May 6, 2014

An Anthropologist’s Collaboration with Native Amazonian People

with Laura R. Graham, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Iowa

Many of us have read about the people of the Amazon, but how do we know what they are thinking? Have we heard their voice? And if we did, how we would understand them? What issues keep them up at night, and how can they get anyone to listen to their concerns?

These are just the issues that concern Laura Graham, an anthropologist who teaches at the University of Iowa.  Dr. Graham's work emphasizes collaboration with indigenous peoples of the Amazon so that they can broadcast their own story, rather than have others report on them. She has recently completed a film called “Owners of the Water: Conflict and Collaboration over Rivers” with two Native American filmmakers, David Hernández Palmer, a Wayuu man from Venezuela ,  and Caimi Waiásse, a Xavante man from central Brazil

The filmmakers collaborate to tell the tale of an indigenous campaign to protect a tributary to the Amazon from the devastating effects of uncontrolled Amazonian soy cultivation.  In the process, stunning ethnographic footage of their intercultural encounters and indigenous attempts to build networks across nations is recorded.

Dr. Graham will show the 34 minute film, and talk about the complications and successes of her work collaborating with Native Amazonians to support their efforts to preserve their culture and give voice to their concerns. Much of this work focuses on facilitating their use of media technologies to reach a broader public. 

To see a preview and learn more about her film: 

http://www.der.org/films/owners-of-the-water.html

About Dr. Graham: 

Dr. Graham has devoted her career to the study of Native South American cultures and languages. Her published works include two books, including the award-winning book, Performing Dreams: Discourses of Immortality among the Xavante Indians of Central Brazil, and numerous articles and book chapters. She has been Director of the Xavante Education Fund since 1994, and has served as a consultant for World Wildlife Fund and UNICEF. “Owners of the Water” has won awards in two International Film Festivals. She has been invited to show her film in numerous organizations, universities and colleges, from Global Health Conferences to Stanford and Grinnell. Dr. Graham speaks four languages, and is conversant in Xavante.