Documentary's sinopsis

Our history is in our land
(a documentary)
Length: 85 minutes
Director: Eliezer Arias
Year: 2008

Our History is in the Land is a documentary that attempts to get close to the issue of Indigenous land demarcation in Venezuela. This issue has become relevant in recent times due to the 1999 constitution, which recognizes indigenous rights. Through the oral testimony of a diversity of actors linked to the process (representatives of different indigenous groups, anthropologists, technicians, elected officials, religious leaders, military personnel, etc) the documentary confront different points of views about the complexities related to indigenous territories through the context of the relationships built between different peoples and cultures that are subjected to a civilizing discourse, based on the model of Nation State, sovereignty, and national cohesion.

The documentary is developed during a journey throughout the territories of three different indigenous people: Pemon, Yabarana, and Mapoyo. Theses locations are the backdrop that expose some of the conflicts and contradictions between the groups’ desire to exercise their rights over their land and for self-determination on one hand, and the multiple interests (economic, political, religious, etc) on the other. In addition to contributing to the debate about the struggle for indigenous territories, this documentary offers a visual and reflexive narrative of a complex situation that the majority of the Venezuelan population is not aware of.