The Spirit of TV

Beginning with the arrival by canoe of a TV and VCR in their village, The Spirit of TV documents the Waiãpi people’s first encounter with TV images of themselves and others. They view a tape from their chief’s first trip to Brasilia to speak to the government, news broadcasts, and videos of other Brazilian native peoples, and record a session directed by Chief Waiwai for villages in his territory. The tape translates the reactions of individual Waiãpi to the power of images, the diversity of native peoples, and their common struggles with federal agents, gold miners, trappers, and loggers.

Directed by Vincent Carelli.

In Waiãpi with English subtitles.