The film, "Amistad," shows the role in which myth played in the religious life and consciousness of the Africans during their exposure to Christianity. The history of Africans outside of their native countries has been filled with suffering rather than comfort. The main reason for their distress comes from their exploitation in slavery. They have been bartered and traded around the world like merchandise. This caused them numerous hardships and much torture, emotional and physical. Slavery took away rights from people, which should not be taken away from anyone under any circumstance. It inflicted great suffering upon Africans that could never be healed and that could possibly transcend upon generation after generation. Myth serves as a motivating source for the Africans to overcome obstacles, in the film. There are many instances in the film in which the ritual, doctrinal, ethical, material, and doctrinal dimensions of religion, of the Mendes, can be seen. All of these dimensions of the Mendes religion are shown throughout every action they partake in the film.
             Before the Africans' exposure to Christianity, the role of myth keeps the tribe united as a whole. The myth among these people is that one of their own, Cinque, had fought off a vicious beast, a lion. This story brings Cinque much respect. His bravery and valor shown in the story causes a tribe to follow him and keeps them united. They consider him to be a leader figure for them and treat him like a prince. They give him much glory for his fight with the lion, when in fact the only thing he had done was throw a rock at the lion, killing it. This myth, even though it is a fallacy, brings their community together. This myth has the power to keep a people united under a person who they feel is braver and stronger than they are.
             During the Africans' exposure to Christianity, one of the men in their tribe comes across
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