(NAME-MCE) Check Out 'Last One Standing, ' Oct. 4 On Discovery Channel

Tue Oct 2 11:24:11 EDT 2007

Jean,

Good question.  You might want to look at the literature on "White  
Shamanism."  I think it attempts to broach this subject...  There's  
also a lot of literature that focuses on Black people and exoticism  
that might have analyses that could be adapted to indigenous  
populations.

Hope this helps,

C
———
Christine Clark, Ed.D.
chriseclark at mac.com
702.896.1527 Telephone
702.896.4529 Facsimile
702.985.6979 Cellular

"And when one of you falls down she falls for those behind her, a  
caution against the stumbling stone.  Ay, and she falls for those of  
ahead of her, who though faster and surer of foot, yet removed not  
the stumbling stone."

                                                              			— 
Kahlil Gibran

On Oct 1, 2007, at 5:12 PM, jean miller wrote:

>
>
> i am just wondering to what extent the indigenous tribes are used  
> as an "exoticism" in which to immerse westerners.
>  jean
>
>
> KispokoT at aol.com wrote:
>
> Check Out 'Last One Standing,' Oct. 4 On Discovery Channel
>
> Last One  StandingIn the thrilling new Discovery Channel series  
> "Last One
> Standing,"  six athletes - three American and three British - are  
> immersed
> in the most  remote tribes in the world, where they live alongside  
> and train
> with  indigenous tribesmen as they prepare to represent their host  
> tribe in
> raw and  intense competition.
>
>> From death-defying Zulu stick fighting in South  Africa to an  
>> arduous foot
> race in the Mexican mountains-wearing only handmade  sandals-these  
> men push
> their physical and mental limits to see who really is  the last  
> warrior
> standing. This new 12-part series premieres Thursday,  October 4,  
> 2007 at 9
> PM ET/PT.
>
> The diverse group of athletes are at  the top of their game-there  
> is a BMX
> rider, a strongman competitor, an Oxford  University sportsman, a  
> hiker and
> endurance athlete, a kickboxer and a  British all-rounder and fitness
> professional. Together they compete in an  array of tribal games  
> and rite of
> passage ceremonies, where competition is  frequently a metaphor for  
> war.
> Completely immersed in a tribal culture, the  adventurers live  
> among the
> village warriors to train and prepare for the  battle that lies  
> ahead-no
> concessions are made.
>
> Will the sprinter be  able to keep up in the long-distance running
> competitions held by the remote  Tarahumara Indians across  
> punishing terrain
> in northern Mexico? Will the  Florida BMX'er (who had never before  
> left the
> United States) stand a chance  against the fierce Kalapalo  
> wrestlers in
> Brazil? Will any of the six make a  showing endurance canoeing in  
> Papua, New
> Guinea?
>
> LAST ONE STANDING  gives a view into parts of the world removed from
> civilization. The  competitors travel to Kalapalo, Brazil  
> (wrestling); Zulu,
> South Africa (stick  fighting); Tarahumara, Mexico (endurance  
> running);
> Mongolia (wrestling);  Trobriand Islands (tribal cricket); Sumi,  
> Nagaland
> (Akikiti kickboxing);  Senegal (wrestling); Papua, New Guinea (canoe
> racing); Brazil (Kraha log  racing); Peru (glacial challenge); Java  
> (martial
> arts); and Vanuatu (canoe  racing).
>
> Competitors are:
> Rajko, 29 - British All-Rounder and Ex-World  Record Holder
> Jason, 21 - Florida State BMX Champion, 2006
> Richard, 21 -  Oxford University Sportsman - Cricket, Rugby and  
> Croquet
> Brad, 28 - American  Pro Lightweight Strongman
> Mark, 26 - British Salsa Dancer and  Kickboxer
> Corey, 22 - Hiker and Endurance Athlete
>
> Last One  Standing
>
> The six athletes are from dramatically different regions and  cultures
> themselves and, while forced to compete against each other, they  also
> formed an unlikely brotherhood. For most of them, the journey was   
> spiritual
> and emotional as well as a competition. As Corey from Alaska   
> observes, "We
> came into this as a competition-came into this as a competition-
> matches. But as soon as we're done with that, we're family." As   
> well, the
> competitors formed strong bonds with their host tribal families.   
> Brad from
> Oklahoma remarks of the Mongolian villagers, "They took us in like   
> family
> and treated us like their adopted sons."
>
> Not only were the  athletes expected to compete in a sport they  
> only just
> learned, but they were  also faced with language barriers, health  
> issues and
> culture shock. "The  toughest part for me was the lack of proper  
> nutrition,"
> claimed Strongman  Brad. "I couldn't get enough fuel and energy to  
> compete
> at a peak level." And  culture shock set in during the Brazilian  
> rite of
> passage in which piranha  teeth were scraped on the athletes' legs  
> and the
> open wounds were rubbed with  salt and chillies. "It was searingly  
> painful,"
> recalls Richard. "The scraping  was bad enough, but the chillies  
> brought a
> new level of pain. However, it  made me feel integrated and was a  
> great
> boost before the  competition.b
> _http://www.starpulshttp://www.http://wwwhttp://www.http:// 
> wwwhttp://wwhttp:_
> (http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2007/09/24/ 
> check_out_last_one_stand)
>
>
>
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>
>
> jean miller
>  english department, de anza college
>  408.864.5530
>  "There is a strange kind of enigma associated
>  with the problem of racism.  No one, or almost
>  no one, wishes to see themselves as racist;
>  still racism persists.  Albert Memmi, Racism
>
>
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