Timothy Asch

The strenuousness of women's work is revealed as a woman patiently chops a large log for firewood one evening, enough to last one day. Her two children play nearby, and she occasionally stops to nurse the younger.

A village headman, Moawa, weaves a cotton hammock while his wife swings in her own hammock, occasionally touching his leg in a loving gesture. She watches and teases him while playing with their baby. This film is included on the Yanomamo Shorts compilation video. Filmmaker: Timothy Asch, Napoleon Chagnon

In this vignette from daily life, Dedeheiwa's son returns from hunting and brings a wild turkey and a basket of fruit for his father-in-law. He dumps the goods on the ground, since avoidance rules prohibit him from delivering them directly.

The mission in Bisaasi-teri has a style and orientation quite different from the Salesian mission shown in Ocamo is My Town. The New Tribes Mission has been in this region since the early 1950s. Their main goal, the missionary-teacher in the film explains, is spiritual: to bring the message of Jesus and salvation to the Indians, and to teach them to reject their false gods, demons, and drugs.

The richness of Yanomamo mythology is again revealed in this film (compare Moonblood and both Myths of Naro ), as is the remarkable skill of another Yanomamo storyteller. The myth in this case is that of Jaguar, a prominent figure throughout South American Indian mythology. Long ago, Curare Woman tasted bitter, so Jaguar did not eat her. Curare Woman hid her pregnant daughter in the roof above Jaguar's hammock, and sent Jaguar far away to hunt while...

This film presents a version of a myth, different from the Myth of Naro as Told by Dedeheiwa, in narrative detail and also in the individual raconteur's style.

This film is an exceptionally vivid portrayal of shamanic activity, as well as an exploration of the close connection between politics and shamanism in Yanomamo culture.

The conflict shown in The Ax Fight disrupted the political stability in Mishimishimabowei-teri. Several days after the fight, Moawa, the most prominent headman in the village, killed a tapir and presented it to his brothers-in-law who comprise an important political bloc in the village.

This film describes the work of an extraordinary Salesian priest, Padre Cocco, who has headed a mission on the Ocamo River since 1957. The mission's goal, he explains, is to soften the inevitable impact of "civilization" on the Yanomamo of this area.

Unlike many spirit mediums, Jero Tapakan practices as a masseuse once every three days, when possession is not auspicious. This film focuses on Jero's treatment of Ida Bagus, a member of the nobility from a neighboring town. Jero has been treating her client for sterility and seizures. She begins work this day with religious preparations and the assembling of traditional medicines. Treatment includes a thorough massage, administration of eyedrops,...