Beschreibung einer Insel (1979)

A group of five German-speaking ethnologists travels to the island of Ureparapara in the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu to live alongside the local people and document their customs and language. At the very beginning of the film, Gin wants to offer the locals money in return, but they refuse and ask the Europeans to help them with their work. The people of Ureparapara make their living from producing copra. They remove the husks from the harvested coconuts by hand and then dry them. The group learns that the islanders have a different concept of ownership. There is very little private property, and people share a great deal. The film also shows everyday life on Ureparapara, including a traditional wedding ceremony conducted by a Christian priest. The ethnologists have long conversations with one another, shaped by their expectations and frustrations. At the end of the film, they compare their experiences and conclude that each ethnologist’s individual impressions are too complex to be dealt with in a simple text.