Article: "Raoni: Fight for the Amazon", 2001

March 21, 2026

“Raoni: Fight for the Amazon”

by jsmags.net, August 2001

“Raoni: Fight for the Amazon” was a documentary, shot in 1978, by Jean-Pierre Dutilleux which attracted an Oscar nomination in its wake in 1979. This documentary was not only narrated by Marlon Brando, but, also saw his participation (as an interviewer). The documentary is about the Amazon rain forest and the struggle of it’s natives to keep the forest, their culture and themselves alive.

Fascinated by the charisma of the Indian chief, in 1978 the Director, Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, made a feature-length film based on the destruction of the Amazon forest and the genocide of the last Indian tribes living there. The documentary investigated complex issues surrounding the survival of the remaining indigenous Indians of the Amazon rainforest, and indeed of the rainforest itself. Shot on location and named for the forceful and far-seeing chief at its center.

The tribal chief Raoni

For 30 years, Raoni, head of the Kayapo tribe, has been in the forefront in the fight to protect the Amazon forest. Against a difficult and often life-threatening background this man wants to force through an alternative to the death of the Earth which has been heralded.

A Kayapo Indian Kid

The Kayapo Indians inhabit an area which stretches from the southeast of the province of Pará to the extreme northeast of the Mato Grosso. The villages are spread along the upper reaches of the Iriri, Bacajá, Fresco rivers and other tributaries of the Xingú. The area is the size of Austria.

An aerial view of the Amazon

raoni.promedia.be notes:
“Protecting the rainforest is primarily protecting the freedom of people, their way of life and thought, their culture rather than protecting trees and plants. For centuries Western man has imposed his idea of civilization on the original inhabitants of newly discovered lands.”

“Even today there are those who still equate civilization with the Western way of life. Economic interests and the drive for profit were and still are the real reasons for the so-called work of civilization. By driving the original inhabitants out of their land or murdering them, the riches of the soil can be taken away without any problems. The consequences for the natural balance of the entire planet are cast aside as being of no importance.”

“It is not about trees, plants, animals and insects, it is primarily about people who live in harmony with nature.”

I’m very sure that very few ever got to see this eye-opening documentary. I was fortunate to get a hold of the (rare) VHS version of this documentary. I sat through couple of nights watching the documentary and also jotting down the entire transcript of Marlon Brando’s narration and in the process gained enough gray matter to be intrigued by Amazon and her native people.

If I’m not wrong, Marlon Brando was the first celebrity to ever support and fight for the Native American Indians, the Brazilian Indians and the Amazon. Watching this documentary, you can perceive the sincerity of Marlon Brando – supporting, pitching and caring for a right cause.

After watching the documentary I learnt so much about the people of the Amazon – their simple, yet, content life, their struggle to keep their culture and their home (the Amazon) alive. When strangers start to invade your home – it’s an impossible circumstance to gulp and that’s exactly what the Brazilian Indians have experienced and still are…it’s hard for us to not feel for these wonderful people.

It is true that the Director and the entire film crew risked their life to capture the struggles of the people of the great Amazon and the forest itself. This documentary was a major milestone in the field of educational and environmental filmmaking. The documentary was not only successful in educating me about the Amazon, its people and its rich resources – but also triggered, in me, a strong interest and awareness to learn more about the Amazon.

Since this documentary is so hard to find, I thought it would be worthwhile to share, with you, the documentary in words – in the form of a review and a transcript. The intent of this article/review is to make sure that the documentary’s intended message is not lost, missed or forgotten! Currently, this article features a partial transcript of Marlon Brando’s narration and the documentary as a whole. I hope this article and the transcript ignites an interest in you to learn and care about all people, cultures, the Amazon and our environment in general.

[Here is the transcript of the documentary…]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
This is July 15th 1978. 2000 Native Americans representing more than 70 Indian nations arrive in Washington D. C. after a 3000-mile walk across the United States. It took them approximately 5 months all in all from San Francisco to Washington D.C. and they called this “The longest Walk”.

A lot of us grew out of the concern of Indian people everywhere, but the anti-Indian legislation currently before congress – the “Native American Equal Opportunity Act” would advocate all the treaties, close all Indian hospitals, schools, housing projects and, in fact, extinguish American Indian identity as separate people.

Today, Indians have the highest infant mortality rat, the highest suicide rate and the lowest income in this country – they wake up colder and hungrier than any people,

I myself have come to Washington to help bring to attention the trouble that has beset of Indians everywhere in North and South America. And if world attention is not sharply focused on the issue that confronts the Indian today – there’ll be very few Indians left by the year 2000 to be concerned about.

[Marlon Brando, sitting on the grass opposite the Washington Memorial, chatting with 2 Native American Chieftains]
Now Americans are so confused about our history. We know that the Indians got a raw deal – but we don’t know exactly why?!…Ah…and – and they think that history belongs, well, they say that’s history my grandfather did; don’t hold me responsible for it! We fought the Indian people and we conquered them and so, we say OK – we own them! Do, the Indian people feel that they still want to be independent people?! Do you think that’s true of all Indians…is it true with your people?

[1st Native American Chieftain]
The American government can say what they want, about conquering, but we’ve proved to them the last week or the last 6 months that many of us are not conquered! If we were conquered we would be sitting at home watching TV

[2nd Native American Chieftain]
The freedom that we are looking for is natural freedom that was given to us from the beginning of times – free to be who we are – NOT the type of freedom that another man gives you.

[Marlon Brando]
You mean that…to be without…under…without being under the laws of the United States you should be under the laws of your tribe…

[2nd Native American Chieftain]
…Yes…

[Marlon Brando]
…Your nation

[2nd Native American Chieftain]
I think that the U.S. laws can be compared to the natural laws that we have.

[Marlon Brando]
It is a fact isn’t it…that they sent missionaries to the reservations to “de-Indianize” the Indians? That the churches played an important role in trying to take away Indian culture? They felt that they could separate you from this culture and this faith…ah…that they would…do it and really…they went in and took couple of the children and moved them away (?)…Hoping to break the spirit of the children and that the children would be different and the church helped ‘em with very important…and…and…ah…bringing about that change which hurt the…the…Indian people so much. Did that happen to your tribe?

[2nd Native American Chieftain]
Yes, that began years and years ago when Christianity came in. They separated natural (Native American Indians) people and we talk about Christian crusades…they…they…persecuted natural people but the belief of natural ways.

[Marlon Brando]
I don’t know why it seems that white men want everybody to be the way they are! They don’t want to be…they don’t want to have people to be different in anyway. They want them to have belief in their religion, they want them to have their sense of values, their outlook on life.

[1st Native American Chieftain]
I don’t think that we will see any big results in our lifetime. But, hopefully our efforts, our message will go to our unborn, so that they and they’re unborn will see the big change that we’re working for today!

[Marlon Brando]
I guess, it’s for some reason that we keep imposing our will on people and we cannot understand that there are people all over this globe who simply want to be themselves – who want to be left alone. There are tribal people everywhere in the world, now, that are fighting for their life even today.

[End of conversation]

[Documentary begins – aerial shot of the Amazon jungle and winding rivers]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
Going up the Amazon the Shingle River is the 2nd tributary on the left; the ascent of the river is difficult due to the rapids and the waterfalls. [Pause] And even now, Indians fighting for their survival have made the access to this region dangerous. [Pause] This is the last sanctuary for the retreating Indian tribes of the Mato Grosso.

Decimated tribes forced from the coasts have been trapped in this jungle…a jungle which is rapidly being clogged up into small rectangles and then into small squares.

[The title of the documentary – RAONI – appears. Other titles continue with the Marlon’s narration]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
These Brazilian Indians have fallen, an estimated population of 4 million, to 80 thousand. Indian villages have been machine-gunned, they’ve had they’re food poisoned…[few words not very clear]…an entire Indian Nation has disappeared.

The film crew did not know what to expect. The Indians were very unpredictable, but they tolerated them. Why they let them live is another story – which we will reveal later on.

[Subtitles]
In Brazil, long ago, there were only Indians – our ancestors. Then the Portuguese came to kill, to steal woman, to steal children! Then it was all over. Today, no more Indians, no more…

[We see little Indian kids playing in water and a huge swarm of (yellow) butterflies hovering near by]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
Mekranoti is their name – the fiercest tribe of this region. During the sixties, they killed so many surveyors, hunters, rubber tappers that all trade stopped in the area covering 400 miles…[the name of this region was not clearly audible].

[We see an Indian carrying a panther, which was hunted for food]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
They took guns from the victims to defend their land and sometimes their life. Beyond the little clearing that they cut in the jungle, for their family, lies a wilderness where they kill the animals for food and they kill the white men to reserve themselves and their way of life. To Kill, not to be killed.

The Indians are not specimens for Anthropologists, they are not noble savages for utopian writers. They are people who deserve the respect of life, who are just trying to survive in a world that seems increasingly incomprehensible and insane.

[We see the Chief of the tribe, Raoni, applying dyes on him]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
The paintings – they are symbols of animals and plants and they are great choice of design. They are different for each ceremony.

Raoni is the chief of the Mekranoti tribe.

[We see an Indian dancing]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
…They stamp the earth to send away the spirit of the panther they killed today, so it will not remain diligent and cause trouble.

[We see an Indian dancing and singing]

[We see Indians conversing]
[Subtitles]
– Did you kill it?
– Yes
– How?
– She attacked!
– With a gun?
– I shot fast!

[Singing and dancing continues]

[Marlon Brando narrating]
The Indians have lived very well for thousands and thousands of years without the white man and there is much they could teach us in terms of how to live harmoniously with nature. Much they have given us already. The drug “auree” [?], for instance, is strong anesthetic commonly used in surgery, is an Indian contribution.

The Quinine, which cures and prevents Malaria, much of what we know about Biochemistry of mental disease has been developed from the use of Indian drug. And, in return the Indian has received an iron pot here…there, but, mostly disease, injustice and death.

The [?] and fish and animals are the basic food of the Indians. They complete their diet with peppers, salt (made from the water Lilly), the wild honey and the jungle fruits.

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