Guide to Documentary Films
Anthropology
Apu Condor (an EastWest Productions and Andes-Television co-production, 1992)
The condor lives both in the imagination and canyons in the southwestern United States including California and Andes of South America. Much public attention has been placed on the restoration and protection of free-flying condor populations and their economic role in tourism. Scant attention has been paid to their role within indigenous populations in both areas. One remarkable 30-minute film, Apu Condor, portrays the symbolic role of the condor in one Andean community in the highlands of Peru, Cotabambas. The village is located some 100 miles from Cusco.
While focusing upon the capture of a condor and its role in an important religious festival, the film also depicts the long and complicated social history of the indigenous people of Peru and that of their Spanish conquerors. The village, inhabited by a dominant Mestizo, Spanish speaking “middle” class and the indigenous Quechua speaking ”lower” class, has sharp tensions that result from the economic and social asymmetry. As the village inhabitants pay homage to their Condor god and those in the mountains, the realpolitik is reversed as the Condor god reigns over the bull (representative of Spanish domination0. Interestingly the film was done during the Maoist Shining Path Rebellion, Sendero Luminoso.
The film depicts the capture of a condor by a well–regarded local, Dimas Gamarra, who achieves high status within the village by his uncommon ability to capture condors and present them for use in the Condor Fiesta. The Fiesta now takes place in July on Peruvian Independence Day instead of its traditional December date--yet another element, this time more historically recent, of the social changes within Peru.
The festival highlight shows a condor tied to the back of the bull. The bull is then turned loose within the village plaza and the condor rides the bull in a triumphant manner. Up until recently, the condor’s beak was not tied and the condor would then bite at the bull until it bled and enriched the soil as prescribed by the gods. At the conclusion of the ceremony the condor is safely released to return to the mountains to inform the gods of the faithful actions of the villagers.
In summary, the film has remarkable footage concerning this unique ceremony while at the same time depicting the present socio-economic conditions of highland villagers. The film has English translations (voiceovers) for the Quechua and Spanish speaking participants. Highly recommended. Further information: www.der.org (Documentary Education Resources)
Steve Kaufman Raritan Valley Community College skaufman@raritanval.edu
