Marquis de Wavrin

It is thanks to this film that the Marquis gained notoriety with a wider audience. The film is the result of film footage shot between May 1926 and June 1930 in several South American countries. Departing from Guayaquil, he first went to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific. Upon returning to the capital of Ecuador, chance brought him to the Ocaina Indians, the Boro, the Napo, the Jivaro and the Piro. He explored the Incan mines of Machu Picchu, discovered only a few years prior, and ended his journey on the famed Guano islands. The musical score, inspired by traditional Indian music, was created by Maurice Jaubert.

During a trip to Colombia (1932-1933), Marquis de Wavrin met various ethnic groups of Indians (Guahibo, Choco, Arawak, Motilón…). They allow him to film rituals that no foreigner had been able to attend before.

Marquis de Wavrin shot these images during a series of trips to South America between 1919 and 1922.

Marquis de Wavrin embarked on a journey down the Orinoco River to reach his birth, yet to be discovered.