Nepal : the honey hunt of the Tiger Men. by lightmediation

Nepal : the honey hunt of the Tiger Men. Twenty kilometers south of Mount Everest, on cliffs rising from the middle of forests of rhododendron, the last honey hunters of the Rai people face the giant bee of the Himalayas to collect the honey of everlasting life. A Photo story by Eric Tourneret / LightMediation

1982-16: The bamboo ladder is to be hoisted up. Much farther off, Shimbu, the son of the Perengge, has selected an observation post from which he will be able to give instructions to the assistants at the top of the cliff, who must move the harvest basket without being able to see it.///L'échelle de bambou va être hissée. Au loin Shimbu, le fils du Perengge, a choisi le poste d'observation d'où il pourra transmettre les instructions aux assistants qui déplacent le panier de récolte à l'aveugle, du sommet de la falaise.

Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com

1982-01: In the foothills of the Himalayas, the various species of rhododendron flower from early April to late June, between 6,000 and 19,000 feet.///Sur les contreforts de la chaîne des Himalayas, la floraison

1982-02: An Apis Laboriosa, the largest social bee in the world, collects propolis on a rhododendron bloom. ///Une Apis Laboriosa, la plus grande abeille sociale au monde, récolte du propolis sur une fleur de

1982-03: A woman prepares her basket to transport firewood. Few rhododendron forests are protected and an increasing population means more trees are felled each year.///Une femme prépare son panier

1982-04: The bamboo houses of the Bung valley dot the terraced farmland, where potatoes, corn, and barley are grown. ///Les maisons en bambou de la vallée de Bung ponctuent les cultures en terrasses

1982-05: The Rai are tireless porters. Their large baskets of braided bamboo accumulate loads of over 200 pounds. ///Les Raïs sont d'infatigables porteurs. Leurs grands paniers de bambou tressé accumulent

1982-06: At an early age, children begin to participate in gathering the day's supplies by collecting young nettles and aromatic herbs on the hillsides. ///Tous petits, les enfants contribuent à l'approvisionnement

1982-07: The more luxurious houses are built of whitewashed rock, topped with a roof of braided bamboo. All materials are carried by the Rai on their backs. ///Les maisons les plus cossues sont bâties de pierres

1982-08: A field bee approaches a tree in bloom. The Apis Laboriosa is the largest pollinator of mountain flora. It has been seen at an altitude of 13,500 feet. ///Une butineuse en approche sur un arbre en fleurs.

1982-21: The bees, panicked by the smoke, launch a massive attack which will last some twenty minutes before letting up. Every swarm on the cliff joins this offensive, meaning more than a hundred thousand enraged bees!///Les abeilles affolĂŠes par la fumĂŠe lancent une attaque massive, qui durera une vingtaine de minutes avant de faiblir. L'ensemble des essaims de la falaise participe Ă cette offensive, plus d'une centaine de milliers d'abeilles en furie !

1982-09: This woman shaman has taken over the duties of the "mop," her husband, now too old to officiate. The sacred drum helps her achieve a trance state to communicate with the spirit world. ///Cette

1982-10: Approaching the cliff on foot traverses a jungle of bamboo and rhododendron. Thirteen men take part in the harvest. ///La marche d'approche de la falaise se fait à travers une jungle de bambous et de

1982-11: A new bamboo ladder was braided this year. To make it more flexible, the fiber is soaked in one of the many streams that irrigate the jungle. ///Cette année, une nouvelle échelle de bambou a été

1982-12: The closer one draws to the cliff, the steeper the slope. The coming monsoon makes for luxuriant vegetation. ///Plus on approche de la falaise, plus la pente est abrupte. L'approche de la mousson a rendu

1982-24: This cliff is home to eight nests, spread out between seventy and 200 feet off the ground. Ten years ago, there were up to two hundred colonies on a single site. ///Cette falaise comporte huit nids, échelonnés entre vingt et soixante mètres du sol. Il y a dix ans, on dénombrait jusqu'à deux cents colonies sur un même site.

1982-13: The long, braided-bamboo ladder will soon be hoisted to the top of the cliff. It measures well over 320 feet in length. ///La longue échelle de bambou tressé attend d'être hissée en haut de la falaise. Elle

1982-14: The Apis Laboriosa, giant bee of the Himalayas, builds its nests under the overhanging rock of cliff faces, near a river. The combs can reach five feet in diameter. ///L'Apis Laboriosa, l'abeille géante de

1982-15: Bolo Kesher is the Perengge, the man who harvests the honey. He is a respected and influential person in his community, not only for his role in the honey hunt, but for his knowledge of the spirit world.

1982-39: The outer part of the wax disc is occupied by the brood cells harboring the larvae. Bolo Kesher must first slice this away using a long bamboo pole fitted with a wooden tip that has been whittled to form a flat blade. ///La partie extérieure de la galette de cire est occupée par le couvain, qui abrite les larves. Bolo Kesher doit d'abord la trancher à l'aide d'une longue perche de bambou sur laquelle est fixé un embout de bois taillé en lame plate.

1982-17: The men's improvised protection means that they pay a price for the harvest in the form of puffy faces and swollen lips... ///Protégés avec les moyens du bord, les hommes paient le tribut de la récolte en

1982-18: The fire is lit, setting off a massive attack by the swarms. Bolo Kesher chants an ancient prayer, one passed down from generation to generation, to the guardian spirit of the cliff.///Le feu est allumé,

1982-19: The Perengge has donned the lukspa, the ritual garb of woven nettle fibers. This one took five months work to create. When new, it serves as ceremonial dress; when it is older, it becomes protection

1982-20: The last moment of concentration before taking action. Bolo Kesher has poured the chang, the millet beer, on the rock as an offering, then distributed a glassful to each participant. This ritual sharing is

1982-22: As soon as the attack diminishes in intensity, the Perengge heaves his way up the bamboo ladder towards the first nest.///DĂ¨s que l'attaque faiblit, le Perengge se hisse le long de l'ĂŠchelle de

1982-23: The women, nasal septa decorated with the traditional gold pendant, have come to watch the harvest. Though the Rai divide the majority of the daily tasks between women and men, the honey hunt

1982-54: High-altitude spring honey, or red honey, is toxic and is sought for its medicinal properties. The Apis Laboriosa is the only bee to make it, doing so from the flowers of the white rhododendron.///Toxique, le miel de printemps de haute altitude, ou miel rouge, est recherché pour ses qualités médicinales. L'Apis Laboriosa est la seule abeille à le concocter, à partir des fleurs du rhododendron blanc.

1982-25: The rebokipe are the ladder attendants ("rebo" means rope ladder in the Rai language). With their full weight hanging from the ladder, they keep it pulled tight to facilitate the guru's progress and move

1982-26: Handling the long bamboo poles while under repeated attacks by the swarms requires uncommon composure and self-assurance. For this phase of the operation, the Perengge uses a rope to

1982-27: In the world of social insects, few spectacles are as impressive as that of a colony of giant bees, where 50,000 individuals can be seen at once, tightly amassed at the top of an immense orange disc.

1982-28: Barehanded and barefoot, with his face unprotected, the Perengge endures repeated attacks by the bees while hanging in acrobatic positions without anything to protect him from a fall as he moves along

1982-29: Scarves and bags plastic offer minimal protection to these men who have come to defy the giant bee of the Himalayas, intent on taking away the bees' honey and wax. ///Ă&#x2030;charpes et sacs plastique offrent

1982-30: Handling the long bamboo poles while under repeated attacks by the swarms requires uncommon composure and self-assurance. For this phase of the operation, the Perengge uses a rope to

1982-31: The guru, vulnerable at every moment, has no choice but to roll himself into a ball to protect himself when the attacks are renewed, without coming down off the ladder.///Constamment exposĂŠ, le

1982-32: Handling the long bamboo poles while under repeated attacks by the swarms requires uncommon composure and self-assurance. For this phase of the operation, the Perengge uses a rope to

1982-56: The rebokipe are the ladder attendants (rebo' means rope ladder in the Rai language). With their full weight hanging from the ladder, they keep it pulled tight to facilitate the guru's progress and move the ladder from one nest to another.///Les rebokipe sont les gardiens de l'échelle (rebo signifie échelle de corde en langue raï). Suspendus de tout leur poids, ils tendent l'échelle pour faciliter la progression du guru et la déplacent d'un nid à l'autre.

1982-33: The village community chief, hands and face swollen from bee stings, attempts to collect the precious gold fluid oozing over the sheer rock face. ///Le chef de la communauté de villages, les mains et

1982-34: The guru, vulnerable at every moment, has no choice but to roll himself into a ball to protect himself when the attacks are renewed, without coming down off the ladder.///Constamment exposé, le

1982-35: The village community chief, hands and face swollen from bee stings, attempts to collect the precious gold fluid oozing over the sheer rock face. ///Le chef de la communauté de villages, les mains et

1982-36: The guru, vulnerable at every moment, has no choice but to roll himself into a ball to protect himself when the attacks are renewed, without coming down off the ladder.///Constamment exposé, le

1982-37: Scarves and bags plastic offer minimal protection to these men who have come to defy the giant bee of the Himalayas, intent on taking away the bees' honey and wax. ///Ă&#x2030;charpes et sacs plastique offrent

1982-38: Here, time stands still. This same phantasmagoric harvest spectacle was taking place 30,000 years ago, when the first honey hunters faced the savage swarms. ///Ici, le temps n'existe pas. La

1982-40: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length, underneath

1982-41: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length, underneath

1982-42: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length,

1982-43: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length,

1982-44: The dance of the Apis Laboriosa, unlike that of our Apis mellifera, takes place on the outside of the hive, on the single comb. We observed the scout bees returning with information on fields for pollen

1982-45: The men responsible for recovering honey are the khudhapup ("khuda" means honey in Rai). They empty the basket into a large, repoussĂŠ metal jar before filtering it.///Les hommes chargĂŠs de

1982-46: For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff's eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack.///Quatre heures durant, Bolo Kesher se

1982-47: Here, time stands still. This same phantasmagoric harvest spectacle was taking place 30,000 years ago, when the first honey hunters faced the savage swarms. ///Ici, le temps n'existe pas. La

1982-48: Because of the nest's structure, comprising a single comb, the honey storage cells of the giant Himalayan bee are five to ten times longer than those of our Apis mellifera, which measure barely more

1982-51: The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax and larvae.///L'extérieur du rayon contenant le couvain est simplement découpé et s'écrase au sol, où les hommes ramassent les morceaux épars pour récupérer cire et larves.

1982-49: The bees, clinging to the reserves, fill their crops with honey to survive the destruction of their nest. During its annual migration, Apis Laboriosa can travel for weeks with a minimum of energy

1982-50: For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff's eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack.///Quatre heures durant, Bolo Kesher se

1982-51: The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax and larvae.///L'extĂŠrieur du rayon contenant le

1982-52: To the bees, several colonies amassed on a single site means better genetic mixing by the great production of drones.///Le rassemblement des plusieurs colonies sur un seul site offre aux abeilles un

1982-53: For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff's eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack.///Quatre heures durant, Bolo Kesher se

1982-55: Much honey was lost this year due to the basket being poorly balanced. The community will have harvested only about 250 pounds, too little to sell. The village council will decide to divide it between

1982-63: The first evening of the harvest, the men gather to spend the night in the hut of a herdsman, built on high-altitude pastures. Once again, the giant bee of the Himalayas put up a fearsome fight.///Au premier soir de récolte, les hommes se retrouvent pour passer la nuit dans une cabane de bouvier bâtie sur les pâturages d'altitude. Cette fois encore, l'abeille géante des Himalayas s'est bien défendue.

1982-57: In the world of social insects, few spectacles are as impressive as that of a colony of giant bees, where 50,000 individuals can be seen at once, tightly amassed at the top of an immense orange disc.

1982-58: The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax and larvae.///L'extérieur du rayon contenant le

1982-59: Once any stuck bees are summarily removed, the honey is filtered by being forced through a cloth, then stored in jerry cans.///Une fois les abeilles engluées sommairement écartées, le miel est filtré

1982-60: Still surrounded by of bees, Bolo Kesher gets ready to cut away the large arc sheltering the brood, to reach the honey reserves located in the upper part of the nest. ///Toujours environné d'abeilles,

1982-61: Bolo Kesher, the Perengge, is not a member of the committee presiding over the village community. Here, however, it is he who directs the operations with undeniable natural authority. ///Bolo

1982-62: A monsoon rain has calmed the bees' fervor. Chang, a beverage of fermented millet, makes the rounds one last time, including as an offering to the rock. Each receives a large glassful, lips never

1982-64: Bolo Kesher, the Bung Perengge, in front of his home's three-stone fireplace, dressed in the ceremonial garb made of nettle fibers with, at his waist, the kukari - the large knife of the Rai men with its angled blade.///Bolo Kesher, le Perengge de Bung devant le foyer à trois pierres de sa maison, revêtu de l'habit cérémoniel en fibres d'ortie, avec à la ceinture le kukari, le grand couteau à lame coudée des hommes raï.

Nepal : the Honey Hunt of the Tiger Men. It is the year 5069 according to the calendar of the Rai people, the descendants of the Kirate, who arrived from Mongolia in the 7th or 8th century BC. The "tiger-men," as they are called, are described in the legends of ancient India as primitive warriors living in the jungle and collecting a honey with supernatural powers that guarantees eternal youth. Bolo Kesher Rai radiates an aura of willpower tempered by serenity, graced with thoughtfulness in character and deed. He is the Perengge, from the name of the basket used to collect the honey; it is he who climbs the cliffs to collect the wild nectar. Chosen at birth for this honor, he served his apprenticeship in assisting his grandfather, then his father. For generations, the men of his family have juggled bamboo poles to slice the honeycombs, and learned to speak to the forest's guardian spirits. Today, the spirits have authorized the harvest, as Bolo Kesher's dream clearly has shown: He was crossing a river using a pole. A dozen men accompany us on the path leading to the first cliff. We tread through the mossy undergrowth, densely populated by ferns and sown with gray rock. Everywhere the crystalline echoes of springs chime in harmony with birdsong. The slope steepens sharply, the path soon

disappears, devoured by twisted rhododendron and thousands of bamboo. The largest social bee in the world Eight nests, broad golden discs fastened under rocky overhangs on a vertical wall over 300 feet high, are spread out between thirty and 100 feet off the ground. Bolo Kesher dons the lukspa, his garment woven out of nettle fibers. The men set to heaping a pile of leaves against the rock. At the top of the cliff, we climb down the rope ladder made of braided bamboo fiber by the village elders. Each checks his protection - collar firmly buttoned, shirt and pant cuffs tightened, hat, scarf over the face. The colonies of wild bees, apis laboriosa, are on the alert. Since our arrival, the guard bees fly around in increasing numbers. Bolo Kesher sings a song to the red monkey, the spirit of the cliff, pours the chang made of fermented millet as an offering onto the rock, and distributes glassfuls to the circled men. The fire is lit. The smoke wafts up the wall toward the nests and sets off an all-out attack. In a few minutes, the air is thrumming with insects whirling in all directions, landing on every possible surface and penetrating every crevice. Those who can seek protection under tarps, others cover their heads with plastic bags. The bees join forces in this overwhelming blitzkrieg, assaulting the comers for twenty minutes without reprieve. Once the worst of the attack is over, Bolo Kesher springs into action, barefoot and bear-headed, clambering up the rope ladder with feline agility. Suspended between earth and sky for four long hours Sliced through by the cutting end of the pole, the immense brood comb falls away and crashes to the ground. The Perengge lashes himself to the ladder for the most

delicate phase of the harvest, a coordinated effort that is accomplished blindly with the men at the top of the cliff, who must adjust the tension of the rope supporting the basket attached to the end of his pole. Despite the persistent attacks of hundreds of bees, Bolo Kaiser keeps it positioned under the honey reserve which forms the upper part of the nest and, using his second pole, cuts off the bulging alveoli to fill the basket. His son, Shimbu, positioned further off, yells guidance to the men - Muti-mutiiii! * At the foot of cliff, four men take turns, two by two, keeping the ladder pulled tight and moving it from one nest to another. Two others empty the basket into a repoussĂŠ metal jar. The stuck insects are removed and the honeycomb sections are pressed through a cloth. The commands come thick and fast, the basket is lowered, emptied, pulled back up, filled with a new swollen mass of golden fluid... The men are dripping with honey as though it were raining from the sky. The aerial ballet slows its pace. The bees clinging to the last honey reserves on the cliff fill their crops to survive. The ground is vibrating with exhausted insects, now unable to fly. The team has paid a heavy price in the form of puffy faces and swollen lips... By late in the afternoon, the Perengge has spent more than four hours - with bare face, feet, and hands - on the bamboo ladder, maneuvering long poles at arm's length, dangling between earth and sky. The last honey disc now torn away from the last nest on the cliff, he unties the rope which secured him to the ladder and descends the braided bamboo to distribute a glass of chang to each member of the group. The rock receives its share, and the monsoon rains will cleanse the site.

The cure of the toxic honey The spring harvest comes to close to 250 pounds of honey, little indeed. Bolo Kesher receives a set wage and only a half-liter of honey. The comb sections containing the brood are divided between the men who helped with the harvest. The larvae are cooked as a rare source of protein. As it did the previous year, the village committee decides to keep the nectar, which is divided between 400 households. In years of more abundant harvests, the sale of honey and wax allows the community to provide low-rate loans or to help families in need. This rhododendron honey is toxic, and in a few hours can leave an incautious consumer rolling on the ground with agonizing cramps. The apis laboriosa remains the only bee capable of making the high-altitude nectar, well-known for its therapeutic properties. In South Korea, it is believed to act as an elixir for long life, and is sold at five times the price of hive honey. Nevertheless, the village reserves the right to keep the honey to tend wounds, relieve muscle and joint pain, and cure intestinal diseases...in both man and beast. Such healing powers are priceless when the nearest hospital is a two-day walk and there is no money to pay for a doctor or to buy medicine. The giant bee of Himalayas is disappearing The apis laboriosa has the distinctive characteristic of migrating twice a year. It is able to cross distances of more than 100 miles at a rate of 15 miles per day, and can survive nearly a month in motion. Everything about this bee is disproportionately large: its size of an inch or more in length; the surface area on which it gathers pollen; the quantity of honey it produces; its nest - the wax disc

can stretch up to ten feet across... This field bee is a tireless and crucial pollinator of the mountain flora and enjoys flirting with dizzying altitudes, having been seen above 13,000 feet! The village committee has been alerted on the bee's disappearance. Ten years ago, Bolo Kesher gravely recounts, the harvest lasted 26 days; today it lasts only three. On the cliff where we found eight nests, there used to be fifty, and each house received sixteen liters of honey. This year, we will distribute less than half a liter to each family! What is the cause? To his mind, deforestation is the primary problem. The nine villages of the community are today home to 28,000 inhabitants, thrice the population of a decade ago. This demographic explosion has brought about an overconsumption of wood - the single fuel source for home and hearth - triggering a vicious circle: fewer flowering trees, fewer bees, less pollination, desertification... The committee is striving to reverse the trend. In 2000, the community approved a law requiring the planting of new trees for any trees that are cut down. People began to respect the law four years later, but the neighboring villages, which do not harvest honey, do not support the measure. The problem of deforestation is even more acute in the rest of Nepal. And everywhere, bit by bit, the great bee disappears from the cliffs, a victim of modern civilization's inexorable advance. * Pull up, pull up!

Captions. 1982-01: In the foothills of the Himalayas, the various species of rhododendron flower from early April to late June, between 6,000 and 19,000 feet. 1982-02: An Apis Laboriosa, the largest social bee in the world, collects propolis on a rhododendron bloom. 1982-03: A woman prepares her basket to transport firewood. Few rhododendron forests are protected and an increasing population means more trees are felled each year. 1982-04: The bamboo houses of the Bung valley dot the terraced farmland, where potatoes, corn, and barley are grown. 1982-05: The Rai are tireless porters. Their large baskets of braided bamboo accumulate loads of over 200 pounds. 1982-06: At an early age, children begin to participate in gathering the day's supplies by collecting young nettles and aromatic herbs on the hillsides. 1982-07: The more luxurious houses are built of whitewashed rock, topped with a roof of braided bamboo. All materials are carried by the Rai on their backs. 1982-08: A field bee approaches a tree in bloom. The Apis Laboriosa is the largest pollinator of mountain flora. It has been seen at an altitude of 13,500 feet. 1982-09: This woman shaman has taken over the duties of the "mop," her husband, now too old to officiate. The sacred drum helps her achieve a trance state to

communicate with the spirit world. 1982-10: Approaching the cliff on foot traverses a jungle of bamboo and rhododendron. Thirteen men take part in the harvest. 1982-11: A new bamboo ladder was braided this year. To make it more flexible, the fiber is soaked in one of the many streams that irrigate the jungle. 1982-12: The closer one draws to the cliff, the steeper the slope. The coming monsoon makes for luxuriant vegetation. 1982-13: The long, braided-bamboo ladder will soon be hoisted to the top of the cliff. It measures well over 320 feet in length. 1982-14: The Apis Laboriosa, giant bee of the Himalayas, builds its nests under the overhanging rock of cliff faces, near a river. The combs can reach five feet in diameter. 1982-15: Bolo Kesher is the Perengge, the man who harvests the honey. He is a respected and influential person in his community, not only for his role in the honey hunt, but for his knowledge of the spirit world. He is deferentially addressed as "guru", meaning "he who knows." 1982-16: The bamboo ladder is to be hoisted up. Much farther off, Shimbu, the son of the Perengge, has selected an observation post from which he will be able to give instructions to the assistants at the top of the cliff, who must move the harvest basket without being able to see it. 1982-17: The men's improvised protection means that they pay a price for the

harvest in the form of puffy faces and swollen lips... 1982-18: The fire is lit, setting off a massive attack by the swarms. Bolo Kesher chants an ancient prayer, one passed down from generation to generation, to the guardian spirit of the cliff 1982-19: The Perengge has donned the lukspa, the ritual garb of woven nettle fibers. This one took five months work to create. When new, it serves as ceremonial dress; when it is older, it becomes protection in the jungle 1982-20: The last moment of concentration before taking action. Bolo Kesher has poured the chang, the millet beer, on the rock as an offering, then distributed a glassful to each participant. This ritual sharing is to appease the site's spirit. 1982-21: The bees, panicked by the smoke, launch a massive attack which will last some twenty minutes before letting up. Every swarm on the cliff joins this offensive, meaning more than a hundred thousand enraged bees! 1982-22: As soon as the attack diminishes in intensity, the Perengge heaves his way up the bamboo ladder towards the first nest. 1982-23: The women, nasal septa decorated with the traditional gold pendant, have come to watch the harvest. Though the Rai divide the majority of the daily tasks between women and men, the honey hunt remains a men-only domain. 1982-24: This cliff is home to eight nests, spread out between seventy and 200 feet

off the ground. Ten years ago, there were up to two hundred colonies on a single site. 1982-25: The rebokipe are the ladder attendants ("rebo" means rope ladder in the Rai language). With their full weight hanging from the ladder, they keep it pulled tight to facilitate the guru's progress and move the ladder from one nest to another. 1982-26: Handling the long bamboo poles while under repeated attacks by the swarms requires uncommon composure and self-assurance. For this phase of the operation, the Perengge uses a rope to secure himself to the ladder. 1982-27: In the world of social insects, few spectacles are as impressive as that of a colony of giant bees, where 50,000 individuals can be seen at once, tightly amassed at the top of an immense orange disc. 1982-28: Barehanded and barefoot, with his face unprotected, the Perengge endures repeated attacks by the bees while hanging in acrobatic positions without anything to protect him from a fall as he moves along the ladder. Some cliffs bear the names of those who lost their lives there. 1982-29: Scarves and bags plastic offer minimal protection to these men who have come to defy the giant bee of the Himalayas, intent on taking away the bees' honey and wax. 1982-30: Handling the long bamboo poles while under repeated attacks by the swarms requires uncommon composure and self-assurance. For this phase of the operation, the Perengge uses a rope to

secure himself to the ladder. 1982-31: The guru, vulnerable at every moment, has no choice but to roll himself into a ball to protect himself when the attacks are renewed, without coming down off the ladder. 1982-32: Handling the long bamboo poles while under repeated attacks by the swarms requires uncommon composure and self-assurance. For this phase of the operation, the Perengge uses a rope to secure himself to the ladder. 1982-33: The village community chief, hands and face swollen from bee stings, attempts to collect the precious gold fluid oozing over the sheer rock face. 1982-34: The guru, vulnerable at every moment, has no choice but to roll himself into a ball to protect himself when the attacks are renewed, without coming down off the ladder. 1982-35: The village community chief, hands and face swollen from bee stings, attempts to collect the precious gold fluid oozing over the sheer rock face. 1982-36: The guru, vulnerable at every moment, has no choice but to roll himself into a ball to protect himself when the attacks are renewed, without coming down off the ladder. 1982-37: Scarves and bags plastic offer minimal protection to these men who have come to defy the giant bee of the Himalayas, intent on taking away the bees' honey and wax.

1982-38: Here, time stands still. This same phantasmagoric harvest spectacle was taking place 30,000 years ago, when the first honey hunters faced the savage swarms. 1982-39: The outer part of the wax disc is occupied by the brood cells harboring the larvae. Bolo Kesher must first slice this away using a long bamboo pole fitted with a wooden tip that has been whittled to form a flat blade. 1982-40: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length, underneath the part he is preparing to cut away with the other pole. From the top of the cliff, two men adjust the tension of the rope supporting the basket, guided solely by orders yelled out by Bolo Kesher's son, who is stationed further off to have an overall view of the site. It is a coordinated effort that is accomplished blindly and on which the harvest's success heavily depends. 1982-41: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length, underneath the part he is preparing to cut away with the other pole. From the top of the cliff, two men adjust the tension of the rope supporting the basket, guided solely by orders yelled out by Bolo Kesher's son, who is stationed further off to have an overall view of the site. It is a coordinated effort that is accomplished blindly and on which the harvest's success heavily depends.

1982-42: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length, underneath the part he is preparing to cut away with the other pole. From the top of the cliff, two men adjust the tension of the rope supporting the basket, guided solely by orders yelled out by Bolo Kesher's son, who is stationed further off to have an overall view of the site. It is a coordinated effort that is accomplished blindly and on which the harvest's success heavily depends 1982-43: The honey is stored in the bulging part of the nest, attached to the rock. To collect it, the Perengge must position the bamboo basket by maneuvering another pole held at arm's length, underneath the part he is preparing to cut away with the other pole. From the top of the cliff, two men adjust the tension of the rope supporting the basket, guided solely by orders yelled out by Bolo Kesher's son, who is stationed further off to have an overall view of the site. It is a coordinated effort that is accomplished blindly and on which the harvest's success heavily depends. 1982-44: The dance of the Apis Laboriosa, unlike that of our Apis mellifera, takes place on the outside of the hive, on the single comb. We observed the scout bees returning with information on fields for pollen and nectar gathering located more than 12 miles from the nest. 1982-45: The men responsible for recovering honey are the khudhapup ("khuda" means honey in Rai). They empty the basket into a large, repoussĂŠ metal jar before filtering it.

1982-46: For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff's eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack. 1982-47: Here, time stands still. This same phantasmagoric harvest spectacle was taking place 30,000 years ago, when the first honey hunters faced the savage swarms. 1982-48: Because of the nest's structure, comprising a single comb, the honey storage cells of the giant Himalayan bee are five to ten times longer than those of our Apis mellifera, which measure barely more than half an inch. 1982-49: The bees, clinging to the reserves, fill their crops with honey to survive the destruction of their nest. During its annual migration, Apis Laboriosa can travel for weeks with a minimum of energy resources, traversing 50 to 100 miles between summer and winter nesting sites. 1982-50: For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff's eight nests, each new colony visited setting off a renewed attack. 1982-51: The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax and larvae. 1982-52: To the bees, several colonies amassed on a single site means better genetic mixing by the great production of drones. 1982-53: For four hours, Bolo Kesher stays suspended between earth and sky to harvest the cliff's eight nests, each new

colony visited setting off a renewed attack.

1982-60: Still surrounded by of bees, Bolo Kesher gets ready to cut away the large arc sheltering the brood, to reach the honey reserves located in the upper part of the nest.

1982-61: Bolo Kesher, the Perengge, is not a member of the committee presiding over the village community. Here, however, it is he who directs the operations with undeniable natural authority.

1982-56: The rebokipe are the ladder attendants (rebo' means rope ladder in the Rai language). With their full weight hanging from the ladder, they keep it pulled tight to facilitate the guru's progress and move the ladder from one nest to another. 1982-57: In the world of social insects, few spectacles are as impressive as that of a colony of giant bees, where 50,000 individuals can be seen at once, tightly amassed at the top of an immense orange disc. 1982-58: The outside of the comb containing the brood is simply cut off and crashes to the ground, where the men collect the scattered pieces to recover wax and larvae. 1982-59: Once any stuck bees are summarily removed, the honey is filtered by being forced through a cloth, then stored in jerry cans.

1982-63: The first evening of the harvest, the men gather to spend the night in the hut of a herdsman, built on high-altitude pastures. Once again, the giant bee of the Himalayas put up a fearsome fight. 1982-64: Bolo Kesher, the Bung Perengge, in front of his home's three-stone fireplace, dressed in the ceremonial garb made of nettle fibers with, at his waist, the kukari - the large knife of the Rai men with its angled blade.