Latuko Filming Locations

In the village of Tirangole in Sudan, Africa, native boy Lonuha prepares to become a man of the Iago clan by joining in the annual hunt. While the women of the tribe care for the children, carry water from wells, prepare the food and gather wild herbs, the men perform traditional pre-hunt rituals. One of the tribe's many primeval customs involves Ibwoni, the "witch doctor," treating the ill by bleeding them and burying the blood in the earth. In another custom, children have their two front teeth "gouged out with a knife" as soon as permanent teeth grow in. Scars, collars and disfigurations are common adornments and badges of beauty. All the activities are watched over by Lomiluk, the rainmaker and spiritual head of Tirangole. This year, there is plenty of water and the cattle and goat herds are healthy. To prepare for the hunt, the men practice spear-throwing. The blacksmith creates a spear especially for Lonuha, and as tradition demands, the boy spears a cow in the jugular vein, then drinks the blood. Later, the "Father of the Land," a woman named Abolone who holds a hereditary position of great spiritual power, mixes a magic brew of charcoal, earth and saliva. Soon, about two hundred men from all of the clans of Tirangole gather for the hunt, the scars on their shoulders connoting how many men they have killed. Today, the warriors tell tales of past prowess, while Lonuha grows anxious to hunt. Finally, the hunting party fans out in a circle that will eventually span about ten square miles. They move past water buffalo, lions, scorpions, hyenas, snakes and crocodiles in their pursuit of giraffes, bush-bucks and antelope. Lonuha is able to prove his masculinity when he spears an antelope, and feels great pride when he brings meat back to his mother. Later, the women of the tribe gather fish from the river in nets while breaking into jealous arguments. Months later, the villagers work diligently to prepare food and supplies, but a dangerous drought moves in. Lonuha, his heart heavy with fear for his clan, notes the dry river bed and runs to Lomiluk for help. The rainmaker performs a ritual at the rain shrine, in which a goat is strangled and its stomach contents mixed with beer, earth and saliva to form a sacrifice to the ancestors. After a wild rain dance, Lonuha watches with satisfaction as a storm arrives, signaling a good year of peace and plenty.