Savages. - book reviews

Whole Earth Review, Winter, 1995 by Kathleen O'Neill

The Huaorani consider themselves the bravest people in the rainforest Beyond the dangers of the jungle they ore fighting to retain their culture in the face of encroaching development missionaries, and pollution of their land by oil drilling. in Savages we follow the Huaorani as they stand up to one of the biggest oil corporations, working to bring their story to the awareness of the world. It is an endeavor that takes them from the rainforests of Ecuador to the capital of the United States.

Joe Kane not only chronicles the plight of a people, he introduces us to individuals -- ond through them, a better understanding of the Huaorani life and culture.--Kathleen O'Neill

* Entering the Huaorani territory simply as a friend of the Huaorani, however, was virtually impossible. Nominally, this was because none of the Huaorani had been licensed as a guide. Few of them could read Spanish well enough to pass the required course, and the licensing fee was far more than even the most ambitious Huao could earn in a year of hard labor. But the real reason the Huaorani could not bring outsiders into their territory was political. The military controls most of the oil-producing land, and it looks harshly on foreigners. As the captain working the command post explained to me, darkly: "They bring a mountain of bad ideas." "Outside influences" were blamed whenever the Huaorani, or any other of the Oriente's Indian groups, began to agitate against oil development, and what few human-rights workers there were in the Oriente were often threatened and sometimes jailed.

* According to a study that had been commissioned by Conoco, the most devastating potential impact of developing Block Sixteen would be colonization of the Maxus road. Ecuador had the greatest population density in South America and its highest rate of population growth, and the pressure to colonize every inch of land was enormous. The report had warned Conoco that for the Huaorani "to lose any more land or resources will result in deculturalization and genocide." But nowhere in the entire Amazon, let alone Ecuador, had anyone ever been able to prevent the colonization of a road -- except by not building one. Maxus could have developed Block Sixteen with helicopters, but that would have cut into profits. Instead, Maxus proposed a system of guards and gates. In the end, Jimenez said, "I really believe that when the colonists understand the road is on Indian land, when they understand that land belongs to other people, they will respect that."

* In the afternoon Moi put on his shirt and tie and crown and quivers and went with the SCLDF lawyers to testify before the commission. I went, too, and saw for a fact that he had taken to heart my suggestion to use your own words": The hearing was in Spanish, and when it came time to testify Moi roared like a jaguar. However, he did so in Huaorani. The commissioners sat back, stunned. By the time Moi reached his warning that the Huaorani were "the bravest people in the Amazon" and would defend themselves "with spears from all sides," he was half out of his seat with the intensity of his oratory. About then Karen Parker leaned over and said, very quietly, "Now say it in Spanish." Moi switched languages without appearing to miss a beat, and finished with a plea: "Please do not abandon us to the Company."

When the hearing ended, a half dozen commission members gathered around Moi to introduce themselves. As it happened, Moi had brought several string bags with him from the forest. The bags had been woven by Huaorani elders, who depend upon such handicrafts to earn a little cash for such things like shotgun shells and malaria medicine. He hoped to fetch about five dollars for each bag, and a dollar more for "transport." As Moi figured it, there was no better place to start his sales campaign than with the commission. But the Huaorani are warriors, not traders, merciless to their enemies and generous to their friends. Within five minutes he had given away all the bags he'd brought. He gave away a spear, too, to the commission's executive secretary. "When your sky falls," Moi said, "this will hold up the clouds."

Savages Joe Kane. Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1995; 273 pp. ISBN 0-679-41191-7 $25 ($29 postpaid). Random House, Order Dept., 400 Hahn Road, Westminster, MD 21157- 800/733-3000