The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life
by Bruce "Pacho" Lane

The Tree of Life
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Totonac Indians of Mexico
Director: Bruce "Pacho" Lane
DVD: Region Code 0
Format: Color, Dubbed, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-10-10
Studio: Ethnoscope Film & Video

Movie Reviews of The Tree of Life

Movie Review: Democracia Indigena - "Indian Theology" at work
Summary: 5 Stars

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2NSGMH7XS964B The Tree of Life Archbishop Samuel Ruiz wrote "Fortunately when Christopher Columbus came to the Americas, he did not bring God with him, because God was already present in the Indian religions."
In the last few years, Catholic priests and nuns working with Mexican indigenous communities are creating a new synthesis of Christian and Mesoamerican traditions, called "Teologia India" (Indian Theology). Based on this synthesis, the Totonacs and other indigenous groups are organizing to claim their right to retain their traditions, and to take political power in their communities.

Summary of The Tree of Life

Combining ritual, dance, music, poetry, and art, "THE TREE OF LIFE" (29 min) is a meditation on the mystery at the heart of human life. It calls us to keep the world in balance with our lives.

"Los Voladores" (the Flyers) is a 1500 year-old rite sacred to Quetzalcoatl, the Morning Star. From its origins on the Gulf coast of Mexico, the ritual spread throughout Mesoamerica: a special square was reserved for it in Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, and a variant is still known among the Quiche' Maya in Guatemala.

Today "Los Voladores" is best known in its original home in the Huasteca region, especially among the Totonac, who have lived in the area for millenia. The version shown in "THE TREE OF LIFE" is from Huehuetla, in the Sierra Norte de Puebla.

THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE (25 min) contrasts two systems of education. The public school system uses patriotic symbols to "integrate" Indian pupils into the national culture while teaching them to reject their own identity. In contrast, the "Danza de los Huehues" urges young Totonacs to learn from the school, yet warns them not to abandon their own culture.

INDIAN DEMOCRACY (37 min) examines the rights revolution of Indian Mexico and the liberating role of "Indian Theology". "We have been to school, we have learned Spanish. Now you must stop treating us like animals. Our gods were here first, and we are proud to be Indians."

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