In Vincent Carelli's unique trilogy, which advances a brand of sumptuous and dramatic ethnography, we witness indigenous Amazonian peoples and their first encounters with video as a medium for cultural identity; Brazilian tribes have invested this visual technology with the properties of a tool, a weapon and a mask. In The Spirit of TV (1990, 18 mins), the Waiãpi determine that video can host the memories of ancestors, serve as a reservoir for community history, but also can be harmful because auxiliary spirits reside within the TV screen. A wondrous cultural exchange occurs in Meeting Ancestors (1993, 22 mins) when Chief Wai-Wai of the Waiãpi views footage of the Zo'é and then crosses the "Big River" for a visit. We Gather As a Family (1993, 32 mins) finds the chief of the Parakatêjê musing over the erosion of cultural integrity and, through an exchange with the more traditional Krahô, becoming inspired to reinvigorate tribal rites.-Steve Seid