A Father Washes His Children

Dedeheiwä, a shaman and headman in his village, takes nine of his children and grandchildren to the river where he washes them carefully and patiently. This film, like A Man and His Wife Make a Hammock and Weeding the Garden, reveals the warmth and gentleness typical of Yanomamö domestic life and interactions. 

This film is part of the Yanomamö series, a collaborative project undertaken by filmmaker Timothy Asch and anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon between 1968 and 1971 to film the Yanomamö Indians of southern Venezuela and northern Brazil.

A Father Washes His Children was restored by DER with funding from the National Film Preservation Foundation.

This film is available on the Yanomamö Shorts compilation two-disc DVD set. 

Disc One: Arrow Game, Children's Magical Death, Climbing the Peach Palm, A Father Washes His Children, Firewood, A Man and His Wife Make a Hammock, Tapir Distribution,Tug-of-War and Weeding the Garden.

Disc Two (Slopticals): Dedeheiwä Rests in His Garden, Children Roasting Meat, A Woman Spins, Children Make a Toy Hammock, Sand Play, Playing in the Rain, Mouth Wrestling, and Young Shaman.