Mad Honey hunting - the Art of Honey Hunters

Mad Honey hunting - the Art of Honey Hunters Just like the mad honey, the honey hunters and honey hunting are as crazier as when honey hunters climb a delicate ladder up the cliff - mostly swinging loosely up in the air. Twice a year. Every year. Honey Hunters: The artist behind the honey hunting When a boy takes birth in the Gurung community, he has a close acquaintance with the red honey and bees. And, when he is barely ten, he accompanies his father or grandfather or uncles to witness the sheer adventure of honey hunting. From his early days, he has adopted a strong belief to save his culture, and 'saving his culture' now has become his only way to put bread on the table, as it happens. The above coming of age story is not only a story of a single Gurung but is of many Gurungs throughout history. From a young age, the honey hunters get guidance to take the dangerous honey hunting as their passion and profession. Early Days of Honey Hunters Growing up, they had no early education since they grew up in a small valley with poverty. As a result, they only learned high-risk honey hunting, and kept pursuing it as a profession - their life revolved around the periphery of their tiny homes, village, and honey hunting pals. For the Gurungs, the honey hunting and the locality around is the only known land they know, and apart from it, every other place is distant and foreign to them. Only a few years ago, due to rapidly increasing tourism, they got a sneak peek of a tiny world outside. Now the time is changing as the clock is ticking differently for them - unlike in the olden days since they are garnering huge exposure from journalists and foreigners. The Art of Honey Hunting Apis Dorsata Labiorasa or as the locals call it, “ The Giant Honeybee”, is the world’s largest honey bee with stings even fiercer. The giant colonies of honeybees guard their mad honey dearly. Therefore, a little reckless step towards them, they feel rage.