Karuara, People of the River – Documentary Film Screening with Film Director Q&A

(All Ages) Mari Luz Canaquiri says her river is the “ia” – the center, life force, and mother. Her river deep in Peru’s Amazon provides fish to eat, a transport route, and a place to swim and relax. Her community believes that underneath the surface live the Karuara (Karuara means people of the river in the Kukama-kukamiria language). The Karuara live in a parallel universe underwater and visit their human cousins in dreams. They lounge in hammocks made of boa constrictors, smoke sardines and wear crayfish watches and stingray shoes. Behind their playfulness, the Karuara are powerful spirits with healing powers and great knowledge.
But the Karuara and the old ways are in danger of being forgotten. While extractive industries exploit the Amazon’s resources, indigenous communities lack basic development like schools, health care, and clean water. We follow Mari Luz’s valiant struggle to protect her people, river, and the vibrant spirit world below with the Kukama Women Federation.
This film will remind people that each river, lake, and stream is sacred and that our planet’s fragile water resources must be protected.

– “Karuara, People of the River”, Spanish and Kukama-Kukamiria with English subtitles.
– Produced by: Asociación Quisca in collaboration with Radio Ucamara and Huaynakana Kamatahuara kana (the Federation of Kukama-Kukamiria women of the Marañón and Samiria Rivers).
– Directed by: Miguel Araoz Cartagena y Stephanie Boyd, 2024.
– Produced by: Leonardo Tello Imaina, Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari, and Stephanie Boyd
– Run Time: 77 minutes

This event is co-sponsored by the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, the Center for the Americas, and the Latin American Sustainability Initiative at the University of Oklahoma.