End Of The Spear

This is my recommended movie for the coming weekend. Go see "End of The Spear", you'll like it.

It's a true story about missionaries in Ecuador who want to reach out to the Waorani tribe. The Waorani may have been the most violent people on earth. They would spear other people, including family members, for just about any reason. They had a 60% death rate in their tribe, so they were wiping themselves out.

The five missionaries did make contact, but as a result of a family squabble among the Waorani, all five missionaries were speared. The missionaries had a gun, but the refused to use it to shoot the Waorani because they knew their lives were less important than the lives of the Waorani.

Although their husbands had been killed by the Waorani, the wives of missionaries went into the forest, with their children, and brought to Gospel message to the Waorani.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Mincayani, a Waorani tribesman, and the viewpoint of Steve Saint, the son of one of the missionaries who was killed. Waorani was the Waorani who killed Steve Saint's father, but he has now become Steve's Waorani grandfather.

See this movie, then rent or buy the documentary "Beyond The Gates of Splendore". It goes into more detail about what happened, including how the Waorani -- who were stone age people -- have learned to build and fly their own planes so they can now spread the Gospel.