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00:22I've never experienced anything even comparable in terms of pain.
00:38This is an extraordinary thing to put yourself through, especially when in order to become
00:43a man in this community, you have to do it 20 times throughout your life.
00:58I'm Ed Stafford. As an explorer and survivalist, I've made a career out of mucking about in the wild.
01:05If I'm honest, I've never really grown up. So now, I've set myself a mission to see how cultures across
01:18the world navigate the messy business of becoming an adult.
01:26I believe many of us in the modern world have lost our sense of identity. But I'm hoping by immersing
01:33myself in the often extreme trials that young people face, I can figure out how these rituals make us better
01:40members of our communities.
01:42I've never experienced anything even comparable in terms of pain.
01:47By joining them on their journey, I hope I'll learn to become a better man.
01:55Maybe even grow up.
01:57Okay, he wants me to jump up. I'm going to jump up.
02:00And successfully pass my own rite of passage.
02:13I'm heading deep into the Amazon jungle to visit a people called the Satare Maui.
02:19I'm on the final leg of my journey, a two-hour boat ride up the Amazon to reach their remote
02:24village.
02:26They live on the Andira River, 80 kilometres from the nearest city.
02:33This community has a unique rite of passage ceremony that involves them putting their hands in gloves full of bullet
02:39ants.
02:42The bullet ant of all insects has the most painful sting in the world.
02:58Oh!
03:00Hey!
03:01I am Ed.
03:05Morning, this is João.
03:10João.
03:11Today, I'm waiting.
03:13Thanks!
03:17That all felt rather stiff, if I'm honest, and I think the guys knew that I was coming,
03:23but I think they were a little bit nervous.
03:25My name is Eddie.
03:28No, it's Adriana.
03:29Adriana?
03:29Yes.
03:30Very nice.
03:31Yeah, let's face it, it's not every day that a camera and a man comes into their village
03:36wanting to partake in this sort of ceremony, so I'm hoping that things relax a little as
03:40this day goes on.
03:43Passa for him here, look.
03:45Where's his skin?
03:45What's your name?
03:47That's the friendship of the people of Saftere.
03:58Just been given a necklace and officially welcome to the tribe.
04:02That is a good start.
04:15So I believe we're going to, um, like the centre of the community.
04:20I'm not sure what my Portuguese is good, but it's not amazing.
04:23I'm understanding the majority, but not everything.
04:36In terms of sort of architecture, there's quite a lot of traditional houses and there's a lot
04:40of concrete structures as well.
04:46Despite their remote location, the community's position on the river means that they are open
04:51to the outside world and the modern influences that brings.
05:12Every time we stop, I keep getting bitten by ants, but they're these tiny little ones and I'm
05:16trying not to react to them at all because, obviously, compared to bullet ants, they're
05:19absolutely nothing and yet they're infuriating because they're biting at my ankles and these
05:23guys are starting to laugh because I'm, like, literally picking these tiny little minute
05:26ants off my ankles, but they hurt.
05:30I might be in trouble.
05:32The centrepiece of the Sa Sarema Way rite of passage is the incredibly painful Tukandera
05:38ritual.
05:42Young men get stung by close to 100 bullet ants on each hand.
05:52And they have to do it at least 20 times.
06:01And one of those times is about to kick off.
06:06OK, so this is the central area where they conduct the ceremony.
06:19OK.
06:21My understanding of the ceremony today is that these guys are veterans.
06:25One of them has done it 34 times.
06:29It's all becoming a little bit real.
06:41It's been likened to walking on hot coves.
06:45Insect venom is scaled in terms of the pain from a one to a four.
06:50And the bullet ant is number four, which is obviously the highest level of pain.
06:55To put that into perspective, the sting of an average honeybee is generally just a two.
07:01It does something to the pain pathways within the body and stops the body combating that
07:07pain.
07:07So it keeps the pain pathways open longer than you would normally feel pain in any other
07:12situation in life.
07:15Something to pay down.
07:32This is an extraordinary thing to put yourself through.
07:48From what I understand, it's the dancing and therefore the sweating that allows the toxins to disperse.
07:54And this is to help them manage the pain.
07:58They're receiving.
08:26And now his hands are shaking badly.
08:36You've literally got a veteran crying, shaking, trembling, experiencing a level of pain that I know
08:46I have never felt in my life before.
08:49It's scary.
08:56Hey.
08:57Hey, you can see.
09:00Hey, I can see.
09:01You can see.
09:01This is the first time that I've seen him with ants on a glove like this.
09:09So the ants have all been sort of secured into this with their abdomen facing inwards and obviously
09:16the stings are on the abdomen, which is why it's on the inside.
09:21Quantos?
09:22Quantos ten aqui?
09:43Teniko has been through the ritual more times than anybody else, and he will be my mentor
09:48for the week.
10:07Do women ever go through the ceremony?
10:14They might not have to physically deal with the pain, but the women do seem to help the
10:19young men throughout the emotional ordeal.
10:26It's an extreme rite of passage.
10:33So why do they do it?
10:34They do it.
10:39For a young person, for a child.
10:45They don't like us.
11:08I mean this is an incredible number why have you done it so many times
11:23while there's no scientific evidence to show that repeated bullet and stings improve the immune
11:28system I can see how it could make the boys understand and manage pain much better is it
11:35okay with both of you that I take part in a ceremony in a few days yeah conselho key
12:03I can't believe this is day one
12:07I feel like I've experienced so much already
12:12the truth is the auntie's been hooked I'm under no illusions just quite how painful this is going
12:19to be I've never experienced anything even comparable in terms of pain
12:42that was a pretty terrible first night of sleep I have to admit
12:48the bullet and ritual is still playing on my mind
12:55it's a mix of emotions it's a blender of butterflies and knives and all sorts of things going around
13:01my chest I feel like the next few days are vital for me to nuance exactly my approach to how
13:08I'm
13:09going to conduct myself during the ceremony but um it's occupying every part of my being right now
13:17I'm so aware of something coming that is enormous absolutely enormous I guess my spidey senses were
13:27tingling as a morning storm quickly engulfs the area so while we wait for it to pass Adriana asked me
13:34to help prepare some food for their meals
13:37for their meals
13:50Farine is a carbohydrate made of manioc root and is a staple part of the Amazonian diet when there is
14:00no fish or meat to eat
14:02it's quite flamboyant isn't it is it always the women that do this kind of job
14:16I'm going to make sure the food is time to eat
14:17So I'm happy to make food for the food for the family and I'm happy to make food for it
14:20because when he comes, there is an hour to the food for our family
14:23Yes, okay, we're done. Yes
14:32That's a problem excellent
14:40Golden nuggets of pure joy
14:46I took the moment with Adriana to find out what she thinks about the Rite of Passage
15:00How painful do you think it is for the man?
15:04I think that this pain is a bit like a pain of having a baby
15:11Yesterday I told my son Esau, I said, now you're going to feel a pain
15:16Or how I felt when I got up
15:17But it's a bit different because the Tukandeira
15:21It's a lot of pain
15:24I guess this ritual is basically the big equalizer
15:29Yeah
15:29You didn't want him to do it initially and you've now decided that you do want him to do it
15:34Why have you changed your mind?
15:35Because before he wanted to put his hand on his hand, he was 11 years old
15:40He was very small
15:42So I thought he wouldn't be able to do the pain
15:45Now he decided to put his hand on his hand
15:47So we don't have to say to him
15:49Now he said that he doesn't have anyone
15:55I think if a 12-year-old can do it, I'm hoping that at 49 years old, I can do
16:01it as well
16:02I will be together
16:03If you need, I will help you too
16:06Like I will help my son
16:09Thank you too
16:20Thank you
16:21For a few days away, I'm going to take all the help I can get to overcome the pain
16:48José is helping to teach me the steps needed during the right as a way to help deal with the
16:54pain
16:59You'd think that would be easy, wouldn't it?
17:03It's because it ends on a right foot
17:07And then it starts with a right foot
17:10And so I'm like
17:11I want to do left foot
17:23I know it's not complicated, but that's quite embarrassing
17:30It's not balanced
17:30I'm not really renowned for my dancing
17:34I think I've got it
17:43You were really stamping hard, was there a reason for that?
18:12I've watched him almost come apart, you know?
18:16I've watched him almost come apart, you know?
18:16Tears streaming down his face, body convulsing and shaking
18:21Obviously, it's somewhat intimidating, to say the least
18:27There's no rules or expectations surrounding crying
18:31She does good
18:32When we cry, it's not a shame, it's nothing
18:36It hurts
18:37You have to jump
18:47There is no hiding the fact that this is going to be extraordinarily more powerful than anything I would have
18:53ever felt through my nervous system before
18:58I'm aware that my mind state is, will make all the difference
19:01I think I just need to reset, recharge
19:04Sleep will give me the resilience that I need
19:15Morning
19:17And traditional preparations are in full swing for tomorrow's rite of passage
19:29Do an exercise
19:31Still durable
19:32Do an41請
19:39pepi Take
19:39a step Do
19:41anwagen Take
19:42a step Druid
19:43Take a
19:43step Getting quick
19:44Hey
19:53It's all, it's making the gloves sort of making it at home.
19:58Yeah, it's true.
20:24So what I'm doing is cutting the little strips that end up being woven together in order
20:28to make the inner gloves, the ones that the ants are actually woven into.
20:38The outer gloves are permanent and they're held within the village hall.
20:51Gloves woven, the boys and I also need to get ourselves prepared.
20:55And it's suddenly all becoming very real.
21:12How long will they stay on the body?
21:19The boys being painted will do the right with me.
21:22Because I always wanted to know the pain that they feel.
21:26And my grandfather said that to us,
21:31whatever we want, we have to go through.
21:35Uh-huh.
21:37Tiniko's grandson, Esau, is 12 years old.
21:41And like me, he's doing the bullet ant ritual for the first time.
22:07I can see it in your eyes.
22:15It's a big thing, right?
22:18Uh-huh.
22:19Uh-huh.
22:20Uh-huh.
22:23Uh-huh.
22:26Uh-huh.
22:28Uh-huh.
22:36I see your mom or your dad giving you any last minute advice.
22:40They showed me that not them when their car can grow.
22:48It just can cry while it's already out.
23:10My body is ready and for the first time I'm starting to feel more confident about the right of passage,
23:16but Taniko's asked to meet.
23:21I wanted to explain how the pain is, how she does, the process of her.
23:33When she attacks a lot, like José was here, it hurts the chest.
23:39It's dry, it's dry, it's dry, it's dry.
23:42But the other thing is that we don't have any conditions for anything.
23:51The pressure of the pain, we don't have to force it.
23:57We have to relax, just hold it.
24:00If it's slow, then the blood goes down.
24:07Then it's going to make that pain.
24:12But if the pain is alive, you want to be more than her, she will cry.
24:20In terms of the order of the ceremony, José indicated to me that the reason he was in so much
24:26pain was because he went first.
24:28And obviously, I'm only going to do this once in my life.
24:31Would it be okay if I went first?
24:59That's it. There's no bucking down now.
25:02I just hope I don't live to regret it.
25:12It's my last meal with the family.
25:16And Adriana has made sure we're all well-fed for the ceremony.
25:20There's the rice, the macaroni, the bread.
25:26But it also feels a bit like a condemned man's final meal.
25:31It's hot.
25:35It's hot.
25:37It's hot, hot.
25:38It's hot.
25:41Isaiu, how do you feel tomorrow?
25:45Now that I have more anxiety, I will put my hand on my hand for the first time.
25:57And the Lord?
25:59I am ready. I think so.
26:03I am ready.
26:09Big day tomorrow.
26:11It has involved a lot of mental preparation.
26:14It has involved strategizing.
26:17But I feel like I am there.
26:20And it may well be the last time in my life that I ever experienced that sensation.
26:24So I want to experience it. I want to relish in it.
26:28I want to revel in it. I want to explore it.
26:34And dare I say it, I don't want it to be over.
26:42It's the day of my rite of passage.
26:47And it wouldn't be much of a ceremony without the star of the event.
26:51Chinico is blowing a musical instrument at the front, which is part of the ceremony in terms of attracting the
27:00ants and drawing them out of their home.
27:15The tobacco smoke and rubbing of the tree aggravates the ants and drives them out of their nest, ready to
27:21sting.
27:34Wow, that's quite a lot on the pole.
27:40There's a lot of ants going into this tube.
27:44A huge amount.
27:46Every one of them has a sting considerably worse than a scorpion.
27:56Back in the village, while the boys and I steal our nerves,
28:02Tinico sedates the ants using leaves from the tapabera plant.
28:24It's a skillful art, and Tinico must work fast to weave the ants into the gloves before they wake up.
28:39Then I'm a demon.
28:47This is it, the sedative is worn off, and the ants are ready to attack anything and anyone that goes
28:53near them.
28:55Undeniably, there's this surge of energy that is rising in my body.
29:07It's kind of a mesh of excitement and elation and fear.
29:20I think actually in my life, the closest I've come to this is a boxing match, you know, somewhere
29:25where there's nowhere to hide, somewhere where if you mess up, it's going to be very visible
29:30to a lot of people.
29:43Once the gloves go on, I'll be entering a world of pain that I've never felt before.
29:50So the ants are going into the gloves now, being tied up.
29:54And there will be nothing I can do to stop it for over 12 hours.
30:06So, if you're going to do it, it will do it, but you...
30:15Go.
30:17Go.
30:17Go.
30:19Go.
30:21Go.
30:21I don't know what to do.
30:59I may look composed, but the pain is excruciating.
31:06Somehow, it's almost making me feel high.
31:09I'm charged with adrenaline and completely focused on the dance.
31:19The repetitive steps are giving me something to focus on,
31:22but the searing pain is like nothing I've ever felt before.
31:45.
31:49Let's go.
31:50.
31:50.
31:52.
31:54.
31:54.
32:26I've never experienced anything to this intensity in my physicality.
32:33Literally, like, my hands are on fire, right in the heart of a fire.
32:55My thought was to put it and send it out, right?
33:01But no, he resisted.
33:04It was positive.
33:05His preparation was very good.
33:14If you were to spiral into a panic with this level of pain, it would be awful.
33:28It would be then unmanageable by definition.
33:45If it's this hard for me, a grown man, I have no idea how the boys are going to cope.
33:51If it's this hard for me, I'm not sure how the boys are going to cope.
34:22Now it's all about withstanding the incredible pain.
34:31Taniko warned me there would be intense peaks to this pain.
34:37It feels like I'm hitting the first of these now.
34:40I guess this is now the phase where there's no abatement.
34:44You know, the pain is, if anything, it's growing slightly.
34:50If anything, it's getting more painful.
34:53And it's managing that.
35:10It was important that I didn't cry from the sun.
35:18Thank you very much.
35:37An hour after the ritual and the pain is only increasing.
35:43The decision is made to move us to the village hall so that we can be closely monitored.
36:03But it's as close to as unbearable as I can contemplate right now.
36:10Hats off to these people who do it 20 times.
36:13Crikey.
36:13What an extraordinary way of facilitating them to turn from young boys into adults.
36:24A little bit of panic that the pain is still as bad as it is.
36:29That I'm just trying to calm within myself.
36:38This is kind of the darkest part for me now.
36:52As I put my hand in the gloves first and for a longer time, I received more venom.
36:58Now, I'm struggling to cope and my team are concerned.
37:02Hello, Eiji.
37:04Hello, Eiji.
37:06How are you?
37:09How are you?
37:12I'm going to look at your vital signals.
37:15Yes, yes.
37:15All right.
37:28Is it...
37:30I'm not doing much scripture?
37:32Yes.
37:33A lot of things are not going to be safe a lot of the external mourº we have.
37:44Yes.
37:44If you keep me concerned, yes?
37:46Okay.
38:11After taking in fluids
38:13and being carefully monitored by the doctor,
38:15I am finally back on my feet.
38:19But the pain was way more traumatic
38:21than I had ever anticipated.
38:25It's kind of changed
38:28from burning fire
38:30to have been smashed with a sledgehammer.
38:39In the dance,
38:40I just sort of found myself next to another guy
38:43whose hands were completely messed up
38:45so that we couldn't kind of link arms.
38:49And, um, this quite young girl called Fran
38:52came up and linked arms.
38:55There was just something so special about the fact
38:59that she'd noticed and that she cared enough.
39:03I think their role is vital.
39:06Absolutely vital.
39:07And, um, it's funny, isn't it?
39:09You go through all that pain and the thing that
39:11makes you close to tears
39:13is the care that you've been presented with
39:17and offered.
39:26Adriana, I mean, literally constantly helping me,
39:30feeding me, binding my hands.
39:33I've just been feeling less than a child.
39:43You don't have a standard of fear.
39:46Thanks.
39:48Thanks.
39:49Bye.
39:50Bye.
39:50Bye, Eve.
39:50Bye.
39:52Bye.
39:53Bye, Eve.
39:54Bye.
39:57Bye.
40:05I've never been presented with so much care and love and and I would never have got through
40:11that ceremony if it wasn't for you all so I'll never forget it
40:20I'm going to remember it
40:35It's very good you and Eric and us to resgatar our culture
40:45It's very good what we are doing here
40:48I don't have much more words but I thank you very much
40:56from the bottom of my heart and my family who are united here
40:59I think I came here thinking that this ceremony was all going to be about proving how tough it was
41:08you know proving how I could do this on my own
41:13and uh
41:15it's not true is it
41:16it's not true of the ceremony but it's also not true in general it's like
41:20you don't have to do it all on your own you can let me let people in
41:26we can let them help you
41:34it's beautiful
42:04it's absolutely beautiful
42:04feel naturally
42:09I think I'm starting to get an understanding of how rites of passage are really essential to
42:13communities because on the face of it they look like things that allow young
42:17boys to show off to prove that are tough so they can become a man
42:20thank you
42:25thank you
42:26thank you
42:33and the ceremony last night changed my opinion on that
42:38it was about the community coming together it's the it's the very soul of the community and it's
42:43what pulls everything together
42:46i've been fighting my whole life fighting to prove that i'm tough enough to survive on my own and the
42:53inherent epiphany of last night seemed to be that you don't have to
42:57you can come into a village and seven days later they're calling you part of their family and
43:02and giving you so much love and support that you're reduced to tears i mean that's
43:06i don't i don't know of many things in life more powerful than that really
43:20sounds like a cartoon anvil falling from the sky
43:34that's
43:35about
43:36but
43:36yeah
43:37yeah
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