A father and son in Quang Ngai Province, who lived in the forest for nearly 40 years, created special handmade tools and clothes to fill their basic needs.
Ho Van Loan is playing a slingshot with his nephew
The return of Ho Van Thanh, the 82-year old father, and his 41-year old son, Ho Van Loan, has attracted much interest from international media as well as local news outlets.
Three days after coming back to the community, Ho Van Loan has begun to get familiar with what we now call normal life. He watched TV, played with a slingshot and went for a motorbike ride. His father’s health has also improved since returning, However, he only talks to Loan and stays silent around strangers.
In addition to making tools and clothes, they created natural remedies, which helps to explains how they stayed well during their 40-year period in the wild.
Ho Minh Lam, Thanh’s nephew, said, “Cor ethnic minority people often live in high mountainous areas. They choose places near to water sources and trees, both of which they regard as favourable living conditions. However, Thanh and his son lived in a place with harsher living conditions e.g. the continual presence of a very cold mist. Loan lived there since he was only a year old.”
Lam said Loan had spoken a complete sentence to him in Cor language saying that he wanted to return to his old house and fields in Apon forest. He does not want to stay in the village. Nevertheless, his relatives have not allowed him to do so and always keep a close eye on him to prevent him from fleeing.
All hand-made tools and clothes of the forest men
Knives made from bullet and bomb fragments
Two coats made from tree barks
They used the porcupine's quills to make powder for drink in case of suffer from bellyache, a kind of effective remedy to them
Bamboo baskets to keep seeds and herbs
A tool to shelter from rain
Pots made from fragments of weapons
Dry grass used to make loin-cloth
Papooses
A comb
A tool looking like an axe
Some buttons of a military uniform set carefully kept by Mr. Thanh
A kind of cotton used to lighter between two pieces of stones
