Bruchko

Bruchko is a 1978 memoir by American author Bruce Olson recounting his time working as a Christian missionary in Venezuela and Colombia with an indigenous tribe, the Motilone Barí Indians. Olson depicts his missionary work as based in a divine vocation that followed from his own atypical conversion to Christianity. He risks his safety by moving from the United States to the Colombian-Venezuelan border, knowing that the Motilone tribe is unusually violent and hostile to outsiders. Olson argues that Christianity is not incompatible with indigenous culture and that his successful missionary work did not destroy the Motilone way of life. A highly moralistic memoir, Bruchko has been the subject of controversy for its endorsement of modern-day colonialism, including its many suspect claims that a divine authority preordained one man’s conversion of an indigenous population.

The memoir begins with a memory in which Olson speaks with Ayaboquina, a Motilone chieftain, years after he has successfully converted the tribe to Christianity. Mid-conversation, a bandit named Humberto Abril arrives on Motilone land and demands to speak with Olson. He claims that he has the right to declare ownership of the land they are standing on and intends to build settlements all over Motilone territory. A member of the tribe, Bobby, interrupts Abril and informs Olson and the chief that Abril has already been given land, which he squandered and sold. The tribe refuses to give him more land, and the debate ends unresolved. Olson begins with this memory in an attempt to prove that his evangelism helped civilize the Motilone tribe.



Next, the memoir turns to Olson’s childhood. Born into a Lutheran family, Olsen grows up questioning Lutheran doctrine. He portrays his father as intolerant of his alternative religious beliefs. Olson develops an early love of language and even teaches himself Latin. After allegedly experiencing a divine revelation, he becomes a member of a Christian church without a single denomination affiliate. One day, a missionary visits the church to give a speech. Struck by the man’s humble appearance, over the coming months, Olson starts thinking about becoming a missionary. He does some research on South America and decides that it is where he is meant to do missionary work.

Olson submits his application to a mission board, and accepts, with some sadness, that he will have to forego his previous dream of earning an advanced degree in linguistics. When the mission board first rejects him, he takes it as a sign that he is meant to pursue the degree; however, he soon changes his mind again, claiming to have received a message from God. His father bitterly buys him a one-way ticket to Caracas, and he departs for South America with seventy dollars in his pocket. Though a missionary has agreed to meet him, he never appears. Making his way to the jungle with the help of locals, Olson finds the Yuko tribe, which he mistakenly identifies as the Motilone tribe. After months of searching, he finds the Motilone Indians. For several years, he struggles to learn the Motilone language, nearly despairing over his inability to communicate the story of Jesus. However, his persistence pays off, and he becomes fluent in their language.

Olson also provides the Motilone Indians with knowledge and tools to improve their lives. These include some basic medicines, such as antibiotic ointment, and some hygiene instructions, which are quickly socialized through most of the population. He establishes a familial relationship with the tribe after years of hostility and several near-death experiences, and is given a Motilone name, “Bruchko.” Olson becomes particularly close with a member of the tribe who adopts the Christian name, Bobby. He also is approached by a young woman who wishes to join in his missionary work, but she dies tragically in a car crash shortly before joining; thereafter, he finishes his time with the Motilone tribe as their sole missionary. Before he moves back to the United States, Bobby is slaughtered by a band of outlaws who want to take his land. Distraught, Olson prays to God, joining Bobby’s adopted son.



At the end of the memoir, a government official affirms the value of Olson’s joint efforts with Bobby, convincing him that their lives have significantly improved the Motilone tribe. Bruchko celebrates modern evangelism and casts colonization as a civilizing force in the lives of tribes who have lost sight of Christianity.