Diane Kitchen films of the Ashaninka of Eastern Peru
odd: label: Local Number
content: HSFA 1984.3.1
name: label: Creator
content: Kitchen, Diane
place: label: Place
content: South America
label: Place
content: Peru
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Received from Diane Kitchen in 1984.
creator: label: Creator
content: Kitchen, Diane
culture: label: Culture
content: Asháninka (Campa/Chuncha)
physdesc: label: Extent
content: Film reels (color silent; 17,000 feet)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1979-1982
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Previously titled "Ashaninka of Eastern Peru 1979 and 1982."
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Human Studies Film Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: HSFA.1984.03
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Film reels
label: Type
content: Silent films
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Titles are supplied by the archivist for untitled films.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: silent films
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Full film record documenting the Ashaninka (also known as the Campa) of the eastern Peruvian rainforest. Footage was shot in two villages, Otika and Oviri, on the upper Tambo River, Peru. Extensive documentation of Ashaninka subsistence in the eastern foothills of the Andes includes: slash-and-burn agriculture; fishing expeditions in which men use kómo root to poison fish; making of masato, a fermented drink central to daily subsistence and recreation; making of arrows; spinning of cotton thread and weaving of cloth; basket making; and preparing and eating meals. Ritual and other activities include: singing, dancing, and playing panpipes; an indigenous medical practice known as ciokánci (a diagnosing technique); face and body decoration; a marriage ceremony; childbirth; and preparation of kamárami (ayahuasca), a psychotropic drink. Project is believed to be the only film documentation on the Ashaninka, an indigenous group which has resisted acculturation since contact with colonists during the rubber boom at the turn of this century. The film, BEFORE WE KNEW NOTHING, was made from this project.

Collection also contains sounds recordings, photos, film descriptions and copies of photos.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or Anthropology Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.