This award-winning film is a lively portrait of a native people determined to survive the encroachment of the Western world. It features the Kuna Indians of Panama's San Blas Islands as they unite to protect their rainforest homeland, Kuna Yala, and the tradition it inspires. Told entirely in the words of the Kunas, the film is a plea to care for the earth from a people who have a deep and intimate relationship with the land.

Today, the rapid destruction of tropical rainforests is recognized as a critical global problem. A tragic result of this process has been the extinction of countless indigenous peoples. The Kuna Indians are a striking exception to this scenario. We learn firsthand how they reject the lure of westernization and reaffirm their own traditional values.

The issues of conservation and cultural survival are complex, with no simple solutions. This film offers the hopeful message that the timeless wisdom of indigenous peoples has something vital to offer the Western world.

"Highly recommended."
–Choice

"As an ethnographic study, it displays dynamic scenes of subsistence, technology, and social life, as well as a study of acculturation."
–Video Rating Guide for Libraries

Gold Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival, 1991
Red Ribbon, American Film & Video Festival, 1991
Earthwatch Film Award, 1991
Native American Film & Video Festival, 1991
Margaret Mead Film Festival, 1990