• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 13.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Exploration of ancient cultures can be intense.

Why We Rated This for Ages 13–15

The good stuff

• Messages:

  The host is unfailingly respectful of the tribes' unique customs, which may seem barbaric or bizarre to Western viewers. He subjects himself to the rituals so he'll be accepted within the tribe and explains in detail the beliefs that lie behind them. Tribal gender roles are usually pre-determined and traditional (women cook and raise kids, men hunt and gather), but all are essential to the group's survival.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  Many scenes center on hunting practices; weapons ranging from traditional blow pipes to rifles, and animals are killed and dismembered onscreen. Ritualistic violence (cutting, body piercing, whipping) among tribe members can be graphic and sometimes includes scenes of these practices used on small children.
• Sex:

  As with most documentaries centering on indigenous tribal cultures, there's always the possibility of both male and female nudity. In one episode, for example, men are shown naked from behind as they bathe, and a woman's breasts are exposed briefly. But none of it has any sexual overtones.
• Language:

  Not an issue.
• Consumerism:

  Not an issue.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Various drugs (or, more precisely, poisons) sometimes play a part in rituals. In one tribe, for example, poisonous frog secretions are sent into men's blood streams to induce vomiting and diarrhea to cleanse the body before hunting.

What Parents Need to Know

About Going Tribal

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