Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
This documentary investigates the devastating impact of the New Tribes Mission (NTM) on the indigenous populations of Bolivia and Paraguay. For decades, the mission operated with the stated goal of "saving souls" by contacting isolated tribes and converting them to Christianity. However, behind the religious rhetoric lies a darker reality of "manhunts," forced relocation, and the total collapse of ancient social structures. We examine how the introduction of Western influence—often under duress—brought more than just the Gospel. By stripping tribes like the Ayoreo and the Yuquí of their nomadic way of life and ancestral lands, the mission inadvertently introduced a cycle of dependency, substance abuse, and poverty. The film documents how traditional survival skills were replaced by a desperate need for currency, leading many into debt bondage and, tragically, prostitution. Through archival footage and interviews with anthropologists and survivors, we observe the "ethnocide" that occurred when a modern religious crusade collided with vulnerable civilizations. This is an unflinching look at the high cost of spiritual colonization and the human lives lost in the pursuit of conversion.
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This film was first broadcast: 05 Sep 1989
Check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/OurStoriesChannel
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True Lives brings you fascinating stories of social interest from around the world. You can discover award winning documentaries, films and groundbreaking reports that capture the complexities of our daily life, with stories that will entertain, inspire and inform.
Content distributed by ITV Studios.
This documentary investigates the devastating impact of the New Tribes Mission (NTM) on the indigenous populations of Bolivia and Paraguay. For decades, the mission operated with the stated goal of "saving souls" by contacting isolated tribes and converting them to Christianity. However, behind the religious rhetoric lies a darker reality of "manhunts," forced relocation, and the total collapse of ancient social structures. We examine how the introduction of Western influence—often under duress—brought more than just the Gospel. By stripping tribes like the Ayoreo and the Yuquí of their nomadic way of life and ancestral lands, the mission inadvertently introduced a cycle of dependency, substance abuse, and poverty. The film documents how traditional survival skills were replaced by a desperate need for currency, leading many into debt bondage and, tragically, prostitution. Through archival footage and interviews with anthropologists and survivors, we observe the "ethnocide" that occurred when a modern religious crusade collided with vulnerable civilizations. This is an unflinching look at the high cost of spiritual colonization and the human lives lost in the pursuit of conversion.
Subscribe to True Lives: bit.ly/3dBMxvl
This film was first broadcast: 05 Sep 1989
Check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/OurStoriesChannel
Watch More Documentaries
True Lives - bit.ly/3A8xRMJ
Up Close - youtube.com/@UpCloseITVS
Our History - bit.ly/3rUpdhL
Our World - bit.ly/3ftuckM
Our Stories - bit.ly/3ynfFyk
Taste - bit.ly/3OZoDcV
Blueprint - bit.ly/3ZK5UdD
True Lives brings you fascinating stories of social interest from around the world. You can discover award winning documentaries, films and groundbreaking reports that capture the complexities of our daily life, with stories that will entertain, inspire and inform.
Content distributed by ITV Studios.
