Ecuador's Achuar People (03:49)

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The presence of oil beneath their rainforest homeland threatens the indigenous Achuar people's way of life. Achuar women and men are proud to carry on the traditional roles, beliefs, and lifestyles of their ancestors.

Ecuador's Rainforest Sustains the Achuar (03:19)

The Achuar people value the forest in which they live because it provides them with food, shelter, and more. The people are keenly aware that their way of life depends on conserving the forest.

Indigenous Ecuadorians Fight Big Oil (02:03)

The Ecuadorian government has given United States based oil company Burlington Resources permission to prospect for oil on Achuar land. The company claims a majority of Achuar people support the project; the Achuar strongly disagree.

Social and Environmental Abuses in Ecuador (03:42)

The Achuar have seen the land and health of other indigenous Ecuadorians destroyed by oil company operations. A current lawsuit accuses Chevron-Texaco of leaving the environment full of toxins that have caused a high incidence of cancer.

Ecuador's Political Instability (04:40)

Ecuador's political instability complicates the Achuar people's struggle to prevent oil prospecting on their land. Ecuador's government claims oil money will benefit all the country's people but recent history contradicts that claim.

Cultures Clash in Ecuador's Oil Dispute (02:38)

Ecuador's indigenous Achuar people oppose oil prospecting in their rainforest homeland. They fear that the Ecuadorian government might use force to overcome their peaceful protests.

The Achuar People's Fight to Survive (02:43)

Ecuador's Achuar people oppose oil prospecting on their land with a strong sense of unity and a drive to survive. It is yet to be seen whether the power of their spirit is enough to stop the plans of governments and multinational oil companies.