0:00:02 > 0:00:09'This programme contains some strong language and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.'
0:00:09 > 0:00:13On these plains, some of Africa's last hunter-gatherers survive.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17They're living a way of life that's continued since the dawn of mankind.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I'm always in awe of anyone who can track like this.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26They're being edged out of their traditional hunting grounds
0:00:26 > 0:00:30by farmers, big-game hunters and neighbouring tribes.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37It's quite a tense time. Who knows what might be there?
0:00:42 > 0:00:45I'll be living in the bush with them,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50stalking big game and learning how they eke out a living from the land.
0:00:50 > 0:00:57And I'll be facing one of my greatest fears, as I go with them to gather wild honey.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02This is my big moment.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03And I'm properly scared!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17My name's Bruce Parry.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21I've been travelling to some of the world's most remote places
0:01:21 > 0:01:28to see how people there live, and how they're adjusting to a rapidly changing world.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32I believe there's only one way to really understand another culture,
0:01:32 > 0:01:39and that's to experience it - to become, for a short while, one of the tribe.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I'm in Tanzania, in an area know as the Maasai Steppe.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13As the name suggests, the majority of the people who live here are in fact the Maasai.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18But before they arrived, there were a number of other tribal communities living here,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23and one of them, and the one that I want to go and visit, call themselves the Akie.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34Akie territory is south of Mount Kilimanjaro.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37The Akie used to hunt freely throughout this region,
0:02:37 > 0:02:42but the population of Tanzania has doubled in the last 20 years.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47The few thousand remaining Akie are now squeezed into a handful
0:02:47 > 0:02:51of scattered settlements, and I'm on my way to one of those.
0:02:51 > 0:02:59But first I have to stop at a Maasai village on the edge of traditional Akie territory.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03This is where I've arranged to meet my guide and my translator.
0:03:03 > 0:03:09They suggest we buy tobacco and snuff as presents for the Akie.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14This is the place I've come to buy the tobacco and the snuff.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18But the Maasai lady inside is a little bit worried about me and the camera,
0:03:18 > 0:03:23so I'm going to leave these guys to it and I think we'll back off.
0:03:25 > 0:03:32The Maasai are cattle owners, and many of them look down on the Akie and other hunter-gatherers.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38They regard them as primitive and call them Ndorobo, a derogatory word meaning "poor"
0:03:38 > 0:03:39or "people without cattle".
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Good morning. What do we have?
0:03:46 > 0:03:50My God! Now, that's what I call a pot of snuff!
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And three of these? And is this enough for me as gifts?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57- Yes.- Brilliant.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Thank you. Thank you.
0:04:11 > 0:04:18Lemelale, our Akie guide, is taking me into his traditional clan land.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22We left before first light
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and he's been setting quite a fast pace.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29We haven't said a word all day - not because I don't want to,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32but because he's also looking for game.
0:04:32 > 0:04:39The Akie are opportunistic hunters, and Lemelale always has his bow at the ready.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42There's something else about the Akie which intrigues me.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48As well as being hunters, they're known for their skill at gathering wild honey.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58There's a beautiful baobab here and it's riddled with these pock marks on the front.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02I think he's seen bees going in and out of it.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04And I'm staying back here.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11I've had an allergic reaction to being stung in the past,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14so I'm nervous about getting too close to the hive.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19HE LAUGHS
0:05:24 > 0:05:27African bees are notoriously aggressive.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30They are known to chase a potential enemy for up to a mile.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33And they definitely say Lemelale as an enemy.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39This is my first experience of the Akie at honey-collecting.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40Wasn't particularly fruitful!
0:05:40 > 0:05:46They climbed the tree, a couple of stings, came back down again and we bomb-burst!
0:05:47 > 0:05:49This way? Come on, guys.
0:05:52 > 0:05:58After a 30-kilometre trek, we're nearing the remote heart of Akie territory.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07An hour ago we were in blistering heat - my neck is on fire from the sun.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12But it seems that here there's been a massive downpour, because suddenly it's wet everywhere.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16And I think we're really close to our village now.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22Lemelale knows the village we're going to well, and he's warned the people there to expect me.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26One friendly face.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Aqua mo!
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Aqua mo! Nice to meet you.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44ALL GREET EACH OTHER
0:07:01 > 0:07:08Lonyokie, the village headman, knows I want to try and live exactly like an Akie for the next month.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23I have one experience so far, and it's Lemelale - he had ten bites on his head!
0:07:28 > 0:07:30So now I am double scared!
0:07:30 > 0:07:34WOMAN SINGS
0:07:34 > 0:07:36ALL CLAP IN RHYTHM
0:07:36 > 0:07:38SHE SINGS
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Lonyokie has invited me to stay in his house.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17He lives here with his wife, Ana,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and their only son, Elias.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27And if I snore in the night, you punch me!
0:08:27 > 0:08:31THEY LAUGH
0:08:47 > 0:08:53While Ana prepares supper, our guide, Lemelale, tries some of the snuff we brought.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Lemelale, I'm going to try it, look.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08In the finger in the nose, yes?
0:09:08 > 0:09:09Slowly!
0:09:26 > 0:09:29I had quite a lot then.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Oh, that was so different to what I was expecting.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44That really is like just... I did a big chunk.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48That's really like just doing pepper. Ahh!
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- HE COUGHS - I'm going outside.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33The village is called Olmuti.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38It consists of three enclosures like this one.
0:10:38 > 0:10:44The population varies, but at the moment there are about 25 people living here.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Because the territory where the Akie can hunt and gather is shrinking,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54they have to rely more and more on the few crops they can grow.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59The staple here is maize and they keep a few chickens.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Apart from that, the Akie have nothing and everyone is hungry.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08For meat, the men must head into the bush to hunt.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30Lonyokie needs to go out hunting but says that before he'll take me,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I need to have some practice with a bow and arrow.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Ooh!
0:11:35 > 0:11:37I nearly hit one.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Everyone who's still in the village has turned up for my lesson.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Everyone's got so carried away I haven't even had a shot yet.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00They're all loving it. All these grown kids just having some fun.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Finally it's my turn.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Sure.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Ooops.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Glad I don't live here.
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Trashing...
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Trashing my neighbour's house.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21When he's out hunting for real, Lonyokie uses poisoned arrows.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Akie arrows are works of art.
0:13:30 > 0:13:37The metal tips are forged from old car springs and detach from the shaft once they've hit an animal.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54The poison is extracted from the roots of the desert rose.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58There is no known antidote, so every strike is fatal.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08With the arrows prepared, Lonyokie is ready for tomorrow's hunt.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14INSECTS CHIRP, BIRDSONG
0:14:40 > 0:14:46It's before dawn and I'm out with Lonyokie on a hunting trip.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52It's been a really clear, starlit night.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57We got up really early, quite a long way from the village,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01which means we just have a much better chance of getting anything.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Until recently, the Akie faced prison for hunting with bows,
0:15:14 > 0:15:20whereas anyone who had enough money for a licence could hunt with a gun.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Thankfully those laws have been relaxed, but the Akie
0:15:23 > 0:15:27are still in direct competition with hunting companies.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Lonyokie shows me evidence of a recent big-game hunt.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48This is a hide I've just had pointed out to me there,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52where the hunter with his high-powered rifle would lie.
0:15:52 > 0:15:58And then literally ten yards away, there'd be a bait
0:15:58 > 0:16:01of a gazelle or something, and it's such an easy shot.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04And then the car's just here on the road and then they go.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12A few yards down the road and we see something.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It's a diptych.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18But it didn't hang around long enough for Lonyokie to take a shot.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24The hunting companies say they bring in millions of dollars to Tanzania
0:16:24 > 0:16:27every year and control the poachers,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31but Lonyokie believes they have made the game scarcer and more skittish.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48We've been out hunting for hours and we've hardly seen an animal.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51We're all hungry because we haven't eaten anything
0:16:51 > 0:16:55since last night, and we don't want to go back empty-handed.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Lonyokie knows this area like the back of his hand and he's taking us
0:16:59 > 0:17:02to a place where he hopes there will be honey.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10First of all, we gather a few essential materials which will help us when we get to the hive.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19I was wondering what we were cutting these sticks for. I've sussed it.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24Hanging off the ground, weaver bird nests stay dry even at the wettest times of year.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32They're perfect for making a fire, which we'll need once we get to the hive.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40ANGRY BUZZING
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Where's the hive?
0:17:45 > 0:17:46There. OK.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53I wasn't going to get too close on my first one!
0:17:53 > 0:17:55The hive's just in there.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Before they can get any honey they have to pacify the bees with smoke.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49I'm just scared that during my time here I'm going to have to do this.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And, um, I'm really...
0:18:51 > 0:18:57I don't mind snakes, I don't mind lions, but these bees they really do scare me quite a bit.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00And I have an allergy to wasps as well.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Wow!
0:19:28 > 0:19:30That's sweet! Sweet, sweet!
0:20:04 > 0:20:08After years of collecting honey, Lonyokie has become desensitised
0:20:08 > 0:20:12to bee venom, but that doesn't stop him getting stung.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19This is a real test of my nerve.
0:20:20 > 0:20:26The secret, not that I've had much of a briefing, but apparently the secret is just not to kill any.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28As soon as you kill one...
0:20:29 > 0:20:34It stings you and you kill it and just, all hell lets loose, and they're just all over you.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47He's getting stung again and again.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49I so hope they don't want me to do this.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Well, I'm taking this opportunity to get out of here.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28The stuff with the larvae's slightly different. It's sweet but it's...
0:21:28 > 0:21:33It's kind of got like a milky edge to it. It's really nice, that.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Honey makes up a large proportion of the Akie diet.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It offers massive calorific value for relatively little work,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and if there's a surplus it can be sold.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55And they have another important use for honey.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Ana, Lonyokie's wife, is using it to make beer.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13This is the inner pith of a tree and they use that as a filter,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16but also it's used for the fermenting process.
0:22:20 > 0:22:27Amazingly, the brew can ferment and become alcoholic in less than a day.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40Twice a day Ana and Elias have to collect water for drinking and cooking.
0:22:41 > 0:22:48This muddy pool provides the only surface water for miles around.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Tadpoles and all!
0:22:55 > 0:22:59This is the water we've been drinking the last week.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04I'm used to drinking untreated water, but this looks pretty bad.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32Because the water's stagnant, it's probably full of parasites and bacteria.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Back at the village, Ana offers to give me a shave.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28I didn't realise it was going to be a cold water shave!
0:24:28 > 0:24:32With an old-fashioned razor, so I think it's gonna hurt.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19That's trust!
0:25:39 > 0:25:44ALL LAUGH
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Do I look a little bit younger? Little bit?
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Young again? No, you're just saying that - cos I asked you!
0:26:05 > 0:26:11While the razors are still out, Ana decides that she and Lonyokie should smarten up too.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Here comes Lonyokie to join his family.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45So, we've got some maize.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Ooh, which is piping hot!
0:26:50 > 0:26:53It's really nice.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57In the five days I've been here we've hardly eaten anything
0:26:57 > 0:27:02but maize and honey, and tonight is no different.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05There hasn't been any meat in the village for nearly two weeks,
0:27:05 > 0:27:10so Lonyokie is arranging for a group of us to go on a longer hunting trip.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23Before we go, the village gathers for a ceremony which will involve Ana's mead.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Ah, it's for me first!
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Asante sana. I drink it all in one?
0:27:52 > 0:27:59There are only a few mugs, so etiquette demands you drink fast and pass your mug on.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Ahhh!
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I tell you what, though - that tastes amazing!
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Beautiful. Really smooth.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23You can taste the alcohol so it's got that tang,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27but it's not too sweet. God, it's the least sweet thing I've had since I've been here.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30That is a good drink. Ah. Asante sana!
0:28:30 > 0:28:35There's a celebratory mood, but the ceremony does have a serious side.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40The village needs meat and it's important that we have a successful hunt.
0:28:47 > 0:28:54Lonyokie invokes the spirits of his ancestors, asking for their help and guidance in the coming days.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45ALL SING
0:29:49 > 0:29:54We've hardly eaten anything in days and the mead has gone straight to our heads.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05If in doubt, join in.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08SINGING CONTINUES
0:30:36 > 0:30:39SQUEALING AND LAUGHING
0:30:45 > 0:30:49I'm loving it here, absolutely loving it here.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Even if something really bad happens, the first, their first reaction,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56every time, is just to burst into laughter.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58It's such a
0:30:58 > 0:31:02wonderful way of living life. It's brilliant, I love it.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14CHEERING
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Lonyokie doesn't let the dancing go on too long.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23We've got an early start tomorrow morning.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34By the time the sun comes up,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37we're already miles from the village.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Lonyokie has spotted something.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06The first thing Akie hunters do when stalking prey is to get rid of any unnecessary clothing.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Clothes make too much noise, and hamper movement.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23They want to get the best possible shot at whatever's out there.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36WHISPERS: They're asking me whether I want to shoot it, but I'm like, "No, you guys do it."
0:32:38 > 0:32:40I'm just going to let them go.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46They've been depositing their stuff as they go along,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49just to make themselves quieter and quieter.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54It's an impala.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03But I can also see something else through the bushes.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10There's a whole troop of baboons.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13I just saw two over there,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18I think maybe they saw us, so they might have gone.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21The guys have gone ahead now. I'm leaving them to it.
0:33:23 > 0:33:30Lonyokie and Leyan get close, but before they can take a shot the baboons scare the impala off.
0:33:42 > 0:33:43IMITATES BABOON CALL
0:33:59 > 0:34:03I'm worried that I've also been hampering their success.
0:34:03 > 0:34:08But it's not unusual for it to take days to get an animal big enough to feed the village.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17OK.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Leyan starts making a hunting hide.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40We'll make a number of them in the area, carefully placing them upwind of the salt lick.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01A hunting hide is a terrible place to spend the night.
0:35:01 > 0:35:08You have to keep perfectly still, resisting the urge to shift around and ease your aching limbs.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15Lighting a fire is out of the question, so it's pretty cold.
0:35:15 > 0:35:21Instead of sleeping, you have to spend hours watching absolutely nothing happen.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31But these guys will sit out here for as long as it takes to get meat for the village.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46AN ANIMAL GRUNTS
0:35:51 > 0:35:54ANIMAL GRUNTING
0:36:09 > 0:36:11LOUD GRUNT
0:36:16 > 0:36:20Now we have to wait until dawn to find out if the arrow hit home.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Akie are expert trackers and are often hired by the hunting companies.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49They never chase down a shot animal immediately in case it runs too far.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53They wait for the poison to act and use their tracking skills to find it.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04THEY LAUGH
0:37:04 > 0:37:06But I'm not going to see any tracking right now.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08The arrow didn't hit its mark.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16It's an ambitious shot. It's a good 30 yards.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26THE HUNTERS CHAT
0:37:28 > 0:37:30We're getting desperate for meat now.
0:37:30 > 0:37:36Cold after a night in the hide, we huddle round a fire at our camp in the bush.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41As we talk, Lonyokie voices some of the Akie's grievances about the hunting companies.
0:38:35 > 0:38:41What would you ask for, what would you say is the important thing, the message from you?
0:39:15 > 0:39:19Back in the hide, the afternoon goes no better than the night before.
0:39:22 > 0:39:28After hours waiting, Lonyokie gets just one shot at a kudu.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41It's a good shot, but at the last moment the kudu saw him and bolted.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47Oh. That was the closest one yet.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56The Akie are renowned for their magic and they have a remedy for this kind of bad luck.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Leyan prepares to perform a ritual.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29They believe that our hunting trip has been cursed by the bird they saw.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55MAKES BIRD CALL
0:41:34 > 0:41:41Of anywhere I've ever been in the world, these guys are the quickest to make fire from nothing.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44It's really quite incredible.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27Now we have to act out a successful hunt.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31The belief is that by doing this our luck will change.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35The branches represent meat from the kill.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Finished. Finished. Asante sana.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Well, let's hope. Let's hope next time.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Big one. The Akie find humour in almost everything.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12But this situation is really bad.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16We've gone days living on virtually nothing.
0:43:16 > 0:43:21So, first thing tomorrow we're going to look for some more honey.
0:43:40 > 0:43:46Just come across this beautiful baobab and it's got two hives in it at the moment.
0:43:47 > 0:43:53And even now, before we've even started, I can hear this tree,
0:43:53 > 0:43:57it's like it's alive, it's buzzing, it's actually quite a scary sound.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59CONSTANT BUZZING
0:44:06 > 0:44:08The trunk is pockmarked with holes which the Akie
0:44:08 > 0:44:12have made over hundreds of years of harvesting the tree.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35When Leyan gets higher, he stands on wooden pegs, checking that they aren't rotten.
0:44:37 > 0:44:43Next he hooks on a sling made from kudu hide to support him while he takes out the honey.
0:44:43 > 0:44:49He's a long way up and everyone seems to have a story about falling from a tree.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12Papake is preparing the other hive.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17He's decided it's time for me to have a go.
0:45:17 > 0:45:22It's not as high as the one Leyan's at but it's still going to be a bit
0:45:22 > 0:45:26tricky because the tree is leaning out, so I'll be hanging in mid air.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32This is my big moment.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37And I'm properly scared.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43OK, seat first, and then we go.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07Fuck, man, this is the scary bit.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Ya-ow!
0:46:37 > 0:46:43I'm not quite sure what I can feel in there, but it seems the hive is empty after all.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45I can't feel anything at all.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01It seems like a set-up to me, but they assure me that
0:47:01 > 0:47:05the empty hive is as much a surprise to them as it was to me.
0:47:12 > 0:47:13Nothing.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19Talk about getting away lightly!
0:47:20 > 0:47:23There was definitely bees there
0:47:23 > 0:47:30but I didn't get stung and it seems that there's nothing in there.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39It's a huge relief.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43I was genuinely worried about putting my hand into that hive.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47But it does illustrate another problem for the Akie.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51They can't even rely on honey as a food source.
0:48:04 > 0:48:10After yet another night in the bush, it seems like we might have some good news at last.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12DRUM MUSIC PLAYS
0:48:24 > 0:48:26Finally we're hoping
0:48:26 > 0:48:29that our luck has changed.
0:48:29 > 0:48:35These two guys, our master hunters, actually shot and killed and tracked a kudu last night,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39but it was too late to actually bring it back to camp.
0:48:39 > 0:48:45So we're out there this morning, hoping that it's still there.
0:48:52 > 0:48:58And it's quite a tense time because who knows what might be there?
0:48:58 > 0:49:04We might come across a possessive wild dog or hyena, leopard
0:49:04 > 0:49:06or lion even.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29Ah, there she is.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31There she is.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36Finally these guys have done it, well done to them, well done.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39The village is going to be so, so delighted with this.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43That's a lot of meat, it's a big animal. Brilliant.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I thought that we were going to butcher it on the spot.
0:49:51 > 0:49:57But Leyan and Papake insist that we move it first, all 80 kilos of it.
0:50:00 > 0:50:04It's completely open here, and you can see for hundreds of metres.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07The Akie are in constant competition with other predators
0:50:07 > 0:50:10and they must make sure that nothing creeps up on them.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24Leyan's butchery is amazingly skilful.
0:50:24 > 0:50:29He keeps the hide intact. He'll dry it and use it as a honey pouch.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36The arrowhead broke off somewhere in the kudu, so he's being especially
0:50:36 > 0:50:40careful to cut away any meat that may have been tainted by the poison.
0:50:42 > 0:50:43Where's the arrow?
0:50:56 > 0:51:00I was beginning to wonder where the deadly poisoned arrow head was in our dinner.
0:51:00 > 0:51:05Now they've found the arrow, we can be sure which bits of the kudu are safe to eat.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09Leyan wastes no time tucking into the liver.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Yeah? Good? Can I try some?
0:51:12 > 0:51:13Yes?
0:51:28 > 0:51:30Wow, that's nice.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41With the animal completely cut up, the hunters break into their favourite part,
0:51:41 > 0:51:43the bone marrow.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54It's mainly fat and blood and it's a real delicacy.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02Asante sana - now that,
0:52:02 > 0:52:06that is a real treat.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11He's just given me that and I know that's a favourite bit of theirs.
0:52:14 > 0:52:19Asante sana. It's so, so, so delicate.
0:52:19 > 0:52:27It melts in the mouth and it's creamy and it's got a lovely
0:52:27 > 0:52:29milky taste to it. Really nice.
0:52:34 > 0:52:35Akie, yes.
0:52:53 > 0:52:58Papake and Leyan wrap the meat into packages which we'll be able to carry home between us.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Wow, three parcels of butchered meat
0:53:07 > 0:53:13and the only stuff that we've left behind is the tiny morsels of meat
0:53:13 > 0:53:16where the arrow actually struck the animal.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19That obviously has been tainted and we can't use.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22Other than that it's all coming back to the village.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43It's good to see you.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Looks like the news has spread.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50I think we're going to be heading back to a really, very delighted village indeed.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Brilliant news.
0:53:52 > 0:53:59The only sad thing is that it's going to pretty much mark the end of my time here with the Akie.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07SHE SHOUTS AND CHANTS
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Asante sana.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Finally we brought something back.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33I'm sure the main reason they haven't been more successful is because of me.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36I've jinxed them and been smelly and made it all difficult.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38Either way, to finally come back to the village
0:54:38 > 0:54:42after having been in our hunting camp and bring some meat back
0:54:42 > 0:54:45for the community is a real relief.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47It's fantastic, and I'm pleased to be home.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02It's taken us ten days to get this kudu.
0:55:02 > 0:55:08The meat is shared between the whole village but it won't last long
0:55:08 > 0:55:12and they'll have to go out again soon.
0:55:21 > 0:55:28The whole community, all the family, is here to say goodbye to me, and it's really touching.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32And we're going to celebrate with honey mead, which I've got to drink all of this in a oner.
0:55:57 > 0:56:02For a second, I thought I had to put that on top of my head upside down, forgot where I was.
0:56:07 > 0:56:13People have hunted and gathered on the plains of East Africa since the dawn of mankind.
0:56:13 > 0:56:17But this may be one of the last generations to live that way.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21Everyone here knows that the Akie will have to change if they are
0:56:21 > 0:56:26to survive and Lonyokie reminds me just why that is.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33That's true.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00EVERYONE STARTS TALKING
0:57:00 > 0:57:05In keeping with tradition, Ana gets my bag from the house.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07It's time to leave.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10THEY SING
0:57:57 > 0:58:01I have to say a lot of goodbyes on my travels, but I don't think
0:58:01 > 0:58:07I've ever had a send-off as joyful and as touching as this one.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11- Oh, my God. - HE SIGHS
0:58:37 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:40 > 0:58:43E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk