Browse Titles - 6 results
Disappearing World, The Dervishes of Kurdistan
directed by Brian Moser, fl. 1960; produced by Brian Moser, fl. 1960, in Disappearing World (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1987), 1 hour 1 mins
The Dervishes of Kurdistan captures the mountainous frontier of Iran and Iraq. The Dervishes' religious faith allows them to thrust skewers in their cheeks, plunge daggers in their sides, eat glass, and lick white-hot spoons. This program shows how religion and politics are intertwined in Islamic culture.
Sample
directed by Brian Moser, fl. 1960; produced by Brian Moser, fl. 1960, in Disappearing World (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1987), 1 hour 1 mins
Description
The Dervishes of Kurdistan captures the mountainous frontier of Iran and Iraq. The Dervishes' religious faith allows them to thrust skewers in their cheeks, plunge daggers in their sides, eat glass, and lick white-hot spoons. This program shows how religion and politics are intertwined in Islamic culture.
Field of Study
Politics & Current Affairs
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Brian Moser, fl. 1960, John Sheppard, 1515-1558, John Sheppard
Author / Creator
Brian Moser, fl. 1960
Date Published / Released
1987
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Series
Disappearing World
Speaker / Narrator
John Sheppard, 1515-1558, John Sheppard
Topic / Theme
Kurdish, Religious beliefs, Islam, Dervishes, Ethnography
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1987. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Friends in High Places
written by Lindsey Merrison, 1959-; directed by Lindsey Merrison, 1959-; produced by Lindsey Merrison, 1959- (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 2001), 1 hour 26 mins
“Buddhism and nat worship are like mangoes and bananas”Whether contending with a deceitful daughter-in-law, forecasting financial prospects for a tea shop, or freeing a husband from government detainment, Friends in High Places reveals the central role of nats and spirit mediums in alleviating the day to day b...
Sample
written by Lindsey Merrison, 1959-; directed by Lindsey Merrison, 1959-; produced by Lindsey Merrison, 1959- (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 2001), 1 hour 26 mins
Description
“Buddhism and nat worship are like mangoes and bananas”Whether contending with a deceitful daughter-in-law, forecasting financial prospects for a tea shop, or freeing a husband from government detainment, Friends in High Places reveals the central role of nats and spirit mediums in alleviating the day to day burdens of modern Burmese life.“Leprosy isn’t as contagious as people’s problems,” notes one medium, “my clients bring their w...
“Buddhism and nat worship are like mangoes and bananas”Whether contending with a deceitful daughter-in-law, forecasting financial prospects for a tea shop, or freeing a husband from government detainment, Friends in High Places reveals the central role of nats and spirit mediums in alleviating the day to day burdens of modern Burmese life.“Leprosy isn’t as contagious as people’s problems,” notes one medium, “my clients bring their worries into my home. I don’t need to go out on the street to learn how cruel life can be.” Yet despite their skills in channeling good luck for others, the life stories of the mediums prove to be as poignant as the stories of those who seek their assistance.Just as nats lie somewhere on the spectrum between mortals and the divine, the gay men who serve as primary conduits for the nat spirits are considered to be neither male nor female. Regarded by society with a curious mix of disdain and reverence, the male mediums profiled in this film – ranging from the gentle, melancholy “Lady Silver Wings” to the hard drinking, ego-driven “Mr. Famous” – illustrate the special niche granted to gay men in Burmese society.Exquisite footage accentuates Lindsey Merrison's keen eye for nuance as she takes the viewer on a journey examining the extremes that define Burmese spirit mediums and their way of life. Deceit and artistry, tragedy and comedy, faith and cynicism – in a country known both as a 2,500 year bastion of Buddhism and more recently for its legacy of political corruption and instability, the world of the nat becomes an analogy for the many unusual juxtapositions within Burma itself. “Buddhism and nat worship are like mangoes and bananas” Whether contending with a deceitful daughter-in-law, forecasting financial prospects for a tea shop, or freeing a husband from government detainment, Friends in High Places reveals the central role of nats and spirit mediums in alleviating the day to day burdens of modern Burmese life. “Leprosy isn’t as contagious as people’s problems,” notes one medium, “my clients bring their worries into my home. I don’t need to go out on the street to learn how cruel life can be.” Yet despite their skills in channeling good luck for others, the life stories of the mediums prove to be as poignant as the stories of those who seek their assistance. Just as nats lie somewhere on the spectrum between mortals and the divine, the gay men who serve as primary conduits for the nat spirits are considered to be neither male nor female. Regarded by society with a curious mix of disdain and reverence, the male mediums profiled in this film – ranging from the gentle, melancholy “Lady Silver Wings” to the hard drinking, ego-driven “Mr. Famous” – illustrate the special niche granted to gay men in Burmese society. Exquisite footage takes the viewer on a journey examining the extremes that define Burmese spirit mediums and their way of life. In a country known both as a 2,500 year bastion of Buddhism and for its legacy of political corruption and instability, the world of the nat becomes an analogy for the many juxtapositions within Burma itself.
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Field of Study
Politics & Current Affairs
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Lindsey Merrison, 1959-, U Wynn Hlaing, Daw Ohn Tin, Daw Wei Wei Kann Oo, U Ah Swan
Author / Creator
Lindsey Merrison, 1959-
Date Published / Released
2001
Publisher
Documentary Educational Resources (DER)
Topic / Theme
Burmese, Politics, Sociology, Buddhism, Gender, Sexuality, Spiritual possession, Religion, Ethnography
Copyright Message
© Documentary Educational Resources
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Gogodala: A Cultural Revival?
written by Chris Owen, 1980-; directed by Chris Owen, 1980-; produced by Chris Owen, 1980- (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1983), 57 mins
This film examines the implications of the Australian colonial era for the Gogodala people of the Fly River Delta, Western Papua New Guinea. Excessive missionary zeal, tolerated and encouraged by the government, contributed to the almost total destruction of Gogodala art and culture.
Sample
written by Chris Owen, 1980-; directed by Chris Owen, 1980-; produced by Chris Owen, 1980- (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1983), 57 mins
Description
This film examines the implications of the Australian colonial era for the Gogodala people of the Fly River Delta, Western Papua New Guinea. Excessive missionary zeal, tolerated and encouraged by the government, contributed to the almost total destruction of Gogodala art and culture. This film examines the implications of the Australian colonial era for the Gogodala people of the Fly River Delta, Western Papua New Guinea. Excessive missionary zea...
This film examines the implications of the Australian colonial era for the Gogodala people of the Fly River Delta, Western Papua New Guinea. Excessive missionary zeal, tolerated and encouraged by the government, contributed to the almost total destruction of Gogodala art and culture. This film examines the implications of the Australian colonial era for the Gogodala people of the Fly River Delta, Western Papua New Guinea. Excessive missionary zeal, tolerated and encouraged by the government, contributed to the almost total destruction of Gogodala art and culture. More recently, an indirect grant from the Australian government has enabled the people to reconstruct a traditional longhouse, along with a new meaning and function: as a cultural center.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Chris Owen, 1980-, Babadi Sowasi, Murray Marx, Gainama Mulake, Tony Crawford, Harry Holt, Saliki Kawaiya
Author / Creator
Chris Owen, 1980-
Date Published / Released
1983
Publisher
Documentary Educational Resources (DER)
Topic / Theme
Gogodala, Canoes and kayaks, Tribal and national groups, Christianity, Revitalization and ethnogenesis, Cultural change and history, Missionaries, Imperialism, Ethnography
Copyright Message
by Documentary Educational Resources
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Otaiya: Japan's Hidden Christians
written by Christal Whelan, fl. 2012; directed by Christal Whelan, fl. 2012; produced by Christal Whelan, fl. 2012 (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1997), 34 mins
In the sixteenth century Portuguese Catholic missionaries introduced Christianity to Japan. The religion flourished for about fifty years, but by 1614 the Tokugawa government issued an edict that outlawed Christianity and expelled the missionaries from Japan. About 150,000 believers went underground and continued...
Sample
written by Christal Whelan, fl. 2012; directed by Christal Whelan, fl. 2012; produced by Christal Whelan, fl. 2012 (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1997), 34 mins
Description
In the sixteenth century Portuguese Catholic missionaries introduced Christianity to Japan. The religion flourished for about fifty years, but by 1614 the Tokugawa government issued an edict that outlawed Christianity and expelled the missionaries from Japan. About 150,000 believers went underground and continued to practice their religion in secret. In the sixteenth century Portuguese Catholic missionaries introduced Christianity to Japan. The r...
In the sixteenth century Portuguese Catholic missionaries introduced Christianity to Japan. The religion flourished for about fifty years, but by 1614 the Tokugawa government issued an edict that outlawed Christianity and expelled the missionaries from Japan. About 150,000 believers went underground and continued to practice their religion in secret. In the sixteenth century Portuguese Catholic missionaries introduced Christianity to Japan. The religion flourished for about fifty years, but by 1614 the Tokugawa government issued an edict that outlawed Christianity and expelled the missionaries from Japan. About 150,000 believers went underground and continued to practice their religion in secret. These people are known as the "Hidden Christians". Otaiya, meaning "Big Evening" is the Hidden Christian version of Christmas Eve. Through the occasion of this ceremony, the film tells the story of Japan's Hidden Christians. Made with the cooperation of contemporary Hidden Christians on the remote island of Narushima, the film features the only two remaining priests in the Goto Islands. Both men are in their late nineties and without successors. The ceremonial and religious lives of these two men stand in stark contrast to the materialism of the younger generation. Urban migration of the island's youth, an encroaching consumer ethic, and ironically, religious freedom are the forces that conspire to erode the traditions and solidarity of these extraordinary and persevering people.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Christal Whelan, fl. 2012
Author / Creator
Christal Whelan, fl. 2012
Date Published / Released
1997
Publisher
Documentary Educational Resources (DER)
Speaker / Narrator
Christal Whelan, fl. 2012
Topic / Theme
Portuguese, Japanese, Religious persecution, Missionaries, Religious rites and ceremonies, Christianity, Cultural change and history, Ethnography
Copyright Message
© Documentary Educational Resources
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Threads of Life: Hemp and Gender in a Hmong Village
written by Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953-; directed by Susan Morgan and Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953-; produced by Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953- and Susan Morgan (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1994), 28 mins
For centuries Hmong people have lived in the mountains of China and Southeast Asia. They have in more recent history fled Laos as refugees and resettled in the Americas, Australia and Europe.
Sample
written by Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953-; directed by Susan Morgan and Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953-; produced by Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953- and Susan Morgan (Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1994), 28 mins
Description
For centuries Hmong people have lived in the mountains of China and Southeast Asia. They have in more recent history fled Laos as refugees and resettled in the Americas, Australia and Europe. For centuries Hmong people have lived in the mountains of China and Southeast Asia. They have in more recent history fled Laos as refugees and resettled in the Americas, Australia and Europe. This documentary was filmed in Chang Khian, a village in the mount...
For centuries Hmong people have lived in the mountains of China and Southeast Asia. They have in more recent history fled Laos as refugees and resettled in the Americas, Australia and Europe. For centuries Hmong people have lived in the mountains of China and Southeast Asia. They have in more recent history fled Laos as refugees and resettled in the Americas, Australia and Europe. This documentary was filmed in Chang Khian, a village in the mountains of Northern Thailand. Through the traditional, year-long process of transforming the bark of hemp plants into cloth the complex relationships of men and women are revealed. Women produce the cloth and clothing as the men perform healing ceremonies, settle marriage agreements, and conduct funeral rights. The ready availability of mass produced, inexpensive cloth combined with the fact that the cultivation of hemp (marijuana) is now illegal has brought the continuation of this traditional practice into question. This film is of great interest to the study of gender and kinship, textiles, traditional crafts, shamanism and social change. In Hmong with English subtitles and narration.
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Date Written / Recorded
1993
Field of Study
Politics & Current Affairs
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953-, Susan Morgan
Author / Creator
Kathie Culhane-Pera, 1953-, Susan Morgan
Date Published / Released
1994
Publisher
Documentary Educational Resources (DER)
Topic / Theme
Hmong, Weaving, Shamanism, Division of labor, Tribal and national groups, Agriculture, Gender, Textile industry, Indigenous peoples, Ethnography
Copyright Message
copyright © Documentary Educational Resources
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Yanomamö, Magical Death
written by Timothy Asch, 1932-1994 and Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-; directed by Timothy Asch, 1932-1994 and Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-; produced by Timothy Asch, 1932-1994 and Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-, in Yanomamö (Documentary Educational Resources (DER)), 29 mins
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.
Sample
written by Timothy Asch, 1932-1994 and Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-; directed by Timothy Asch, 1932-1994 and Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-; produced by Timothy Asch, 1932-1994 and Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-, in Yanomamö (Documentary Educational Resources (DER)), 29 mins
Description
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. 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 shaman plays a vital role in Yanomamo society, for it is he who calls, commands, and often is possessed by...
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. 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 shaman plays a vital role in Yanomamo society, for it is he who calls, commands, and often is possessed by spirits, or hekura. "Like myriad glowing butterflies dancing in the sky," the hekura come down invisible trails from the mountain tops when they are summoned. A powerful shaman such as Dedeheiwa, who is known even in distant villages, manipulates not only the spirits of the mountains but also those that live within his own body. The body is a vehicle for the hekura: lured by beautiful body paint, they enter the feet and eventually settle in the chest. MAGICAL DEATH shows how shamanic drama is enacted, led by Dedeheiwa. Dedeheiwa and other shamans prepare by taking hallucinogenic drugs which enable them to speak to and become the spirits. Dedeheiwa calls a "hot and meat-hungry" hekura to devour the children's souls with fire. Then the shamans become their victims, as they writhe like dying children in a pile of ashes. Becoming hekura spirits again, they devour the ashes representing the dead children. The first day's drama ends when Dedeheiwa himself falls unconscious, attacked by a magical hook sent from another enemy. The second day, the elaborate drama resumes, as Dedeheiwa becomes a young man from the enemy village who dodges the shamans' attacks but eventually is destroyed.
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Date Written / Recorded
1971
Field of Study
Politics & Current Affairs
Content Type
Field recording (edited)
Contributor
Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-, Timothy Asch, 1932-1994, Dedeheiwä
Author / Creator
Timothy Asch, 1932-1994, Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-
Date Published / Released
1973
Publisher
Documentary Educational Resources (DER)
Series
Yanomamö
Speaker / Narrator
Napoleon A. Chagnon, 1938-
Topic / Theme
Yanomamö, Tribal and national groups, Rural population, Politics, Recreational drugs, Religious rites and ceremonies, Shamanism, Ethnography, Yanomámi
Copyright Message
by Documentary Educational Resources
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