e gone about how they did before without too much resistance.I believe that the reason the Guannini opted to convert to Christianity was that they were very intrigued by the technology that Father Gabriel brought. Initially the flute played an initial part in doing this. Father Gabriel may have done this purposefully to get the Guannini to make him look like a more spiritually powerful being. This probably made the Guannini believe that their religion was not as powerful as the Christian religion. A religion that has such an affect on a person would makes another religion seem inferior. Therefore, the Jesuits may have used technology in their favor to make the Indians think that their way of life was so much better and made it look so much more appealing. In this respect Father Gabriel was being manipulative.Also, as we see in the movie, the Native Americans were looked down upon like they were animals. This presumption was thwarted rather subtly in the movie by adding the commentary, which said, many violins that were made in the missions were of such quality that they were being used overseas by European violinists. The missions provided a self-sufficient community that thrived and prospered and were in some respects a perfect society. There was no sense of personal wealth and everyone benefited the same amount and lived harmoniously under the watchful eye of the Jesuits.The image of the missions in the movie is one of a remote haven for the Indians and as a little child describes in the movie when she is confronted with the idea of being put back in the forest " The demons don't come here". This imagery gives the appearance that all the Native Americans are happy and content with the Jesuits just moving in and changing their lifestyle. I know for a fact I would be at the least hesitant and somewhat militant towards a bunch of funky looking white guys that were trying to get me to believe in something I wasn't sure of.To...
