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Private Notes
High in the Bolivian Andes it is time for the annual Tinku festival. Last year eight people died during the traditional ritual fighting in the square at Machas. Village leader Florencio wants to preserve the event, but the priest and the mayor are threatening severe punishment if there is any violence this year.
Chief Nalubutau is preparing to die. As the "magician" of his people in the Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, he has been custodian of their culture, but western influences are eroding his world. The day approaches when he will stand down, and he faces the prospect of his successor clearing traditions to make room for new technology.
Fox hunting - which conjures up quintessential images of traditional rural England for some, and an outdated and barbaric practice for others - is under threat. As the political battle over banning hunting rages, this programme shows graphic pictures of the digging out and shooting of foxes, and the disposal of retired hounds. But for hunt servant Simon Hall, it all reflects the unforgiving laws of nature they see around them.
