- 2 days ago
This episode has so much content warning. Fish heads, shark assassination, pig sacrifice, child nudity, adult nudity, and Hawaiian shirts! You've been warned.
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00:01It is dumping day at a tuna cannery in the Solomon Islands.
00:06Hundreds of hungry sharks surround a canoe, devouring bushels of fish scraps.
00:13To fall overboard now would mean certain death.
00:30While photographing this awesome feeding frenzy, the In Search of Camera boat is attacked by several huge sharks.
00:40A wooden paddle is bitten in half.
01:00Children at play in a tropical paradise, the remote island of Lulasi.
01:15At play in shark-infested waters.
01:18Yet these children are unafraid.
01:21What protects them from the jaws of the killer shark?
01:24The Lulasi loves the sea monster others fear.
01:30And harnesses its power in ways unknown to civilized men.
01:40This series presents information based in part on theory and conjecture.
01:45The producer's purpose is to suggest some possible explanations.
01:49But not necessarily the only ones to the mysteries we will examine.
01:54Whoever enters the sea risks the remote, yet ever-present possibility of shark attack.
02:04Armed with sharp teeth, abrasive skin and powerful jaws, sharks can strike anyone, at any time and in any waters.
02:07Armed with sharp teeth, abrasive skin and powerful jaws, sharks can strike anyone, at any time and in any waters.
02:21Armed with sharp teeth, abrasive skin and powerful jaws, sharks can strike anyone, at any time and in any waters.
02:33The lucky few escape with only cuts and bruises, survivors of a close encounter with a curious predator.
02:47But the unlucky majority suffer ghastly injuries.
02:50In these tragic cases, man becomes the helpless prey of a wild animal.
02:54A killer that sometimes attacks from hunger, but more often from pure aggression.
03:01If so inclined, they will attack groups of swimmers, even boats, with sudden fury.
03:14Mimi Macera spotted a shark circling her children.
03:18Armed with only a piece of driftwood, she managed to rescue them.
03:22Spear fisherman Floyd Pear nearly lost his leg.
03:26Pearl diver Iona Asai nearly lost his head.
03:30Without any warning, something hit me with tremendous force, recalled cameraman Henri Bourse.
03:36The shark had taken his leg.
03:39Swimmer Albert Cogler lost an arm, a shoulder and his life.
03:45These tattered remains were all that was found of Navy Lieutenant James Neal.
03:50Whoever searches for the shark must realize that he places his life in great jeopardy and cannot predict the outcome of a confrontation.
04:03To the untrained eye, this shark might appear to be retreating.
04:08Just moments after these pictures were taken, however, it suddenly attacked.
04:12Marine biologist Dr. Walter Stark managed to escape, but his submarine was severely damaged.
04:26Whoever plays with wild sharks soon learns that they have been known to bite the hand that feeds them.
04:36In dangerous waters, survival means protection.
04:43The shark cage, standard equipment for divers.
04:49The shark bubble, underwater observation in comfort and safety.
04:56The shark bag, effective camouflage for victims of air and sea disasters.
05:04It has replaced old fashioned shark repellent, which was distributed more for morale purposes than in any realistic hope of thwarting an attack.
05:12Imaginative inventors have even gone so far as to propose striped wetsuits to confuse sharks.
05:20Electric wetsuits to shock them.
05:23And underwater parachutes to slow them down.
05:28The most widely used protective device is the simplest.
05:38A stick.
05:40A cloud on the nose or a poke at the body is often sufficient to discourage an overly curious shark from getting too close.
05:45If a shotgun shell is attached to the end of the stick, it becomes a lethal weapon called a bang stick.
05:59Even the bravest diver, armed with a bang stick, is in mortal danger, however, when a shark signals it is about to attack.
06:11Arched back, downward pointed fins, erratic swimming, it means that the animal's territorial borders have been violated.
06:21It is shark body language for attack.
06:24The trigger that unleashes a shark attack is a mystery.
06:34Scientists are only beginning to understand how a shark finds its target.
06:38All living creatures radiate minute electromagnetic fields, usually detectable only with the most sensitive instruments.
06:49Even a small electric current passed through water in which a shark is swimming is sensed by the animal.
06:55Thus, the shark may be able to navigate by the Earth's gravity and stalk its victims electronically.
07:05The shark's eye is a highly sensitive organ.
07:08In the dimmest light, it enhances contrast and detects fast movement,
07:14an ideal adaptation for locating prey in dark, murky waters.
07:18Sharks are also able to detect vibrations very quickly and from a great distance.
07:26Marine biologist Dr. Donald Nelson lowers a loudspeaker into the water,
07:31over which he broadcasts a tape recording of struggling fish.
07:38The low-frequency, intermittent sound soon attracts a horde of excited sharks.
07:48The men in his canoe are dumping bushels of fish scraps, the waste of a tuna cannery.
07:59Called by some the swimming nose, the shark is the bloodhound of the sea.
08:04Its sense of smell is legendary.
08:07A large part of a shark's brain is devoted purely to interpreting odours.
08:12Sharks are able to detect even minute quantities of blood.
08:15Soon, the water churns with the giant fins of hundreds of hunger-maddened sharks,
08:22ranging in size from 5 to 12 feet.
08:25At times like this, sharks will strike at anything.
08:36If a man fell overboard, he would be ripped to shreds in seconds.
08:39This is the savage spectacle of Shark Frenzy, the image of certain death.
08:49This is the savage spectacle of Shark Frenzy, the image of certain death.
08:53The ancient Hawaiians knew him as Kama Hoa Li.
08:54In the Gilbert Islands, he was Bakoa.
08:55In Fiji, Dakoanga.
08:56In Fiji, Dakoanga.
08:57In Fiji, Dakoanga.
08:58In the Solomons, Bekwa.
08:59In the Solomons, Bekwa.
09:00Throughout the South, he was the savage spectacle of Shark Frenzy.
09:01This is the savage spectacle of Shark Frenzy.
09:02The ancient Hawaiians knew him as Kama Hoa Li.
09:15In the Gilbert Islands, he was Bakoa.
09:17In Fiji, Dakoanga.
09:22In the Solomons, Bekwa.
09:25Throughout the South Pacific, the shark was worshipped as the greatest god.
09:33Less than 50 years ago, sacrificial victims were strangled on coral stone altars and thrown to the sharks.
09:41But the missionaries who filmed these headhunters in 1900 waged all-out war on the pagan shark god.
09:48Countless human lives have been sacrificed to the shark god.
09:56His followers have dwindled to a handful of true believers.
10:00The shark worshippers, however, can still be found by those who search beyond the frontiers of civilization.
10:08The shark god Dacawanga, if properly appeased, is the benevolent protector of shipwrecked sailors, ally of fishermen.
10:16His name is still remembered with reverence in modern-day Fiji.
10:21Tradition says Tuvu Harbor is the sacred ancestral home of Dacawanga.
10:26Now, it is an exclusive resort.
10:29Tourists, however, never see the shark god.
10:33But the women of the Anuda Island claim that the spirit of Dacawanga still lives.
10:39It is said that he protects the villagers from attack in this coastal river.
10:42The only person ever killed by a shark here was a visitor from another town, a woman who did not believe in the shark god.
10:51On another island, a tourist fell overboard and was immediately attacked by a huge shark.
10:58A policeman prayed to Dacawanga before jumping bravely into the bloody water to attempt a rescue.
11:03Miraculously, it seemed, the shark released its victim and swam peacefully away.
11:10Rather than relying on the shark god's mercy in the future, authorities are building guardrails.
11:16In still another village, a bricklayer claims he was saved by the shark god when his boat sank far out at sea.
11:26He says for two days and two nights, he rode on the back of a huge shark, which carried him to shore with an escort of smaller sharks.
11:35A few witch doctors occasionally include the shark god in their incantations.
11:42Kondroya, one of the most powerful witch doctors, regularly toasts Dacawanga as he drinks a native potion.
11:50Twice a year, he and his apprentice perform the ritual of the sacred tooth.
11:54They believe the shark god appears at midnight to accept the offering.
12:01Fables and symbolic ceremonies are all that remain of what was once the all-powerful religion of Fiji.
12:11Missionaries and other newcomers have toppled Dacawanga from his throne in most of the South Pacific Islands.
12:17In the tiny village of Laulasi, however, the shark god still reigns supreme.
12:24In the Solomon Islands, the people of Laulasi cling precariously to the Stone Age.
12:40Adventurer Terry Hannigan is returning to the mysterious island where pagan priests once accepted him as a brother.
12:46When I first came to Laulasi in 1973, I was lucky enough to witness a lot of occurrences that frankly defied my ability of explanation.
13:06Shark calling, particularly the totemic shark which they were able to call with the performance of a certain rubric.
13:13Now, on two occasions, Bosco Renone, the shark priest, was able to call these in virtually on order.
13:21This was quite amazing to me because the animals came from down current where they couldn't have scented the blood from the sacrifice that was put in the water.
13:28And it was just one of those things where you say to yourself, there certainly are some new things under the sun.
13:34Here, the people's two main cultural backbones have been the worship of their ancestors through the spirit shark and through the making of shell money.
13:49Now that I've come back, I notice a lot of the old ways changing.
13:56A lot of the familiar faces are no longer here.
13:58A lot of the people have moved away.
14:00The general tenor of village life is missing.
14:03The young people all seem to be drawn to the capital where dollars and bright lights seem to beckon them.
14:08And it's really saddening for me to have to witness it.
14:11The Australian has a talk in Pidgin English with the villagers.
14:27His friend Ramo tells him that the people are bitter and confused.
14:31A group of unscrupulous businessmen and corrupt officials from the capital persuaded them to deposit all their worldly wealth in a bank and then embezzled the money, leaving Lalasi destitute.
14:46Siyos tells another sad story.
14:48The young people are moving away for jobs on the mainland.
14:52Even worse, they are abandoning the shark god Bekwa.
14:56Siyos fears a terrible curse has been put upon Lalasi by enemies.
15:00Only the strongest magic can save them.
15:05Mosikuru None feels that he should make a special sacrifice to summon the shark god.
15:10If Bekwa answers, the curse will be broken.
15:14If not, the people must assume their shark god has deserted them.
15:20Before the sacrifice can take place, the living dead must be consulted.
15:25A 90-year-old holy man who calls himself Moses will play a key role.
15:32He lives alone in a hut, taboo to all but a few lesser priests.
15:36His days are spent talking to the ghosts of the dead.
15:40He will pray to the shark spirit for the blessing of his ancestors, for what is about to occur.
15:45If a loved one dies in Lalasi, the body is fed to the sacred sharks.
15:54Only the head is preserved, wrapped in leaves.
15:58When Moses chants to the skulls, he believes he is talking to the dead,
16:03whose spirit lives on in the body of the shark.
16:06In a sacred glen behind the taboo hut, a pit 20 feet deep has been dug to hold 17 generations
16:19of Lalasi skulls, ready to be consulted in times of crisis.
16:23The spirits have given Moses approval to proceed with the ceremony.
16:42Men dance in honor of Bekwa, he who helps them to find fish and shells,
16:48he who guides their boats to safety.
16:50Osikoro delivers the ceremonial pig.
17:10A few generations ago, the sacrifice would have been human.
17:20The shark priests prepare the offering according to the secret ways of their faith.
17:39Women call on Bekwa to protect their men and children, to keep any renegade sharks from attacking them.
17:50This is a village where everyone spends at least several hours a day swimming in waters full of dangerous sharks.
17:59Yet, the Lalasi claim that no villager has ever been attacked by a shark, except one man who denied the power of Bekwa.
18:11The sacrifice is about to begin.
18:14Mysteriously, sharks have gathered in the waters near the Tabu hut, just moments before the shark priests appear.
18:22Terry, Ramo and the male villagers are now participants in a religious communion which has been shared by the Lalasi people and the sharks for hundreds of years.
18:33The sacrifice is placed in the water by Bosikuru, with a prayer to the spirit shark.
18:36The shark has been taken for hundreds of years.
18:42The sacrifice is placed in the water by Bosikuru, with a prayer to the spirit shark.
18:57Twenty yards away, children play unafraid.
19:06The great spirit shark appears, an awesome ten-footer.
19:12According to Bosikuru, it is essential that this shark be the first to take the offering.
19:17Only then, may the lesser sharks follow.
19:26The spirit shark circles the bait, but does not bite.
19:37Through age-old secret prayers, Bosikuru calls to the sharks.
19:41Other sharks move in expectantly, ready for their part in the drama.
20:01Now, Bosikuru must pray to Bekwa.
20:04Let the spirit shark be the first to strike.
20:09Suddenly, Bekwa takes the sacrifice.
20:13Faith has been rewarded.
20:15The devil has been defeated.
20:24The others move in quickly, finishing off the sacrifice in a sudden frenzy.
20:28The ancient bond between man and shark has been kept alive.
20:34But for how long?
20:41Songs of praise to Bekwa now ring throughout Laulasi.
20:45The shark god has answered.
20:47These people will always have a special corner of my heart all to their own.
21:01I've got a lot of good friends here.
21:04People who will still be friends of mine in a lot of years to come.
21:08Even though their way of life may not outlive the friendship.
21:11Luckily enough, Bosikuru, the shark priest, is still able to call sharks and still able to call the particular shark they worship.
21:22But one wonders that with his passing, will this continue?
21:26It saddens me to think that this centuries-old way of life may very soon shudder to a halt.
21:32The Laulasi people represent the final spiritual link between man and shark.
21:40They alone swim in dangerous waters unafraid.
21:43They alone call on the shark god and have their prayers answered.
21:47If they possess mystical powers over the sea monster we fear, their secret will be lost forever with the passing of the ancient religion.
21:54When their culture dies out, there will be nobody left to love the shark.
22:24The Laulasi people use to sigh to fear.
22:25The Laulasi people have bịactoring has been under their own.
22:27As they have Spanish people have been under their own.
22:32And they're too much like the power of God.
22:34The Laulasi people have been in endlich for years to this war.
22:37The Laulasi people have been under their own uni and the truth.
22:39The Laulasi people are playing in Yoshi's house too.
22:42The Laulasi, such that the Laulasi, such that the Laulasi, such that the Laulasi, such that the Their life, it's been able to watch the war saham and the characters,
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