Nomad Architecture

Southern Ethiopia is a region full of unique and surprising architectures and this amazing house was filmed on our fourth visit to the region. It shows techniques that have baffled archaeologists for decades regarding the construction of Mesolithic houses in northern Europe and beyond. While metal tools are used today, it would be completely possible to build this only from found sticks and leaves. We record some of the remotest and most endangered architectures on the planet and cannot do this without your help. You can support us via Patreon, where you can find additional private and early view videos, as well as more background information, or buy our book at the link below. Thank You! https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Architecture https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture https://nomads.org/Books.html

The Asmat people lived a fierce and deeply spiritual life on the banks of the many rivers that cover their lowland homestead in the coastal areas of West Papua. To avenge a deceased relative a member of a warring village might be killed, and indeed ceremonially eaten in order to take their powers. The hunt might see a small war party travelling for days in a dug out canoe, stopping on the banks of the river and living in a shelter made entirely of palm fronds. We record some of the remotest and most endangered architectures on the planet and cannot do this without your help. You can support us via Patreon, where you can find additional private and early view videos, as well as more background information, or buy our book at the link below. Thank You! https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Architecture https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture https://nomads.org/Books.html MUSIC: Gordon Clarke Aerial Map: Google Earth

The Gabbra in Southern Ethiopia are nomadic pastoralists who live in a harsh arid region where camels are essential to their livelihood. Many are now settled and we were very fortunate to find one of the few groups who still had the knowledge to move their beautiful mat covered huts using specially trained camels. However, it had been a while since anyone had made a move so the camels were not at all happy about being roped into being roped up. We make no profit from this channel and all proceeds support further fieldwork and are shared with the people that we film through various projects we engage with around the world. Everyone we film has been paid fairly for their work. You can support us via Patreon or make a donation direct through Paypal, or contact us directly if you want to discuss another way to support us - (email address is on our channel page). https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Architecture https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture https://nomads.org/Books.html MUSIC: I write most the music for our more recent videos. If you like it let me know, I know it is not perfect, but I enjoy it!

Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/kenya - Enter promo code KENYA for 85% off and 3 extra months for FREE! The traditional Maasai Spear and shield are famous and appear as the emblem on the national flag of Kenya. In this short documentary we will see one made in a truly traditional way, with nothing but an open camp fire and a hammer. These traditional craftsmen have an incredible skill and manage to work the steel almost cold until it becomes an impressive spearhead. Recorded while we were in the field investigating traditional earth architecture (video to come). In response to many comments that the use of scrap steel makes this less of a tradition than if they had smelted their own metals, I would add that in pre-industrial Africa, mostly the metals were made by different tribes and traded with the blacksmiths, very few had the materials available locally to make good iron or copper. In response to those who think there is less skill because they are working without bellows, just try it! My attempts at cold working just a small piece of steel bar ended in a cracked dented mess! Still, great to hear all your thoughts. We make no profit from this channel and all proceeds support further fieldwork and are shared with the people that we film through various projects we engage with around the world. Everyone we film has been paid fairly for their work. You can support us via Patreon or make a donation direct through Paypal, or contact us directly if you want to discuss another way to support us - (email address is on our channel page). https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Architecture https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture https://nomads.org/Books.html MUSIC: I write all the music for our more recent videos. If you like it let me know, I know it is not perfect, but I enjoy it!

Tucked away in the far north of Kenya live a group of women in such a harsh landscape that the only readily available building materials are the large leaves of the doum palm. The frame of the house is made from the leaf stalks (petiole) which have a natural curvature that fits to the dome of the house. The fan palm fronds are bundled together to make the outer cover. The rope is made from shredded leaves, and even the door is made from leaves. You can buy our book here: www.nomads.org/Books.html or support us on Patreon. Thank you, we make no profit from these videos. https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Architecture https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture

The the depths of poverty, the Nairobi slums are home to a small group of toymakers who feed their families by making and selling toys made from scrap that they find on the rubbish heaps of the city. Recycling, economy and fun all combine. We are using this as a fundraiser for these local people and if you would like to buy a toy (or our book) visit www.nomads.org/Books.html. You help us hugely by clicking this link and checking this VPN out. Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/kenya - Enter promo code KENYA for 85% off and 3 extra months for FREE! (please note it is 85% off if you join through us not 83% as stated in the video). We ourselves require sponsors to make these videos (which cost far more to produce than we ever make off Youtube). If you use a VPN, and you should, you can support us, and get a great deal for yourselves by giving Surfshark a try. We have been genuinely impressed by their quality of service and lots of other things too. If you use this link then they will think we are amazing and maybe sponsorship another video from us. Which is good for you and for us and for the many people we work with around the world, almost all living on the edge of poverty.

This is a previously undiscovered African house, from east Kenya,. It is almost on the edge of extinction, with the tradition being preserved by one remarkable young woman, Ramadan. The tiny home, a beautiful example of organic architecture, is constructed by around twenty women builders over three days, usually just before a marriage. The house is unusually high, with a raised up bed, and this is to protect the occupants from the occasional flooding of the river Tana. All the natural materials are gathered from within a few kilometers of the village. Essentially it is a bentwood frame lashed together into a gridshell. The whole structure is strong as it is a natural parabolic dome. The area is undergoing rapid change as modern materials and electricity are being brought in, so we were very fortunate to be able to record this building before it disappears completely. COMPETITION: We tried to count how many knots were actually used in making the building. We have a small competition. The person who is closest to our answer, within three months of the video uploading will receive one of the very last copies of my book, free of charge. Leave a comment with your number, and how you estimated it (even if it is just a random guess). As long as we can then contact you to get your address we will send you a book all about nomadic architecture. There are only about 20 left unsold and this will never again be printed. FUNDRAISER: This high building has evolved out of a very lightweight and mobile architecture that the same tribe use in the semi-desert regions to the north. We need to raise $5,000 to return to make a full record of this building type. We are open to sponsorships, or would even take a guest with us if you will cover the costs, fancy a trip of a lifetime working on a really important research project? You can support us via Patreon or make a donation direct through Paypal, or contact us directly if you want to discuss another way to support us - (email address is on our channel page). https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Architecture https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture https://nomads.org/Books.html MUSIC: I write all the music for our more recent videos. If you like it let me know, I know it is not perfect, but I enjoy it!

WONDRIUM • Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/nJoO30rZajX . BOOK You can buy our little book here, it helps to fund our research: https://www.nomads.org/Books.html PATREON Please consider making a running donation here: https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Architecture DESCRIPTION The Mursi live a traditional life in the African bush in southern Ethiopia. Popular with photographers and tourists because of their lip plates and patterned skins, their lives are in transition and their simple pastoralist economy is giving way to a dependency on tourism and money. Behind this, they are a wonderful people who hold one of the true gems of African Architecture which may give clues as to how people built temporary shelters many thousands of years ago. We managed to spend two weeks in their community recording a hut being built and catching some other moments of their lives immersed in the beautiful yet sometimes harsh world of nature. The huts are built from long branches taken fresh from a number of different shrubs found throughout the southern Omo region. These are bent to form a series of radial ribs which are reinforced with smaller curved arches, threaded with branched twigs and covered with a thick layer of thatch. Everything is held in place using an outer structure of split branches and bark rope. This was filmed in 2013, and has only taken us seven years to finally produce an edited version. MUSIC Music by Gordon Clarke except one from Melodyloops. Check our channel 'igloo' for more music. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdYpVwiTuMCPWycjXnJrUw

Just a message to all our friends out there. We have not disappeared and are working hard getting ready for the next series. If you want to be notified of upcoming projects then contact us through our website. www.nomads.org. See you all soon!

The Nenet reindeer herders need to move their tent every few days throughout most of the year. Every time they migrate they must pack the whole tent away, drag it across the tundra on sledges, and erect it again in a fresh place, sometimes in temperatures of minus thirty degrees. Survival depends on working together as a team. After staying in the wooded taiga for two months they start to migrate north following the ancient paths of migrating reindeer (caribou). In four months they will travel up to 1200km and must pack and move every three to five days to keep up with their herd. They must reach their summer quarters before the snows melt and flood great rivers with icy waters too cold and deep for the calves, born along the way, to cross. Behind the tent an invisible line extends out into the tundra. It is called the sawei line, and a woman cannot cross it. It will bring bad luck to the tent. It was hard for them to explain exactly why, it is much stronger than a superstition and is connected to the spirit pole that stands at the back of the tent. This pole is sacred and a woman cannot cross underneath it either, and only a shaman may sit in this holy place. The origins of this are a little lost, there may be practical reasons, for example the back of the tent is traditionally where the men work, often together, so they have to be able to move about freely, but there are often two families in a single tent, so maybe one day the women just agreed territories to stop tripping over each other. Maybe it has such a mundane origin, or maybe there are real spirits that come up to the tent from behind and would bring harm to any women caught in the wrong place. If several tents pitch together, their lines must not cross either, so they tend to camp in a straight line to avoid this. In answer to the many questions - on personal hygiene, everyone washes using a bowl of soap and hot water, just like most of our grandparents did before everyone had pipes and taps. There is no toilet in the tent as some have suggested, they find a spot a few hundred metres away. They are not pitching on a lake but a small mound where the snow blows a little thinner, Gas companies have been in the area and gave away snowmobiles as part of land access negotiations. Also sometimes there are competitions with them as prizes, sometimes they sell a load of reindeer and buy one. Most families now have at least one but the reindeer are still used a lot. Yes, they use a sled to go to town, or trading posts to buy groceries. I wanted to catch the entire process, but have edited it down a little from the 40-45 minutes it takes to get from the open snows to a warm cosy home. Buy our book here: https://www.nomads.org/Books.html Support us here: https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture Visit our website: https://www.nomads.org Music is here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdYpVwiTuMCPWycjXnJrUw

Earth and dung have been in use for thousands of years as a building material, but few houses surpass those built by the women of the Himba tribe. Like giant pots, these tiny houses they keep the occupants cool in the day and warm at night. This is sustainable green building at its best, designed to fit the environment and melt back into the landscape when the family moves on. Please Donate to support our research: https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture Visit our website and buy our book here: https://www.nomads.org/Books.html

Part 2 to our series about the ritual aspects of the Nenets of Northern Siberia. This is an educational video showing an ancient and sacred aspect of traditional life among the reindeer herders of northern Siberia. The reindeer (caribou) is everything to them, they herd them, and in the past they were a very important part of their shamanic tradition. The reindeer can survive in the harshest of climates, find its food under two fees (0.5m) of snow, and keeps the herders and their families alive when there is no other food available. In the far north of the region there is no firewood for cooking. Everything freezes solid within minutes. Warm fresh food is therefore a treat. Please Donate to support our research: https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture PART 1 is HERE... https://youtu.be/MfXD-NjkqGU.

This is a short video looking at the Nenet reindeer herder's early Spring festival. Just before leaving their winter quarters sheltered in the forests of the taiga, they thank the trees for their protection and for the wood they have given to them for use in their fires, their tents and their sledges. Please Donate to support our research: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=49DRGWX4T28UU&Z3JncnB0= PART 2 is HERE... https://youtu.be/HDICfd_tRXA If everyone who followed this link donated just $5 we would be able to supply many more of these videos to you.

A video showing some of the people who live their lives immersed in the natural world, living by hunting, fishing foraging and herding. We visit Africa, Asia, Siberia, and the Middle East in search of humans who still live outside of the high-tech, high-industry, high-stress world that most of us inhabit. So take some time out yourself, and watch and enjoy. These are all people we have met along the way, over fifteen years studying the architectures of nomadic and nature dwelling people. We were not really there to record their lives, but you cannot separate living from building in these cultures, and you ask us so many questions about the people, questions we cannot always answer. They Include the Hadzabe, San, Bakka, Bajo, Mursi, Arbore, Dassenetch, Nenet, Komi, Khanty, Shahsavan, Hamer, Afar, Kyrgyz, Drokpa to name a few. Can you find any more here? If you can spare a little to support our work please make a donation here: https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture

The hottest place on Earth is the home to the mat tents of the Afar people. These may represent the earliest mobile architecture in the world. Support us by buying our book, so much better than a mug! https://www.nomads.org/Books.html You can support us via Patreon or make a donation direct through Paypal, or contact us directly if you want to discuss another way to support us - (email address is on our channel page). https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Archite... https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture

We went in search of the Sea Gypsies of the Indonesian Archipelago, the Bajo Laut, having heard stories of their incredible diving and fishing skills and their lives spent living as whole families aboard tiny boats, the 'lepa' . We found a world in transition as fishing for subsistence becomes an economy, we found amazing stilt houses build in the middle of the ocean many miles from the nearest settled islands. But did we find any sea gypsies?

Not all tents are created equal, and the domed alachigh (yurts) of the Shahsavan nomads must be some of the most sophisticated on Earth. The whole structure is pre-tensioned before the felt cover is placed, which gives an incredible rigidity to the tent, able to withstand the gales that blow across their high mountain landscape. The Shahsavan are some of the world's most renowned weavers, and their beautiful straps and rugs adorn the tents and make them like palaces fit for an Iranian prince. The Shahsavan formed in the eighteenth century from a confederation of tribes who occupied a region that spanned the Iran/Azarbaijan border. In 1884 the border was closed by the Russians and the tribe split in two, part in Iran and part in Azarbaijan. Since then the nomads have had to work hard to try to hold onto their lands and traditional way of life. This was filmed on the Iranian side of the border. همه چادرها به طور یکسان ایجاد نشده اند و یورت های گنبدی عشایر شهسوان باید برخی از پیشرفته ترین روی زمین باشد. قبل از قرار دادن جلد نمد ، کل ساختار از قبل تنش یافته است ، که سفتی فوق العاده ای به چادر می دهد ، قادر به مقاومت در برابر گال هایی است که در چشم انداز کوه مرتفع آنها قرار دارد. شاهسوان برخی از مشهورترین بافندگان جهان هستند و تسمه ها و فرشهای زیبای آنها چادرها را زینت می دهد و آنها را مانند کاخ هایی مناسب برای یک شاهزاده ایرانی قرار می دهد.

Sometimes, while filming the amazing world of nomadic architecture, we catch a little of their rich traditional foods. For example, we never knew that the pith of the banana leaf could be a good source of carbohydrate, nor how to make these incredibly thin nomadic breads that are eaten in many parts of the world, mostly baked on the lid of an old oil drum! We are slowly putting together a few videos focusing more on life than architecture, and this will be the first of three aimed looking at corners of world cuisine rarely seen. Apologies to anyone who has seen it, we have re-uploaded this after someone claimed copyright on some of the supposedly 'free' music we used on the last version.

The incredible tent of the Khanty nomads made from the peeled bark of the birch tree boiled with fish!. As ecological and sustainable architecture as there is. This is green building taken to a new level, yet the tradition is hundreds, possibly thousands of years old. Natural building materials are sourced locally, it is zero carbon and perfectly adapted to the climate. There is a lot we can learn from these buildings. The birch bark is boiled in a fish stew, with moss or lichen added, and together these combine with the heat to soften the bark and make it pliable enough to sew, and waterproof enough to last for years. We met the last true master of the art, Rosa, who showed us the whole process, and we want to make one. All we need are 10-15 willing students (of university or of life) who will contribute to the cost of setting up the expedition to this remote Arctic region Невероятная палатка ханты-кочевников, сделанная из очищенной коры березы, вареной с рыбой !. Экологическая и устойчивая архитектура, как есть. Это зеленое здание, выведенное на новый уровень, но традиция насчитывает сотни, возможно, тысячи лет. Природные строительные материалы поставляются на месте, это нулевой углерод и идеально адаптированы к климату. Из этих зданий можно многому научиться. Кора березы варят в тушеном рыбе с добавлением мха или лишайника, и вместе они сочетаются с теплом, чтобы смягчить кору и сделать ее достаточно гибкой для шитья и достаточно водостойкой, чтобы прослужить ей долгие годы.

We have a great little book giving much more information. It can be sent around the world and purchased directly here: https://www.nomads.org/Books.html. Special offer if you buy more than one! Two different types of tent, the 'Persian' tent, a simple drape of a large sheet of cloth, and the 'Arabic' tent, more sophisticated with bands of densely woven wool to hold the fabric taught. This allowed larger tents to be made with far less wood in the poles, relying for its strength on a pair of centre poles whose angles can be adjusted to raise and lower the height of the tent. We also look at two looms, the horizontal loom, laid out on the floor of the desert and painstakingly slow to weave on. It takes around six months to weave enough fabric to make a tent, and the vertical loom. This is not a 'backstrap' loom and every line has to be picked apart by hand. "Royalty Free Music from Bensound".

Possibly the most wonderful two days of my life were spent with these beautiful Khanty nomads from northern Siberia. We drove a long way to meet a group we had contacted, got lost, and ended up with this amazing family who took us in and shared a long night's migration with us. The day starts with the gathering of fresh antlers from the reindeer (caribou). After a hard day the nomadic family return to their camp and pack everything on to their sledges. They migrate through the night as this is the coolest time of day. Finally, in the early hours of the morning they set up camp, have one last cup of tea and go to bed. They migrate every two to three days in order to provide fresh clean pasture for their animals. Healthy living for everyone. Please like and share it around the world, not for us, but to show that beautiful lives are still lived in the heart of an unspoilt natural world. We have a great little book giving much more information. It can be sent around the world and purchased directly here: https://www.nomads.org/Books.html. Special offer if you buy more than one! Возможно, самые прекрасные два дня в моей жизни были проведены с этими прекрасными кочевниками-ханты из Северной Сибири. Мы прошли долгий путь, чтобы встретиться с группой, с которой мы связались, заблудились и в итоге получили эту удивительную семью, которая взяла нас и поделилась с нами долгой ночной миграцией. Пожалуйста, любите и делитесь этим по всему миру, не для нас, но чтобы показать, что прекрасная жизнь все еще живет в сердце нетронутого природного мира. День начинается со сбора свежих рогов у северного оленя (карибу). Это не повредит и не повредит им, потому что у рога нет нервов, и кожа все равно скоро будет стираться. После тяжелого дня семья кочевников возвращается в свой лагерь и укладывает все на свои санки. Они мигрируют всю ночь, так как это самое холодное время суток. Наконец, рано утром они разбили лагерь, выпили последнюю чашку чая и пошли спать. Они мигрируют каждые два-три дня, чтобы обеспечить своим животным свежее чистое пастбище. Здоровый образ жизни для всех.

In this video you will see how the Tibetan nomads build a clay oven from locally dug earth mixed with yak dung. The stove is built anew at each site that the nomads settle. While some may call this primitive technology, it is actually a sophisticated design perfectly adapted to burn their only fuel, yak dung, with minimal smoke. Very ecological and sustainable, for when the nomads leave the site the cooker gradually dissolves back into the earth leaving nothing behind. The traditional Tibetan stove's name is (སྒྱིད་པུ) Gyelphu or Sagyel. The food cooking in the video are fried bread sticks. called (གོ་རེ)Ghorii in Tibet. It is just made from wheat flour and water. These stoves are as beautiful as they are functional, and become a beautiful sculpture inside every nomad tent. They can be made anywhere that natural clay can be found, and each region has its own clay pit. If you want to make one but don't want to use dung, use finely chopped grass. Many thanks to Gonkho and his amazing family. If you want to visit then contact Gonkho at https://mystictibettours.com/

Take five minutes out of your life to discover the five elements, and the gift that prayer flags give. Printed in Buddhist monasteries throughout Tibet and hung on tents, over rivers and in sacred places these flags slowly release their prayers to the wind.

What is the first house? Where and when did people start to build? Were caves our first shelter...or nests? In the centre of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana a few San hunter-gathering bushmen still live a fairly traditional way of life. While this may be thought of as primitive technology, this is actually a sophisticated house, ecological and organic in its design and perfectly adapted to the climate and culture of the bushmen. An egalitarian society in which men and women work and share equally the huts are arranged around a central hearth around which the family mostly sleep, but we learn that not only are the huts for living in, but a young bushman girl when she comes of age will be kept inside the hut for three whole weeks to teach her that she must not play with the boys. An old bushman lady tells us the story. Is this the oldest house in the world? The huts are only a few months old, but the design may go back four million years? How can this be possible? A few thoughts about where architecture all began. Thank you so much to the wonderful open-hearted and wise-beyond-words San bushmen for sharing their skills with me. Buy our book here: https://nomads.org/Books.html You can support us via Patreon or make a donation direct through Paypal, or contact us directly if you want to discuss another way to support us - (email address is on our channel page). https://www.patreon.com/Nomad_Archite... https://paypal.me/NomadicArchitecture

Order our new book and help us to continue with this important research. UK and international postage options are available here https://www.nomads.org/Books.html bulk orders please contact us. The Baka live in the forests in Cameroon. Their traditional hut, the mongulu, is a finely crafted design woven from thin saplings and covered in maranta leaves. They move periodically and practice a little forest agriculture.