FILMS AS HISTORICAL SOURCES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FORMATION OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT INDIGENOUS AMERICA

Abstract

This article analyzes how film productions can contribute to the construction of knowledge about Indigenous America in history education, based on the analysis of the following films: Apocalypto (2006) and Hans Staden (1999). The film Apocalypto portrays the religion, rites, wars, and political organization of Mayan society; while the film Hans Staden shows the social organization and anthropophagic rituals of Tupi society, through the eyes of the writer Hans Staden, during the Age of Exploration. The research presents a critical analysis of the aforementioned films, demonstrating that it is possible to extract information from them that may present both stereotypical views of Indigenous societies and information that contributes to a dignified understanding of their histories and cultural manifestations.