Includes index.

The ingenuity of Yanomamo technology is revealed in the climbing frame used to scale the spiny trunk of the peach palm tree. Here a young man collects the fruit for his in-laws by means of two frames, each constructed of two crisscrossed poles. As he perches on one frame, he raises (or lowers) the other, onto which he carefully steps, continuing in this manner up (or down) the entire tree.

The Sheep Eaters relied heavily on the plants they could gather for medicinal and edible uses, often cooking food in a unique soapstone vessel.

This film examines the skills of tanning, flint napping and bowmaking among the Sheep Eaters, who utilized dogs to help them travel and gather resources.

Depicts a number of different tools used in building and the kinds of work they are used for.

Dani Sweet Potatoes (19 min) follows the sophisticated process of sweet potato horticulture developed by the Dani. It follows the Dani sweet potato cycle from clearing off the old brush and weeds from a fallow field to planting, harvesting, cooking and eating. Dani Houses (16 min) observes both round and square house construction techniques of the Grand Valley Dani. It shows how the ground is cleared, walls are made from boards, poles lashed together,...

This multi-faceted film, photographed in both 1969 and 1982, illustrates an anthropologist's actual fieldwork methods and personal relationships among the Baruya, and provides and in-depth view of the Baruya's traditional salt-based economic system.

In a messy yard, a team of tools gets organized, then spends a busy day building a shed.

Whether you need a beebersaw or a chisel, Chico Bon Bon's your monkey! He can build or fix just about anything - from a dock for the ducks to a clock for the Clucks. But will his tools and his sharp wit save him when an organ grinder sets his sights on making Chico a circus star?