Before the Harvest

Establishing shot: Long shot through pine trees of green hills and lake—presumably Schroon Lake in the Adirondak hills, home of “the Word of Life island, ranch, and inn.”

Named locations: Adirondak mountains (1:20); Word of Life island (1:53); “the jungles of Brazil” (5:19); Nigeria, Peru, Liberia, Panama in a series (39:44)
Major themes covered: This missionary film details the horrifying and bigoted exploits of a group of men from Jack Wyrtzen’s Word of Life church.  The group ventures into the Amazon to find and baptize Xavante peoples.  In the course of evangelizing to the Xavante Indians, the group witnesses the outbreak of an epidemic and the subsequent death rituals.

Individuals Named: Harry Bollback, Harold Reimer

Native language spoken: none
 
Noteworthy elements: 

Native activities shown:  Xavante activities depicted in the film: very large group of Xavante people standing on sandy shoreline watching the approach of the missionaries, talking, pointing (19:50); taking “gifts” that appear to be cups of water and, later, articles of clothing from the missionaries (20:40); woman distributing articles of clothing, flannel shirts (20:57); woman putting on red dress (21:28); two men wrestling (21:50 – 22:48); man “wrestling” with one of the missionaries and the writer of the film, Harry Bollback (22:50); man with headdress identified as chief looking into camera while rowing canoe (22:13);  group of young Xavante men gathered around listening to missionaries play what are said to be hymns on trombone, accordion (23:55 – 24:43); group of young Xavante women with children sitting on ground against some mud/wood structure (24:17); woman grinding what was presumably a potato with mortar and pestle, mixing it with water (24:43); women pounding and rolling out dough, packing it into brick-like loaves (25:12); processes of making and frying potato bread (24:43 – 26:40); young boy receiving medicine/treatment for unknown illness—woman swabbing inside of boy’s mouth (28:00); man sitting in canoe weaving belt (28:21); Xavante woman with elaborate feather headdress, sitting in canoe, looking at herself in handheld mirror (28:41); Xavante man fixing white feather headdress on his head (28:53); man painting himself and looking into handheld mirror (29:06); man with red paint in hair painting face (29:18); pan of men and women with feather headdresses, face/hair paint, and/or earrings looking into camera (29:30); group of Xavante with full body paint and what appear to be weapons huddled together in wooded area (30:13); men and women marching, carrying supplies along dirt road (30:19); men with chalky white body paint handing out fry bread to young boys and girls (30:51); group of men and presumably women too planting large tree branch into ground before group of men who are identified as candidates for chief (31:26); woman without face or hair paint looking straight into the camera (31:36); two men with body paint playing didgeridoo-like instrument (31:43); Xavante dance, identified as “death dance” (31:50 – 33:06); young men in full white chalky body paint holding long arrows looking off camera right, presumably toward dance (32:13); men receding from dance into straw hut (32:55); boys drinking liquid from cauldron (33:16); men emerging from straw hut one-by-one, rushing out with arrows in hand, proceeding to dance, confront other group of Xavante (33:26); men throwing arrows (which appear to be blunted) at one another while hiding behind large bundle of sticks (34:51 – 36:04)

Xavante activities implied or alluded to in the film: attacking friends of missionaries, splitting their heads open (7:53); trying to put a belt and earrings on Harry Bollback, wanting to wrestle Bollback (22:40); epidemic among Xavante population in the film: many Xavante people, especially children and elders, dying of unknown illness (26:42); man identified as chief dying (27:54); attending church, being baptized (people depicted at this point in the film probably not Xavante) (37:20).

Other notes: Jack Wurtzen presents; played by Harry Bollback with Don Lough, Kurt Peria, Kurt Finsterbush, Jud Carlberg; with the cooperation and courtesy of the South America Indian Mission

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