- 7 hours ago
Ed Stafford's Rite of Passage Season 1 Episode 4
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:03I'm feeling it.
00:05I'm very aware of what I'm about to enter.
00:11This isn't just beating your chest and showing off and showing how alpha male you are.
00:16This is a vehicle for growing up.
00:25I guess that's the essence of rite of passage, isn't it?
00:32I'm Ed Stafford.
00:34As an explorer and survivalist, I've made a career out of mucking about in the wild.
00:40If I'm honest, I've never really grown up.
00:45So now...
00:46Ready, guys?
00:48I've set myself a mission to see how cultures across the world navigate the messy business of becoming an adult.
01:00I believe many of us in the modern world have lost our sense of identity.
01:05But I'm hoping, by immersing myself in the often extreme trials that young people face,
01:11I can figure out how these rituals make us better members of our communities.
01:16I've never experienced anything even comparable in terms of pain.
01:22By joining them on their journey, I hope I'll learn to become a better man.
01:29Maybe even grow up.
01:31It's very honest.
01:32Okay, he wants me to jump out on the journey now.
01:34And successfully pass my own...
01:37rite of passage.
01:58I'm in the far north of China, in Inner Mongolia.
02:04It's a wild open country and rough terrain spreading out in all directions.
02:10I'll be traveling to a remote region located in the expansive grasslands of Shilingor League.
02:18Where I'll be spending a week with a Mongol family.
02:22The nomadic Mongols have led a traditional pastoral lifestyle on this grassland since the time of Genghis Khan.
02:32From what I know about their rite of passage,
02:35their training to become a fierce and Mongol warrior is as much a part of their ancient culture as it
02:41is a rite of passage.
02:42It involves three manly games.
02:45Horse riding.
02:48Archery.
02:50And wrestling.
02:53Skills once essential on the battlefield.
02:57Today, Mongolian men are still expected to excel in these sports to pass their rite of passage.
03:04At a traditional festival of games called Nadam.
03:09It's all about technique and strength.
03:12And perhaps the truest form of showing that strength is Mongolian wrestling.
03:17With just seven days here, wrestling is what I've chosen to focus on.
03:21So basically, I've got a week of being thrown around and battered and bruised.
03:25Which should be fun.
03:30At the end of my stay, my wrestling skills will be put to the test at the local Nadam festival.
03:36If I can put up a good fight and beat an opponent,
03:39I reckon I will have burnt my stripes in this Mongol rite of passage.
03:46This really is in the middle of nowhere.
03:51I can't help but notice that while remote, we aren't far from the comforts of the modern world.
04:06I'll be staying on an isolated farm with Temel,
04:09who is the head of the family out here on the grassland.
04:12Hello.
04:13Oh, Tano.
04:14Nice to meet you.
04:15My name's Ed.
04:16Tano.
04:19Is this your son?
04:21I'm Tano.
04:22Hi.
04:22Tano.
04:30Temel invites me to meet the rest of his family in their traditional yurt,
04:34known as a ger in Mongolian.
04:37Since Temel and his family now live in a modern house,
04:39the ger now serves as a comfortable area to socialize.
04:43This is beautiful.
04:43His family will be hosting me for the following week.
04:47His wife, Daoren Tuya.
04:50His brother, Erdin.
04:52His two sons, 23-year-old Nacho and 13-year-old Amuri.
05:14Homemade nook tea.
05:18I'm going to try this.
05:26And how do you make a living here?
05:28Is it all from livestock?
05:31And how many animals do you have?
05:39How much of this land around us that we can see is yours?
05:47Wow, that's a huge amount.
05:49Okay, so pretty much everything we can see is yours.
05:53Do you mind me asking how old you are?
05:5749, that's the same as me.
05:58Same as me, we're the same age.
06:02Temel's son, Nacho, is a professional Mongolian wrestling coach
06:05and he's considered a champion of Shilungor League.
06:09And do you think that 49 years old is too old to wrestle?
06:17Would you be able to teach me how to wrestle?
06:28Good.
06:29I'm a little bit nervous, I have to say.
06:34Before training officially starts, the guys decide to size me up.
06:37Okay, 49-year-old against 49-year-old.
06:49You let me win, you let me win.
06:55You're a very good host, thank you.
06:59Come on, mate.
07:01Come on, mate, let's do it.
07:04Go.
07:12Good game.
07:14You've got a strong son.
07:15Strong son.
07:17Boyed up by beating a 13-year-old.
07:19Ready?
07:20It's time to take on the big gun.
07:22Son.
07:23Oh, my goodness, mate.
07:28Wow, okay, you're strong.
07:31You're strong.
07:33Okay, that's quite sobering.
07:36It's clear that I've got some serious catching up to do with my new coach.
07:43Seemingly not one to waste any time, Nacho cracks the whip and starts my training immediately.
08:10Oh, well, that joke definitely got lost in translation.
08:14When entering the fighting ground, the wrestlers perform a ritual dance to signify their confidence
08:20and readiness to do battle.
08:26With the movement supposed to symbolize powerful animals.
08:29You run in like a Mongolian.
08:37Okay, it really is quite simple, isn't it?
08:40But I'm moving more like I belong at the bottom of the food chain.
08:53With the dance over, each wrestler raises his hand as his name is called.
09:19Nacho and his brother, Amuri, have already wrestled at Nardom, so this week it'll only be me
09:24that's really going through a rite of passage.
09:26But before I start, I'll need my gear.
09:30One of the most important parts of a Mongolian wrestler's uniform
09:34is called a jodag.
09:38An open-chested jacket used for gripping opponents during matches.
09:42So, the man and because I'm scared of high-stabesies.
09:47It's funny.
09:53We've never seen theç®± of a novelty in the world.
09:58It's a dirty pattern.
10:03But I know he is not.
10:05We've never seen the main thing.
10:06So, in the place, I'm scared of the people who are such an old man in the world.
10:09And I thought that the guy doesn't work.
10:11I thought that he is a very good man.
10:11He's like me, he's not sure but he's not sure.
10:14OK, so lesson one is all about gripping.
10:19That can't be too hard.
10:21Yeah, very easy.
10:23Let's go.
10:25Put your eyes on the ground and...
10:29Blatter!
10:33Basically, I need to seize my opponent's grip points.
10:43And break free when he takes mine.
10:49Nothing seems to be working.
10:53Breaking free from Nacho is just impossible.
10:59I can't handle this.
11:01I can't handle this.
11:06I can't handle this.
11:07I don't have to leave the room until I get it.
11:11I can't handle this.
11:13I can't handle this.
11:26So...
11:26�!
11:53bonUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUND Around this stage.
11:58can we stop for half an hour not five seconds half an hour my brain's fried
12:05obviously this is an intensive period of training if i don't have time to mentally digest it
12:11and physically recover i'm not going to advance that's my take on it
12:18i think the thing that's holding me back at the moment which you're pointing out very clearly to
12:23me is that um i'm trying too hard all the time and then because i'm trying so hard um i'm
12:29exhausting
12:30myself within seconds currently it's day one um i'm at the very beginning of my journey but
12:36if i was to enter it that um today i wouldn't do well would i
12:52this must be one of the toughest rites of passage i'll be faced with
12:56right now i'm not sure if i could throw anyone at the nardum festival i need to raise my game
13:02fast
13:12felt like the princess and the pea last night the guys don't seem to have mattresses here
13:19so i'm on a hard wooden board on nine blankets basically and yet there was a lump just underneath
13:26my chest wrestling this morning joyous i knew there'd be a catch
13:36outside the gear nacho has already set up the gym
13:39morning mate right i'm looking forward to this what are we doing
13:44okay great are we headbutting them
13:48no no no no no okay all right good i'm good i'm good i'm good i'm good
13:57that's all right it's already starting to burn
14:05are you counting
14:08i thought you were counting
14:15this is a lovely way to spend the morning
14:19142 this is not my usual gym workout but i can see how it builds the strong grip needed in
14:25mongolian
14:25wrestling it's not hurting but it's um obviously quite wearing on the arms
14:37no one likes to show up you know
14:42okay that's 200
14:44needless to say i don't do a lot of this in everyday life
14:48230
14:50it's starting to get hard actually okay that's 400
15:05500
15:13have you ever heard of the concept of recovery
15:17with an exercise
15:23it's okay
15:32nacho tells me that we have to spend the day doing farm work
15:36instead of doing any wrestling training
15:38but to be honest i'm not sure this is the best use of my time out here
15:43especially with nadam quickly approaching
15:51cool let me um let me have a crack at this then
15:55so you want all the all the soil that way
16:12story of my life isn't it
16:18i've noticed that out here they don't really use any farming machinery
16:21it seems like it's all done by hand
16:25and i'm starting to think this is all part of nacho's plan
16:29all right
16:37well the hair notoriously always wins the race doesn't it
16:43so nacho's approach is a bit more slow
16:45a bit more conserving energy
16:48i could go on all day
16:50it's almost tantric
16:51it's almost tantric
16:58but yeah there's a set of contrasts between
17:00his
17:02approach to life and mine
17:05how old were you when he started
17:07how old were you when he started
17:33and what would you i guess what would you like to achieve in your life what do you aspire to
17:40what would be the ultimate goal for you
17:49and is that possible do you think
17:58love your confidence mate
18:04so i'm being trained by the best
18:05therefore i've got no excuses have i
18:08it's it's fun
18:09it's fun to learn from somebody who's not like you
18:12that's actually probably where i'm going to grow the most
18:15this is already beginning to be fascinating just in terms of what i'm going to learn
18:19not just about farming not just even about wrestling but about how to approach life
18:26for the mongols out on the grassland one of the most legendary natural foods which is believed to help them
18:33keep fighting fit
18:34is a nice big glass of fermented horse milk known as irag
18:43traditionally irag is made by mongolian women in family workshops like this one
18:48with the mongol women adding a vital part to their economy this way
18:55today
18:55narsu's irag goes beyond family gatherings
18:58it's also sold in local shops and markets
19:04does the horse milk therefore cost a lot of money
19:10i've never really seen a horse's udders before
19:23and do you put a lot of your strength down to drinking horse milk
19:40i think i might start marketing it um in england
19:43horse milk for bodybuilders
19:45and wrestlers
19:48and rugby players
19:51and um we'll share the profits this time next year we'll be millionaires
20:06according to many experts fermented horse milk really is a great lactose alternative
20:12it's high in vitamins and minerals and has immune boosting compounds to boot
20:17once the milk is collected it's taken straight to the nearby gear to begin fermentation
20:24and this in here this is all fermented yeah it smells sharp it's not nice it's tolerable i would say
20:33you know it's the sort of thing that you wouldn't naturally
20:37eat or drink unless it was good for you
20:40eat or drink unless it was good for you
20:41this will be the first time trying fermented horse milk
20:51oh it's got it's got a tang to it
20:59would this have been drunk in the time of genghis khan
21:02yeah
21:03yeah
21:03yeah
21:04yeah
21:05yeah
21:05yeah
21:05yeah
21:05yeah
21:05yeah
21:05yeah
21:05yeah
21:06yeah
21:18So to really take my wrestling skills up a notch, Nacho takes me to the nearby city of Shilin Hao
21:24Tu to train alongside a group of young semi-pro Mongolian wrestlers.
21:39I think they're the guys who have been selected as young potential professionals.
21:46They should be quite an elite group of wrestlers, and yeah, it'll be interesting to see what I can learn
21:51from this.
21:53So in terms of level, how do they compare to you?
22:01There's that confidence again. I bet Nacho would actually make a pretty good lawyer back in England.
22:08Literally just smashed him on the ground so easily. Very good.
22:13After watching for a while, it's time to quite literally throw myself into action.
22:39It's too hard. I always want to use it.
22:46Come on, come on, come on.
22:50I mean, smashed, but he did pick the very best of the entire group.
22:57Let's go up against me.
23:01All right, we've got a smaller guy now. Let's see what I can do.
23:18Looks like my training with Nacho is starting to pay off.
23:21Time out.
23:22I'm very good.
23:25I just hope I'm doing him proud.
23:28So I don't think the word rest exists in Mongolian.
23:31So the concept of time out definitely does not exist in Mongolian.
23:34I don't know.
23:36I don't know.
23:37I don't know.
23:39All right, let's go.
24:01Grass on concrete. There's no give in this astroturf.
24:08I did see stars at that point.
24:10But he's half my size, so I had to get up and carry on fighting.
24:24Ahead of tomorrow's Nardum, there's one last place Nacho says we should visit for some spiritual preparation.
24:59Ovu's are cans made up for a new preparation.
25:00of piles of rocks that serve as both territorial markers and ritual altars for the mongols
25:12you've brought your wrestling kit up here is this is a part of preparation for the um for the nadam
25:30nacho's now cleansing literally the the wrestling equipment that he's going to use as well
25:35so that everything is pure everything is ready
25:42the reason nacho's brought me up here is to give me an understanding of just how
25:47this ritual isn't something individual it's not just for a wrestler who wants to win tomorrow
25:53it's it's tying it into a bigger significance of an understanding that we're all part of
25:59something a lot bigger you know
26:17for me this is a less conventional rite of passage there is no ceremony he's not jumping over a
26:22ball or putting his hand in gloves full of ants however if you look at what he's learning
26:27through doing what he's doing you know through aspiring to be the best in his country at
26:32wrestling he is confronting his own demons he is learning about responsibility about discipline
26:39he's becoming stronger he's having to mentally be confident and mature he's all of the same
26:45qualities that are nurtured in a person through a rite of passage ceremony are also being nurtured in the
26:50young wrestlers through their sport and maybe it's actually a more translatable thing to western
26:56world because we do take part in sports we do take part in physical endurance events and maybe they
27:02can be used as a kind of rite of passage as a way of developing yourself
27:17i don't think a rite of passage has to be a ceremony i don't think almost i don't think it
27:22has to be a
27:22deliberate rite of passage if you're going through something which allows you to transition from for
27:27example a young immature selfish boy into a mature responsible community orientated man then that's a
27:35rite of passage as a traveler through these lands paying respects at the ovu is seen as a huge sign
27:42of respect one which will hopefully give me safe passage as i continue my journey
28:12it's even got my name on it look at that
28:23thank you while i've been lucky to experience the famous mongol hospitality during my time
28:29this is really quite special it signifies for me turning a corner being accepted to an extent
28:40um by the family and and um nacho is um you know softly spoken at first but he's warming up
28:46now
28:47it really took me back when um when nacho was saying to me he was like
28:54you're wearing yourself out you know you're trying too hard you're you there's no bit of you that's
29:01relaxed you're just on a hundred percent of the time and it was as if he was being a life
29:07coach to me
29:07rather than a wrestling coach he he couldn't have been describing better my life you know
29:15if i've come here to learn about a culture that has a right of passage ceremony but i do genuinely
29:20feel like this is helping me at my time in life i turned 50 this year and you know i've
29:25stopped having
29:25kids now you know this is this is a new chapter in my life a new phase it's extraordinarily relevant
29:33to me
29:33and it's it's um really causing me to address certain parts of my life and and um consciously evolve
29:42through them i think um which is exactly what a rite of passage is meant to do
29:52um
30:00um
30:01um
30:01There's a lot of money and money.
30:10It's a lot of money.
30:47Today is finally the big day.
30:50Today is the Nardum.
31:02So because I'm taking part in the Nardum, which is a festival of sports, basically, I have
31:07to wear the traditional garb.
31:11The wrestling's good.
31:12I'm good with it.
31:13If I get two round two, for me that's a win.
31:17For me that is above probably my expectations.
31:22If I don't embarrass Nacho, then that's also a win.
31:32And just as the festival is about to start, the heavens open.
31:43The horses apparently have been spotted, so they're 12 kilometres away they started, which
31:49is apparently a 15-minute run.
31:51And this is the finish line.
31:54So you get four seasons in one day in Mongolia, I'd like to experience some other seasons
31:59right now.
32:00Thank you very much.
32:00We've done the wet bit.
32:02Look at that!
32:03Look at that!
32:04Look at that!
32:04Look at that!
32:06They're all children.
32:14It's ridiculous, isn't it?
32:15Half an hour ago, poofing it down with rain, now glorious sunshine, worried about sunburn.
32:24So we've had the horse racing, this is the archery being set up behind me.
32:41Go on, go on.
32:44It's okay.
32:48You've got to be ready.
32:51You've got to sprint into the desert.
32:54You've got to do long.
32:55Go on, go on, go on.
32:56Go on, go on, go on.
33:05as the archery event draws to an end the wrestling is about to begin and in mongolian wrestling
33:13its winner stays on until a champion is crowned how many people are wrestling today
33:23while most people will be watching the men compete there is also a junior tournament
33:28which nacho's brother amori will be vying to win i'm here the sun's out might as well enjoy it
33:45i'm feeling it i'm very aware of what i'm about to enter
34:07thanks timo appreciate it mate i'll do you proud i hope going in first with the two
34:14experts this signifies that they're very good sometimes i do wonder about my own mental health
34:22crikey
34:29and i'm going to see about
35:01here comes the moment of truth
35:06poker
35:07t
35:21you
35:38First round, done.
35:40I'm so relieved that I've proven that I'm not a total failure
35:43and can continue this rite of passage.
35:54It's round two, my name's just been called.
36:43Okay, I'm sorry to not feel comfortable about that.
36:46Are they deliberately giving me easy opponent?
36:50I don't know how to do that.
37:04This is now round three.
37:05It feels quite surreal to be in this position.
37:12This is actually the quarterfinals.
37:16It's down to the last eight people.
37:20Fingers crossed I don't have to wrestle Nacho this round.
37:27Oh, the big lad.
37:42Okay, this guy also looks like a bit of a brute.
37:44And he's in it to win it.
37:46I just need to relax and not do anything stupid.
38:06You could feel he could have put me down at any moment there.
38:13Got my earnings.
38:18Very good.
38:20600 RMB, which is 60 quid.
38:23So I can get the kids some presents on the way home.
38:25That's nice.
38:25And I got to round three, which is extraordinary and far beyond what I thought I was going to achieve.
38:49Okay, so it's the semi-finals.
38:51Nacho's in with a good chance.
38:52He's in with a good chance.
38:54He's up against the guy that beat me.
39:05Come on, son.
39:13Yes, he's won.
39:14He's won.
39:19Very cool that we've got two brothers in the final.
39:21And Marie and Nacho.
39:24You know, could have two winners.
39:35The Nacho's up against the biggest Mongolian I've ever seen in my life.
39:43Come on, mate.
39:44Come on.
39:52So, yeah, Maurice won.
39:55That was cool.
39:57He might be a little shy around me, but clearly he's on track to follow in his brother's footsteps.
40:02And now we have to focus on Nacho.
40:06It's lasting longer than anyone else has lasted against him.
40:10He's doing well.
40:13He's trying to lift him up.
40:15He's trying to lift him up.
40:17He's trying to lift him up.
40:21Oh, he's gone.
40:28Sorry, Nacho is on the floor.
40:31And that is the end of it.
40:34A dream for the day.
40:35Never mind.
40:36Never mind.
40:37The Beast won.
40:39Well done, mate.
40:42Well done.
40:42Never mind.
40:43I think.
40:43It's not bad.
40:44It's not bad.
40:46It's not bad, but it's not bad.
40:48It's not bad.
40:54It's not bad.
41:08Congratulations.
41:13Cool. I just want to say thank you all, I mean, for having me to stay.
41:16You've been an amazing family.
41:17It's been such a privilege to live with you, to train with you,
41:21but just to take part in the whole thing.
41:23So thank you very much indeed.
41:47Thank you, guys.
41:50Thank you, guys.
41:54The main thing for me, though, was what I've learned along the way,
41:57and the key thing has been to relax, you know.
42:00Going like a bull in the china shop through a fight,
42:03but also through life, isn't doing me any favors.
42:07And Nacho has taught me that I really do need to relax.
42:20I think it's definitely something I'll take into my wider life,
42:23because it is true.
42:24I do try too hard, and I think it's all well and good when you're young,
42:30going 1,000% all of the time.
42:32But as you get older, and I am going through my own rite of passage,
42:35this year.
42:36This year I turned 50, and you can't carry on living like that
42:40into your elder years.
42:42Therefore, my lesson is relax, enjoy the moment,
42:48enjoy the game that is live.
43:00It's good! Look at you!
43:03Lo and behold, I've been entered into the fermented horse milk drinking competition.
43:08No, no.
43:09No, no.
43:10No.
43:10Makan!Ãncáar!
43:17That is not much harder
43:17to drink anything, and also my false tooth
43:20was like raggling down as I was drinking, and it was quaking
43:23down.
43:25Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Comments