‘The Territory’ (2022) Review: Preserving Indigenous Land Through Different Perspectives
“Do you ever worry about our people disappearing?” A young Indigenous man of the Uru-eu-wau-wau people asks his father.
Alex Pritz never loses sight of what is important to the Uru-eu-wau-wau people, a group of Indigenous Brazilians living in the Amazon for generations. Documentaries are meant to explore complex topics and in The Territory, Pritz centres the voices of Uru-eu-wau-wau as they fight against invaders and farmers to stop them from stealing their land. The impacts of deforestation have a huge impact on the current climate and the Uru-eu-wau-wau fight the invaders and farmers with modernity, as they ride their motorcycles and record the impact with drone cameras to survey their borders. Pritz works with Indigenous Brazilians of the protected territory — signed by the Brazilian government — to document the lengths to which they will go to preserve their lands. The Territory is in a climate emergency, and even a political one at that since the documentary was shot during the presidential election of the far-right nationalist Jair Bolsonaro, another ongoing disaster for the Uru-eu-wau-wau.
The documentary opens with information on Uru-eu-wau-wau’s first contact with the Brazilian government in 1980. They had remained isolated in their ancestral homes and since then, the consequences have been disastrous. Through interviews with farmers, settlers, an environmentalist, and the Uru-eu-wau-wau people, Pritz narratively and visually communicates the impacts of deforestation on these groups of people. Bitaté, a 20-year-old young Uru-eu-wau-wau, understands that the land and territory are important to his people. He works alongside Neidinha Bandeira, a prominent environmental activist, who has dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of the Indigenous people. On the other side of the dispute fighting against the land rights of the Uru-eu-wau-wau people, are the farmers and settlers. After Bolsonaro’s victory, he encouraged non-Indigenous Brazilians to go over the territory borders, chop down the trees and make paths in the Amazon forest by deforesting the land. According to the farmers and settlers, their actions are justified since it is their God-given right to conquer the land. There are multiple narratives embedded in the documentary and it unravels how centring the fight against deforestation and extinction on Bitaté and the Uru-eu-wau-wau people is essential.
The Territory captures the quiet moments with extreme close-up and landscape shots of the Amazon forest. The colourful and poisonous frogs and small insects crawling on the trees are visually stunning. While capturing the artistic shots, Pritz never lets the audience forget what the Uru-eu-wau-wau people are fighting for. Even when the narrative shifts from different perspectives, the documentary never loses sight of whose voice matters and who willingly demonise themselves.
In the case of the farmers and settlers, they believe they have the right to claim land that was never theirs to begin this. One farmer, Sérgio, who has been working on other people’s lands his whole life wishes to have his own someday. He created an association for farmers to conquer the Indigenous territory. The Association of Rural Producers of Rio Bonito consists of a community that believes in the rightful treatment of farmers to create a law that gives them and other hardworking, underpaid farmers the chance to have their own land. He claims that Uru-eu-wau-wau “don’t create anything, they’re not doing anything with the land.” This justification has a terrible history, which was used to steal land from the Indigenous people of the Americas. The history of colonisation has never been kind to them, and treaties and laws never provide them with the protection of their territories.
In addition, Sérgio is not the only one encouraged by and believes this problematic sentiment toward the Uru-eu-wau-wau people and their ancestral land. Settler Martins is part of the association, but he doesn’t have the patience to wait for the proper laws to come into effect, unlike Sérgio who follows it. Martins shares Sérgio’s belief that Uru-eu-wau-wau “don’t create anything” and owns too much land, compared to the non-Indigenous Brazilians who work day and night to provide for their families. He wields a chainsaw and cuts down a tree. “That felt like the end of the world,” he boasts. This attitude towards Indigenous people and their land is encouraged by Bolsonaro’s government and settlers mention religious narratives of land that must be taken no matter who owns it. Their boastful energy and entitlement are shocking towards the destruction of Indigenous land. It’s unsettling to watch numerous footage captured by the settlers and farming causing massive destruction to the territories all for the sake of deforestation. This kind of behaviour is normalised and there hasn’t been enough to stop them.
Bitaté is responsible for looking after his family and becomes a resilient leader in the movement to fight against deforestation and the potential displacement of Uru-eu-wau-wau. Neidinha, who is not just a mentor to him but a “second mother,” is dedicated and tireless in her commitment to guiding Bitaté. Pritz follows Neidinha and shows how frustrating it is to advocate for the right of Uru-eu-wau-wau. The lack of support from government officials who prefer to turn their heads around, even after being aware of the unlawful acts farmers and settlers are doing near Uru-eu-wau-wau’s borders. The narrative structure is explored in a way that focuses on her commitment to protecting Uru-eu-wau-wau and grappling with the death threats her family receives for helping them. Pritz never pulls the camera away from showing the vulnerable and difficult moments of their emotions.
The Territory explores the different opinions that Uru-eu-wau-wau need to do to fight off the invaders. When Ari, Uru-eu-wau-wau man murdered due to his commitment to fighting against the invaders, Bitaté, Neidinha and the Uru-eu-wau-wau people are devastated. But that doesn’t stop them from continuing Ari’s resilience. Bitaté decides to stand up for themselves and believes in protecting the land that is rightfully theirs from many generations ago. The Territory captures Bitaté and the Uru-eu-wau-wau people surveying the borders for settlers and farmers using camera equipment. Due to the pandemic’s restrictions, Pritz and the documentary crew weren’t allowed to return to the territory and they armed themselves, not only with bows and arrows but with cameras to document evidence of the unlawful treatment of their ancestral land.
The best part about The Territory is that this isn’t a documentary made for the sake of it. Pritz collaborates with Uru-eu-wau-wau to show the devastating impact of deforestation. The purpose of this documentary is to preserve their language, culture, and ancestral land before it is completely annihilated by settlers and farmers. The Territory is a moving documentary that shows the resilient nature and acts of the Uru-eu-wau-wau people, and how much they are willing to do to protect their ancestral land. A visually stunning masterpiece that focuses on the connection between community and the importance of learning how deforestation has a negative impact on the current environment.
Edited by: Raayaa Imthiyaz
