Jung,S. Film Review 2 - A commentary made based on a documentary called \"Trinkets and Beads\" by Christopher Walker. Focuses on third world colonization in terms of attempts of Christianity conversions and rebellions by the indigenous, particularly against oil companies. PDF

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A commentary made based on a documentary called "Trinkets and Beads" by Christopher Walker. Focuses on third world colonization in terms of attempts of Christianity conversions and rebellions by the indigenous, particularly against oil companies. ...

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Soyoung Jung Film Review #2- “Trinkets and Beads” by Christopher Walker 3/5/14

Some key concepts involved with this film include exploitation of a third world nation, colonization in terms of a first attempted Christianity conversion, a rebellion or revolt by the indigenous against the oil companies in response to exploitation (oildrilling), and the environmental effects of oil drilling on the lives of the indigenous. This film was about a third world country being exploited with its available natural oil in the heart of the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Starting in 1957, the Huaoranis, one of the strong-standing tribes left in the world, went through a slower process of colonization. It began with the Huaoranis rejecting the transformation, which resulted in the massacre of five American missionaries, but eventually the evangelization efforts of Rachel Saint, another missionary, took place, in which the tribe members adhered to. They even had a special reserve built for Rachel Saint and her mission called Tonampare. The Huaoranis originally believed in demons, witchcraft, and sorcerers. Eventually, especially after the teachings of Rachel Saint, the tribe members became Christian, following the New Testament that was available in their own language. Her existence in the tribe and the conversion to Christianity changed a lot of their habits and lifestyle. For example, clothing became something normal and wanted instead of the traditional outdoor wear, which was barely anything. In 1961, the oil drilling began with Shell Oil and Texaco. Once the drilling started other companies began to see the benefits of exploitation and they started to remove Huaoranis from their lands for the sake of drilling. The first to do this was the Canadian oil company called Petro Canada, in 1989. In 1993, the Huaoranis filed the Cofan lawsuit against Texaco. However, like all lawsuits involving a third world, undeveloped nation and a first world developed country (US), it was hard to win the case for the Huaoranis. Much of this was resolved temporarily through the manipulation of the leaders and false promises of education for the people and children money or some kind of compensation. Before the lawsuit, in 1992, Maxus, the oil company that caused the biggest disruption to the Huaoranis, decided to drill in the heart of the Huaoranis’ land. This is when environmental factors began affecting the lives of the Huaoranis in such a negative manner that it got to the point of damaging peoples’ health. Respiratory issues such as bronchitis were becoming common illnesses to the people. 20 years of oil drilling and water from nearby lagoons, streams and rivers was no longer able to use because of serious contamination. If a hand was dipped in the thick, black, oily water, the hand began to throb in pain afterwards. An animal falling into the water would never be able to come out alive. The most important problem with contaminated water was that drinking water was becoming scarce. Oil fires in the Cofan Territory were also an issue for safety hazards and disruptions to the everyday lives of the Huaoranis. Over time, roads were built over the lands and more people from the outside world began coming and developing in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Although some settlers were there to help the indigenous, the Huaoranis were in no position to accept the social and environmental changes that were taking place on their lands and to their

people. After numerous promises made to the people of compensation of some sort, they started realizing that they weren’t going to get anything back in return for their lands. At the end, the current Huaorani leader, Moi, decided to set an attack on the Maxus employees and the bosses on site. Overnight, they crept towards the oil drilling sites to get there in time when workers started coming for work to launch an attack with their tribal weapons. Although this was just a warning and a revolt by the Huaoranis, upon Maxus’s report, 500+ U.S. soldiers were sent to fight back, which drove the Huaoranis back to their home base. As the Huaoranis are losing control of their rainforest to foreigners trying to exploit oil from their natural lands, they are still fighting to survive the Petroleum Age. This story should reveal the consequences of first world countries still trying to “develop” what little we have left of natural resources and traditional societies. In comparison to Rostow’s Five Stages of Growth, where would the Huaoranis stand? Rostow’s concept was that all countries, most likely with the help of other developed countries, will eventually become rich and developed with the economy growing faster after the traditional stage. However, he did not mention what happens if a revolt occurred or what stage a country would be if they were fighting so hard to preserve their culture and their people. Personally, I couldn’t see that America’s reason for exploiting the Huaoranis lands was necessarily to develop the people. It was to take as much advantage as we could to get the natural oil and control the indigenous knowing that we could probably bribe them. Therefore, it’s hard to say that the Huaoranis had any chance of going through the Five Stages of Growth because the U.S. was sort of teasing them in chances of developing....