The Auca have the bad reputation of being assassins who use poisonous spears. Some bloodthirsty events have contributed to the idea these are ferocious savages, which is partly true and partly a legend. To be honest the Auca have been defending their living-space from invaders for a long time. In 1970 they killed a missionary and in 1971 a cook from the Tivacuno oil base. The film-writer visited them for the first time after these events, but there are very few left in the Eastern rain forest of Ecuador. Civilisation with its restrictions reclamations and contagious deseases has reduced this formerly important population to forty odd people.