Hakani: A Survivor's Story
Encyclopedia
"Hakani" is a 30 minute movie alleging the occurrence of infanticide in tribal communities in Brazil. The plot synopsis is given as follows: "buried alive because her tribe thought she had no soul, Hakani was plucked from the grave at the last moment by her brother. Then forced to live as a social outcast for three long years until sickness and neglect brought her once again to the doorway of death."
“Hakani” was a privately-funded, independent production which seeks to support non-governmental organizations such as ATINI.
For the production of the docu-drama, ATINI counted on a crucial partnership with the international missions training organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM) – known in Brazil as Jocum. Most of the docu-drama was shot at Jocum’s campus in the city of Porto Velho.
According to the movie, reasons for infanticide in the tribal cultures include physical or mental handicaps, being born a twin or triplet or being born out of wedlock.
, (The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, After..., The Path to 9/11). Screenwriter, Kevin Miller (No Saints for Sinners, With God On Our Side, Trunk, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, After...).
“Hakani” has been well-received among indigenous communities, with over 60 tribes having already watched the film. In November 2008 over 350 Indians, including chiefs from 7 tribes, gathered at the well-known Leonardo Outpost in Xingu Reservation for 2 days to discuss how indigenous families could be better educated about alternatives to infanticide..
In 2009, Sandra Terena, an journalist and documentarist with indian heritage, decided to search deeper by herself after she watched “Hakani”. She was shocked to realise that her people still was practicing infanticide, and she produced an documentary called “Quebrando o silêncio”.
, which has requested the involvement of Brazil’s federal police in investigating whether the film breaks Brazilian law.
Other high profile critics of the film include Survival International
. The organization claims that the film is a tool for evangelical Christian groups to increase their ability to spread religious belief despite the Brazilian government's concerns about their methods. Survival also claims that the issue of Amazonian infanticide has been warped and inflated so people think that baby-killing is common, whereas it says that the practice is rare and mostly comparable to the medical practice of infant euthanasia, which, according to Survival International, is a fact of life in Western society. It is also argued that: "When Brazil's Indian tribes are being forced off their land or killed by ranchers, miners and loggers...the infanticide issue is a destructive distraction." . The criticisms above made by Survival International
have been refuted by Hakani Project . Bullying and sexual abuse among brazilian indians - as for certain in the whole society - was confirmed by the documentary "Quebrando o silêncio" (2009), made by Sandra Terena, journalist with indian heritage.
“Hakani” was a privately-funded, independent production which seeks to support non-governmental organizations such as ATINI.
For the production of the docu-drama, ATINI counted on a crucial partnership with the international missions training organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM) – known in Brazil as Jocum. Most of the docu-drama was shot at Jocum’s campus in the city of Porto Velho.
According to the movie, reasons for infanticide in the tribal cultures include physical or mental handicaps, being born a twin or triplet or being born out of wedlock.
Production team
The movie was an independent production supported by a variety of organizations from Brazil and abroad. Directed by David Loren CunninghamDavid Loren Cunningham
David L. Cunningham, born in Switzerland and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, is an international filmmaker. Besides his documentary credits in more than 40 countries, Cunningham has also directed several feature films including To End All Wars and the TV miniseries The Path to 9/11...
, (The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, After..., The Path to 9/11). Screenwriter, Kevin Miller (No Saints for Sinners, With God On Our Side, Trunk, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, After...).
Public Ramifications
The movie is part of an infanticide prevention movement among Brazilian tribes and brought the issue into the public eye as far as the Brazilian Congress with a new law, Muwaji's Law, being proposed. The law would allow an Indian child to be removed from the tribe if this child deemed in danger of tribal traditions such as infanticide.“Hakani” has been well-received among indigenous communities, with over 60 tribes having already watched the film. In November 2008 over 350 Indians, including chiefs from 7 tribes, gathered at the well-known Leonardo Outpost in Xingu Reservation for 2 days to discuss how indigenous families could be better educated about alternatives to infanticide..
In 2009, Sandra Terena, an journalist and documentarist with indian heritage, decided to search deeper by herself after she watched “Hakani”. She was shocked to realise that her people still was practicing infanticide, and she produced an documentary called “Quebrando o silêncio”.
Critics
The film has been challenged by the Brazilian government’s Indian affairs department, FUNAIFunai
Funai Electric is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. The company was founded in 1961. It owns the subsidiary Funai Corporation, Inc., established in the United States since 1991, to market and maintain Funai-licensed brands such as Sylvania, Emerson Radio,...
, which has requested the involvement of Brazil’s federal police in investigating whether the film breaks Brazilian law.
Other high profile critics of the film include Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
. The organization claims that the film is a tool for evangelical Christian groups to increase their ability to spread religious belief despite the Brazilian government's concerns about their methods. Survival also claims that the issue of Amazonian infanticide has been warped and inflated so people think that baby-killing is common, whereas it says that the practice is rare and mostly comparable to the medical practice of infant euthanasia, which, according to Survival International, is a fact of life in Western society. It is also argued that: "When Brazil's Indian tribes are being forced off their land or killed by ranchers, miners and loggers...the infanticide issue is a destructive distraction." . The criticisms above made by Survival International
Survival International
Survival International is a human rights organisation formed in 1969 that campaigns for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and uncontacted peoples, seeking to help them to determine their own future. Their campaigns generally focus on tribal peoples' fight to keep their ancestral lands,...
have been refuted by Hakani Project . Bullying and sexual abuse among brazilian indians - as for certain in the whole society - was confirmed by the documentary "Quebrando o silêncio" (2009), made by Sandra Terena, journalist with indian heritage.