribe has given me a special
rattle made from shells,

which they tell me magically
lures in curious sharks.

I'm not sure
if it is Lawrence's prayer,

the shark rattle,
or just good luck,

but it's not long before
something takes my bait.

Tightening up, tightening up,
tightening up.

There's a shark on. Shark.

Finally, I can feel
the raw power of this predator

running directly
through my hands.

Ooh, the shark's just seen us.
Just seen us.

That was a run.
Gosh, that was a run.

I'm in a small, unstable dugout,

and the shark
could easily over-balance me

and capsize the canoe.

Oh, this is when
it could really kick off.

It's circling.
What it's doing, it's circling.

I've got to get this line
well clear of me. That's it.

It's right under the boat.
It's gonna run now.

It's running. It's running.
It's running. It's running.

It's sounding, going down.

I'm gonna try and just
tire it out very slowly.

I can feel a very quick pulse...
Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun.

I'm quite puzzled
by the way this feels.

But again, I'm not used to
fishing a handline.

I'm used to fishing a rod.

Ohh!

There's a knot.

Right, what I'll do...

I might provoke the shark
a little bit more.

I might just bring it up
towards the surface more.

Yeah. Yes, exactly.
That's its reaction.

What it does, it kicks.

Okay, up to the boat,
and it's a kick.

That's a kick. That's pulling.

Handlining is exhausting,
relentless work.

It's got strength, but...

But after a long duel,

the shark is finally
tired enough to land.

So we can bring it in safely,

Morgan tries to put a lasso
around its tail.

I've waited nearly 40 years

and traveled
halfway around the world

for this exhilarating moment.

I've landed a shark

using the simplest
of traditional techniques.

So, there we go.
That was the hook.

Corner of the mouth.
Barb crushed down.

So that comes out easily.

The shark is none the worse for
wear in the mouth department.

It's a grey reef shark,
weighing about 80 pounds...

The perfect size.

Much bigger,
and I probably wouldn't be able

to get it in the small canoe.

Here we go.

Catch-and-release shark
from a dugout canoe.

I mean, quite an insane venture
in some ways, but it worked.

And, uh, yeah,
what a great thing to do.

Okay.

You know,
just a fantastic experience.

I mean, you can keep your rod
for this kind of fishing.

I mean, this is... this is...

You know,
for emotion, for excitement,

for that hint of danger

and for that feeling of
just incredible achievement...

This takes a lot of beating.

For me,
that had to be the ultimate

in catch-and-release fishing.

But perhaps more importantly,
my fishing skills,

which the tribe have helped me
to sharpen in my time here,

have taken me deeper beneath the
surface of their village life

than I ever expected to go.

Bye-bye, everyone. Bye.

The simple and ancient art
of fishing

has unlocked a vanishing world

and allowed me to immerse myself
in the life

of this remarkable tribe

and its proud,
deeply traditional people.

Got one! Got one!
Got one!

I thought I came here
to learn unique ways to fish

and to fulfill
a childhood dream...

To catch and release a shark
on a handline.

Instead, I have plunged deep
into a culture

that has lived in balance
with the oceans for millennia.

Their lives are dependent

on the sea and everything
that comes out of it.

I have discovered
what it truly means to fish...

Not for research
or for pleasure,

but to survive and simply to be.

Bye.