Death of a Shaman

Over the centuries, the indigenous Ecuadorian Shuar have weathered incursion by army, religion and corporation. Very few retain an unaffected version of their ancestral worldview, which is underpinned by a special relationship between man and nature, and a blurring of the lines between the physical and spiritual worlds. A pervasive and unrelenting encroachment along physical, ideological and spiritual lines means that their culture is teetering on the brink of extinction.

Rafael is the last line of defence against this incursion, and Death of a Shaman is as much about preservation of a beautiful ancient worldview as it is a call to action against the destruction of the Amazon. The film sits at the intersection of environmental concerns like deforestation and the global climate crisis, and the continued violent relationships of settler-colonist societies with their indigenous populations.

A world where humanity cherishes and celebrates ancient indigenous wisdom. A global society that values and protects our rainforests and our rivers. A collective consciousness that understands not only the risks of climate change, but of all environmental destruction, and makes a concerted effort to do better.

DEATH OF A SHAMAN intends to have a tightly focussed impact campaign centred on land rights for the indigenous Shuar of Ecuador, preservation and celebration of their ancestral indigenous knowledge, and a broader call to action around global warming and preservation of the Amazon.

The impact campaign goals have been devised in collaboration with Rafael and his community. They have not just been consulted, but have led all discussions on the matter, and it is our intention that they remain the central voices of any future impact campaign. Future professional partners or organizations will be instructed to amplify their voices rather than paraphrase or modify them.

Appropriate actions will depend on the viewer and their proximity to the story.

For a member of an indigenous Ecuadorian community, we hope that they would first and foremost feel empowered by the film, and as we do not wish to be prescriptive, we believe that they take whichever action is right for their situation and their community.

For an Ecuadorian politician, we hope they would join the fight to strengthen indigenous custodianship of the Amazon.

For a general audience member, appropriate actions include:

-Donating to or advocating for causes driven by and to the benefit of indigenous Ecuadorian communities.
-Donating to, fundraising for or investing in green-energy solutions that decrease reliance on fossil fuels.
-Personal reflection on the problematic relationships between settler-colonist societies and their original inhabitants.
-Better conserving resources and consuming consciously day to day.
-Sharing the film with family and friends.