BBC: The Tribal Eye (1975) - The Complete Series

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BBC: The Tribal Eye (1975) - The Complete Series

The Tribal Eye (1975) is a fascinating series of documentaries about tribes and the artefacts that they create as part of their beliefs. In seven parts: "Behind the Mask" documents the crafting of traditional West-African Dogon tribal headgear and later shows how it is used in dance ritual. "The Crooked Beak of Heaven" looks at the construction of totem poles and their place in the local American Indian culture. "The Sweat of the Sun" examines the architecture and golden artwork of the Aztecs and Incas. "The Kingdom of Bronze" returns to West-Africa to study traditional methods of manufacturing sculpture in Benin."Woven Gardens" travels to Persia to film the nomadic carpet-weaving tribes and explore meanings embedded within traditional rugs."The Man Blong Custom" looks at how of beliefs and customs of the indigenous people of the Solomon Islands have changed due to the outside influence of colonialism. "Across The Frontiers" includes snippets from the previous documentaries already mentioned including additional footage of the Dogon. As well as exploring several other tribes and their artwork including traditional Inuit walrus-tusk tools. Attenborough concludes by looking at the commercialisation of tribal art. Interviewing collectors and exploring how tribal sculpture has changed.

The Tribal Eye (1975)

Director: David Attenborough
Screenplay: David Attenborough
Actors: N/A
Date Released: 27 May 1975
Genre: Documentary
MPAA Rating : N/A
Duration: 390 min
Official URL:
Average Rating
Rating: 8.0/10
Votes: 22 (as of 13 December 2013)
Reviewer: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1. "Behind the Mask"

This episode centers on the life and customs of the Dogon people in Mali, concentrating primarily on their masks and mask rituals. After a brief introduction to the Dogon culture, the link between African and European art is elaborated upon, using works by Picasso and Braque as examples. Dogon blacksmiths are shown working on a sculpture and a monkey mask for an old woman's funeral; the funeral rites, which include masked performances and a staged mock battle, are shown in great detail.

2. "Crooked Beak of Heaven"

In "Crooked Beak of Heaven", Attenborough discusses the art and cultures of the First Nations peoples of the Pacific Northwest of North America: The Haida of present-day British Columbia and Alaska; the Gitxsan of Skeena Country; and the Kwakwaka'wakw ("Kwakiutl") of present-day British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.

3. "The Sweat of the Sun"

On the ancient Aztecs and Incas.

4. "Kingdom of Bronze"

On the ancient African kingdom of Dahomey. The bronze artifacts from the Benin Kingdom in modern day Nigeria.

History: Vice-consul Phillips of UK came to Benin in 1897 to punish the King of Benin for not holding his part of the deal in a trading agreement. But at the time a ritual ceremony was being held to renew the strength of the King, so no visitors were allowed. After several warnings from both the King's and the British messengers, vice-consul Phillips still decided to go on with his journey. The result was an ambush of one of the King's chiefs. As the news of the massacre in Benin reached England, a punitive expedition was mounted. 1,500 marines marched onto Benin. After 4 days of sporadic fighting they took Benin City. Here they found the Bronze sculptures.

5. "Woven Gardens"

On the nomadic Qashqai tribe of Iran. The tribal art of carpet-making in Persia and the distinctive patterns of the different clans and tribes.

6. "Man Blong Custom"

On tribal communities in Melanesia.

7. "Across the Frontiers"

This program revisits several of the locations of the previous programs to look more deeply at the relationships contemporary artists and collectors have with the art and artists of those societies, and how they may be compromising or enhancing the older traditions.