Indians with Cameras

The retrospective this month of the Video in the Villages project at the National Museum of the American Indian was an extraordinary demonstration of the power of grassroots storytelling. The project, founded by Brazilian activist Vincent Carelli and Corr�a, has shared the realities of lowlands Amazonian cultures for more than two decades. In the last few years, partly as a result of Carelli’s partnership with Mari Corr�a, tribal storytellers have made ever more complex, sophisticated work. Corr�a brought into the partnership her experience with the French Ateliers Varan, a grassroots storytelling workshop founded by legendary anthropologist Jean Rouch. One good example, Pirinop, My First Contact--directed by Corr�a, Kumaré Txicão and Karané Txicão (both from the Ikpeng culture)--is an unsentimental look back at the moment of contact between Brazilians and the Ikpeng almost 40 years ago. The young directors consult their elders, re-examine footage taken by Brazilians at the time, and consider the challenges of cultural identity and growth. It makes a fascinating comparison with First Contact, a documentary about contact with Papua New Guineans that also critically re-examines original contact footage, made by Australians Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson. Video in the Villages has long helped Indians create powerful storytelling tools to recall and recreate traditions, share cultural heritage with others, and to fight for their rights. The latest work also demonstrates the ability of Amazonian video makers to leap across cultural divides with compelling and thought-provoking narratives. The project’s work is available in the U.S. at Video DataBank and Documentary Educational Resources.