The team at the end of a successful shoot.

Another Land Produces Documentary on Barabaig Tribe for National Geographic

October 2004 - Africa adventure guide, Nichole Smaglick, can now call herself a pioneering film producer, indigenous jewelry entrepreneur, and a full-fledged warrior, fighting to promote and conserve traditional African culture.

Living in remote East African villages from June-September, Smaglick led a groundbreaking documentary film expedition for National Geographic that explored the culture of the Barabaig in central Tanzania. With a film crew from Tremendous! Entertainment, Smaglick gained access to ceremonies and rituals of the Barabaig never before seen by Western eyes nevertheless filmed for a documentary. Now in post-production, the documentary will air on the National Geographic Channel early next year.

In between leading film shoots and safari trips, not to mention looking out for black mamba snakes and deadly scorpions with each step, Smaglick also launched an indigenous jewelry and leather handbag project, called Amias, with a group of predominantly Barabaig women. With a full line of handmade accessories available in the U.S., Amias, which means "beautiful" in Barabaig, seeks to empower rural African women and spur grassroots community development.

"I lived and learned much more than I planned!" said Smaglick, who also runs her own East African safari company, Another Land. "Don't ask me how I did it, but I survived. And now that I have had a chance to rest, I can't wait to go back to Africa to lead another expedition."

Smaglick has a long-running relationship with the Barabaig, having developed a sustainable cultural tourism program between the traditional pastoral tribe and Another Land. Revered for their rainmaking powers, the Barabaig are a proud pastoral people who have resisted modernization even as their lands and culture are threatened. They are the traditional enemies of the well-known Maasai tribe, but they have received extremely limited media and research exposure until recent National Geographic Expeditions.

The film includes footage of a secretive rainmaking ritual and a massive funeral ceremony for a highly honored Barabaig elder. It also simultaneously follows the journeys of a young Barabaig bride, who forsakes her traditional culture in favor of modernity, and a polygamous warrior herdsman who rigorously defends the old ways of the Barabaig.

Smaglick sees the film as a part of the soul-searching vision of Another Land and now Amias. She said she hopes the documentary and jewelry company will help give the Barabaig a great source of pride while spurring community-driven development.

With its official unveiling at a National Geographic book exhibition and jewelry sale this month, Amias now has a full line of quality, handmade African rings, bracelets, ear weights, beaded leather handbags, and exquisitely decorated shawls and scarves available for purchase in the United States. Now available for interviews, Smaglick will soon return to Tanzania to further develop and expand the Amias vision.