Huaorani: first contact and murder of missionaries. Operation “Auca”

Episode is about consequences of Operation Auca: In 1955, five young American missionaries flew to Ecuador. Their dream was to be the first to discover uncontacted Waorani tribe. The missionaries knew of the brutality of these Indians, but believed they could approach them. The operation was called "Auca," which means "savage". The missionaries kept its details a closely guarded secret, recording every step on an amateur camera. The first steps of Operation Awka were successful. The missionaries discovered the settlements by flying around selected area and then began exchanging gifts with them. They dropped knives and other useful items from the plane on a rope until they received their first gifts, a parrot and a roasted monkey. Taking this as a sign of friendliness missionaries decided to meet the tribe in person. On January 6, 1956, an important historical event occurred: the most significant contact with the Waorani, which subsequently changed the culture of an entire tribe. But then the entire group was stabbed to death with spears. Just because of one photo. The Americans did not use weapons until the last, but it was useless. Later events changed everything. The same tribe did come into contact with the civilized world. But it was preceded by a story worthy of an adventure movie script. It has room for love and faith in people, and brutal killings. Watch its footage exclusively in the new episode of World Inside Out Ecuador. Timestamps: *** 00:00 - The First Steps of Operation Auca and the Discovery of Civilization for the Waorani Tribe 15:07 - Reasons for the tragedy of Operation Auca: Five young missionaries lost their lives caused by innocent photography 33:18 - How a bishop sacrificed his life to save non-contact tribes 44:02 - Dmytro hires a plane and pilot to retrace the missionaries' route and scouts the non-contact tribal area from the air *** Dmytro Komarov is famous Ukrainian TV host and author of "The World Inside Out" alongside with Ukraininan filmmaker Oleksandr Dmytriev travel to countries that are not usually visited by tourist tours. They manage to go to places where a man has never set a foot. Dmytro himself creates the route, learns the features of the new place in advance and tries to survive on his own in the practical primitive conditions. But the real thing is that he is actually trying to get used to the role of the natives, not just like a stranger but as part of the team, actively trying new crafts and ways of getting food, learning the local traditions and laws. Dmytro and Oleksandr have visited more than 20 countries, and without a doubt these were not passing journeys but thorough cultural studies. #Ecuador #worldinsideout #Huaorani