Last of the Bororos
odd: label: Local Number
content: HSFA 1976.5.1
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Wanderwell, Aloha, 1906-1996
setName: label: See more items in
content: Aloha Baker film collection
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The following is prepared from Mrs. Baker's notes and manuscripts by Jeanne Councilman-- "Aloha Baker and her expedition went to Brazil to film a travel documentary. They were met by newsmen who misinterpereted their intentions and presumed they were yet another rescue party in search of Col. Percy Fawcett. They decided to proceed on this basis and that led to their meeting with General Rondon, eminent explorer and authority on the customs and languages of the tribes of the interior. He greatly aided them in their preparations, obtaining clearances with War Department and providing them with advice on how to survive in the Matto Grasso. They were provided with an airplane with pontoons. ; The party established a temporary camp on the Cuiaba at the Descalvados Ranch from which point they made several exploratory flights over the flooded tributaries of the Paraguay. On one of these flights into the Mato Grosso they were forced down by lack of fuel and were aided by the Bororos. The chief of the tribe, Tabori, offered his canoe so that a group could bring back fuel for the airplane. Mrs. Baker was left in the village where she had time to study the customs of the tribe. Her cameraman was allowed to take motion pictures of the daily life in the village. General Rondon eventually returned with the search party and fuel for the plane."
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Film reel (32 minutes, black-and-white silent; 1200 feet, 35mm)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1930-1931
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Human Studies Film Archives
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Film reels
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Edited film shot on an expedition to the Mato Grosso of Brazil. Film documents various aspects of daily and ceremonial life in the Bororo village of Boboré on the Paraguay River west of Cuiaba. The film was made in the course of an ostensive attempt to rescue British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett and his son who disappeared on the Xingu River. Shots of historical and ethnographic interest include: Aloha Baker meeting with General Candido Rondon in Rio de Janeiro, rail travel from SÃŸao Paulo to Corumba, boats landing and the expedition plane taking off and landing at the Descalvados ranch, a first contact senario with Bororo of Boboré village, reception by the chief and male villagers in front of the baitemannageo (men's house), palaver and gift-giving through the chief, adornment for ceremonial dances which includes face and body painting with urucu and wearing of spectacular headdresses of macaw feathers, food preparation (women winnowing and pounding grain), Aloha Baker with a bari (shaman), a sequestered male ceremonial dance (associated with the dual social and cosmological organization of Gé-speaking tribes), and two Bororo men experiencing couvade (sympathetic labor pains).  Supplementary materials: 1,2,3,4,6