Kayapo
The Reappearing World
Throughout history, many native tribes have been subjected to the effects of colonialism. They are often stripped of their land and resources, and are forced to adapt to a new way of life. Their cultural values and even political presence weaken as they become a mere product of acculturation. There is no doubt that the clash of two unique societies with mismatched power usually has violent and unfair outcomes. However, there have been a few cases where the effects of colonialism did not completely penetrate the ideology and lifestyle of a culture. Living proof of this is the aboriginal Kayapo Tribe of the Brazilian rainforest who stood up against pressures from the outside world in order to preserve their way of live. Even though the Kayapo are outnumbered and are disadvantaged technologically, they have still been able to coexist with Brazilian society and maintain their cultural integrity.
The film The Kayapo’s: Indians from the Brazilian Rainforest, directed by anthropologist Terry Turner, depicts the social and economic struggle between the traditional Kayapo tribes and the modern post-colonialist Brazilian society during the 1960’s. It also shows how to two distinct groups of Kayapo Indians responded to the situation differently. This ethnographic film begins with a sequence of black and white photos of Kayapo Indians holding modern electronics, such as a TV. What stands out is that the images on the electronics are in color. This contrast is symbolic of the clash between traditional Kayapo with the new modern Kayapo.
The second scene in the film shows a traditionally dressed Kayapo Indian covered in feathers going into a bank. He speaks in Portuguese to a bank teller about the Kayapo account, which just received around 2 million dollars that year from gold miners. This Indian belongs to one of two distinct Kayapo groups called the Gorotire. The Gorotire, in return for some of the revenue, allow Brazilians to mine and settle
Throughout history, many native tribes have been subjected to the effects of colonialism. They are often stripped of their land and resources, and are forced to adapt to a new way of life. Their cultural values and even political presence weaken as they become a mere product of acculturation. There is no doubt that the clash of two unique societies with mismatched power usually has violent and unfair outcomes. However, there have been a few cases where the effects of colonialism did not completely penetrate the ideology and lifestyle of a culture. Living proof of this is the aboriginal Kayapo Tribe of the Brazilian rainforest who stood up against pressures from the outside world in order to preserve their way of live. Even though the Kayapo are outnumbered and are disadvantaged technologically, they have still been able to coexist with Brazilian society and maintain their cultural integrity.
The film The Kayapo’s: Indians from the Brazilian Rainforest, directed by anthropologist Terry Turner, depicts the social and economic struggle between the traditional Kayapo tribes and the modern post-colonialist Brazilian society during the 1960’s. It also shows how to two distinct groups of Kayapo Indians responded to the situation differently. This ethnographic film begins with a sequence of black and white photos of Kayapo Indians holding modern electronics, such as a TV. What stands out is that the images on the electronics are in color. This contrast is symbolic of the clash between traditional Kayapo with the new modern Kayapo.
The second scene in the film shows a traditionally dressed Kayapo Indian covered in feathers going into a bank. He speaks in Portuguese to a bank teller about the Kayapo account, which just received around 2 million dollars that year from gold miners. This Indian belongs to one of two distinct Kayapo groups called the Gorotire. The Gorotire, in return for some of the revenue, allow Brazilians to mine and settle