"El Silbo" and the Whistling Shepherds of La Gomera (Canary Islands, Spain)

In La Gomera, Canary Islands, there is a traditional whistling language that is still used to communicate. But the shepherding way of life it comes from has all but disappeared.
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Jungles in Paris is a purpose-driven multimedia project based in New York City. We use non-fiction films, photography and more to create transporting encounters both online and offline. The aim is to get modern audiences to slow down and observe, learn about, and connect with the planet: to foster a true interconnectivity between people and place.
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"El Silbo" and the Whistling Shepherds of La Gomera (Canary Islands, Spain)
• "El Silbo" and the Whi...

[@katieglauber3083]

I did not expect this to be that emotional. When he said "you don't whistle in an office" that hit me like a truck.

[@armandonorig]

this is beautiful, pure poetry. so sad that traditions like this all over the world are dissapearing

[@JunglesinParis]

Thanks Armando -- and totally agree. Things are changing faster than ever and we think it is important to appreciate and meditate on other ways of living! Cheers!

[@nick260682]

I think it started to die out from the 60's or 70's onwards, but since 1999 all the kids have been learning it in school so there's hope yet!

[@juanrulfo7564]

this is beautiful

[@rauledgardolauria5484]

Estraordinario! Saludos desde Argentina. Ojalá no se pierda este tan especial lenguaje.

[@KandidReviews]

wow ! loving every episode of yours !

[@JunglesinParis]

Thank you very much -- we love it when people like what we do! Cheers!

[@heatherbrown1880]

love

[@yidy1]

Beautiful story. And beautiful editing!

[@maputomambajian]

Awesome stuff!

[@Adrianrodriguezhernandez]

ESTO SON TRADICIONES QUE JAMAS SE DEBERIAN DE PERDER :)

[@peteraugust5295]

No Cellphone, No Netflix, not expensive car, just a guy and a backback. Now think about who lives a better live.

[@wizardoffrobozz]

it seems perfectly regular that the animals understand El Sibo. Dogs in China understand Chinese, pets in Mexico understand Spanish.

[@TheGunnCat]

Dogs understand any language.

[@TheMavrick250]

Found you guys through your short film on Mad River Glen and have been blown away by the content on this channel. Every single story shared on here is well crafted, filled with fantastic visuals, and the editing is spot on. However, this video, and the one on harpoon sword fishing have definitely been some of the better videos I have seen on youtube. Keep up the good work people!!

[@JunglesinParis]

Thanks Merrick, appreciate it!

[@lastsummerday]

Why is your a part of your video same as on the great big story channel? Genuinely curious...

[@jeanniegray5681]

💛💜💛

[@TheGunnCat]

This should be protected by the world heritage fund.

[@mrnicomedes]

How does it work!? I'm sure I'll get good info from wikipedia or maybe the Time magazine video that's "up next," but I would've liked to learn a bit about the language. Indeed, the video had some breathtaking shots. And the line "you don't whistle in an office" is both true and memorable. However, all I got from this vid, knowledge-wise, is that there's a whistling language on an island in the Canary Islands (called La Gamora, where is it!?) that's dying out because people move away and don't take countryside jobs any more. This sounds in line with the death of many small languages. Do the other islands have whistling languages? Are they intelligible to each other? Is El Silbo essentially coded Spanish, or does it have its own grammar and vocabulary? Does everyone do that knuckle whistling technique? Were 100% of the natives fluent at one time, or has it always been a shepherd's specialty? etc etc. So many questions, I could go on and on! I guess if the point was to whet my appetite, the video did its job!

[@JunglesinParis]

Vijay, check out the full accompanying article on junglesinparis.com. Hope that helps!

[@mrnicomedes]

Oh, cool. I'm glad there's an accompanying article. Written info is always faster to absorb and more detailed, anyway.

[@Reynbowz]

@@mrnicomedes It's Spanish, but they replace vowels and consonants with different whistles. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silbo_Gomero

[@achinech-guanche]

@@Reynbowz Canary Island is not Spain!!!

[@jimwagnerclips]

@@achinech-guanche From Wikipedia... The Canary Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Morocco. They are an autonomous community of Spain (they make their own laws). There are seven main islands. The people who live there speak Spanish. Largest city: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Country: Spain

[@achinech-guanche]

Deberías haber pues en el titulo "EL SILBO", La Gomera,Islas Canarias,NO ESPAÑA,CANARIAS ES UNA DE LA ÜLTIMA COLONIA ESPAÑOLA EN ÁFRICA,VIVA CANARIAS LIBRE E INDEPENDIENTE!!!!!!,FUERA ESPAÑOLES DE CANARIAS YAAA!!!

[@omegaOO7]

Pues vete tú también porque eres español

[@achinech-guanche]

@@omegaOO7 También eran "españoles" los Cubanos, Venezolanos, Saharianos, Guineanos y lo eran por imposición colonial, todavía quedan muchos Saharauis con el d.n.i español.

[@gabyota4]

WTF

[@amparoandujar3424]

Por Dios , que ganas de molestar...

[@achinech-guanche]

@@amparoandujar3424 Molestandonos a nosotr@s l@s Canari@s lleva España 5 siglos, hay quien no vé más allá del horizonte de su nariz,buen dia.

[@xxbumfluff69xx57]

How do I learn this ?

[@fidelencabo4058]

Un gran video, gracias por dar visibilidad a esta cultura que se pierde.

[@papaedda]

Magnifiscent!

[@MACTEP-il1eu]

So i could be laying in bed thinking i hear birds but in reality it could be some guys in my back yard making plans to attack me?

[@puppetstate]

SO dope. Good work folks!

[@JunglesinParis]

Thank ya Noah!