1 00:00:01,433 --> 00:00:05,033 ♪♪ 2 00:00:05,033 --> 00:00:08,400 [ Mid-tempo music plays ] 3 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,566 -The Amazon -- 4 00:00:13,566 --> 00:00:17,100 more than 2 million square miles of dense forest, 5 00:00:17,100 --> 00:00:20,000 penetrable only by its rivers. 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,966 ♪♪ 7 00:00:21,966 --> 00:00:24,966 Long considered a pristine forest, 8 00:00:24,966 --> 00:00:27,766 seemingly too hostile to have ever been inhabited 9 00:00:27,766 --> 00:00:31,100 by people prior to the arrival of Europeans. 10 00:00:31,100 --> 00:00:35,200 And yet, in recent years, 11 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,800 several discoveries have been made: 12 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:43,166 evidence of human habitation, hidden in caves... 13 00:00:43,166 --> 00:00:45,433 under the canopy... 14 00:00:45,433 --> 00:00:47,633 buried in the ground. 15 00:00:47,633 --> 00:00:51,400 What if, contrary to long-held belief, 16 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,000 the tropical forest 17 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,800 was not as untouched by human hands as we thought? 18 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,200 What if wide-ranging, complex cultures 19 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:04,100 thrived throughout the jungle, long before European conquest? 20 00:01:04,100 --> 00:01:05,766 ♪♪ 21 00:01:05,766 --> 00:01:07,833 As scientists delve deeper 22 00:01:07,833 --> 00:01:10,633 into the exploration of this difficult terrain, 23 00:01:10,633 --> 00:01:14,000 they are convinced the Amazon was home to numerous, 24 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,600 well-established communities. 25 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,766 Archaeologists, archaeobotanists, 26 00:01:20,766 --> 00:01:22,366 and anthropologists 27 00:01:22,366 --> 00:01:25,966 are studying the artifacts these people left behind, 28 00:01:25,966 --> 00:01:30,400 in an attempt to understand the ancient world of the Amazon. 29 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:32,566 Who were they? 30 00:01:32,566 --> 00:01:34,766 How many of them were there? 31 00:01:34,766 --> 00:01:37,900 How did they manage to live in the forest? 32 00:01:37,900 --> 00:01:40,433 And what do these ceramic figures 33 00:01:40,433 --> 00:01:43,800 say about their beliefs and their vision of the world? 34 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,166 ♪♪ 35 00:01:47,166 --> 00:01:49,633 Thanks to new investigative technologies, 36 00:01:49,633 --> 00:01:52,833 researchers are making great strides in understanding 37 00:01:52,833 --> 00:01:54,866 these highly developed communities 38 00:01:54,866 --> 00:01:58,200 and piecing together their existence 39 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,900 in the years before the Conquest. 40 00:02:00,900 --> 00:02:06,400 ♪♪ 41 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:08,466 From the depths of the jungle 42 00:02:08,466 --> 00:02:11,966 to the shores of the Amazon River, 43 00:02:11,966 --> 00:02:15,400 the full story of this isolated part of the world 44 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,533 is only now being brought to light. 45 00:02:18,533 --> 00:02:25,233 ♪♪ 46 00:02:25,233 --> 00:02:28,066 [ Theme music plays ] 47 00:02:31,100 --> 00:02:33,866 "Secrets of the Dead" was made possible in part by 48 00:02:33,866 --> 00:02:37,700 contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. 49 00:02:40,966 --> 00:02:43,900 [ Machete hacking vegetation ] 50 00:02:43,900 --> 00:02:49,500 -These images, recently shot by ethnologist David Green 51 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:51,500 and his team in northern Brazil, 52 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:53,766 not far from the border with Guyana, 53 00:02:53,766 --> 00:02:56,166 are of an exceptional discovery. 54 00:02:56,166 --> 00:02:59,466 [ Brush rustling ] 55 00:02:59,466 --> 00:03:02,600 [ Birds chirping ] 56 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,433 David was led to this cave, hidden in the hills of Amapá, 57 00:03:06,433 --> 00:03:09,966 by following indigenous guides who have special knowledge 58 00:03:09,966 --> 00:03:12,533 and accompanied him through their territory. 59 00:03:12,533 --> 00:03:16,233 [ Bats chittering ] 60 00:03:16,233 --> 00:03:19,266 [ Wings flapping ] 61 00:03:19,266 --> 00:03:21,833 [ Indistinct conversation ] 62 00:03:21,833 --> 00:03:32,666 ♪♪ 63 00:03:32,666 --> 00:03:34,833 -I'm here at Bat Cave. 64 00:03:34,833 --> 00:03:39,466 Some really beautiful works of art. 65 00:03:39,466 --> 00:03:44,166 This is a mysterious site because it's still unknown. 66 00:03:44,166 --> 00:03:47,566 And so this is really an important place 67 00:03:47,566 --> 00:03:50,633 to continue our archaeological work 68 00:03:50,633 --> 00:03:54,366 before it gets destroyed. 69 00:03:54,366 --> 00:03:57,466 -[ Speaking native language ] 70 00:03:57,466 --> 00:04:06,733 ♪♪ 71 00:04:06,733 --> 00:04:09,833 -Acutely aware of the value of his discovery, 72 00:04:09,833 --> 00:04:12,133 David left everything untouched, 73 00:04:12,133 --> 00:04:14,500 only filming and photographing the artifacts 74 00:04:14,500 --> 00:04:18,466 until a proper archaeological assessment can be made. 75 00:04:18,466 --> 00:04:21,833 ♪♪ 76 00:04:21,833 --> 00:04:23,433 A few weeks later, 77 00:04:23,433 --> 00:04:26,966 he enlists the help of archaeologist Stéphen Rostain. 78 00:04:26,966 --> 00:04:30,666 An expert in pre-Columbian cultures in the Amazon, 79 00:04:30,666 --> 00:04:33,700 he is one of the few people who can immediately identify 80 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:35,166 what David found 81 00:04:35,166 --> 00:04:37,900 and place the items in historical context. 82 00:04:37,900 --> 00:04:43,433 At his base in Guyana, Stéphen learns of the discovery. 83 00:04:43,433 --> 00:04:49,100 -Did you see only one anthropomorphic urn, 84 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:50,900 or some more? 85 00:04:50,900 --> 00:04:54,466 -There are probably 9 or 10 urns. 86 00:04:54,466 --> 00:04:59,333 -Yeah? -But they have all been broken. 87 00:04:59,333 --> 00:05:04,833 I've noticed there's a lot of different handles, 88 00:05:04,833 --> 00:05:09,900 and different zoomorphic forms. 89 00:05:09,900 --> 00:05:14,533 Sometimes it's really hard to understand what animal they are. 90 00:05:14,533 --> 00:05:18,966 They seem to be like a composite of different creatures. 91 00:05:18,966 --> 00:05:21,266 But I believe there's a lot more. 92 00:05:21,266 --> 00:05:23,100 This is just begi-- You know, 93 00:05:23,100 --> 00:05:25,566 really, we just looked at a small part. 94 00:05:25,566 --> 00:05:28,233 -For the archaeologist, 95 00:05:28,233 --> 00:05:31,500 these remains are characteristic of the Aristé, 96 00:05:31,500 --> 00:05:34,833 one of the cultures present before the arrival of Europeans. 97 00:05:34,833 --> 00:05:37,233 -[ Speaking native language ] 98 00:05:37,233 --> 00:05:41,133 -These are typical of the anthropomorphic funerary urns 99 00:05:41,133 --> 00:05:43,166 found all along the Amazon. 100 00:05:43,166 --> 00:05:46,766 They are made from pottery with a sculpted human face, 101 00:05:46,766 --> 00:05:48,300 usually on the neck. 102 00:05:48,300 --> 00:05:50,933 The ashes of the deceased were placed in them, 103 00:05:50,933 --> 00:05:54,166 or even their bones after decomposition. 104 00:05:54,166 --> 00:05:56,666 The most important thing is that we have 105 00:05:56,666 --> 00:05:58,366 the main part of this pottery, 106 00:05:58,366 --> 00:06:03,000 which is familiar from other excavations at other sites. 107 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,366 So we can extrapolate and reconstruct the urn 108 00:06:06,366 --> 00:06:08,533 into something like its original form, 109 00:06:08,533 --> 00:06:10,800 as it initially was. 110 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:15,500 So we have a representation of a funerary urn 111 00:06:15,500 --> 00:06:17,966 from the so-called Aristé culture, 112 00:06:17,966 --> 00:06:22,100 located in the region straddling French Guyana and Brazil. 113 00:06:22,100 --> 00:06:25,933 It is a huge territory, some 300 kilometers long. 114 00:06:25,933 --> 00:06:28,866 The culture dates from around the year 1000 115 00:06:28,866 --> 00:06:31,266 until the early centuries of colonization. 116 00:06:31,266 --> 00:06:33,666 Anyway, it's a very interesting discovery, 117 00:06:33,666 --> 00:06:36,666 because these burial caves are extremely well hidden. 118 00:06:36,666 --> 00:06:41,833 -More broadly, the discovery belongs to a vanished world, 119 00:06:41,833 --> 00:06:43,833 the traces of which remain buried 120 00:06:43,833 --> 00:06:47,133 in the largest tropical rainforest on the planet. 121 00:06:47,133 --> 00:06:51,300 It's the forest itself that has made it so difficult to learn 122 00:06:51,300 --> 00:06:54,500 about the peoples living there in the pre-Columbian era. 123 00:06:54,500 --> 00:06:57,233 The dense vegetation makes moving through it 124 00:06:57,233 --> 00:06:58,733 almost impossible, 125 00:06:58,733 --> 00:07:01,866 and has long stopped scientific exploration. 126 00:07:03,766 --> 00:07:06,000 And there was little evidence to suggest 127 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:07,833 that there was much to be studied. 128 00:07:07,833 --> 00:07:12,000 The forest's vegetation consumes everything, 129 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,566 breaking it down or growing over it. 130 00:07:14,566 --> 00:07:18,466 And early accounts of exploration, 131 00:07:18,466 --> 00:07:21,633 like that of conquistador Francisco de Orellana, 132 00:07:21,633 --> 00:07:23,633 have been forgotten. 133 00:07:23,633 --> 00:07:27,100 The year was 1542. 134 00:07:27,100 --> 00:07:28,700 The Spaniards were engaged 135 00:07:28,700 --> 00:07:31,500 in the conquest of the Incas of Peru. 136 00:07:31,500 --> 00:07:34,733 But Orellana wanted to push further into the forest, 137 00:07:34,733 --> 00:07:38,466 in search of mythical lands of gold and cinnamon. 138 00:07:38,466 --> 00:07:41,900 He ventured inland, following the Amazon River 139 00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:44,166 from its source in the Andes. 140 00:07:44,166 --> 00:07:48,733 Aboard two small ships carrying a total of 56 men, 141 00:07:48,733 --> 00:07:53,133 he was the first European to cross the entire Amazon forest, 142 00:07:53,133 --> 00:07:56,100 and to encounter the people who inhabited it. 143 00:07:56,100 --> 00:07:57,866 [ Indistinct conversations ] 144 00:07:57,866 --> 00:07:59,266 -"All night long, we passed through 145 00:07:59,266 --> 00:08:01,600 a series of very large towns. 146 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:06,333 By daybreak, we had covered more than 20 leagues. 147 00:08:06,333 --> 00:08:08,766 [ Water splashing ] 148 00:08:08,766 --> 00:08:10,633 But the further we advanced, 149 00:08:10,633 --> 00:08:14,133 the more densely populated the country became." 150 00:08:14,133 --> 00:08:17,166 [ Indistinct conversations ] 151 00:08:17,166 --> 00:08:20,566 -[ Speaking native language ] 152 00:08:20,566 --> 00:08:23,133 -The problem is that a hundred years later, 153 00:08:23,133 --> 00:08:26,466 there was no one left on the banks of the Amazon. 154 00:08:26,466 --> 00:08:30,566 The microbial impact of Western diseases had done its work. 155 00:08:30,566 --> 00:08:32,666 So, disbelief prevailed, 156 00:08:32,666 --> 00:08:34,666 and persisted for five centuries, 157 00:08:34,666 --> 00:08:36,433 right up until the 1980s, 158 00:08:36,433 --> 00:08:40,500 when archaeologists began to take an interest in the Amazon. 159 00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:44,233 -Stéphen has studied the Amazon for more than 30 years 160 00:08:44,233 --> 00:08:47,366 and is a pioneer of Amazonian archaeology. 161 00:08:47,366 --> 00:08:50,500 His goal is to provide a better understanding 162 00:08:50,500 --> 00:08:54,100 of the cultures that existed before 1492. 163 00:08:54,100 --> 00:08:58,100 -Obviously, we only have a very sketchy knowledge 164 00:08:58,100 --> 00:08:59,566 in certain regions, 165 00:08:59,566 --> 00:09:01,900 so we're trying to piece together a puzzle 166 00:09:01,900 --> 00:09:04,200 that still has many pieces missing. 167 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,600 -[ Speaking native language ] 168 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,766 -Stéphen is eager to collect and connect 169 00:09:09,766 --> 00:09:11,300 scattered pieces of knowledge 170 00:09:11,300 --> 00:09:13,366 in order to paint a complete picture 171 00:09:13,366 --> 00:09:15,433 of the pre-Columbian Amazon. 172 00:09:15,433 --> 00:09:17,866 ♪♪ 173 00:09:17,866 --> 00:09:21,266 What do the today's tribes know about the mysterious designs 174 00:09:21,266 --> 00:09:24,466 their distant ancestors used to decorate the urns? 175 00:09:24,466 --> 00:09:26,966 To address the question, 176 00:09:26,966 --> 00:09:29,133 Stéphen meets with Native Americans 177 00:09:29,133 --> 00:09:31,900 who still practice the art of pottery. 178 00:09:35,433 --> 00:09:38,833 The Palikurs are an indigenous group 179 00:09:38,833 --> 00:09:43,333 whose territory is the same as the now-extinct Aristé culture, 180 00:09:43,333 --> 00:09:45,866 straddling Guyana and Brazil. 181 00:09:45,866 --> 00:09:48,100 [ Indistinct conversations ] 182 00:09:48,100 --> 00:09:49,633 -[ Speaking native language ] 183 00:09:49,633 --> 00:09:52,700 -The Palikurs, as we know, have inhabited this region 184 00:09:52,700 --> 00:09:54,900 since at least the European conquest, 185 00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:56,366 and probably before. 186 00:09:56,366 --> 00:10:00,266 So they were very possibly in contact with Aristés, 187 00:10:00,266 --> 00:10:03,133 and, indeed, may themselves have been Aristé. 188 00:10:03,133 --> 00:10:06,500 So maybe they can help us understand the designs 189 00:10:06,500 --> 00:10:08,866 and see if they still have meaning today. 190 00:10:08,866 --> 00:10:11,133 -[ Speaking native language ] 191 00:10:15,133 --> 00:10:19,300 -Doralice is part of a family that has been creating pottery 192 00:10:19,300 --> 00:10:21,866 for several generations. 193 00:10:21,866 --> 00:10:25,166 -[ Speaking native language ] 194 00:10:25,166 --> 00:10:28,666 -The exchange takes place in the Palikur language, 195 00:10:28,666 --> 00:10:30,833 through an interpreter. 196 00:10:30,833 --> 00:10:32,666 -[ Speaking native language ] 197 00:10:32,666 --> 00:10:36,100 -This is an urn that was found recently, 198 00:10:36,100 --> 00:10:39,100 and I wanted to know if, in the drawings, 199 00:10:39,100 --> 00:10:42,300 it means anything to her or nothing at all. 200 00:10:42,300 --> 00:10:49,333 -[ Speaking native language ] 201 00:10:49,333 --> 00:10:51,733 -This one, I recognized. 202 00:10:51,733 --> 00:10:54,733 And that one. 203 00:10:54,733 --> 00:10:56,766 Definitely, I just noticed this one. 204 00:10:56,766 --> 00:10:59,100 -Ah, good. That's good. 205 00:10:59,100 --> 00:11:02,166 So, this became the Palikur style, 206 00:11:02,166 --> 00:11:04,366 which has evolved until today. 207 00:11:04,366 --> 00:11:05,933 I had another question. 208 00:11:05,933 --> 00:11:09,200 For me, this pottery represents death, 209 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:13,300 so we have a new body, and the soul will be at rest. 210 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:15,733 So, to find out the ethnicity... 211 00:11:15,733 --> 00:11:17,300 [ Conversation in native language ] 212 00:11:17,300 --> 00:11:19,833 -She says she can't confirm anything. 213 00:11:19,833 --> 00:11:22,300 -[ Speaking native language ] 214 00:11:22,300 --> 00:11:24,133 -That one is unfamiliar. 215 00:11:24,133 --> 00:11:27,300 -[ Speaking native language ] 216 00:11:27,300 --> 00:11:30,866 -We think there must have been a cultural upheaval 217 00:11:30,866 --> 00:11:32,733 throughout the Amerindian world 218 00:11:32,733 --> 00:11:34,733 at the time of the European conquest, 219 00:11:34,733 --> 00:11:37,300 resetting the ethnic map of the Amazon, 220 00:11:37,300 --> 00:11:39,633 and the meaning of certain designs disappeared 221 00:11:39,633 --> 00:11:43,100 with these populations. 222 00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:45,366 So, you have to look at other vestiges, 223 00:11:45,366 --> 00:11:47,833 other sites, other signs left 224 00:11:47,833 --> 00:11:51,100 by the Amerindians in this great rainforest. 225 00:11:51,100 --> 00:11:57,866 ♪♪ 226 00:11:57,866 --> 00:12:01,866 -The next phase of exploration will be done by air. 227 00:12:03,833 --> 00:12:07,300 Mickael Mestre is in charge of the operation. 228 00:12:07,300 --> 00:12:11,700 This plane is equipped with a lidar system -- 229 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:14,533 an airborne laser, able to penetrate the canopy 230 00:12:14,533 --> 00:12:18,633 and precisely map the contours at ground level. 231 00:12:18,633 --> 00:12:23,533 To that end, the survey must be carried out from the sky. 232 00:12:23,533 --> 00:12:26,266 ♪♪ 233 00:12:26,266 --> 00:12:29,133 To cover the entire section under investigation, 234 00:12:29,133 --> 00:12:32,700 the small plane must make more than 50 tight turns. 235 00:12:32,700 --> 00:12:36,366 ♪♪ 236 00:12:36,366 --> 00:12:39,133 In an operation that lasts several hours, 237 00:12:39,133 --> 00:12:42,100 there's no room for weak stomachs. 238 00:12:42,100 --> 00:12:45,100 In this way, 239 00:12:45,100 --> 00:12:48,100 dozens of square miles can be observed, 240 00:12:48,100 --> 00:12:50,833 as if the area had been deforested. 241 00:12:50,833 --> 00:12:53,900 [ Birds chirping ] 242 00:12:53,900 --> 00:13:00,433 ♪♪ 243 00:13:00,433 --> 00:13:02,700 The data acquired during the flight 244 00:13:02,700 --> 00:13:04,900 is processed in Cayenne 245 00:13:04,900 --> 00:13:07,333 by the company that operates the lidar. 246 00:13:07,333 --> 00:13:09,200 ♪♪ 247 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:11,766 Thousands of data points 248 00:13:11,766 --> 00:13:14,266 are assembled and transformed into a model 249 00:13:14,266 --> 00:13:17,100 that restores the contours in the terrain, 250 00:13:17,100 --> 00:13:19,766 from the undulations of the canopy 251 00:13:19,766 --> 00:13:23,633 to the tiniest variations in relief at ground level. 252 00:13:23,633 --> 00:13:25,466 -[ Speaking native language ] 253 00:13:25,466 --> 00:13:28,266 -If we can zoom in here, on that zone, 254 00:13:28,266 --> 00:13:32,333 it could be -- could be a site with ditches. 255 00:13:32,333 --> 00:13:34,266 A circular layout. 256 00:13:34,266 --> 00:13:36,533 We have a trench dug at the top of the hill, 257 00:13:36,533 --> 00:13:39,533 marking out a central reservation. 258 00:13:39,533 --> 00:13:42,333 These sites are typical of pre-Columbian occupation, 259 00:13:42,333 --> 00:13:44,433 particularly in French Guyana. 260 00:13:44,433 --> 00:13:47,566 They are known as crowned mountains. 261 00:13:47,566 --> 00:13:49,533 -"Crowned mountains." 262 00:13:49,533 --> 00:13:54,133 Mickael has been studying this type of terrain for a long time. 263 00:13:54,133 --> 00:13:56,233 And the use of lidar has made a series 264 00:13:56,233 --> 00:13:58,866 of archaeological discoveries possible. 265 00:13:58,866 --> 00:14:00,800 -[ Speaking native language ] 266 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,166 -Today, the figure is something close to a hundred. 267 00:14:04,166 --> 00:14:06,833 It is a very widespread phenomenon. 268 00:14:06,833 --> 00:14:09,900 Several cultures seem to have produced this kind of layout. 269 00:14:09,900 --> 00:14:13,300 But for what purpose, we're not yet sure. 270 00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:23,233 ♪♪ 271 00:14:23,233 --> 00:14:26,700 -The sites could be almost anything: 272 00:14:26,700 --> 00:14:29,266 residential buildings, 273 00:14:29,266 --> 00:14:31,166 defensive structures, 274 00:14:31,166 --> 00:14:33,133 places of worship. 275 00:14:36,466 --> 00:14:40,266 A few weeks later, Mickael has the opportunity 276 00:14:40,266 --> 00:14:42,833 to excavate one of the crowned-mountain sites 277 00:14:42,833 --> 00:14:45,833 spotted by lidar. 278 00:14:45,833 --> 00:14:48,700 -I think there's another ceramic, 279 00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:50,966 right underneath the first one. 280 00:14:50,966 --> 00:14:52,833 A second one, right there! 281 00:14:52,833 --> 00:14:57,100 The shapes are common: large, undecorated basins. 282 00:14:57,100 --> 00:14:59,100 We've seen them before. 283 00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:03,166 Ordinary ceramics can be reused in a funerary context, too. 284 00:15:03,166 --> 00:15:06,200 They may be objects that belonged to the deceased. 285 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,966 -These perfectly intact large vases 286 00:15:09,966 --> 00:15:13,266 were deliberately buried at the top of the crowned mountain: 287 00:15:13,266 --> 00:15:16,100 a form of offering that suggests a link 288 00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:19,733 to the beliefs of certain pre-Columbian peoples. 289 00:15:19,733 --> 00:15:22,833 [ Rain falling ] 290 00:15:22,833 --> 00:15:25,900 [ Thunder rumbling ] 291 00:15:25,900 --> 00:15:28,100 Because they are so inaccessible, 292 00:15:28,100 --> 00:15:31,133 thorough excavations of hidden jungle sites like this 293 00:15:31,133 --> 00:15:33,333 are very rare. 294 00:15:33,333 --> 00:15:36,100 Often, archaeologists can only access them 295 00:15:36,100 --> 00:15:38,133 when construction work happens, 296 00:15:38,133 --> 00:15:41,133 as was the case on the outskirts of Lake Tefé, 297 00:15:41,133 --> 00:15:44,100 more than 1,200 miles from the mouth of the Amazon, 298 00:15:44,100 --> 00:15:46,366 during building work on a school. 299 00:15:46,366 --> 00:15:49,366 While digging, the residents discovered 300 00:15:49,366 --> 00:15:53,100 a ceramic funerary urn nestled at the bottom of a pit. 301 00:15:53,100 --> 00:15:55,733 Aware of the importance of this type of find, 302 00:15:55,733 --> 00:15:58,166 they immediately informed archaeologists 303 00:15:58,166 --> 00:16:00,500 at the Mamirauá Institute. 304 00:16:00,500 --> 00:16:01,733 -[ Speaking native language ] 305 00:16:01,733 --> 00:16:03,733 -First, we found one, 306 00:16:03,733 --> 00:16:06,966 then we unearthed two, three, four. 307 00:16:06,966 --> 00:16:08,700 We thought that was already a lot. 308 00:16:08,700 --> 00:16:11,400 Then, five, six, seven, eight, nine appeared. 309 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,100 The village accompanied us at all times. 310 00:16:14,100 --> 00:16:16,566 It was a truly special moment for all of us. 311 00:16:16,566 --> 00:16:19,833 [ Conversations in native language ] 312 00:16:19,833 --> 00:16:23,366 ♪♪ 313 00:16:23,366 --> 00:16:26,100 -Carefully collected, one by one, 314 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:29,666 the urns then traveled more than 600 miles by boat 315 00:16:29,666 --> 00:16:31,733 through the forest, to the laboratory 316 00:16:31,733 --> 00:16:33,466 at the University of Santarém. 317 00:16:33,466 --> 00:16:41,733 ♪♪ 318 00:16:41,733 --> 00:16:44,766 There, archaeo-anthropologist Anne Rapp 319 00:16:44,766 --> 00:16:47,100 is charged with analyzing the urns 320 00:16:47,100 --> 00:16:49,733 and the material contained inside. 321 00:16:49,733 --> 00:16:52,833 -[ Speaking native language ] 322 00:16:52,833 --> 00:16:56,733 -Here we now have a group of nine urns collected together. 323 00:16:56,733 --> 00:16:59,833 We cannot say whether all the individuals died 324 00:16:59,833 --> 00:17:03,366 at the same time, but we may be sure 325 00:17:03,366 --> 00:17:06,166 that they were all buried during the same period. 326 00:17:06,166 --> 00:17:08,966 That's to say, before the arrival 327 00:17:08,966 --> 00:17:11,033 of the first Europeans in the region. 328 00:17:11,033 --> 00:17:15,100 -[ Speaking native language ] 329 00:17:15,100 --> 00:17:17,933 -For the scientists, it is a unique opportunity 330 00:17:17,933 --> 00:17:22,566 to examine the funeral rituals of pre-Columbian societies. 331 00:17:22,566 --> 00:17:26,900 The first step is to X-ray the artifacts at a hospital. 332 00:17:26,900 --> 00:17:30,100 Anne is the first to see the results. 333 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:31,966 -[ Speaking native language ] 334 00:17:31,966 --> 00:17:34,866 -Is that all bone? -Bone, yes. 335 00:17:34,866 --> 00:17:37,633 It's very interesting. 336 00:17:37,633 --> 00:17:41,233 We really have a huge amount of material in this container. 337 00:17:41,233 --> 00:17:44,333 -Yes. How does it compare to the others? 338 00:17:44,333 --> 00:17:46,533 -Yes, it's impressive. 339 00:17:46,533 --> 00:17:49,100 -It's going to be an interesting dig, 340 00:17:49,100 --> 00:17:50,900 opening it up and getting it all out. 341 00:17:50,900 --> 00:17:53,133 -[ Speaking native language ] 342 00:17:56,633 --> 00:18:00,166 -To access the contents of this small ceramic jar, 343 00:18:00,166 --> 00:18:04,166 the lid, which has not been moved for at least 500 years, 344 00:18:04,166 --> 00:18:06,600 must first be detached. 345 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,166 It's an extremely delicate operation, 346 00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:10,500 with the container itself 347 00:18:10,500 --> 00:18:13,100 weakened by its long stay underground. 348 00:18:13,100 --> 00:18:17,533 ♪♪ 349 00:18:17,533 --> 00:18:19,100 -[ Speaking native language ] 350 00:18:19,100 --> 00:18:21,966 -You lift, I'll put my hand here and pull. 351 00:18:21,966 --> 00:18:24,933 This time, we'll try in the opposite direction. 352 00:18:24,933 --> 00:18:28,500 ♪♪ 353 00:18:28,500 --> 00:18:30,666 [ Crackle ] Ah! 354 00:18:30,666 --> 00:18:32,900 There it is. 355 00:18:32,900 --> 00:18:35,266 -[ Speaking native language ] 356 00:18:35,266 --> 00:18:39,533 -Examination of the urn can finally begin. 357 00:18:39,533 --> 00:18:47,100 ♪♪ 358 00:18:47,100 --> 00:18:49,166 Anne and her assistant 359 00:18:49,166 --> 00:18:52,366 are about to meet former inhabitants of Lake Tefé. 360 00:18:52,366 --> 00:18:55,466 ♪♪ 361 00:18:55,466 --> 00:18:57,633 -Here we may have the grandparents, 362 00:18:57,633 --> 00:18:59,366 or great-grandparents, 363 00:18:59,366 --> 00:19:03,033 of people who encountered Orellana in the 16th century. 364 00:19:03,033 --> 00:19:07,600 ♪♪ 365 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,566 -To ensure she doesn't lose any material, 366 00:19:10,566 --> 00:19:13,700 Anne must proceed very slowly. 367 00:19:13,700 --> 00:19:16,266 ♪♪ 368 00:19:16,266 --> 00:19:19,500 It will take at least two days to clear away the sediment 369 00:19:19,500 --> 00:19:22,100 and reach the first significant remains. 370 00:19:22,100 --> 00:19:26,633 ♪♪ 371 00:19:26,633 --> 00:19:28,333 -[ Speaking native language ] 372 00:19:28,333 --> 00:19:31,333 -We have an exceptional amount of preserved material, 373 00:19:31,333 --> 00:19:33,866 especially in the context of the Amazon, 374 00:19:33,866 --> 00:19:36,700 where we generally see a very limited preservation 375 00:19:36,700 --> 00:19:38,333 of organic material. 376 00:19:38,333 --> 00:19:40,666 -[ Speaking native language ] 377 00:19:43,366 --> 00:19:47,100 -Examination of the first bones immediately reveals 378 00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:49,933 what kind of ritual the bodies were subjected to. 379 00:19:49,933 --> 00:19:54,300 -[ Speaking native language ] 380 00:19:54,300 --> 00:19:56,866 -You can actually see evidence of cremation. 381 00:19:56,866 --> 00:20:00,733 -[ Speaking native language ] 382 00:20:00,733 --> 00:20:07,100 -The grayish areas are clearly marks of fire. 383 00:20:07,100 --> 00:20:09,466 -But the scientist's first objective 384 00:20:09,466 --> 00:20:12,566 is to sort and organize the bones. 385 00:20:12,566 --> 00:20:16,866 Do they come from the skeleton of a single individual, 386 00:20:16,866 --> 00:20:19,600 or of several? 387 00:20:22,933 --> 00:20:24,900 -[ Speaking native language ] 388 00:20:24,900 --> 00:20:28,100 -That's probably one of the last bones in the chest. 389 00:20:28,100 --> 00:20:30,700 Here we have an idea of the sections 390 00:20:30,700 --> 00:20:32,700 of the skeleton present. 391 00:20:32,700 --> 00:20:34,566 There are no duplicate bones, 392 00:20:34,566 --> 00:20:38,166 so it appears there's only one individual inside. 393 00:20:38,166 --> 00:20:40,433 -[ Speaking native language ] 394 00:20:40,433 --> 00:20:43,100 -A single individual, 395 00:20:43,100 --> 00:20:45,233 and a complete one at that. 396 00:20:45,233 --> 00:20:48,300 The funeral ritual is becoming clearer. 397 00:20:48,300 --> 00:20:50,166 -[ Speaking native language ] 398 00:20:50,166 --> 00:20:53,333 -We can see the two-stage process of the funeral: 399 00:20:53,333 --> 00:20:56,166 first, the cremation; 400 00:20:56,166 --> 00:20:58,966 followed by the bone material being placed inside the urn 401 00:20:58,966 --> 00:21:01,900 with extreme care. 402 00:21:01,900 --> 00:21:04,166 -[ Speaking native language ] 403 00:21:04,166 --> 00:21:07,300 -Once the remains were inside the urn, 404 00:21:07,300 --> 00:21:09,633 it was decorated with a unique pattern 405 00:21:09,633 --> 00:21:13,300 meant to represent a new skin made of pottery. 406 00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:17,666 ♪♪ 407 00:21:17,666 --> 00:21:22,533 But, for the anthropologist, the investigation is not over. 408 00:21:22,533 --> 00:21:25,766 The remains of the individual have more to share 409 00:21:25,766 --> 00:21:28,166 about their owner's identity. 410 00:21:30,100 --> 00:21:31,366 -[ Speaking native language ] 411 00:21:31,366 --> 00:21:33,666 -Several parts are very marked. 412 00:21:33,666 --> 00:21:36,300 These are joints and muscle insertions 413 00:21:36,300 --> 00:21:38,466 that have worn over time, 414 00:21:38,466 --> 00:21:41,533 so we may be sure that this is a fairly old adult. 415 00:21:41,533 --> 00:21:45,333 We always tend to think that in the past, people died young, 416 00:21:45,333 --> 00:21:49,100 but that isn't the case with what we've seen in the Amazon. 417 00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:51,533 There are several clues to indicate that people lived 418 00:21:51,533 --> 00:21:56,233 to advanced ages, maybe up to 50 or even 60 years. 419 00:21:56,233 --> 00:21:58,533 -[ Speaking native language ] 420 00:21:58,533 --> 00:22:02,966 -The scientist notices other characteristics, too. 421 00:22:02,966 --> 00:22:04,633 -[ Speaking native language ] 422 00:22:04,633 --> 00:22:07,400 -Here is the archaeological femur. 423 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:09,766 If we compare it with our model, 424 00:22:09,766 --> 00:22:12,833 which is from a 1.68-meter-tall individual, 425 00:22:12,833 --> 00:22:16,100 this is definitely from someone much smaller, 426 00:22:16,100 --> 00:22:19,833 measuring between 1.50 and 1.55 meters. 427 00:22:19,833 --> 00:22:23,533 Based on the size, it may be a female individual. 428 00:22:23,533 --> 00:22:25,100 [ Speaking native language ] 429 00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:26,633 ♪♪ 430 00:22:26,633 --> 00:22:28,366 -So, the occupant of this urn 431 00:22:28,366 --> 00:22:31,100 seems to have been an elderly woman. 432 00:22:31,100 --> 00:22:35,733 ♪♪ 433 00:22:35,733 --> 00:22:38,100 And the story continues. 434 00:22:38,100 --> 00:22:40,333 The urn itself, 435 00:22:40,333 --> 00:22:43,166 particularly some of the patterns Anne is uncovering, 436 00:22:43,166 --> 00:22:46,100 shed more light on its significance. 437 00:22:46,100 --> 00:22:50,533 ♪♪ 438 00:22:50,533 --> 00:22:52,300 -[ Speaking native language ] 439 00:22:52,300 --> 00:22:55,700 -Here we begin to see the area around the eye, the mouth, 440 00:22:55,700 --> 00:22:58,100 and what appears to be a drawn cheek. 441 00:22:58,100 --> 00:23:01,033 -[ Speaking native language ] 442 00:23:01,033 --> 00:23:04,166 -This is the eyebrow, the nose, a tiara, 443 00:23:04,166 --> 00:23:06,900 and here, the area around the ear. 444 00:23:06,900 --> 00:23:09,200 ♪♪ 445 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,200 -A face, 446 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,633 perhaps to evoke that of the old woman, 447 00:23:13,633 --> 00:23:16,833 or the spirit of the deceased. 448 00:23:16,833 --> 00:23:18,666 -In reality, 449 00:23:18,666 --> 00:23:22,166 this pottery cannot be separated from the individual. 450 00:23:22,166 --> 00:23:24,833 The study of the ceramics in the urns 451 00:23:24,833 --> 00:23:27,166 is based on a particular individual, 452 00:23:27,166 --> 00:23:29,333 so we try to tie it all together. 453 00:23:29,333 --> 00:23:32,566 ♪♪ 454 00:23:32,566 --> 00:23:36,700 -Cristiana Barreto is an expert on Amazonian iconography, 455 00:23:36,700 --> 00:23:40,266 working at the Emílio Goeldi Museum in Belém. 456 00:23:40,266 --> 00:23:43,300 She has a particular interest in the drawings 457 00:23:43,300 --> 00:23:46,266 on the urns recently discovered at Tefé. 458 00:23:46,266 --> 00:23:49,166 Her objective is to understand 459 00:23:49,166 --> 00:23:51,966 what the peoples who shaped and decorated these objects 460 00:23:51,966 --> 00:23:54,733 wanted to communicate with them. 461 00:23:54,733 --> 00:23:58,366 -These ceramics were meant to have a great visual impact. 462 00:23:58,366 --> 00:24:00,600 They are ritual ceramics, 463 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,500 made to be used in funeral ceremonies. 464 00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:05,400 There is always a white background 465 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,433 to increase the contrast of red and black. 466 00:24:08,433 --> 00:24:12,266 The high contrast is a way to attract the gaze of observers, 467 00:24:12,266 --> 00:24:14,933 drawing them into the labyrinths, 468 00:24:14,933 --> 00:24:16,766 into the iconography, 469 00:24:16,766 --> 00:24:20,866 where they see snakes, jaguars, and animals -- 470 00:24:20,866 --> 00:24:24,100 often somewhat disguised and hidden. 471 00:24:24,100 --> 00:24:25,966 -[ Speaking native language ] 472 00:24:25,966 --> 00:24:28,833 -While mysterious in the eyes of the layman, 473 00:24:28,833 --> 00:24:32,366 to the initiated, these forms make perfect sense. 474 00:24:32,366 --> 00:24:36,100 -It looks symmetrical and geometric, 475 00:24:36,100 --> 00:24:40,233 but it's actually the geometric representation of a jaguar. 476 00:24:40,233 --> 00:24:43,100 We have the jaguar's eyes and the face. 477 00:24:43,100 --> 00:24:46,233 They are in the background, but suddenly they come forward, 478 00:24:46,233 --> 00:24:49,766 then go back, giving the idea that the jaguar is moving, 479 00:24:49,766 --> 00:24:52,166 maybe coming towards us. 480 00:24:52,166 --> 00:24:56,766 ♪♪ 481 00:24:56,766 --> 00:24:59,100 -[ Speaking native language ] 482 00:24:59,100 --> 00:25:02,000 -Here we have a cobra -- the movement of a cobra -- 483 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,900 but it isn't filled in. 484 00:25:03,900 --> 00:25:05,566 It could be the background. 485 00:25:05,566 --> 00:25:07,966 This also gives us a sense of movement, 486 00:25:07,966 --> 00:25:10,766 from the inside to the outside of the urn, 487 00:25:10,766 --> 00:25:13,233 as if it were coming out of the urn. 488 00:25:13,233 --> 00:25:14,733 It isn't surprising. 489 00:25:14,733 --> 00:25:17,100 It's a visual process of animation, 490 00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:19,333 where everything seems to be moving. 491 00:25:19,333 --> 00:25:21,933 Everything in Amazon visual logic 492 00:25:21,933 --> 00:25:24,100 has to do with movement. 493 00:25:24,100 --> 00:25:26,233 -[ Speaking native language ] 494 00:25:26,233 --> 00:25:29,766 -Patterns and symbols representing cultural beliefs 495 00:25:29,766 --> 00:25:34,100 and showing the role these urns played in funeral ceremonies. 496 00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:37,100 -You have to imagine these urns 497 00:25:37,100 --> 00:25:39,733 as the focal point of a funeral ritual, 498 00:25:39,733 --> 00:25:43,966 with its dances, musical rhythms, 499 00:25:43,966 --> 00:25:47,266 alcoholic drinks, and other drugs. 500 00:25:47,266 --> 00:25:50,833 It's all geared to attaining an altered state, 501 00:25:50,833 --> 00:25:53,866 etching these symbols in people's memories. 502 00:25:53,866 --> 00:25:57,133 -[ Speaking native language ] 503 00:25:57,133 --> 00:26:00,400 -[ Singing in native language ] 504 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:04,166 ♪♪ 505 00:26:04,166 --> 00:26:05,766 [ Animals chittering ] 506 00:26:05,766 --> 00:26:07,900 -Plants and animals from the natural world 507 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:10,366 can be found on pre-Columbian objects 508 00:26:10,366 --> 00:26:13,100 throughout the Amazon. 509 00:26:13,100 --> 00:26:16,100 Now scientists are interested in learning more 510 00:26:16,100 --> 00:26:19,100 about these traditions and these people. 511 00:26:19,100 --> 00:26:33,533 ♪♪ 512 00:26:33,533 --> 00:26:36,733 Stéphen meets with Cristiana in Belém 513 00:26:36,733 --> 00:26:40,500 in a bid to better understand the tribes of the Amazon 514 00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:43,333 and their conception of the world. 515 00:26:43,333 --> 00:26:45,633 -[ Speaking native language ] 516 00:26:45,633 --> 00:26:48,900 -Belém is a large city at the mouth of the Amazon, 517 00:26:48,900 --> 00:26:52,766 and very interesting for its museum of Amazonian archaeology, 518 00:26:52,766 --> 00:26:54,666 the first of its kind in the world, 519 00:26:54,666 --> 00:26:57,833 set up in 1905 by Emílio Goeldi. 520 00:26:57,833 --> 00:27:01,166 It has an absolutely fascinating collection of urns -- 521 00:27:01,166 --> 00:27:03,400 pieces of enormous beauty 522 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:05,433 that you won't find anywhere else. 523 00:27:05,433 --> 00:27:08,700 Some really innovative things for my investigation. 524 00:27:08,700 --> 00:27:10,833 ♪♪ 525 00:27:10,833 --> 00:27:12,566 -Today the institution's collection 526 00:27:12,566 --> 00:27:15,333 contains more than 2 million artifacts. 527 00:27:15,333 --> 00:27:18,833 Taken together, they are like a huge clay book 528 00:27:18,833 --> 00:27:21,233 on the shared history between humanity 529 00:27:21,233 --> 00:27:23,900 and the world's greatest rainforest. 530 00:27:23,900 --> 00:27:30,166 ♪♪ 531 00:27:30,166 --> 00:27:32,366 Based on their similarities, 532 00:27:32,366 --> 00:27:34,700 some of the more recent additions to the collection 533 00:27:34,700 --> 00:27:38,633 seem to suggest that multiple Amazonian tribes 534 00:27:38,633 --> 00:27:40,866 shared a common belief system. 535 00:27:40,866 --> 00:27:44,833 ♪♪ 536 00:27:44,833 --> 00:27:48,233 -Here we have set aside some of the funeral urns 537 00:27:48,233 --> 00:27:50,666 from different cultures. 538 00:27:50,666 --> 00:27:53,966 They are almost all from the Amazon estuary. 539 00:27:53,966 --> 00:27:56,700 -They reflect the identity that each people wanted 540 00:27:56,700 --> 00:27:59,533 to give to its clan, to its ethnic group. 541 00:27:59,533 --> 00:28:02,733 It is resounding proof of the human diversity 542 00:28:02,733 --> 00:28:04,833 that has existed in the Amazon. 543 00:28:04,833 --> 00:28:12,500 ♪♪ 544 00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:15,466 Ceramic styles and details have helped researchers 545 00:28:15,466 --> 00:28:17,633 identify hundreds of different cultures 546 00:28:17,633 --> 00:28:19,933 that existed in the Amazon basin. 547 00:28:19,933 --> 00:28:22,533 ♪♪ 548 00:28:22,533 --> 00:28:26,100 But it's the characteristics common to all of these artifacts 549 00:28:26,100 --> 00:28:28,533 that shed new light on the world view 550 00:28:28,533 --> 00:28:30,900 of those who created them. 551 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:32,633 -[ Speaking native language ] 552 00:28:32,633 --> 00:28:34,466 -There are also similarities. 553 00:28:34,466 --> 00:28:36,766 For example, arms are represented as snakes, 554 00:28:36,766 --> 00:28:39,500 and here, animals are also used. 555 00:28:41,433 --> 00:28:44,166 [ Animals chittering ] 556 00:28:44,166 --> 00:28:46,900 -[ Speaking native language ] 557 00:28:46,900 --> 00:28:51,466 -They use scorpions to represent the eyes. 558 00:28:55,133 --> 00:28:57,666 We can also say that the use of animals 559 00:28:57,666 --> 00:28:59,633 to represent the human body 560 00:28:59,633 --> 00:29:02,033 is a pan-Amazonian tradition. 561 00:29:02,033 --> 00:29:05,700 -There's a certain analogy to it all. 562 00:29:05,700 --> 00:29:10,233 -An analogy between images and the natural world. 563 00:29:10,233 --> 00:29:13,300 ♪♪ 564 00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:15,633 It's this idea 565 00:29:15,633 --> 00:29:18,900 of not differentiating between nature and culture, 566 00:29:18,900 --> 00:29:21,300 of it all being part of a whole. 567 00:29:21,300 --> 00:29:26,266 It's a complex concept for us Westerners to grasp. 568 00:29:26,266 --> 00:29:28,466 -We have a very naturalistic society. 569 00:29:28,466 --> 00:29:30,766 We need to separate culture and nature 570 00:29:30,766 --> 00:29:34,100 to know where civilization is, and where it isn't. 571 00:29:34,100 --> 00:29:36,933 But with the Amerindian, there is a continuous thread, 572 00:29:36,933 --> 00:29:39,266 and ultimately, no frontier. 573 00:29:39,266 --> 00:29:42,100 ♪♪ 574 00:29:42,100 --> 00:29:45,166 -According to anthropologist Philippe Descola, 575 00:29:45,166 --> 00:29:48,100 animism was the predominant belief system 576 00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:51,700 for many Amazonian cultures. 577 00:29:51,700 --> 00:29:53,766 -[ Speaking native language ] 578 00:29:53,766 --> 00:29:57,233 -Animism is something I discovered during my fieldwork, 579 00:29:57,233 --> 00:29:58,700 when I resided for a few years 580 00:29:58,700 --> 00:30:01,566 among the Achuar people in the deep Amazon. 581 00:30:01,566 --> 00:30:05,766 It is also when I discovered that most of the plants 582 00:30:05,766 --> 00:30:07,533 and animals were conceived by them 583 00:30:07,533 --> 00:30:10,700 as having an interiority, a soul -- 584 00:30:10,700 --> 00:30:14,566 or in any case, a subjectivity, a capacity for reflection. 585 00:30:14,566 --> 00:30:16,933 -[ Speaking native language ] 586 00:30:16,933 --> 00:30:19,366 ♪♪ 587 00:30:19,366 --> 00:30:21,666 [ Speaking native language ] 588 00:30:21,666 --> 00:30:24,133 -There is no nature in their world. 589 00:30:24,133 --> 00:30:27,533 There are simply social partners 590 00:30:27,533 --> 00:30:31,733 with feathers, fur, leaves, bark, et cetera, 591 00:30:31,733 --> 00:30:35,300 with which the Achuar people exchange daily, 592 00:30:35,300 --> 00:30:38,100 through magical incantations, 593 00:30:38,100 --> 00:30:40,566 dreams in which they saw these non-human beings 594 00:30:40,566 --> 00:30:43,766 addressing them, in the form of a person, 595 00:30:43,766 --> 00:30:48,233 in order to start conversations, dialogues, et cetera. 596 00:30:48,233 --> 00:30:51,433 -[ Speaking native language ] 597 00:30:51,433 --> 00:30:54,533 ♪♪ 598 00:30:54,533 --> 00:30:56,733 -I realized that this was something very common 599 00:30:56,733 --> 00:31:00,600 in the Amazon, and in other parts of the world. 600 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:04,300 There is no conquest of the wild by the domestic, 601 00:31:04,300 --> 00:31:06,733 which is the most characteristic way for us 602 00:31:06,733 --> 00:31:09,600 to conceive of our relationship to nature. 603 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:13,733 There are social relationships that are permanently established 604 00:31:13,733 --> 00:31:15,900 between humans and non-humans, 605 00:31:15,900 --> 00:31:18,833 that are not necessarily easy relationships. 606 00:31:18,833 --> 00:31:22,466 -[ Speaking native language ] 607 00:31:22,466 --> 00:31:25,100 -After all, the woolly monkey that comes to see you 608 00:31:25,100 --> 00:31:27,366 during a dream, the next day, 609 00:31:27,366 --> 00:31:29,466 we will try to kill it and to eat it. 610 00:31:29,466 --> 00:31:32,100 -[ Speaking native language ] 611 00:31:32,100 --> 00:31:34,666 -The relationships between humans and non-humans 612 00:31:34,666 --> 00:31:37,300 are relationships of mutual accommodation. 613 00:31:37,300 --> 00:31:40,333 Very powerful relationships of attachment, 614 00:31:40,333 --> 00:31:42,766 competition, and solidarity. 615 00:31:42,766 --> 00:31:46,966 -A spiritual union of people with the natural world 616 00:31:46,966 --> 00:31:49,633 was typical for Amazonian cultures. 617 00:31:49,633 --> 00:31:54,100 But scientists want to find the cultures' creation myths -- 618 00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:57,866 stories that explain the origins of a people's world view -- 619 00:31:57,866 --> 00:31:59,733 in order to better understand 620 00:31:59,733 --> 00:32:02,800 the significance of the urns and their patterns. 621 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,500 ♪♪ 622 00:32:05,500 --> 00:32:09,000 Handed down by oral tradition, these stories are difficult 623 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,000 to piece together and understand today. 624 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,933 But Stéphen is keen to track them down 625 00:32:14,933 --> 00:32:17,333 among some of the peoples of the forest. 626 00:32:17,333 --> 00:32:20,133 ♪♪ 627 00:32:20,133 --> 00:32:22,100 This is the Maroni River, 628 00:32:22,100 --> 00:32:24,700 which separates Guyana from Suriname. 629 00:32:24,700 --> 00:32:28,333 Here, the forest crowds the riverbanks, 630 00:32:28,333 --> 00:32:30,566 except in spots where it's been pushed back 631 00:32:30,566 --> 00:32:34,133 by the villages of the Wayana people. 632 00:32:34,133 --> 00:32:36,900 Stéphen hopes they can tell him more 633 00:32:36,900 --> 00:32:40,100 about the ceramics and other artifacts. 634 00:32:40,100 --> 00:32:42,633 [ Rooster crowing ] 635 00:32:42,633 --> 00:32:44,700 The Wayanas continue to represent 636 00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:47,433 their founding myths through symbolic figures, 637 00:32:47,433 --> 00:32:49,700 so this is an opportunity to find out 638 00:32:49,700 --> 00:32:53,566 more about the stories behind them. 639 00:32:53,566 --> 00:32:56,166 -[ Speaking native language ] 640 00:32:56,166 --> 00:32:58,433 -The chief of the village where Stéphen stops 641 00:32:58,433 --> 00:32:59,966 has something to show him, 642 00:32:59,966 --> 00:33:02,933 and leads him to the large community shelter 643 00:33:02,933 --> 00:33:05,500 known as the tukusipan. 644 00:33:05,500 --> 00:33:10,366 ♪♪ 645 00:33:10,366 --> 00:33:13,100 This is what the archaeologist is looking for: 646 00:33:13,100 --> 00:33:16,500 a ciel de case -- or "maluwana" in their language -- 647 00:33:16,500 --> 00:33:19,533 a wooden disk decorated with strange beasts 648 00:33:19,533 --> 00:33:22,633 that represent the Wayanas' belief system. 649 00:33:22,633 --> 00:33:25,100 -What is the name of the person who did this? 650 00:33:25,100 --> 00:33:26,533 -Aimawale. 651 00:33:26,533 --> 00:33:28,866 ♪♪ 652 00:33:28,866 --> 00:33:30,733 -Aimawale is one of the few people 653 00:33:30,733 --> 00:33:35,133 still able to reproduce this type of design. 654 00:33:35,133 --> 00:33:37,466 It is a very old art form 655 00:33:37,466 --> 00:33:39,333 that he learned from his grandfather -- 656 00:33:39,333 --> 00:33:43,766 one he keeps alive using ancestral painting techniques. 657 00:33:43,766 --> 00:33:47,833 -I prepare my paintings -- how to put it -- 658 00:33:47,833 --> 00:33:49,233 it takes patience. 659 00:33:49,233 --> 00:33:51,933 It takes a long time to paint a ciel de case. 660 00:33:51,933 --> 00:33:55,833 -But he also knows the stories 661 00:33:55,833 --> 00:33:58,300 and the myths that inspire them. 662 00:33:58,300 --> 00:34:01,933 ♪♪ 663 00:34:01,933 --> 00:34:05,333 And that is what interests the archaeologist the most. 664 00:34:05,333 --> 00:34:09,300 ♪♪ 665 00:34:09,300 --> 00:34:11,633 -What is the ciel de case for? 666 00:34:11,633 --> 00:34:13,633 -A ciel de case is an object 667 00:34:13,633 --> 00:34:16,100 that protects the community and the village. 668 00:34:16,100 --> 00:34:19,633 There are six main patterns. 669 00:34:19,633 --> 00:34:22,766 So, there's the jaguar, for example, here; 670 00:34:22,766 --> 00:34:24,566 the caterpillar; 671 00:34:24,566 --> 00:34:26,500 then there's the fish-animal; 672 00:34:26,500 --> 00:34:29,933 the tapir, which is often on the ciel de case, too; 673 00:34:29,933 --> 00:34:32,266 plus, the turtle; and the fish. 674 00:34:32,266 --> 00:34:35,966 -Do you choose all the patterns? -Yes, of course. 675 00:34:35,966 --> 00:34:40,233 Here, I was inspired by my grandfather. 676 00:34:40,233 --> 00:34:44,900 Each pattern represents a legend, a story. 677 00:34:44,900 --> 00:34:48,666 -That's the giant anteater. What does that do? 678 00:34:48,666 --> 00:34:53,300 -Legend has it that the giant anteater killed its baby, 679 00:34:53,300 --> 00:34:57,300 then went to the aquatic monsters 680 00:34:57,300 --> 00:34:59,266 and killed a water spirit. 681 00:34:59,266 --> 00:35:03,600 So the shamans know how to harness its power 682 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:08,400 to take revenge -- for example, on evil spirits. 683 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,700 -What about the turtle? 684 00:35:10,700 --> 00:35:15,366 -The turtle is the wife of God, the supreme god, called Kuyuli. 685 00:35:15,366 --> 00:35:19,566 When there was the flood, the God transformed his wife 686 00:35:19,566 --> 00:35:24,333 into an underwater turtle, and his children are like eggs. 687 00:35:24,333 --> 00:35:26,733 That's what the story says. 688 00:35:26,733 --> 00:35:29,366 -And you tell these stories to children? 689 00:35:29,366 --> 00:35:31,633 -Yes, of course. 690 00:35:31,633 --> 00:35:34,433 Then there are other patterns, like the squirrel. 691 00:35:34,433 --> 00:35:36,766 It's actually a squirrel monster. 692 00:35:36,766 --> 00:35:42,233 It's small, but it has supernatural power. 693 00:35:42,233 --> 00:35:44,533 -There are plenty of monsters in the stories. 694 00:35:44,533 --> 00:35:47,466 And lots of legends. -With us, yes, with the Wayana. 695 00:35:47,466 --> 00:35:50,966 ♪♪ 696 00:35:50,966 --> 00:35:53,233 -What the Native Americans describe today, 697 00:35:53,233 --> 00:35:55,100 when they tell us about their legends, 698 00:35:55,100 --> 00:35:58,233 is this close interaction between humans and nature. 699 00:35:58,233 --> 00:36:01,200 We can better understand the relics they left behind. 700 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:04,200 -[ Speaking native language ] 701 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:08,233 -Philippe Descola has collected and studied these myths, 702 00:36:08,233 --> 00:36:12,100 to try to understand if they connect to a broader story. 703 00:36:12,100 --> 00:36:14,233 -[ Speaking native language ] 704 00:36:14,233 --> 00:36:16,566 -What we find absolutely everywhere 705 00:36:16,566 --> 00:36:18,833 are these little stories -- 706 00:36:18,833 --> 00:36:21,333 five-minute stories, which give a good indication 707 00:36:21,333 --> 00:36:23,500 of what the mythical times were like. 708 00:36:23,500 --> 00:36:25,866 -[ Speaking native language ] 709 00:36:25,866 --> 00:36:27,766 -How, at such and such a time, 710 00:36:27,766 --> 00:36:30,333 such and such a species of hallucinogenic plant 711 00:36:30,333 --> 00:36:32,233 became what it is. 712 00:36:32,233 --> 00:36:34,433 The sorts of small events that will cause 713 00:36:34,433 --> 00:36:37,666 so-called natural species to emerge, little by little. 714 00:36:37,666 --> 00:36:40,766 And these are small stories. 715 00:36:40,766 --> 00:36:44,900 These are small pieces of this great story of speciation. 716 00:36:44,900 --> 00:36:46,966 -[ Speaking native language ] 717 00:36:46,966 --> 00:36:50,366 ♪♪ 718 00:36:50,366 --> 00:36:55,366 -The great story of speciation: how all living things -- 719 00:36:55,366 --> 00:36:58,233 plants and animals -- came to exist. 720 00:36:58,233 --> 00:37:01,633 ♪♪ 721 00:37:01,633 --> 00:37:03,900 -[ Speaking native language ] 722 00:37:03,900 --> 00:37:06,033 -There is an original unity, 723 00:37:06,033 --> 00:37:09,166 a great culture that unites humans and non-humans, 724 00:37:09,166 --> 00:37:11,700 who are not really distinguished from one another. 725 00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:13,366 -[ Speaking native language ] 726 00:37:13,366 --> 00:37:16,166 -[ Imitating bird chirping ] 727 00:37:16,166 --> 00:37:19,100 -The myth allows us to at least understand this -- 728 00:37:19,100 --> 00:37:21,133 the golden age, if you will. 729 00:37:21,133 --> 00:37:25,166 A golden age where animals and plants behaved like humans: 730 00:37:25,166 --> 00:37:28,366 cooking, hunting, playing music. 731 00:37:28,366 --> 00:37:30,300 -[ Speaking native language ] 732 00:37:30,300 --> 00:37:33,966 -Amazonian mythology is a story that starts from culture 733 00:37:33,966 --> 00:37:37,700 and goes towards nature, while we are doing the opposite. 734 00:37:37,700 --> 00:37:40,100 -This singular relationship 735 00:37:40,100 --> 00:37:42,100 Amazonians developed with their environment 736 00:37:42,100 --> 00:37:45,666 is at the heart of everything they do. 737 00:37:45,666 --> 00:37:49,233 But how long have humans been living in the Amazon rainforest? 738 00:37:49,233 --> 00:37:50,700 Is it possible to trace 739 00:37:50,700 --> 00:37:53,433 when these creation myths were first told? 740 00:37:53,433 --> 00:37:57,100 ♪♪ 741 00:37:57,100 --> 00:38:01,933 A tiny fragment of pottery of inestimable value offers a clue. 742 00:38:04,033 --> 00:38:05,700 -[ Speaking native language ] 743 00:38:05,700 --> 00:38:08,166 -This history of ceramics is a long one, 744 00:38:08,166 --> 00:38:10,700 with very early origins. 745 00:38:10,700 --> 00:38:13,333 Some of the fragments of ceramics we have here 746 00:38:13,333 --> 00:38:15,633 are 7,000 years old. 747 00:38:15,633 --> 00:38:19,900 It is the oldest dated pottery ever found in the Americas. 748 00:38:19,900 --> 00:38:23,133 -[ Speaking native language ] 749 00:38:24,966 --> 00:38:28,466 -These fragments come from the Monte Alegre region, 750 00:38:28,466 --> 00:38:30,500 in the heart of the Amazon, 751 00:38:30,500 --> 00:38:32,666 where this art form was born. 752 00:38:32,666 --> 00:38:36,100 ♪♪ 753 00:38:36,100 --> 00:38:39,733 Reaching the area requires a 400-mile journey 754 00:38:39,733 --> 00:38:42,100 upriver from the mouth of the Amazon, 755 00:38:42,100 --> 00:38:44,666 and then a connection with one of the river buses 756 00:38:44,666 --> 00:38:46,966 that travel to isolated villages. 757 00:38:50,966 --> 00:38:54,133 Archaeologist Edithe Pereira has been making the trip 758 00:38:54,133 --> 00:38:56,566 regularly for more than 10 years. 759 00:38:56,566 --> 00:39:01,500 And each time, it's a journey back to Amazonian prehistory. 760 00:39:01,500 --> 00:39:03,500 ♪♪ 761 00:39:03,500 --> 00:39:06,033 The very first traces of human settlement 762 00:39:06,033 --> 00:39:08,166 can be found here. 763 00:39:08,166 --> 00:39:12,966 Drawings on the rock face that date back to 12,000 BCE. 764 00:39:12,966 --> 00:39:18,900 ♪♪ 765 00:39:18,900 --> 00:39:22,466 But these decorations, that have lasted millennia, 766 00:39:22,466 --> 00:39:24,700 are now in danger. 767 00:39:24,700 --> 00:39:28,066 -[ Speaking native language ] 768 00:39:32,433 --> 00:39:34,866 [ Speaking native language ] 769 00:39:34,866 --> 00:39:38,700 -The biggest problem here today is wasps. 770 00:39:38,700 --> 00:39:40,433 [ Wasps buzzing ] 771 00:39:40,433 --> 00:39:45,766 A type of wasp makes its nest very close to the paintings. 772 00:39:45,766 --> 00:39:47,733 -[ Speaking native language ] 773 00:39:47,733 --> 00:39:53,733 -And sometimes on top of the paintings. 774 00:39:53,733 --> 00:39:56,100 -It's a very real risk for the paintings... 775 00:39:56,100 --> 00:39:58,133 and for scientists. 776 00:39:58,133 --> 00:40:02,233 Several stings from these large insects can be fatal. 777 00:40:02,233 --> 00:40:04,300 [ Buzzing continues ] 778 00:40:06,933 --> 00:40:09,866 No loud talking or sudden movements. 779 00:40:09,866 --> 00:40:15,666 ♪♪ 780 00:40:15,666 --> 00:40:17,900 These are the only paintings in the area 781 00:40:17,900 --> 00:40:19,866 that have been successfully dated, 782 00:40:19,866 --> 00:40:22,800 and they are much older than was previously thought. 783 00:40:25,266 --> 00:40:27,100 -[ Speaking native language ] 784 00:40:27,100 --> 00:40:30,500 -We carried out a project to try to better understand 785 00:40:30,500 --> 00:40:35,733 not only the cave dwellings, but also life in the villages. 786 00:40:35,733 --> 00:40:39,133 We found raw materials for making pigments, 787 00:40:39,133 --> 00:40:40,966 with usage marks. 788 00:40:40,966 --> 00:40:43,766 The oldest traces in the shards 789 00:40:43,766 --> 00:40:46,966 was dated to some 12,000 years ago. 790 00:40:50,300 --> 00:40:53,366 -They are the oldest observable traces of human presence 791 00:40:53,366 --> 00:40:55,533 in the whole of Amazonia. 792 00:40:55,533 --> 00:40:59,333 ♪♪ 793 00:40:59,333 --> 00:41:02,000 It is further proof that humanity has lived here 794 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,500 for thousands of years... 795 00:41:04,500 --> 00:41:07,566 in this environment that until only recently, 796 00:41:07,566 --> 00:41:11,000 was thought to be completely free from human impact. 797 00:41:13,433 --> 00:41:16,300 But where is the evidence that is usually left behind 798 00:41:16,300 --> 00:41:19,866 by thousands of years of human activity and occupation? 799 00:41:19,866 --> 00:41:23,666 And how did the ancient peoples inhabit it? 800 00:41:23,666 --> 00:41:27,366 Finding the answer requires a flight to a point seemingly 801 00:41:27,366 --> 00:41:31,466 as far away from any form of human activity as possible -- 802 00:41:31,466 --> 00:41:35,733 Nouragues, a CNRS research station 803 00:41:35,733 --> 00:41:38,900 set up deep in the heart of this green ocean, 804 00:41:38,900 --> 00:41:41,266 accessible only by helicopter. 805 00:41:41,266 --> 00:41:51,466 ♪♪ 806 00:41:51,466 --> 00:41:56,100 Stéphen has come here to meet ethnobotanist Guillaume Odonne. 807 00:41:56,100 --> 00:41:59,100 -Here we are, in the forest. 808 00:41:59,100 --> 00:42:02,000 We can look around for any signs of human presence, 809 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,600 but, at first sight, it's only plants -- 810 00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:06,400 lots of different vegetation. 811 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,166 It's tempting to think that it might be very difficult 812 00:42:09,166 --> 00:42:11,800 to find any evidence of the presence of Amerindians 813 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:13,900 from 500 or 1,000 years ago. 814 00:42:13,900 --> 00:42:15,333 We have always known 815 00:42:15,333 --> 00:42:17,266 that the region around the research station 816 00:42:17,266 --> 00:42:19,833 was occupied by Native Americans. 817 00:42:19,833 --> 00:42:23,433 But until now, it was thought that human occupation 818 00:42:23,433 --> 00:42:26,766 was rather tenuous, with a low impact. 819 00:42:26,766 --> 00:42:31,700 But in fact, no, this forest has been much more impacted 820 00:42:31,700 --> 00:42:33,866 than previously thought. 821 00:42:33,866 --> 00:42:36,366 We have clearly shown that there have been massive occupations 822 00:42:36,366 --> 00:42:38,666 over a long period of time. 823 00:42:38,666 --> 00:42:41,900 It is difficult to find sites without any trace of man. 824 00:42:41,900 --> 00:42:45,300 ♪♪ 825 00:42:45,300 --> 00:42:47,433 -It takes a great deal of work, 826 00:42:47,433 --> 00:42:49,566 across multiple fields of research, 827 00:42:49,566 --> 00:42:51,933 to achieve results like these. 828 00:42:51,933 --> 00:42:56,366 Guillaume leads the LongTIme project, 829 00:42:56,366 --> 00:42:59,500 a wide-ranging multidisciplinary study. 830 00:42:59,500 --> 00:43:01,900 Tropical soil specialists, 831 00:43:01,900 --> 00:43:04,833 botanists, ecologists, and anthropologists 832 00:43:04,833 --> 00:43:07,633 are all working to identify the plant species 833 00:43:07,633 --> 00:43:09,600 living in this corner of the jungle, 834 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:11,300 which could help them find evidence 835 00:43:11,300 --> 00:43:14,733 of ancient human presence. 836 00:43:14,733 --> 00:43:18,300 To determine all the species present at this site, 837 00:43:18,300 --> 00:43:21,733 Guillaume called on professional climbers. 838 00:43:21,733 --> 00:43:25,100 Their mission is to collect leaves 839 00:43:25,100 --> 00:43:27,500 from 130 feet above the ground, 840 00:43:27,500 --> 00:43:29,533 so that these giants of the forest 841 00:43:29,533 --> 00:43:31,533 can be studied with accuracy. 842 00:43:31,533 --> 00:43:35,766 -The feedback from the botanists will allow the ecologists 843 00:43:35,766 --> 00:43:38,633 to say, for example, that in this section, 844 00:43:38,633 --> 00:43:42,100 40% of the trees have edible fruits, 845 00:43:42,100 --> 00:43:45,333 or 25% of the trees can provide timber 846 00:43:45,333 --> 00:43:49,100 for the construction of traditional houses. 847 00:43:49,100 --> 00:43:50,900 -Mapping the tree species 848 00:43:50,900 --> 00:43:53,766 reveals significant concentrations of palm trees 849 00:43:53,766 --> 00:43:58,833 bearing edible fruits, like the comous and the patawas. 850 00:43:58,833 --> 00:44:02,000 -All these numbers in red are palm trees. 851 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:06,600 There are five bacaba, around 50 patawa. 852 00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:08,800 When we scroll the map, 853 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:11,233 we can see that they are very present. 854 00:44:11,233 --> 00:44:14,266 If we go to this other plot, LongTIme 2, 855 00:44:14,266 --> 00:44:18,833 there is only one patawa... 856 00:44:18,833 --> 00:44:21,100 here. 857 00:44:21,100 --> 00:44:24,100 -The presence, or lack, of certain tree species 858 00:44:24,100 --> 00:44:25,733 is a strong indicator 859 00:44:25,733 --> 00:44:28,666 as to whether the land was ever occupied by people. 860 00:44:28,666 --> 00:44:32,533 -As you see, we're in this transition zone 861 00:44:32,533 --> 00:44:35,466 between the top of the hill, which was occupied, 862 00:44:35,466 --> 00:44:37,533 and the bottom of the hill, over there, 863 00:44:37,533 --> 00:44:39,866 where there was clearly no occupation. 864 00:44:39,866 --> 00:44:44,433 Back here is the area known as the vine forest. 865 00:44:44,433 --> 00:44:47,100 Lots of tangled vines here. 866 00:44:47,100 --> 00:44:49,100 This is a low-canopy forest, 867 00:44:49,100 --> 00:44:51,700 with less than 10 meters of tree height. 868 00:44:51,700 --> 00:44:56,233 Everywhere, we are surrounded by vines. 869 00:44:56,233 --> 00:44:59,700 They are often on the sites of former villages. 870 00:44:59,700 --> 00:45:03,800 ♪♪ 871 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:05,400 -When cross-referenced, 872 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:07,233 all this information allows scientists 873 00:45:07,233 --> 00:45:09,700 to pinpoint the location of villages 874 00:45:09,700 --> 00:45:13,100 and also areas that were set aside for agricultural use, 875 00:45:13,100 --> 00:45:15,533 where the vegetation was cleared. 876 00:45:15,533 --> 00:45:18,966 ♪♪ 877 00:45:18,966 --> 00:45:24,666 -The way it works is, when a village is set up... 878 00:45:24,666 --> 00:45:30,566 -[ Speaking native language ] 879 00:45:30,566 --> 00:45:32,333 -...little by little, 880 00:45:32,333 --> 00:45:34,533 people clear the area around it, 881 00:45:34,533 --> 00:45:39,300 where... useful species -- 882 00:45:39,300 --> 00:45:43,333 food species -- can be established. 883 00:45:43,333 --> 00:45:47,533 Then, the year after... 884 00:45:47,533 --> 00:45:49,633 there will be another clearance, 885 00:45:49,633 --> 00:45:54,233 where further species will also become established. 886 00:45:54,233 --> 00:45:57,300 Once the village is abandoned... 887 00:45:57,300 --> 00:46:01,166 all that remains are the planted species, 888 00:46:01,166 --> 00:46:06,000 or the food species that have become concentrated. 889 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:08,233 -[ Speaking native language ] 890 00:46:08,233 --> 00:46:11,366 -Likewise, they also end up becoming established 891 00:46:11,366 --> 00:46:14,733 on the site of the abandoned village. 892 00:46:14,733 --> 00:46:18,100 We then end up with an enriched zone. 893 00:46:18,100 --> 00:46:21,900 -So, we have these changes in vegetation, 894 00:46:21,900 --> 00:46:24,866 these developments, these new formations. 895 00:46:24,866 --> 00:46:26,300 Can they be dated? 896 00:46:26,300 --> 00:46:28,700 Can we pinpoint an approximate time 897 00:46:28,700 --> 00:46:30,733 when these stages actually occurred? 898 00:46:30,733 --> 00:46:34,733 -From around 50 datings, taken from all the sites, 899 00:46:34,733 --> 00:46:38,766 we can identify two main periods of occupation 900 00:46:38,766 --> 00:46:41,933 in the area around Nouragues. 901 00:46:41,933 --> 00:46:46,100 The first was between 1,000 and 1,200 years ago; 902 00:46:46,100 --> 00:46:49,966 and the second, between 400 and 600 years ago. 903 00:46:49,966 --> 00:46:51,766 -The moment of contact? -Exactly. 904 00:46:51,766 --> 00:46:54,366 All these phenomena seem to have stopped abruptly 905 00:46:54,366 --> 00:46:55,933 at the moment of contact. 906 00:46:55,933 --> 00:46:58,300 -All over the Amazon, 907 00:46:58,300 --> 00:47:00,500 we have this proliferation of evidence, 908 00:47:00,500 --> 00:47:02,800 particularly in the vegetation, 909 00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:04,600 which demonstrates a strong 910 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:06,433 pre-Columbian occupation. 911 00:47:06,433 --> 00:47:07,766 Almost everywhere -- 912 00:47:07,766 --> 00:47:09,366 whether along the Amazon, 913 00:47:09,366 --> 00:47:11,166 along the Orinoco, 914 00:47:11,166 --> 00:47:12,566 in the western Amazon, 915 00:47:12,566 --> 00:47:14,266 or the upper Amazon -- we see 916 00:47:14,266 --> 00:47:15,633 significant concentrations 917 00:47:15,633 --> 00:47:16,733 of human activity. 918 00:47:16,733 --> 00:47:17,866 All the data points 919 00:47:17,866 --> 00:47:19,166 towards that. 920 00:47:19,166 --> 00:47:21,833 ♪♪ 921 00:47:21,833 --> 00:47:25,300 -Analysis shows traces of 83 different species 922 00:47:25,300 --> 00:47:28,100 of domesticated native plants... 923 00:47:28,100 --> 00:47:31,566 including cassava... 924 00:47:31,566 --> 00:47:34,100 coca... 925 00:47:34,100 --> 00:47:36,566 and pineapple. 926 00:47:36,566 --> 00:47:39,700 This abundance and diversity has, however, 927 00:47:39,700 --> 00:47:42,100 long puzzled researchers. 928 00:47:42,100 --> 00:47:47,166 Most soil in the Amazon is not suitable for agriculture. 929 00:47:47,166 --> 00:47:51,766 And yet the gigantic forest actually thrives, 930 00:47:51,766 --> 00:47:53,833 despite very poor conditions. 931 00:47:53,833 --> 00:47:56,100 ♪♪ 932 00:47:56,100 --> 00:47:59,333 Domestic crops cannot grow in the acidic soil -- 933 00:47:59,333 --> 00:48:01,600 a result of heavy rains. 934 00:48:01,600 --> 00:48:07,633 How did the people of the Amazon manage to cultivate food? 935 00:48:07,633 --> 00:48:09,700 Archaeologists have recently discovered 936 00:48:09,700 --> 00:48:11,933 that pre-Columbian people in the Amazon 937 00:48:11,933 --> 00:48:14,933 developed a method for transforming the soil 938 00:48:14,933 --> 00:48:20,833 into very fertile land -- terra preta, or black earth. 939 00:48:20,833 --> 00:48:22,933 ♪♪ 940 00:48:22,933 --> 00:48:25,900 Brazil is where the most spectacular terra preta sites 941 00:48:25,900 --> 00:48:27,366 can be found. 942 00:48:27,366 --> 00:48:30,466 In some places, it is several feet thick 943 00:48:30,466 --> 00:48:34,100 and is the subject of serious archaeological excavation. 944 00:48:34,100 --> 00:48:39,266 -We know that this terra preta here formed with this soil. 945 00:48:39,266 --> 00:48:40,766 So, they look very different, 946 00:48:40,766 --> 00:48:42,466 and they are very different in a way. 947 00:48:42,466 --> 00:48:44,533 But that's the metric for that. 948 00:48:44,533 --> 00:48:47,466 But we have to have human action interfering in the yellow soil 949 00:48:47,466 --> 00:48:49,766 in order to create the terra preta. 950 00:48:49,766 --> 00:48:53,666 -Scientists believe terra preta 951 00:48:53,666 --> 00:48:57,100 is an indication of the onset of domesticity. 952 00:48:57,100 --> 00:49:00,333 But how did the uncultivatable soil 953 00:49:00,333 --> 00:49:04,233 become something fertile enough to sustain human occupation? 954 00:49:04,233 --> 00:49:08,000 ♪♪ 955 00:49:08,000 --> 00:49:12,033 Analysis of the soil's composition can provide answers. 956 00:49:12,033 --> 00:49:15,366 ♪♪ 957 00:49:15,366 --> 00:49:17,633 Researcher Manuel Arroyo-Kalin 958 00:49:17,633 --> 00:49:20,633 regularly brings back samples of terra preta 959 00:49:20,633 --> 00:49:23,100 for study in his London laboratory. 960 00:49:23,100 --> 00:49:25,666 ♪♪ 961 00:49:25,666 --> 00:49:28,100 -What I can see here, very clearly, 962 00:49:28,100 --> 00:49:33,533 is large quantities of bone fragments. 963 00:49:33,533 --> 00:49:37,500 We can also see here large numbers 964 00:49:37,500 --> 00:49:45,100 of fine, rounded fragments of pottery artifacts. 965 00:49:45,100 --> 00:49:46,900 And here it's very interesting 966 00:49:46,900 --> 00:49:52,433 because these soils are absolutely full of charcoal. 967 00:49:52,433 --> 00:49:55,933 And that already begins to unravel part of the story. 968 00:49:55,933 --> 00:49:59,500 For one, the large amounts of charcoal 969 00:49:59,500 --> 00:50:01,533 have got to be associated to burning -- 970 00:50:01,533 --> 00:50:03,833 the sort of thing that you'd find associated 971 00:50:03,833 --> 00:50:06,900 to domestic production of food 972 00:50:06,900 --> 00:50:11,900 and the large number of fires used to fire the pottery. 973 00:50:11,900 --> 00:50:14,533 And then you have waste-management activities, 974 00:50:14,533 --> 00:50:17,866 simply to pile it up and to burn it slowly. 975 00:50:17,866 --> 00:50:21,300 -Indigenous people mixed everyday waste products 976 00:50:21,300 --> 00:50:23,766 and other materials into the acidic soil 977 00:50:23,766 --> 00:50:26,233 to create terra preta. 978 00:50:26,233 --> 00:50:28,100 But in scientific terms, 979 00:50:28,100 --> 00:50:30,700 what makes this mixture so fertile? 980 00:50:30,700 --> 00:50:33,766 -Charcoal helps to attract stuff. 981 00:50:33,766 --> 00:50:36,633 It has a role in contributing 982 00:50:36,633 --> 00:50:40,533 to higher organic-matter retention. 983 00:50:40,533 --> 00:50:43,733 -The secret ingredient was the organic matter 984 00:50:43,733 --> 00:50:46,266 left after trash was burned. 985 00:50:46,266 --> 00:50:48,233 -All of these fragments of bone, 986 00:50:48,233 --> 00:50:49,966 and potentially some of the pottery, 987 00:50:49,966 --> 00:50:53,866 is providing a pool of calcium and phosphorus, 988 00:50:53,866 --> 00:50:56,100 which act as plant micronutrients 989 00:50:56,100 --> 00:50:57,366 that are absorbed by plants. 990 00:50:57,366 --> 00:51:00,566 And so that helps plant productivity. 991 00:51:00,566 --> 00:51:05,000 -The result is a living soil, rich in bacteria, 992 00:51:05,000 --> 00:51:07,300 which contribute to the absorption of nutrients 993 00:51:07,300 --> 00:51:11,166 by the vegetation and ensures lasting fertility. 994 00:51:11,166 --> 00:51:13,633 ♪♪ 995 00:51:13,633 --> 00:51:16,566 While the terra preta still has its secrets, 996 00:51:16,566 --> 00:51:20,533 pre-Columbian people were able to transform uncultivatable land 997 00:51:20,533 --> 00:51:23,566 into one of the world's most fertile soils. 998 00:51:23,566 --> 00:51:27,466 -So, the terra preta is an outcome of a process 999 00:51:27,466 --> 00:51:30,866 which, only through various phases of occupation, 1000 00:51:30,866 --> 00:51:35,266 have created the thick expanses that have subsequently been used 1001 00:51:35,266 --> 00:51:37,933 as agricultural expanses. 1002 00:51:37,933 --> 00:51:40,500 ♪♪ 1003 00:51:40,500 --> 00:51:45,666 They are, at the very least, signatures of higher demography 1004 00:51:45,666 --> 00:51:48,733 and possibly sedentary settlement in the Amazon basin, 1005 00:51:48,733 --> 00:51:52,333 probably kicking in around 1500 B.C., 1006 00:51:52,333 --> 00:51:57,166 and intensifying and growing in population as we go along. 1007 00:51:57,166 --> 00:52:00,600 ♪♪ 1008 00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:03,200 -If markers are placed on a map of the Amazon 1009 00:52:03,200 --> 00:52:05,333 where terra preta has been found, 1010 00:52:05,333 --> 00:52:07,833 they create an outline of territories 1011 00:52:07,833 --> 00:52:11,000 known to have been inhabited by Amerindians. 1012 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,166 ♪♪ 1013 00:52:13,166 --> 00:52:16,100 Using this data, scientists estimate 1014 00:52:16,100 --> 00:52:18,466 the total population of the Greater Amazon 1015 00:52:18,466 --> 00:52:21,500 was somewhere between 8 million and 10 million people 1016 00:52:21,500 --> 00:52:24,933 when Europeans arrived. 1017 00:52:24,933 --> 00:52:27,166 -You have to imagine a very diverse, 1018 00:52:27,166 --> 00:52:29,466 very populated pre-Columbian Amazon, 1019 00:52:29,466 --> 00:52:32,133 where all these worlds were interconnected. 1020 00:52:32,133 --> 00:52:35,700 They were sedentary populations, but very mobile. 1021 00:52:35,700 --> 00:52:38,566 [ Water rushing ] 1022 00:52:38,566 --> 00:52:40,533 -After seven months of travel, 1023 00:52:40,533 --> 00:52:42,766 Orellana recorded his final thoughts 1024 00:52:42,766 --> 00:52:45,100 on the peoples of the forest. 1025 00:52:45,100 --> 00:52:47,666 [ Indistinct conversations ] 1026 00:52:47,666 --> 00:52:50,866 -"As we said, all those we have met on this river 1027 00:52:50,866 --> 00:52:54,433 are people of great reason and ingenuity, 1028 00:52:54,433 --> 00:52:56,766 as can be seen from all their works, 1029 00:52:56,766 --> 00:53:01,233 as well as their vivid drawings and paintings of all colors, 1030 00:53:01,233 --> 00:53:03,366 which are a wonderful thing to see. 1031 00:53:06,300 --> 00:53:07,833 -[ Speaking native language ] 1032 00:53:07,833 --> 00:53:10,700 -A hundred years later, there was no one left. 1033 00:53:10,700 --> 00:53:12,133 What happened? 1034 00:53:12,133 --> 00:53:14,133 It's simple. 1035 00:53:14,133 --> 00:53:16,133 When the Europeans landed on the continent 1036 00:53:16,133 --> 00:53:17,566 and came to the Amazon, 1037 00:53:17,566 --> 00:53:19,566 they brought with them viruses and germs 1038 00:53:19,566 --> 00:53:23,633 for which the Amerindians had no natural defenses. 1039 00:53:23,633 --> 00:53:28,666 These viruses spread, and many Native Americans died 1040 00:53:28,666 --> 00:53:31,866 before Europeans had even encountered them. 1041 00:53:31,866 --> 00:53:36,933 Explorers arrived in villages to find only dead bodies 1042 00:53:36,933 --> 00:53:38,700 and skeletons in hammocks. 1043 00:53:38,700 --> 00:53:41,166 They hadn't even had time to bury their dead. 1044 00:53:41,166 --> 00:53:45,133 -With its population decimated by disease, 1045 00:53:45,133 --> 00:53:48,266 the Amazon was left uninhabited. 1046 00:53:48,266 --> 00:53:54,100 A vast land seemingly available for the newly landed settlers. 1047 00:53:54,100 --> 00:53:58,266 And a blank page in the history of humanity, 1048 00:53:58,266 --> 00:54:01,833 that scientists are only now beginning to write. 1049 00:54:01,833 --> 00:54:03,700 ♪♪ 1050 00:54:03,700 --> 00:54:05,366 -[ Speaking native language ] 1051 00:54:05,366 --> 00:54:09,166 -This is a territory of some 7 million square kilometers, 1052 00:54:09,166 --> 00:54:12,100 which still holds many mysteries for scientists. 1053 00:54:12,100 --> 00:54:15,433 We discover new things about the flora and fauna every day. 1054 00:54:15,433 --> 00:54:17,100 In the case of human settlements, 1055 00:54:17,100 --> 00:54:19,533 there are as many discoveries to come 1056 00:54:19,533 --> 00:54:22,300 as have been made so far, if not more. 1057 00:54:22,300 --> 00:54:26,466 ♪♪ 1058 00:54:26,466 --> 00:54:29,233 -Opportunities to explore new territory 1059 00:54:29,233 --> 00:54:31,966 are often the result of modern development. 1060 00:54:31,966 --> 00:54:36,300 ♪♪ 1061 00:54:36,300 --> 00:54:39,833 In northwestern Brazil, deforestation has revealed 1062 00:54:39,833 --> 00:54:42,900 tiny geometric structures spotted from the air 1063 00:54:42,900 --> 00:54:46,766 and scattered over tens of thousands of square feet. 1064 00:54:46,766 --> 00:54:50,566 ♪♪ 1065 00:54:50,566 --> 00:54:54,133 In Colombia, following the dismantling of the armed groups 1066 00:54:54,133 --> 00:54:55,900 that occupied the forest, 1067 00:54:55,900 --> 00:54:59,966 archaeologists discovered a huge wall of pictures -- 1068 00:54:59,966 --> 00:55:02,766 tens of thousands of paintings -- 1069 00:55:02,766 --> 00:55:05,500 animals, humans, and non-humans -- 1070 00:55:05,500 --> 00:55:08,966 at Chiribiquete, which was recently listed 1071 00:55:08,966 --> 00:55:11,833 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO -- 1072 00:55:11,833 --> 00:55:14,700 the first official acknowledgement 1073 00:55:14,700 --> 00:55:17,166 that these rich and mysterious cultures 1074 00:55:17,166 --> 00:55:21,733 are part of our invaluable heritage.