10 Minutes

Directed by: Vincent Carelli

Overview:

This tape provides an overview of the “Video in the Villages” project organized by the Centro de Trabalho Indigenista in which different Amazonian Indian tribes have been given video equipment and training. It illustrates how these people use video to record traditional ceremonies for future generations, witness political discussions with Brazilian government officials to record their promises, document their struggles to protect their lands and environment, and communicate with neighboring tribes. The tape shows how video has helped these groups empower, organize, and activate themselves. The center has madea series of documentaries that focus on specific aspects of the indigenous uses of video (see Spirit of TV, Meeting Ancestors, Pemp, A Festa da Moca, Free for All in Saráre). All of these tapes are made by or with native video makers to be shown within their tribe and to other native peoples. They also provide foreign viewers with a unique opportunity to observe Indian life from a native point of view.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

This is a strong educational documentary about the use and impact of video among Amazonian native tribes, providing a good example of how communication technology could be used as a feedback mechanism. The tape has a clear narrative structure. There is a solid introduction and illustration of the different aspects of the project, as well as clear transitions between themes. The tape is an effective length, conducive to classroom screening and discussion.

Some reviewers have felt that the program relies too heavily on a voice-over narration and that the absence of interviews places a certain distance between viewer and the subjects. Therefore, it is important to use this tape in conjunction with others in the series. One evaluator felt that the tape was direct and to the point but had a somewhat utopian interpretation of the indigenous uses of video, noting that it failed to acknowledge forms of dependence that re implicit in the provision of equipment to these groups by nonindigenous anthropologists and videographers.

Introducing the Tape:

The tape is self-contained and speaks for itself. Some background on indigenous struggles in the Amazon would be useful.

How to Borrow this Video:

The videos owned by the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are housed in the Outreach Office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They are lent free of charge. For information on films and reservations, please visit http://isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp.

References:

Ranucci, Karen, ed. A Guide to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino-Made Film and Video. Lanham, MD. Scarecrow Press. 1998.