Nomads Of The Rainforest Sparknotes

Nomads of the Rainforest is a film which focuses on a tribe in Ecuador called the Waorani. The purpose of this documentary is to discover how this culture has maintained their cultural identity amidst Western culture and remained an enigma. The Waorani were known as savages and likely to attack any outside influence indiscriminately. These people were a mystery due to the fact that their savagery was brushed against the landscape of an egalitarian society in which all people were equal and must contribute to their society. The message of the film is to describe the Waorani lifestyle and how the rainforest is critical to their maintaining their nomadic lifestyle that has been a part of their culture for centuries.
Wade Davis’ article, Among the Waorani, provides much of the content brought to

The fact that they killed all the missionaries even after they had a nice visit seemed very disturbing and the idea that this behavior is not isolated to western intruders, but other tribes as well as internally committing brutal acts reeks of inhumanity. Another thing I find extremely interesting is that everyone is equal in this society. Males have been such a dominant figure in human societies over the centuries so it is strange that this particular culture is so balanced. These two ideas of balance and lack of hierarchy in a culture against a backdrop of intense savagery seem in conflict. The one parting thought in the film is that the Waorani people understand the need for balance to continue to expect the nomadic ways to provide a continuous food supply and that the outside world is exploiting the resources of their rainforest, thus threatening their way of life. After watching the film and reading about them through Davis’ prism, their culture appears to be a conundrum—or