Join us for a 35-minute screening of Life on the Napo River: A Glimpse of the Ecuadoran Amazon, Its People, and Their Traditions followed by a discussion on themes of nature, indigenous life, missionary activities, family relations, and more.

The video documentary Life on the Napo River: A Glimpse of the Ecuadoran Amazon, Its People, and Their Traditions presents footage of the rushing Napo River and spellbinding accounts by members of two indigenous tribes, who recount key moments of cultural transition and narratives of traditional life. The Napo River is a tributary of the Amazon, and the video includes images of the dense rainforest, monkeys, birds, bats, piranha, and other wildlife. Also pictured are scenes from a traditional community and a river port town, places which capture the intermingling of the old and new. Filmed in 2017, the documentary includes details about headshrinking, plus stories of missionaries and shamans. This video documentary is written, narrated, filmed, produced, and directed by Lynn Levin, a poet and writer who teaches at Drexel University and who taught creative writing for many years at the University of Pennsylvania.