Deep in Ecuador’s Amazon live the Huaorani (sometimes spelled Waorani) people. They were some of the last truly uncontacted people until the 1950s, when Christian missionaries and extractive industries began sending out feelers into the jungles, seeking the varied riches the canopy and rain-soaked soil hide. The Huaorani defended their land for as long as they could, but they couldn’t win the war of attrition, eventually relenting and becoming ‘civilized’ in the minds of their more remote cousins, although they still practiced the same subsistence lifestyles. More and more of their land was taken and exploited by corporations. It’s with this economic and cultural background radiation that we meet the Huaorani as botanists from a historic expedition return to the places they studied twenty-five years later. They meet old friends and check in on the work they did, only to find much of it trampled or ripped up by the corporations who still treat the Huaorani’s backyard like a larder.
Toroboro: The Name of the Plants is director Manolo Sarmiento’s third documentary feature, and it shows that experience clearly. Every shot says something and adds to the story being crafted with expert care. The Huaorani people are given center stage as we’re shown many moments of pure cinematic anthropology alongside preservation of recent history. There are a few elders still alive from the first contact, and they tell the story of their people, of the resistance, and how those living still more isolated from Ecuador and the world’s colonizers feel about the Huaorani since their ‘civilization,’ as they put it. Through these people’s experiences and stories, we’re given a window into the cultures of Ecuador’s Amazon basin and the human cost of continuing colonialism. These people’s deep botanical knowledge is endlessly impressive, with a few older members of the community able to identify plants in the dusk without the help of a light from smell and touch alone. While the documentary style is somewhat slow and pensive, those interested in anthropology, indigenous people, botany, or colonial history will be completely enthralled. Consider Toroboro: The Name of the Plants most highly if your collection serves a busy university. Highly Recommended.
What academic subjects or university courses would benefit from this documentary about the Huaorani people?
Toroboro: The Name of the Plants is an outstanding resource for courses in anthropology, ethnobotany, Indigenous studies, environmental science, Latin American studies, colonial history, and conservation biology. By documenting the Huaorani people's traditional ecological knowledge alongside the ongoing effects of resource extraction and cultural change, the film offers students a rare opportunity to examine the relationship between biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge systems, and colonialism. Its observational approach and emphasis on lived experience also make it an excellent companion for courses in ethnographic and documentary filmmaking.
Why should public and academic libraries include this Indigenous documentary in their collections?
Toroboro: The Name of the Plants is a compelling exploration of Indigenous culture, environmental stewardship, and the preservation of traditional knowledge in Ecuador's Amazon. Academic libraries supporting anthropology, botany, environmental studies, or Latin American studies will find it especially valuable, while public libraries with patrons interested in nature, Indigenous cultures, and global issues will appreciate its thoughtful storytelling and exceptional cinematography. The documentary's focus on the Huaorani people's deep understanding of the rainforest also makes it an engaging conversation starter about conservation, biodiversity, and the lasting impacts of colonization.
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