War of the Gods

Synopsis: About two groups of Indians in Colombia: the Maku, who live mainly by hunting and gathering and the sedentary Barasana who live mainly by farming. Maku and Barasana views of themselves and their world, and of outsiders are presented by the anthropologists who worked among them. These views are contrasted with the views held by missionaries, Catholic and Protestant, working in the area who appear to have convinced themselves that the Indians are plagued with fears of devils and demons. Shows the lavish organisation in Colombia of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, the scientific arm of the Wyclif Bible Translators, the second largest missionary organisation in the world, and raises the question of why their contract to work in Colombia does not specify that their aims are missionary ones.
Series: Disappearing World, Series
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Film; Video; Film. 16mm. sd. col. 66 min. Videocassette. VHS. col. 66 min.
Technical information: Black-and-white / Sound
Year of production: 1971
Availability: Hire (film - RAI Film & Video Library)
Sale (video - RAI); 2000 sale: £50.00 (+VAT +p&p) (RAI)
Notes: Broadcast on ITV 22/6/71.
Subjects: Anthropology
Keywords: Barasana; Colombia; Indians of North & South America; Maku; religious belief and practice; religious proselytising

Director: Brian Moser
Producer: Brian Moser
Contributor: Christine Hugh-Jones; Martin Smith; Peter Silverwood-Cope; Stephen Hugh-Jones

Name: Royal Anthropological Institute
Contact: Susanne Hammacher (Film Officer)
Email: film@therai.org.uk
Web: https://www.therai.org.uk/film/film-sales External site opens in new window
Phone: 020 7387 0455
Fax: 020 7388 8817
Address: 50 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 5BT
Notes: The Institute sells more than 250 anthropology and ethnology titles on video and DVD, including some produced by students and staff of the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology. There is also a large library of internationally produced film and video productions from which items may be borrowed within the UK.

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

This record has been viewed 570 times.