New Guinea's highlands remained unexplored and unmapped until a government official, Bragge, and his team embarked on a journey to make contact with the isolated tribes. With aerial maps guiding them, they traveled by river and tributary, seeking areas with cleared trees, believed to be "gardens" where the natives grew food. The team of 101, including bearers, cameras, and supplies, encountered a deserted ceremonial house, but no natives, until they called out the name of the people they sought and a small group appeared. After initial gifts and trading, the expedition was invited to see the natives' homes, but suspicion set in and the natives disappeared into the jungle.
A Blank on the Map
Acclaimed naturalist Sir David Attenborough leads a government-backed expedition into the remote New Guinea highlands to establish contact with a previously unknown tribe of indigenous people.