Original subtitles

♪ [ trumpet ]

The Mission Santa Inés was one of 21 missions

established in old California by Padre Serra.

In the year 1824, the Chumash Indians, who were held captive there,

revolted against the authority of the Spanish.

Their leader was an educated Indian called Pacomio.

Although there had never been a successful Indian escape,

the desire for freedom burned brightly within the Chumash people.

So despite the risk of death,

Pacomio echoed the cry of those in bondage...

All right! Let's go, you lazy good-for-nothings!

Tonight, before we go,

I would like to get at that one's throat.

Shh. He will hear you.

Let him. I'm not afraid of him.

Be patient, my friend.

You will not have to put up with him much longer.

Tomorrow, when...

If this were not my last day, I think I would--

Aah!

Mariano, no!

Stake him out over there!

Indio...

take a good look around.

[ chuckles ]

In a moment, you will not be able to see, eh?

No, Mariano.

Give him to me. He is mine.

Mariano, I want no killing.

But, Pacomio, let me...

The Spaniards must know we only want our freedom.

Caprishio, you stay here to guard them.

The rest of us will get the guns.

Lead the women and children to the other side of the big mountain

to wait for us.

[ no audible dialogue ]

Go after them.

[ birdcall ]

Look.

Inside are enough guns for all our people.

Mariano and I will take out the guards.

[ no audible dialogue ]

Here.

There it is--

the Mission Purisima.

I do not see any guards.

There are bound to be a few around.

Come.

The women and children are very tired.

[ footsteps approaching ]

Do not call out, Padre. I warn you.

You are not from this mission. What do you want here?

How many soldiers do you have here?

Soldiers? We have none.

How many?He speaks the truth.

The soldiers and the Indians have been sent to Santa Barbara for the harvesting.

Only the padres remain.

The barracks is empty. The guest rooms too.

Take the women and children there.

They have already moved into the rooms.

How many have you brought with you?

All that were slaves of the Mission Santa Inés.

I see.

We do not want to do harm, Padre.

Are you the leader?

I am.

I am Pacomio, leader of the Chumash.

Then may the Lord make you truly sorry

for what you have done.

I have done nothing to be sorry for.

Nothing? Turning our children against us?

Your children?

Turning them into savages again.

For this, you have no shame?

Treachery is a thing to be grieved over.

Was Moses a good man, Padre?

Of course he was.Why?

Because he led his people out of bondage,

and also becau--

No.

What you have done is not the same.

The pharaoh was cruel to the Israelites.

Mariano...

show the padre.

The soldiers?

Padres could not control them at Santa Ynés.

Perhaps he was a troublemaker.

Pick any of these men.

Would they all be troublemakers?

I know the soldiers can be cruel,

but the holy work of Padre Serra

has already bore much good fruit.

When we came here, your people were savages.

We were free.

We brought you salvation, medicine,

all the great gifts of Spanish civilization.

You took much more than you gave.

We took nothing.

You took everything!

When you take a man's freedom,

there is nothing more you can take from him.

But we gave you a better way.

This "better way"

was slavery.

We were forced into the mission.

To learn, not to be slaves.

We never wanted anything but to be left alone.

The soldiers will come for you, you know.

How do you propose to stop them?

You.

Go to Santa Ynés

and tell them if soldiers come...

the padres die.

So this Indian, this, uh--

Pacomio.Pacomio.

He thinks he can threaten us?

Capitán, they are desperate people.

Believe me, I do not like putting the lives of fathers in danger.

Surely, you're not going to Purisima?

I will not let them go free.

But they said they will do no harm

if they're allowed to go free.

For the present.

Soon they will want more.

They might even set their brothers free at Santa Barbara Mission.

Perhaps we can persuade them to surrender.

I will persuade them,

in the only language an Indian understands.[ knife thuds ]

Do not worry, Father.

They will not dare carry out their threat.

Capitán, they meant what they said.

I was there. I saw them.

At least give them a few days, no?

What harm can they do?

Just being free is harm enough.

Capitán,if you go,

you'll be killing the padres as surely as if you use your sword on them.

We will have to risk it.

The stake is too great.

If they carry out their threat...

Well, is it not the secret wish of all padres

to die as martyrs?

Capitán!

[ bell tolling ]

The Spanish.

They did not believe you.

[ horses sputtering ]

Get the padres.

Hyah! Hyah!

[ horse whinnies ]

We have come to take you back to Santa Inés.

If you surrender, no one will be hurt.

At your first shot, these padres will die.

If any harm come to these padres,

there is no man, woman or child

that will leave this place alive.

Well? What is your answer?

I have given you my answer.

As you wish.

You see what value the capitánplaces

on the lives of padres.

What do you plan to do now?

Shoot us down like cattle?

They think you are afraid of them, Pacomio.

Show them it is not so.

Let us kill each one of them. Perhaps they will go.

They won't go.

The capitán

does not care about the lives of the padres.

Then leave them out there alone.

Let the Spanish kill them with their own guns.

It's no use, Mariano.

And they are innocent men.

Back inside, Padre.

Pacomio has listened to the words of the padres too long!

He is no longer one of us!

Christian!

No! I am Chumash!

Show us!

[ grunts ]

[ gunfire ]

There. Not too tight.

Like this, eh?

[ gunfire continues ]

Are you all right?

I did not expect you to help us.

Why do you think I came here if not to help?

Gracias, Padre.

When you came here, I accused you of treachery.

I apologize.

Because I did not kill you?

No, no, no, no, no, no. Not that.

But because I think you are fighting

for what you believe is right.

But I am still a savage, yes?

Pacomio, deep inside,

you know you are different than the others.

You are a Christian.

Padre, you are a fool.

Because I do not murder innocent people, you think I am Christian.

The Chumash also listens to his heart.

But I know your people.

They do not know right from wrong.

The Spaniards know nothing about our people.

You came into our land, and you captured us like animals.

When we fought back or tried to escape,

that proved to you that we were savages.

It is necessary to keep your people at the mission.

They-- They-- They are like children.

We are not children.

They are only different. Different.

If you had let them come to you without the soldiers,

they would've seen your great buildings,

your gardens, your paintings,

and they would've asked to be taught.

And they would've worked for you out of gratitude.

There are things they might have taught you,

but you never let them.

We only wanted to help your people,

to be friends with the Chumash.

But instead...

Padre, what makes you think by capturing the man you also capture his heart?

It will never be so.

Now we must kill your people, or they must kill us.

[ gunfire continues ]

Pacomio, this could be stopped.

You could stop it.

Only by surrender, and I will never do that.

What else can you do? Soon you will run out of ammunition.

We have weapons of our own.

Then you will all die.

That's true.

But we will die as Chumash,

as free men.

We have been such blind fools.

In the name of the Father,

we have enslaved the children of faith.

Show me what I must do.

♪♪ [ Indians chanting ]

♪♪ [ chanting continues ]

Go back inside, Padre.

Pacomio, your people don't have a chance.

They know that.

Why? Why are you all painted like that?

We are making ourselves ready to die.

Pacomio, please listen to me.

I know we have wronged your people. You have made me see that.

I can make the other padres see it too. Please let me try.

You are a good man, Padre,

but you are only one man.

What can one man do?

With the help of God, one man can change the world.

One man, one carpenter, changed it long ago.

The one you call "Lord"?

Sí. And Padre Serra.

He established the missions.

Please, let me try to atone for the wrong we have done your people.

Would they let my people go free?

I will try.

For the rest of my life, if need be.

Warriors of the Chumash,

listen to what I have to say.

The padre wishes to help.

If we surrender,

he will talk to the other padres.

He will tell them to set us free.

No.

Do not listen to him.

If we surrender, the soldiers will kill us.

Even if we fight, they will kill us!

The padre is our only hope for freedom.

I am going to surrender.

Get out of the way, Mariano.

You are one of them.

Our people must be led by a warrior.

Caprishio!

[ grunts ]

[ grunting ]

I am Chumash!

[ chattering ]

This is one of them. Him.

And this is the leader.

Take him.

The padre told us if we surrendered we would live.

The padre's not in command here.

I have decided to show you people what we do with renegades.

[ shouts in Spanish ]

[ shouts in Spanish ]

Stop this, I say! Stop it at once!

Get out of the way, Padre.

You have no authority to do this.

For the last time, Padre,

stand aside.

You dare to threaten a priest of the Church?

This does not concern you.

It does concern me. It concerns me very deeply.

I want these men put with the others

and returned safely to Santa Ynés.

And if I do not?

Then you will find it very embarrassing

to explain my death.

Your death?

Sí, Capitán.

Because you will have to shoot through me.

[ shouts in Spanish ]

[ shouts in Spanish ]

Tell your people not to worry, my son.

I will not fail them. Gracias,Father.

Go. Join the others.

[ Captain shouting in Spanish ]

Oh, Padre Hernandez, I am going to Santa Inés with the Indians.

They will feel much safer for my presence.

But Santa Inés-- You have a long, hard road ahead of you.

Haven't we all, Padre?

The padre didn't fail them.

Just two years later, the emancipation of the Indians

was begun at the missions,

and a great deal of the mission land was given to them

to work as free men in a free land.