Changes in the Guarani People

Changes in the Guarani People

The Guarani had a thriving culture that consisted of hunting, fishing, gathering, and farming. They hunted wild game, such as pigs, and even gathered honey. They had a simple religion that believed every non-human thing belonged to a god and had no “middle life”. It is also called Animism. Their way of life was simple; do the work needed done, gather required resources, and follow your way of life. This all ended when the Europeans came and had their own way of life much different than the Guarani. The Europeans came over to South America to colonize what was said to be their land. The Europeans came with different groups of people. The two main groups that had the most effect on the Guarani were the missionaries(Jesuits) and mercenaries, or slave hunters. The missionaries job or goal was to convert the Guaranis’ religious beliefs to Christianity. This included Roman Catholic. The mercenaries, however, their job or goal was to capture the Guarani and sell them as slaves for a profit. These events in history that include the Portuguese, Europeans, and the Guarani, all take place in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil in 1758. Based on these true events, the movie “The Mission” was created. The movie included real-life figures such as Father Gabriel, a Jesuit Priest, Rodrigo and Philippe Mendoza, and Don Cabeza. Rodrigo Mendoza is and was a previous soldier and mercenary. Though, after killing his brother, Philippe, he put a penance on himself. After paying off his penance, Father Gabriel granted him to become a Jesuit Priest. After time, they manage to convert a small village of the Guarani to believe in Christianity and they soon begin to build a church. European influence has had a major impact on how these natives live. The church members formed a choir, most of them are now wearing European clothing, which many barely wore clothing at all, and slavery has lessened. Also, new farm crops were eaten. Such as corn, potatoes, and beans....