AT THE ‘END OF THE SPEAR,’
A TRIBE TURNS FROM VIOLENCE
Film due in
theaters January 20, 06
By Mark Ellis
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA (ANS) --
In the Fifties, five American missionaries dared to make
contact with a tribe in Ecuador considered the most violent ever
documented by anthropologists. These five paid the ultimate price for
their bravery, and accounts of their tragic story made headlines around
the world. In “End of the Spear,” filmmakers explore the story from the
tribe’s perspective--and the remarkable way God changed the tribe’s
violent ways.
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Filmmaker
Mart Green with wife Diana on location
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In 1956, Jim
Eliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint and Roger Youderian
ventured into the eastern rainforests of Ecuador, where they made
contact with the Waodani people, also known as the Aucas. With a
homicide rate of 60 percent, the tribe’s behavior placed them on the
verge of self-annihilation.
The missionaries’ story was made famous in the pages of Life Magazine,
but no one has told the rest of the story—until now. Film maker Mart
Green, founder of Every Tribe Entertainment, was inspired at a Wycliffe
conference when he heard Nate Saint’s son introduce the tribe member
who killed his father.
Steve Saint
described how his family forgave and reconciled with ‘Mincaye’ and
other tribe members. Today, the perpetrator and victim’s families are
so close Saint lovingly refers to the elderly man as ‘grandfather.’
The film—due
in theaters January 20, is not overtly Christian, but unveils the
gospel in more subtle ways using the language of the Waodani tribe. For
example, ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’ is never mentioned, but the Waodani word for
God—‘Waengongi,’ is used. One character tells another: “Waengogi had a
son who was speared, but he did not spear back.”
The darker subtext and hidden motivations which led tribe members to
attack and kill the five Americans is finally seen and understood.
Four American actors play the principal characters among the Waodani
tribespeople, but the rest are played by the Emberra tribe in Panama.
Filmmakers traveled to Ecuador to visit the actual site of the
historical incident, but after riding a bus eight hours, flying another
hour into the heart of the jungle, and then journeying six hours by
dugout canoe, the actual location was judged too remote to support film
crews. Instead, the lush jungle and river scenes were shot in an area
of Panama closely resembling the actual setting.
New York actor Louie Leonardo was director Jim Hanon’s first choice to
play ‘Mincayani,’ a composite character based on ‘Mincaye.’ Leonardo’s
believability as a tribesman stems partly from his upbringing in the
Dominican Republic. The loincloth-clad warrior prowls the jungle like a
panther, his sleek athleticism overtly displayed. Leonardo delivers an
inspired performance as he struggles with the transformation evident in
another tribe member’s conversion to Christ.
The five missionaries come across as fun-loving, merry pranksters, who
shatter some of our notions of stereotypical missionary behavior. “Our
model is “Chariots of Fire,” says Randy Swanson, with Every Tribe
Entertainment. “People heard it (“Chariots”) was a great story and they
got in there and were confronted by a faith message perhaps they didn’t
expect,” he says. “We’re all about reaching the culture with great
stories, stories that show the transforming power of God’s word.”
More information about the film can be found at www.endofthespear.com.
Mark Ellis is a Senior
Correspondent for ASSIST News Service. He is also an assistant pastor
in Laguna Beach, CA. Contact Ellis at marsalis@fea.net
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