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Africa
2:25 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Forest People Return To Their Land ... As Tour Guides

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Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
In 1991, the Batwa forest people of Uganda were evicted from their land when two national parks were created to protect the shrinking habitat of the endangered mountain gorilla. A new program is trying to help them earn money and reconnect with their roots.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
Traditionally, the Batwa used bamboo stalks to carry water and cook food — stuffing them with meat and foliage to steam over a fire. After the formation of the Mgahinga National Park, the Batwa were forced out and prohibited from any hunting or gathering.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
The Batwa Trail, now 2 years old, helps preserve and promote culture by having Batwa guides show tourists their traditional way of life. Batwa guides and musicians earn the equivalent of $3.25 a day. The rest of the money goes to a Batwa tribal trust and the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
The Mgahinga National Park provides a much-needed refuge for the mountain gorilla. But the creation of the park also drove the Batwa from their land, and has taken away a big part of their identity.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
Living entirely off the land, the Batwa developed a deep knowledge of the forest's plants and their uses. The benefits of these plants are still known by many of the older generation, but have been largely lost on the youth who have spent their entire lives living outside the forest.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
Intimately tied to the mountains and forests, the Batwa used to perform daily dances in honor of their land. Entering their previous home, men perform a welcoming dance.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
Equipped with two sticks, tinder and a lot of patience, the Batwa make small clumps of smoldering grass to ward off bees and harvest fresh honeycombs. Honey is so valuable that they use it as a bride price.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
Besides finding safety in the forests, the Batwa also took shelter in a local cave they called Garama. The cave is a low-ceilinged lava tube beneath the mountain where the chief used to hold his councils, and where women and children hid during battle.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
This sacred cave housed the Batwa king and was the main venue for celebrations. A choir in the darkness sings a song of sadness about how the Batwa were driven from the forest, and how much they miss it.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
Pushed from their homes without land of their own or compensation, many Batwa have been forced to squat on the land of others and perform menial jobs.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
In 1991, the Batwa forest people of Uganda were evicted from their land when two neighboring national parks were created to protect shrinking habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla. A new program is trying to help them earn money and reconnect with their roots.
Credit Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin for NPR
The forests in which the Batwa lived are rich with flora and fauna. After the formation of Mgahinga National Park, they were forced out and prohibited from hunting or gathering.
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Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 10:55 pm

Like other hunter-gatherers of Central Africa who've been cast out of their jungle homes, when the Batwa forest people of southwest Uganda lost their forest, they lost their identity.

The Batwa were evicted from their rain forest kingdom in 1991, when two neighboring national parks, Mgahinga and Bwindi, were created to protect shrinking habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla.

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The Salt
2:25 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Making 'The Science Of Good Cooking' Look Easy

Credit Carl Tremblay Photography / America's Test Kitchen
Want a better-tasting gazpacho? Don't toss out the tomato seeds.
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Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 4:36 am

Ever wondered why you're not supposed to bake with cold eggs or whether marinating really tenderizes meat? Read on.

America's Test Kitchen host Chris Kimball "whisks away" some cooking myths as he talks with Morning Edition host Renee Montagne about the book he wrote, The Science of Good Cooking, with fellow Cook's Illustrated magazine editors. Being the science and cooking geeks that we are, we tuned in.

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Around the Nation
2:23 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Native American Tribe's Battle Over Beer Brews

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Credit Hilary Stohs-Krause / NET News
On the south side of Whiteclay, Neb., a crowd gathers outside one of the town's four liquor stores.
Credit Robyn Wisch for NPR
Winnebago tribe members Lance Morgan (left) and Frank LaMere are pushing for Whiteclay's liquor stores to be shut down.
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Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 9:26 am

Anheuser-Busch, Pabst and MillerCoors are among the big beer makers the Oglala Sioux tribe has accused of illegally selling millions of cans of beer each year in Whiteclay, Neb. The town borders Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which is located across the state line in South Dakota and is dry.

The Oglala Sioux's federal case was thrown out, and the tribe is considering what to do next — legalize alcohol or go to state court.

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The Salt
2:23 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Kelp For Farmers: Seaweed Becomes A New Crop In America

Credit Ron Gautreau / Courtesy of Bren Smith
Oyster fisherman Bren Smith on his boat, The Mookie. Smith decided to try his hand at seaweed farming, collaborating with ecology professor Charles Yarish.
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Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 10:02 am

A new kind of crop is being planted in the United States, and it doesn't require any land or fertilizer. Farming it improves the environment, and it can be used in a number of ways. So what is this miracle cash crop of the future?

It's seaweed.

Charlie Yarish, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, loves seaweed. In nature, he says, when seaweed turns a rich chocolate color, that means the plant is picking up nitrogen, a process called nutrient bioextraction.

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StoryCorps
2:22 am
Fri October 12, 2012

Veteran: Risks In 1950s Bomb Test 'A Disgrace'

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Credit U.S. Department of Energy
The Priscilla event, part of Operation Plumbbob conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1957, was a 37-kiloton device exploded from a balloon.
Credit StoryCorps
Joel Healy and his daughter, Kelli Healy Salazar. Healy was a 17-year-old Army soldier in 1957 when he witnessed Operation Plumbbob, one of the largest nuclear bomb tests ever conducted on American soil.
Credit U.S. Department of Energy
NATO observers attend the Boltzmann Event detonation on May 28, 1957, at Nevada Test Site. The detonation was part of Operation Plumbbob.
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Originally published on Fri October 12, 2012 4:36 am

In 1957, Joel Healy witnessed one of the largest nuclear tests ever conducted on U.S. soil.

Healy was in the U.S. Army, stationed in the Nevada desert north of Las Vegas at Camp Desert Rock. He was 17 years old and a private first class at the time.

Healy drove dump trucks, moved materials, and built structures, like houses, that would be destroyed by the explosions so the Army could study the effects of a nuclear blast. He also helped build the towers where many of the bombs were detonated.

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