Tribe on Papua New Guinea meets white man for the first time, video.

I thought the tribesmen looked like they were seeing local 'forest spirits'. The way they kept touching and feeling the white man (after getting over the initial fear of mere contact): like they couldn't believe these were flesh-and-blood beings, just like them.

my interpretation on that was that either (1) that's how they say hello (their form of a handshake, you grab the guy's arm and I guess feel the muscle) or (2) they're seeing if the whiteness will come off it they rub it.

Best video Id seen this year.
Was on a real downer today...Actually shifted my mood quite a bit this evening. Was pure 'wow'. The things we can all achieve together with a bit of care and respect for each other... amazing stuff.
Thanks for posting it Bicnarok!

This was really cool. It's something that's rare to see. I like how they showed off their tech too. a.k.a. the little drums that they played. It also serves as an example for how quickly man can adapt to something that is completely new to them.

Wow, the leader's (?) expression when he sees the person taping them is really intense.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Wow, the leader's (?) expression when he sees the person taping them is really intense.

hmm

I believe they live in huts, not tents.

Originally posted by dadudemon
hmm

I believe they live in huts, not tents.

There's a great bit starting at 4:10 where the leader gets this "what the hell are you doing, man?" expression when one of his guys accepts a gift.

You know I got to the bit with the hair and it makes me wonder how they get their own so nicely shaved.

Originally posted by dadudemon
hmm

I believe they live in huts, not tents.

Originally posted by Mindship
http://www.killermovies.com/forums/f61/t549947.html

Wow, that was a bad pun. I didn't even get it until Mindship pointed it out.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
There's a great bit starting at 4:10 where the leader gets this "what the hell are you doing, man?" expression when one of his guys accepts a gift.

You know I got to the bit with the hair and it makes me wonder how they get their own so nicely shaved.

There's a video of a dude shaving his face with an obsidian rock that he "breaks" off from a larger rock, right before shaving with it. It was very effective, as well.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Wow, that was a bad pun. I didn't even get it until Mindship pointed it out.

My checking account number is 18436572.

Apparently this video is "fake"/rehearsed/acted etc

Originally posted by HigH ScholaR
Apparently this video is "fake"/rehearsed/acted etc

In looking around I gather that it's at least "misleading".

It's from the documentary series Tribal Journeys by Jean Pierre Dutilleux (the man in the video). He himself says the first modern contact was made in 1993, not 1976, after the Toulambi retreated further into the jungle to escape missionaries some time before. So he not only knew it wasn't first contact, he made no secret of it (or doesn't anymore).

http://www.jpdutilleux.com/collections/toulambi.html

This would explain some of their reaction. Stories of being chased off by white people could easily have been passed down and resulted in hesitance to get involved with them.

Another article about them:
http://terrain.revues.org/2820#ftn17 (the abstract is translated into English)

Another site drew my attention to a line from that paper which google translate says means: The records also indicate that Australian colonial territory of Toulambis was visited by at least six "patrols" between 1929 and 1972:

I think it's conceivable that these particular Toulambi hadn't actually met white people previously in their lives or had met only a very few. Their reactions seem genuine to me, but that doesn't mean much since they would just genuinely be interested in this new white guy or had figured out how to get a good reaction from white people.