tribal wives is on again tonight!!!!

[candyfluff]

really looking forward to it bbc2 at 9 pm
last weeks was brilliant and this week there is the added bonus of nudity.............hehehehehe

I wasn't really blaming Bopo, to be honest, more the entire British meeja cultureinnit that propagates this revolting attitude.

Reminds me of that scene in Carrie, where the blood ends up all over the poor teenager, and the rapacious look of avid glee on the perpetrator's face.

Hi Dittany

I do understand your concerns. I share them whole heartedly. It has left me with a huge sense of responsibility. My tears were and are real.

I really dont know if the crew knew what was going on . I hope they did not.It was really complicated situation and scenes were not all translated at the time and some not until we left the community. The crew were only two people filming in the day and translating as much as they could at night.

I think we also have to understand that Huoarani marriage is slightly different to ours in the sense it is more a partnership. I made sure that Eringento knew what was going on the next morning before we left. We had married only the day before.I insisted on talking to him. I woke up to the reallity of it all very quickly we left the next day. It is one thing to have a laugh but another compeltely when peoples feelings are involved. I myself saw the film for the first time on wednesday and some of the translations I have now I did not have at the time. I am still in contact with the community and have been able to give them some support over the last 18 months since we returned and will continue to support them in the best way I can. The most important thing for me is raising the awareness that their home and ancestoral lands are under threat. I know that Eringento and the Elders knew what they were doing and that I would leave as I have my daughters to think about and be responsible for. In the same situation I would be interested to hear what others would do now?

With your knitting & weaving skills you should join the MN Arts & Crafters

Are you really 'real' or is this a wind up??

No I am really me sitting at my computer when I should be doing work... I am not even sure the Beeb will approve of me being on line...but frankly dont care...not sure how I can prove I am me?

4 of the wives are on Facebook on the Tribal Wives site we set up ?If you log onto that I could reply from there as proof ! ??

Here is an extract from my personal journal of the morning after...

15th March.

Ok what happened yesterday? I am married !!! er yes you did read that correctly. It was

obviously not my decision. The Elders decide and at the party yesterday I was married

to Eringento ( The Hunter). Not too much pressure then! I was not going to get married

again. I am just recovering from the shock sitting in a hammock with Wanni. Wanni

has just said it will be terrible when I get home. I set out to integrate and be accepted

by the tribe and am honoured and flattered that they feel I should stay and be one of

them. I am also worried about the feelings of my new husband. Although it was not my

choice to marry him I do not want his standing in his community to change now I have

to go home. I really do not want him to be hurt. I don?t think anyone least of all me

thought I would find such acceptance and harmony with these people. We do not speak

the same verbal language but I can communicate easily and freely with the women

here. I once read that some Amazonian tribes use telepathy . Not sure whether that?s

from a novel or fact. I am not sure if its true but I do have a strong connection with the

people here and we have no trouble understanding each other. Actually the two

interpreters slow things down.

The film crew are quite shocked about the marriage. To be fair you would think it had

happened to them. I am really conscious that I don?t want them to sensationalise this.

Its not a legally binding marriage but within the Huorani community it does stand.

When we up sticks and go I don?t want to leave a mess behind. I really feel a strong

emotional pressure to come back here. If I do come back I am sure it would be harder to

leave. I hope when I get home I will be able to raise some money to get a doctor here

once a month. Medical care is really limited. Wani?s sister has had to go away because

she is really sick and Wanni is looking after her sisters three girls.

oh and thank you Whizz for you comments on tribal wives.com !!

regards

sorry just checked and it was not your comment.. suspect you are logging onto facebook now to see if I am a nutter....which I dont blame you...... I will check facebook in a while. The Tribal Wives site is open to everyone and you will have contact with most of the woman from there. It was our space to keep each other informed as to what was happening in press etc..

regards

Bopo

I've never ventured onto Facebook - MN is enough for me (daren't get sidetracked by any more forums - this & some bead ones are enough for me)
Well if it is the real you - Wow - admired the mammoth trek through the jungle! I was saying to DH how hard it must be after being so immersed in one culture to have to go back to 'normality' & just carry on with everything. Must be very odd.

Sorry to be suspicious but its very easy to post names on here & we have all sorts of 'pretenders' being various 'celebs'! If you are a namechanging regular - I've been well & truely 'got'!

hiya ...no I am not a name changing regular...thanks it was a very tough enviroment. For me the BBC sanitised this a bit more ..you did not see the maggots in the toilet pit which I used every day and other things like a small girl eating the arm of a monkey ... there was also a lot more going on than "the marriage ... "

yes the jungle was a trek and yes it was hard...the crew doctor nearly didnt make it out and we ran out of water after a couple of hours and had to trek back for a couple of hours more !!

I dont count myself as a celeb just a normal woman who had an amazing experience. I think you will find all the other woman who feel the same....personally I too am hoping that Bruce Parry will be impressed... It used to be Robby but not any more....

come post on other areas of MN - would love to your views on such important issues as 'do these shoes go with this dress' or 'what's for dinner?' it's great on here!
What did your daughters think of it all?

Wow! How lovely to have you here Bopo.

I think that the idea of this series is fantastic and you entered into the spirit of the thing brilliantly. However, I do think that the your programme risked being exploitative. I am sure that you weren't in control of events and that a certain amount of editing went on to make this into a gripping story, but the producers have a resposibility to the tribal people they are filming, and Eringento rather paid the price for us watching an otherwise fascinating programme. The BBC should look very closely at ways in which indiginous peoples can be affected adversely by their filming and ensure that they are protected as a group and individuals, by having someone on the ground who does understand what is going on. Your programme crossed the line for me.

I am so glad that you are able to continue a degree of positive involvement with these people, and would be interested in helping to support them and their way of life - but I too can't venture off MN to facebook. (That way, madness lies). Let us know if you think we can help practically.

The girls have taken it in their stride really... I left a really violent marriage about 10 years ago and after that surprizingly they are not fazed by much... I feel sorry for my eldest daughter though.. she is studying world development as an A level and the whole class is now watching tribal wives in their lesson...?? I think they are secretly proud of me but they are normal teenagers .. one has jsut got out of bed now... I certainly will come back and post on other areas.. I think the whole thing made me out to be a " he " woman and so I went out a few weeks ago and brought some more dresses to be girly !!
talk to you soon

regards

Bopo

thanks notquitesogrownup.... I agree with your comments....how come its always down to woman to see these things? Probably because woman make the srongest connections?

There was 80 hours of filming and I would love to have an opportunity to re edit to show how it felt from my point of view and my good friends, wanni , debota and Penti. It would be a little different ! I spent ages syringe feeding a piglet to keep it alive.... sadly it was too young and died.

regards

K

www.cs.org/publications/Csq/csq-article.cfm?id=1707

www.saveamericasforests.org/Yasuni/Indigenous/HSS/Slide1.html

obviously I am on a mission ....but I thought some of you may recognise some of these people

I think their message is clear

www.saveamericasforests.org/Yasuni/index.html

This is the best place to donate money

regards

BOPO

Has anything positive been done since those two articles - any sign of any reversal or protection of the areas?

I really enjoyed this programme, I am so disappointed I missed the first one now and it is no longer available on BBC iplayer.

Fingers crossed that they may repeat all of them in the near future.

dh and I enjoyed this one too. I thought the way you just cheerfully got on with whatever was thrown at you was admirable, Bopo.

hi Whizz sadly not too much and the situation is getting worse and more pressurised. Oil prices have rocketed and these are some of the last reserves.

I really wanted to use the media attention to raise these points....but of course they are more interested in the marriage as this was what was highlighted in editing....

thank you Graciefer and Profyaffle for you comments... I really do need help with this as I do not profess to be an expert..any ideas welcome .

I have learned that woman can do amazing things if they put their mind to it

hopefully the more people I can tell the more pressure I can put on our goverment ...I am just off to write to my MP ..wish me luck...
perhaps you all could drop a line and the links to your local mp?

regards

bopo

I thought it was a strange mix of tribal dress (or no dress!) and 'western' T shirts & shorts, it must be a strange culture to be in

the clothes got put on after the missonary arrived...that is the real reason I decided with much thought ( bearing in mind there was not much else to think about ) that I decided (still in my western way) to wear traditional clothes... it was a mark of respect by me of for the community I lived in and to show the children of the community there was nothing ungodly about nudity... There is so much edited but that was my real reason for my decision.
The local tonight was as it always has been on a friday ....and yes I have had a few !

The clothes as I am sure you will guess came from the oil companies....how sad is that !

bopo

BUMP - ON now !

Oh my lord. That description of childbirth after circumcision is truly horrible

Oh my goodness. That is awful.

She doesnt seem to be bonding with the tribe the way the other 2 have and to be honest I can understand why...Its a pretty grim existance isnt it? Beaten, worked into the ground, arranged marriage, no physical affection, horrific circumsian (sp), horrendous childbirth...