Secrets of the Tribe

The reverse side of anthropology through the differences on the academic ground, in a wider context concerning exactly what an anthropologist can(’t) get away with these days. The central point is the fact that (not only) the anthropologists (un)knowingly take hostage the famous and already publicly known “prehistoric" Indian tribe, the Yanomami, driven by ambition, settling of accounts with other scientists or satisfaction of appetites. As is customary with the documentary work of José Padilha, his main advantage is that he leaves it up to the viewer to decide what to think and doesn’t say “this guy is really evil, this guy is touchy about the results of his lifelong research being overturned, this guy is like this and that guy like that". He simply submits the facts and offers them for discussion from all sides; including even the uninvolved academic community or Yanomamos themselves. (03.02.2014)