British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Magical Death

Synopsis
Focuses on the role of the shaman (Dedeheiw‰ in this case) in curing his Yanomamo co-villagers and sending sickness to enemy villages. The use of hallucinogenic snuff is shown in its daily context. Illustrates how religion serves political ends and how shamans can manipulate the spirit world to demonstrate their allegiance to allies. The emphasis is on one specific event and how it develops in terms of the history of the political relationship between two specific villages which are entering into a new alliance.
Language
English
Country
United States
Medium
Film; Film. 16mm. sd. col. 29 min.
Technical information
Black-and-white / Sound
Year of production
1973
Availability
Hire
Notes
Reviewed by E R Wolf in ‘American Anthropologist’, vol 74 (1972), pp196-8.
Uses
Courses in anthropology for audiences who already have at least a little knowledge of Yanomamo ethnography. *RAI
Subjects
Anthropology; Religious studies
Keywords
Brazil; shamans; Venezuela; Yanomami

Credits

Director
Napoleon Chagnon; Timothy Asch

Distribution Formats

Type
Film
Format
16mm

Distributor

Name

Royal Anthropological Institute Film & Video Library, c/o Concord Media

Email
sales@concordvideo.co.uk
Web
http://www.concordmedia.org.uk/ External site opens in new window
Phone
01473 726012
Fax
01473 274531
Address
Rosehill Centre
22 Hines Road
Ipswich
IP3 9BG

Record Stats

This record has been viewed 506 times.