Those who have never lived in the east of Eurasia consider Nepal a mystical place, a land at the crossroads of the physical and spiritual worlds. This country has it all: sky-gazing mountain peaks, an eventful history and a unique ecosystem that has incredibly adapted to the harsh conditions and began to thrive in them.
The world's largest bees live high in the mountains. As a result of their hard work, the pollen of the beautiful but deadly rhododendrons turns into a deep red honey that can cause hallucinations in people who have tasted this delicacy. Collectors of this honey risk their lives every day.
A dying tradition
Every spring rhododendron flowers bloom in the mountains at an altitude of 1200-4000 meters.
Their aromatic pollen beckons apis dorsata laboriosa, hardworking giant Himalayan honey bees, perfectly adapted to survive in these challenging conditions. Insects feel very comfortable here, because in the mountains there are not so many natural predators that poison the lives of bees from the lower reaches. Heavy hives of Himalayan honey plants (the length of each bee is at least two and a half centimeters) are built right on the rocks and hang from the stones like large tongues.
To get the treasure hidden in these hives, the people of one of the indigenous communities - Kulung - had to fight for many centuries with high cliffs and ruthless bees that guarded their homes from intruders. The collection of honey took place 2 times a year. On average, to collect nectar from one colony of bees, it was necessary to spend 2-3 hours swinging like a spider on a rope ladder among sheer rocks at a height of 90 meters. All the simple weapons of the daredevils consisted of ropes and a long bamboo stick.
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Bonfires were made at the foot of the rocks to smoke insects from the hives. In addition, a torch made of lit branches or grass was thrust under each nest, lowered by companions on a rope.
Honey was often poisonous. Hunters never tasted it on their tongue, but only poured it on the palm of their hand: if the skin stings too hard, then you need to use an antidote. With this level of protection, the only hope was pinned on Rangkemi - the spirit of nature, the patron saint of bees and monkeys.
The profession of a honey picker is passed down from generation to generation through the male line. Mawli Dhan is the last of his dynasty. Today it is one of the few wild honey hunters in Nepal.
In June 2017, journalist Mark Sinnott dared to accompany Mawley in order to find out why this profession is considered one of the most risky in the world.
Long ago, the spirit of Rangkemi entered Dhana. The lord of the bees came to the 15-year-old in a dream and talked about the work that Mawli was destined to do for the rest of his life. The hunt for honey was not just a call of the soul. It was hard, exhausting work, which takes away strength day after day.
Dhan admits that he is very tired and no longer wants to collect high-altitude honey. “Only crazy people climb rocks. The only reason I still do this is because of poverty. And secondly, there is no one else to do this,”he says. A 450-gram jar of this honey costs between $ 60 and $ 80 on the black market.
Dhan has his own team. There is even a shaman who performs a special ceremony before each gathering (according to the journalist, during the ceremony, the equipment of the film crew mysteriously stopped working). But only Mawli and his assistants, Asdan and Dzhangi, climb the rock. He is strong, dexterous and in his 40s is already quite qualified, but the problem is that the spirit of Rangkemi has not yet come to him. And without this blessing, you cannot collect honey (touch the honeycomb).
“Other people tried to collect honey without sleeping about Rangkemi - and all of them suffered misfortune: their fathers and children died, their houses collapsed, and the fields became barren. I am very afraid of this,”Asdan laments.
Despite the patronage of the spirit, Mauli became a widower three times, lost two of his four brothers. This region has a high mortality rate.
57-year-old Mawli, covering his mouth with a piece of cloth, courageously walked in front, driving away the bees with smoke from a smoldering bundle of grass. Sometimes he had to go without belay, and Dhan clung to the ledges with his fingertips, standing on a platform the size of a human foot. Sinnott and his photographer, Renan Ozturk, were experienced climbers. They tried their best to keep up with the hunters. But modern equipment played a cruel joke on them.
Bulky suits interfered with the ascent, and the bees flew through the most vulnerable places of the suit and with rapture stung the people who had invaded their reserved kingdom. Even the most experienced collectors are bitten by bees no less than 20–40 times, let alone people who have come here for the first time!
Sweet trap
The hunt for wild honey began a long time ago: rock paintings, made 13 thousand years ago, depict this vital part of the culture of ancient people. The psychotropic effects of honey made from rhododendron pollen have been documented in historical records dating back to the fifth century BC. The ancient Greek warriors, returning from Persia, walked through the Turkish field, where it was full of bees and wild honey could be found. But after an immoderate tasting of the nectar, "a strange misfortune befell them … like someone's evil curse." According to their commander Xenophon, the soldiers "lost their orientation in time and space, suffering from vomiting and intestinal upset." This "crazy honey" can still be found in the Black Sea region of Turkey.
In Nepal, this product is eaten with great care. In 2016, David Kaprara accompanied the Gurung people (another Nepalese honey-collecting tribe). Locals told him that the recommended dosage was no more than two teaspoons. According to Caprara, honey acts like marijuana: “After 15 minutes I felt like a plant. It seemed to me that the body was stiff, starting from the back of the head and ending with the torso. The deep chilling sensation lasted for several hours."
Reckless hunters often eat far more than two teaspoons and pass out. As one of the local residents admitted to Sinnott, “After such a purge, you feel light and darkness and begin to see the invisible. You will not be able to move while being conscious. A sound like the buzzing of a hive is constantly pulsing in my head.
Basically, the Nepalese living in the highlands use wild honey as an antiseptic, cough medicine, and also a pain reliever for arthritis and other joint pain. A large amount of honey is sold abroad with the wording “for recreational needs”.
Every year there are fewer bees. These are the only melliferous insects that do not winter in hives, but on tree branches. Deforestation reduces their habitats - and bees are dying out.
In 2018, The North Face will release a film called The Last Honey Hunter. A short video about the behind-the-scenes life of the participants in the filming process can be
look right now:
Elena Muravyova for neveroyatno.info