1.) How did contact with the Europeans change the lives of the Guarani?

The Europeans superior weaponry and technology aided them in their conquest of South
America. As well, their eurocentric ideals didn’t allow them to leave the indigenous peoples of
Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil (the Guarani) alone, as they believed that only by “correcting”
the Guarani’s way of life could they live in peace and harmony. In the film, The Missionary, a
Spanish Jesuit, Father Gabriel, despite being largely respectful of Guarani culture, is still
pursuing the conversion of the indigenous people to the Christian church. Despite the Guarani
being incredibly important to the film’s plot, they have very little say in how European powers
perceive them, and were considered material commodities, pests, or potential converts. This
view of them as “less than human” led to inhumane and terribly severe treatment from the
Portuguese government, leading to more pain and suffering for the Guarani, ultimately ending
with most of them killed, historically and in the film, with the Jesuits, the ones who tried to help
them in the first place, slaughtered as well. The Guarani’s traditional way of life, buried in the
annals of history, almost went extinct.

2.) What was the attitude of the Europeans towards the Guarani?
The main two European powers in the The Mission were the Spanish Jesuits and the
pro-slavery Portugese government. Both being at least somewhat eurocentric. Other than a
select few, the overall view of the Guarani and other indigenous nations was one of scorn and
disgust, with no wish for coexistence. European culture was considered superior, and therefore
was to be instilled on every being capable of human speech. Even in the case of a “lesser”
individual possessing great talent or intelligence, they still believed that as long as they weren’t
of European descent, they were irredeemable. This is shown in The Mission, when a Guarani
boy is showcased as a beautiful singer, one with incredible talent, he is still considered
inhuman, with a Portuguese representative stating that “This is an animal with a human voice”
not even bothering to acknowledge the boy’s obvious talent. In short, the largely Eurocentric
ideals present at the time didn’t allow European settlers to understand or perceive the
indigenous peoples of a foreign land as something other than beasts and animals to conquer
and extinguish.

3.) How did the Guarani view the outsiders?

The Mission begins with what seems to be a crucified Jesuit priest being thrown into a
river by Guarani warriors. The indigenous peoples of northern South America in the film were
initially antagonistic towards the European newcomers, and continued to be wary and hostile
towards them even after befriending Father Gabriel and the Jesuit missionaries in the region.
This wasn’t helped by the continuous raids by the Portuguese colonizers, the murdering and
capturing of Guarani to serve as slaves, all of which heightened tensions between the two
parties. The Guarani weren’t receptive at first and didn’t really open up towards European
influences, until Father Gabriel’s gentle approach and love for music, which transcended the
cultural boundaries that were heavily established at the time, and almost the entire village had
been converted without having to give up most of their culture. The Guarani had reason to fear
and despise the European influence, and weren’t receptive to the newcomers except for certain
individuals in the first place.