THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JIM ELLIOT

 

After living with the Quechua Indians for a few years, Jim Elliot and his team had converted many of them to Christianity. Having the experience and confidence from working with the Quechua, the team decided to initiate contact with the Huaorani, a much more violent tribe. Nate Saint, the pilot of the group, found a Huaorani village near the Sandia mission station where they were staying. McCully and Saint began to fly over these villages and drop gifts of food, knives, and supplies to these people.

            After many more visits bearing gifts, the team built a base near where the Huaorani people lived. They five men made peaceful initial contact with a group of Huaorani, one in particular whom they called George. They had friendly contact, and took George up in the plane with them. The team was very optimistic about this interaction with George and the other Huaorani, and thus made plans for future visits and interactions with the Huaorani. However, the next encounter with the Huaorani would not be as amicable. On January 8, 1955, a large group of Huaorani warriors arrived and killed Jim Elliot and his team on the spot. The bodies of the five men were found downstream from the Huaorani people.