Nomads of the Wind

Synopsis

Series exploring the relationship between man and nature in the South Paciific.
1: Polynesian seafarers settled the islands of Tahiti and the Marquesas some 2000 years ago, islands of immense natural riches.
2: On Fiji land-based Melanesian culture merged with the ocean world of the Polynesians. From there man and nature spread eastwards into the South Seas. An archaeological find on Fiji was a skeleton of a woman with perfect teeth resulting from a diet of the root taro, which ocntains fluoride.
3: Shows Pitcairn Island, where Fletcher Christian and the ‘Bounty’ mutineers settled; Henderson, a bird paradise; and the remote Easter Island. In this splendid isolation, colonising species, faced by no competition, can grow into giants or evolve unique ways of life. The statue-worshipping culture of the Polynesians of Easter Island, led to neglect of the land and an orgy of self-destruction in the 17th century.
4: The final great migrations of the Polynesians were north to Hawaii and southwest to New Zealand, and at these two extremes evolved the Maori and the Hawaiian peoples.
5: The Maori settled in New Zeland for almost 1000 years before the arrival of Europeans who changed the course of the islands’ natural history, but today there are signs of a renaissance.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 5 x 50 min.

Year of production

1994

Availability

Sale; 1996 sale: £99.00 (+VAT +p&p) (each part) 1996 sale: £200.00 (+VAT +p&p) (series)

Notes

Broadcast on BBC2 from 9 Jan 1994.

Subjects

Anthropology; Biology

Keywords

Hawaii; Maori; natural history; New Zealand; Polynesia

Credits

Producer

Mark Jacobs; Peter Crawford; Phil Chapman

Cast

Tim Pigott-Smith

Sections

Title

Faraway heaven, The

Synopsis

1: Polynesian seafarers settled the islands of Tahiti and the Marquesas some 2000 years ago, islands of immense natural riches.

Title

Crossroads of the Pacific

Synopsis

2: On Fiji land-based Melanesian culture merged with the ocean world of the Polynesians. From there man and nature spread eastwards into the South Seas. An archaeological find on Fiji was a skeleton of a woman with perfect teeth resulting from a diet of t

Title

Burning their boats

Synopsis

3: Shows Pitcairn Island, where Fletcher Christian and the 'Bounty' mutineers settled; Henderson, a bird paradise; and the remote Easter Island. In this splendid isolation, colonising species, faced by no competition, can grow into giants or evolve unique

Title

Distant horizons

Synopsis

4: The final great migrations of the Polynesians were north to Hawaii and southwest to New Zealand, and at these two extremes evolved the Maori and the Hawaiian peoples.

Production Company

Name

BBC Television

Distributor

Name

BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning

Contact

Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)

Email

BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com

Web

https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 20 8433 1009

Address

BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK

Notes

The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’