0:00:03 > 0:00:07Specially chosen programmes from the BBC archive.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10For this Collection, Sir David Attenborough has chosen documentaries
0:00:10 > 0:00:13from the start of his career.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16More programmes on this theme, and other BBC Four Collections,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18are available on BBC iPlayer.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26SINGING
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Fiji lies almost in the centre of the Southwest Pacific.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49It is an isolated group of islands but the main island,
0:00:49 > 0:00:54the biggest island of all, Viti Levu, is, in fact, a vital link
0:00:54 > 0:00:57in the chain of air routes which cross the Pacific.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01And perhaps precisely because it has an international airport,
0:01:01 > 0:01:06its main town is a thriving, modern town with cinemas
0:01:06 > 0:01:12and a wireless station and fine shops and new modern buildings.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15But Fiji has 300 islands in the group
0:01:15 > 0:01:19and you don't have to go far outside the capital, Suva, to find places
0:01:19 > 0:01:23where the old ways of life still continue relatively unchanged.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25We were lucky.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28We travelled, for a short part of our time in Fiji,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32with a hereditary paramount chief.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34And the paramount chiefs in Fiji still retain a great deal
0:01:34 > 0:01:36of their power and authority.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39And when one visits an island, all the people gather together
0:01:39 > 0:01:44and he is received with all the ceremonial customs of the past.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47He wears not his European clothes,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51but his ancient, traditional costume, with his face painted.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03PEOPLE CHATTER
0:02:07 > 0:02:14First, the paramount chief is offered tambua, a carved whale's tooth.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18These are very highly valued by the Fijians and, in offering one,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21the village is paying the greatest possible
0:02:21 > 0:02:23sign of respect to their chief.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29After the tambua has been accepted, other gifts are made -
0:02:29 > 0:02:32pandanus mats, young coconuts
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and sucking pigs, which together symbolise the wealth of the island.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46When these presentations are complete, then kava is prepared.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Kava, or yaqona, as it's called here in Fiji,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52is drunk throughout the Pacific.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55It's made by mixing the crushed roots
0:02:55 > 0:02:58of a kind of pepper plant with water.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03And no important ceremony can take place without kava being drunk.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06The mixing of it, in rituals such as this one,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09is a very solemn and sacred occasion.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Indeed, in the old days, people who broke the rules of the ceremony
0:03:13 > 0:03:16might be sentenced to death immediately,
0:03:16 > 0:03:21and warriors with clubs would stand by, ready to execute such sentences.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Even today, at an important Fijian occasion,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26feelings may run very high
0:03:26 > 0:03:31if all the rules of the ceremony are not scrupulously observed.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35And now the cups of kava are taken to the chief.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40CHANTING
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Kava is not alcoholic but it does contain a mild drug
0:04:10 > 0:04:11which, if you drink too much,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13may make you a little unsteady on your legs.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18It has a slightly antiseptic, sharp taste,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20but once you get used to it, it's extremely refreshing
0:04:20 > 0:04:23and pleasant, particularly in hot weather.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25We certainly HAD to get used to it
0:04:25 > 0:04:27for in the weeks that were to follow,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30we drank it four or five times each day.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32To celebrate the chief's arrival at the island,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36everyone had dressed up in ceremonial costume.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38The Fijians are very proud of their hair.
0:04:38 > 0:04:4250 years ago, the men used wear it long like this
0:04:42 > 0:04:44but few do so nowadays.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47The girls, however, have not all given up the practice.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Next, there were to be sports.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55The game to be played was called tiqa, or javelin-throwing.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58And it's rather different from the European version.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00The length of the throw is measured
0:05:00 > 0:05:03not to the place where the javelin first touches the ground,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06but to where it finally comes to rest.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08So part of the skill is to throw it
0:05:08 > 0:05:12so that it slithers along the ground for as long a distance as possible.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13And there's another difference.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17The lady supporters of the opposing team line up to punch you
0:05:17 > 0:05:21on your arms in an attempt to weaken your muscles before you throw.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23That's all part of the game.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31CHANTING
0:05:34 > 0:05:36If you are really tough,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39then you don't hurry to get past the ladies' punches.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43In fact, you hang about to show that you don't care how much you are hit,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45you can still throw a prodigious distance.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49And it's all part of the game
0:05:49 > 0:05:53for your opponents at the other end of the pitch to yell derisively
0:05:53 > 0:05:56and dance about and generally try to put you off.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59CHEERING AND CHANTING
0:06:05 > 0:06:07LAUGHTER
0:06:10 > 0:06:12CHEERING AND CHANTING
0:06:26 > 0:06:29And that went farthest of all.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Now everybody changes ends
0:06:34 > 0:06:38so that the other team may try to beat the first team's best throw.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42CHEERING AND CHANTING
0:06:45 > 0:06:49When many villagers gather together in one place, the Fijians often
0:06:49 > 0:06:53take the opportunity to practise one of their ancient methods of fishing,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57which requires large numbers of people if it's to be successful.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01It's a method in which, for the most part of the time, at any rate,
0:07:01 > 0:07:02nets are not used
0:07:02 > 0:07:06and the fish are deceived by a special rope, called the rau,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09into thinking that they can't escape beyond it into the open sea.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11And to make the rau,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14you need, first of all, a large supply of coconut leaves.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23SINGING
0:07:52 > 0:07:57Lengths of thin creepers are tied together to form a rope
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and the palm fronds are twisted around it.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Everyone takes part in making the rau and, indeed,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06everyone is needed, for when it's finished,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09it will be over a quarter of a mile long.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11It's this rope which is used to keep the fish
0:08:11 > 0:08:14penned inside one part of the lagoon.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21SINGING
0:08:37 > 0:08:41The villagers had decided that they would fish among the reefs
0:08:41 > 0:08:44just offshore from the village.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46And the day after the rau was completed,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50it was taken out in boats and laid in a huge semicircle in a lagoon
0:08:50 > 0:08:52when the tide was at its highest.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05MEN SHOUT TO EACH OTHER
0:09:22 > 0:09:24PEOPLE SHOUT TO EACH OTHER
0:09:33 > 0:09:36PEOPLE CHATTER
0:09:40 > 0:09:42At the farthest point from the shore,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44the men were right out of their depths
0:09:44 > 0:09:47and one of the village boats patrolled the circuit,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51dropping off people who were to swim alongside the rau.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01PEOPLE SHOUT TO EACH OTHER
0:10:01 > 0:10:03And this is how the fish are fooled.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The leaves of the rau, when shaken up and down,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09rattle together making a noise under the water.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10And this frightens the fish
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and they're driven inwards towards the beach.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33LAUGHTER
0:10:36 > 0:10:38CHEERING
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Slowly, the people move towards the shore.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00As the size of the circle was reduced,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02so the rau was hauled up onto the sands.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05The tide, too, was rapidly ebbing
0:11:05 > 0:11:09so that the water was becoming shallower and shallower,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and the fish, trapped within the ever-contracting circle,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14became more and more frenzied.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Yet, still, they could easily escape
0:11:16 > 0:11:20if only they dared swim through the clattering leaves of the rau,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and, indeed, unless there are sufficient numbers of people
0:11:23 > 0:11:25standing around the rau and shaking it,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28shoals of fish may do just that and break out.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Now the end is approaching.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50The circle is getting so small,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53the people are standing almost shoulder to shoulder.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05PEOPLE CHATTER
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Now there's no escape at all for the fish.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Everybody grabs spears or hand nets and snatches what fish he can.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50CHEERING
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Although the preparations had taken quite a long time -
0:13:10 > 0:13:11a whole day is spent in making the rau
0:13:11 > 0:13:15and three or four hours standing in the warm waters of the lagoon -
0:13:15 > 0:13:17the haul seemed to be a good one.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Everybody was getting a good share of fish.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25I thought that the catch was enormous but the people said
0:13:25 > 0:13:28that it wasn't really a good fish drive, as fish drives go.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32The headman, who had organised it, they said, had been overambitious.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36He had tried to enclose too big an area of the lagoon.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39For a rau of this size to be worked really efficiently,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42there should have been almost twice as many people in the sea, they said.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46But nobody appeared to mind very much and it seemed to me that
0:13:46 > 0:13:49although the day's fishing had been successful enough, it wasn't
0:13:49 > 0:13:53the prospect of a large catch of fish which made people take part in it.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It was because it was a jolly good party
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and there's no people in the world who enjoy a good party
0:13:59 > 0:14:01more than the Fijians.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05SINGING
0:14:28 > 0:14:33As you saw, nearly everybody was wearing European-style shorts
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and brightly patterned shirts.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38And that's what nearly all Fijians wear most of the time,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40even in the remotest places.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44But the Fijians are extremely proud of their ancient rituals
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and ceremonies, and for those,
0:14:46 > 0:14:51they always wear customary costume with their faces painted.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55And perhaps the most famous of all these ancient rituals
0:14:55 > 0:14:57is the fire-walking.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Fire-walking is practised in one tiny island only.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03The island of Mbengga.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07And Mbengga lies just off the main island of Viti Levu.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Indeed, as you sit
0:15:09 > 0:15:12in your comfortable modern hotel in Suva,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17you can look across the bay of bright blue water and there you can see
0:15:17 > 0:15:22the silhouette of purple mountains which, in fact, are Mbengga.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26We crossed over to Mbengga to see the fire-walking.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30And in a sort of natural theatre, girdled by hills,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33we found a deep pit had been dug.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34This was the fire pit.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43The men, wearing ceremonial costumes of pandanus-leaf skirts
0:15:43 > 0:15:45dyed red and yellow and green,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48with their faces painted with soot for the ritual
0:15:48 > 0:15:52began to build a huge stack of wood in the fire pit.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59While they were doing so, I talked to one of them.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02How did this fire-walking begin?
0:16:02 > 0:16:06It dates right back to so many years ago.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11There lived a tribe in hilly village of Mbengga called Nasese.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14They used to gather together into a house every evening
0:16:14 > 0:16:16to tell stories.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21The listeners would bring presents for the storytellers.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28So one of them, the listeners, one of them named Tui Na Ivilankata,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31went up a stream to look for an eel.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33A sort of fish, an eel?
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Yes, a sort of fish. He went up the creek.
0:16:36 > 0:16:42When he came to the source, he found a pond which was quite muddy,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45so he thought, "There must be an eel in this pond."
0:16:45 > 0:16:50So he started digging, he thrust his hand into the hole,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54and he got hold of something slippery.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58At the same time, there was a voice ringing out from the hole.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It said, "Help!
0:17:00 > 0:17:04"Let me go and I will make you the best navigator in the world."
0:17:04 > 0:17:06So Tui Na Ivilankata said,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10"No, I am the only best navigator in the world,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14"I do not know any other person who can equal me."
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- Yes. - The voice said again,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22"Let me go, I will make you the most handsome man in the island."
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Tui Na Ivilankata replied,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29"No, I am the only most handsome man in the island.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33"Wherever we gather, I attract the attention of all women."
0:17:33 > 0:17:37ATTENBOROUGH LAUGHS And, so the voice said again,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41"Let me go and I will be able to save you from terrific heat."
0:17:41 > 0:17:43- Heat? - Heat, yes.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46"Now, would you explain to me how we go about it?"
0:17:46 > 0:17:50So he started off, "First you must dig a hole in the ground.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52"That is your lovo.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57"And you must collect some firewood, some big stones, light the fire,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01"and heat up all these big stones.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05"When the stones are red hot, break out the embers,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08"then you can walk on those stones without burning your feet."
0:18:10 > 0:18:14So, they came out together, and preparations were made,
0:18:14 > 0:18:20so when the stones were red hot, the embers were raked out,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25so they walked hand in hand around the lovo, four times.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29- What, the man and the eel? - The man and the eel.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35In the form of a very tiny... very tiny, uh...man.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39- A sort of fairy or a devil? - A sort of fairy, yes.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44So they walked around the lovo four times and the fairy said...
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Uh...
0:18:47 > 0:18:49"Do not be afraid,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52"we must be buried in the lovo for four days and four nights."
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Tui Na Ivilankata said, "No, I cannot do that.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00"You might play some sort of trickery if we do that."
0:19:00 > 0:19:02So Tui Na Ivilankata...
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Tui Namoliwai the name of the devil, that is,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Tui Namoliwai said, "Right, if you are afraid,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13"then you must bury some masawe, the roots of the masawe,
0:19:13 > 0:19:14"instead of you."
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- That's a tree, isn't it? - That's a tree, yes.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18So that was done.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24And the fire-walking has been passed on from fathers to sons till today.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Although all the logs had been collected for days beforehand
0:19:29 > 0:19:33and piled in heaps close by, it nevertheless took several hours
0:19:33 > 0:19:35to build this giant bonfire.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37And it was easy to see
0:19:37 > 0:19:39from this huge stack of heavy, dry timbers
0:19:39 > 0:19:41that when it was set alight,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45there was going to be a gigantic blaze, producing tremendous heat.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Some of the stones were buried in the heart of the bonfire.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Others were thrown near the top,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57just beneath the uppermost layer of logs.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03The ritual prescribes that the stones must be in continuous fire
0:20:03 > 0:20:05for at least eight hours,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and, as the ceremony was due to take place in mid-morning the next day,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11the blaze had to be started in the middle of the night.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Within a few minutes,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32the heat was so intense that it was impossible to stand
0:20:32 > 0:20:36within 20 feet of the fire without feeling that your skin was scorching.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38The boulders, as they roasted,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40began to crack with noises like pistol shots
0:20:40 > 0:20:42and burning-hot splinters of stone
0:20:42 > 0:20:45came flying through the air to land at our feet.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48INTENSE CRACKLING
0:20:52 > 0:20:56The next morning, exactly eight hours after the fire had been lit,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58the men who were to walk on the stones,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01together with their attendants who were to prepare the pit for them,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04marched out of the village, headed by the chief,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06and, behind him, the tribal priest.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09They passed quite close to the lovo, the fire pit,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13but it was taboo for any of them at this moment to set eyes
0:21:13 > 0:21:17on the blistering hot stones on which they must walk within half an hour.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The men who were actually to walk on fire left the column
0:21:22 > 0:21:27and disappeared into this small house some 20 yards from the lovo.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30There, they will sit in darkness and meditation
0:21:30 > 0:21:32until the pit has been made ready for them.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41The attendants, led by the priest, marched onwards to the pit.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51The great bonfire had now almost burnt out, but, even so,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54the heat was so great that if you stood on the edge of the pit,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56it hit your face like a physical blow.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00A few smouldering timbers on the top of the stones
0:22:00 > 0:22:02had first to be removed.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14EXCITED SHOUTING
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Once the logs had been dragged away, then the searing-hot stones
0:22:25 > 0:22:27had to be levelled to make a flat surface
0:22:27 > 0:22:29on which the performers could walk.
0:22:46 > 0:22:5020 minutes had passed since the last timbers had been removed
0:22:50 > 0:22:52but, even so, there could be no question
0:22:52 > 0:22:54that the stones were still intensely hot,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57certainly hot enough to burn human flesh.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01At last, all was ready and the priest called to the men in the hut.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05PRIEST SHOUTS
0:23:10 > 0:23:11HE SHOUTS
0:23:45 > 0:23:48As soon as the men had made one circuit
0:23:48 > 0:23:50of the fiercely hot boulders, the priest gave another order.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53MEN CHANT
0:24:04 > 0:24:08All the men who had walked remained in the centre of the pit chanting,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11as steam from bundles of leaves rose around them.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21THEY CHANT
0:24:30 > 0:24:33The masawe vine was thrown into the pit
0:24:33 > 0:24:35as the little eel god had ordained.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40THEY CONTINUE TO CHANT
0:24:52 > 0:24:56And then, finally, the leaves and the roasted boulders
0:24:56 > 0:24:58were covered with earth and buried.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03THEY CHANT
0:25:08 > 0:25:11As the performers came out of the pit, I talked to one of them.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17And when you were in the hut, where you stayed for half an hour,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19what do you do?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I just sit down and prepare.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26You sit and prepare?
0:25:26 > 0:25:28- Yeah. - How do you prepare?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I just keep ready.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- Uh...do you do anything special? - No.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- Nothing? - Nothing.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40- Do you...do you think about anything?
0:25:40 > 0:25:46Well, I'm just thinking that I'm going to walk...the hot stones.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- And does that worry you? - No, not at all.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53- Not at all? - No.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Do you... It is dark in there? Do you shut your eyes?
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- No. - You just... Do you talk?
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- Yes, we talk. - What do you talk about?
0:26:02 > 0:26:07Just talk about that you're going to...walk on the hot stones.
0:26:08 > 0:26:15And when you come out of the hut, and you go into the lovo, uh,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18what does it feel like, walking on the stones?
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Before we step onto the hot stones,
0:26:22 > 0:26:27we feel some strength go into our body.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- Some stranger? - Some strength.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33- Strength? - Yes, we feel...
0:26:33 > 0:26:36don't feel...normal
0:26:36 > 0:26:38as we are.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- You don't feel normal? - Yeah. A bit different.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47And when you walk onto the stones, what do you feel in your feet?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49- Nothing. - Nothing at all?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- No. - May I just look at your feet now?
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- And they are not burnt at all. - No.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01No, not at all. No.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08How many times have you done it?
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Well, it's the first time I have...
0:27:13 > 0:27:14- It's the first time? - Yes.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- And were you frightened? - No.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Why do you think that you don't get burned?
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Because we believe in the old...
0:27:25 > 0:27:29..these, they have done this and nothing happened to them, so...
0:27:29 > 0:27:34- Do you think that I could do it? - I think so. Anybody can do it.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Anybody can do it?
0:27:36 > 0:27:39But are there not some taboos which one has to obey?
0:27:39 > 0:27:45Yes, there are some laws you've got to obey before you step in.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46What are the laws?
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- That coconut... - Mm-hm.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Don't eat the coconut before you step in.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- Don't eat coconut? - Four days. Yes.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Keep out from eating this coconut.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04And if I obeyed those laws, I could walk on the stones, could I?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06And it burn!
0:28:06 > 0:28:07THEY LAUGH
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Thank you very much.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11Some years ago,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15a team of doctors carried out a scientific investigation
0:28:15 > 0:28:19into how it was that the Fijians could walk on hot stones in that way.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22There were a lot of explanations which were examined.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Some people pointed out that, of course, if you walked barefoot
0:28:25 > 0:28:27all your life, the bottom of your feet had
0:28:27 > 0:28:30hard, thick skin on it, which is perfectly true.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33But even hard, thick skin burns
0:28:33 > 0:28:36when it touches boulders as hot as that, and those people were unburned.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Other people said, "Well, a boulder, when it cools,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43"it has a microscopic skin on the top of the stone, as it were,
0:28:43 > 0:28:44"which is quite cool,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47"and that when you have perspiration from your feet
0:28:47 > 0:28:51"and putting onto the slightly cool rock, this forms
0:28:51 > 0:28:54"a sort of cushion - you don't get burnt, if you tread very quickly."
0:28:54 > 0:28:56But then those people didn't walk very quickly.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00And, indeed, no-one could produce an explanation which was so convincing
0:29:00 > 0:29:03that they were prepared to put it to the test, anyway,
0:29:03 > 0:29:04by trying to walk themselves.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08But there was a more simple question
0:29:08 > 0:29:11which I myself couldn't find an answer to, and that was,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13why do they do it?
0:29:13 > 0:29:15I asked quite a lot of people, and they just said,
0:29:15 > 0:29:20"Well, this was a power which has been given us and given our ancestors
0:29:20 > 0:29:24"and because we are men from Mbengga, we must do it."
0:29:24 > 0:29:29In fact, one of them said, "You are not really a true Mbengga man
0:29:29 > 0:29:31"until you have gone fire-walking."
0:29:31 > 0:29:35That's the explanation they gave me, and I pass it straight on to you.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Well, after we left Mbengga,
0:29:37 > 0:29:43we set off for the remotest and farthest-out islands of Fiji,
0:29:43 > 0:29:47and what we found there I'll tell you about next time.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50SINGING