A German film crew traveled to Mongolia with their cameras and equipment. They had no script and did not really know whether they would end up with a movie or not. They came upon a family of nomads who raised camels, and followed the family through their daily affairs.
The film crew documented what life was like in the Mongolian desert, and recorded the birth of a white camel. The mother camel, because she had a very hard labor, spurned the baby camel and refused to feed it. The nomads tried all the practices they knew, rituals and practical knowledge they had gathered over the years, but nothing worked. The mother camel simply refused to nurse the baby.
Since camels were the family’s mainstay, they considered this a serious matter. And they did not want the baby camel to die. So they sent two of their boys on a few days ride to a town, to find – a doctor? No! A musician!
The family was familiar with the power of music, and when all else failed, they needed to call upon that power.
The boys found the musician they were looking for and together they rode through the desert, back to the nomads and their camels. The musician took out a violin-like instrument and stood before the mother camel, and one of the nomad women sang to the camel while the musician played.
Within a few minutes, tears began to well up in the mother camel’s eyes, and then dripped onto the sand. The family re-introduced the baby camel to the mother, and amazingly, she finally let the baby nurse.
This film was unplanned, and the camera caught this beautiful event as it happened. I was so moved by it that I have been telling as many people as possible to find this movie and watch it. And realize the power of music.
What is the music you listen to doing TO you? Or FOR you? We each have a choice and when we become sensitive enough to begin to monitor what we let into our hearing range, it can have a profound effect on the rest of our lives.
This movie has the pace of a slow documentary and no special effects. Throughout, you can see the simple lifestyle of a family that lives with their camels. There is some spectacular footage of the desert and it gives you an insight into simpler living. Most importantly, it shows you the power of music in no uncertain terms.
You can find the DVD at Amazon.com: The Story of the Weeping Camel
All the best,
Allan,
BellaOnline’s Musician Editor
My Music on CDbaby: Music to heal emotions & boost your creativity
