We arrived at A Space Gallery on Richmond Street to attend the RE/Translation: Land & Language exhibition. Jude Norris, a woman I befriended in New York, was participating in the show. She is an internationally acclaimed multi-disciplinary Cree-Métis artist. Jude immediately greeted Laura and myself upon our entry into the gallery. She was as striking as the last time I saw her. The cadence of her speech was harmonious as was the symmetry of her demeanor. We chatted for a bit then I excused myself to view the works on display. Norris’ Strong Woman Dress was one of the more compelling pieces in the show-images of women were projected onto the surface of a Plains-style buckskin while an audio loop with the following statement played repetitively, “We are only defeated when the hearts of our women are on the ground” through headphones. The meaning of this work was not lost on me. Traditionally indigenous cultures were matrilineal however with European contact our ways were replaced with patriarchal paradigms. Moreover other oppressive constructs have threatened Indigenous ways of life: forced assimilation and acculturation. Language—the backbone of any culture—was also suppressed instigating a new integrated parlance. In her curatorial statement, Michelle LaVallee notes, “Aboriginal communities have extensively integrated and appropriated several languages both written and spoken…to communicate their own ideas, perspectives and stories.” This integration undoubtedly affects the language thus changing the meaning of words to a certain degree. Yet in spite of the resurgence of Aboriginal language initiatives you cannot help but note that something is still missing. Or rather something is not the same. It’s better than nothing I suppose. Or perhaps I just don’t get it?

Anyway, Jude was surrounded by a gaggle of well-wishers so I couldn’t ask. But I would catch up with her later. The line at the exhibition refreshments (wine!) table was long so Laura Ortman and I went to suck on cancerous canes. On my way out I ran into Gwendolen Cates. She joined us for a smoke outside. Cates briefly discussed Water Flowing Together her documentary film about Jock Soto, the Puerto Rican/ Navajo ballet dancer. She stated that the production was undoubtedly marred by dissent yet by following her vision the film able to be completed. However, some would argue that Cates’ version of events is not entirely true, but I digress. The point is Water Flowing Together is a portrait of a compelling artist and man or so I have heard as I have not seen it yet. When we returned to the reception Jude was still busy…I mouthed “Cawl Me!” to which she nodded and continued with her interview. Later Gwendolyn, Laura and I ended up on a VIP tour of CIRCA, a new club in downtown Toronto. Words cannot fully articulate the audacity of this place. Therefore I leave it to you my Toronto friends to experience and perhaps we can share notes in the future…Wow that place was RAD! The following day I woke up with every intention of making the True Romance: Shorts Program on time. Yet in predictable fashion I did not. Instead I meandered anbout the hotel room then gorged myself on an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at place called “Don’t Eat Here Because Our Food Will Give You The Runs!” Thank God for the Mediatheque (where you can view and listen to all works in the festival). Here are my notes maybe you can make sense of them and help me out:

Amalgamation: beyond gender (Dir. Marcella Ernest, 2007) Bodies–Corporeal, Traditional dancing, juxtaposed with details of lips/teeth/hair, Stylized, traditional views of woman versus taboo of same sex, jarring muddling voices. First Stories: Volume 111- Two Spirited (Dir. Sharon A. Desjarlais, 2007) “ the tribes have forgotten …” harboring female spirit in him, “ Since contact we learned to judge and condemn,” Shelly Niro ala Honey Moccasin, beautifully shot, vivid landscapes, Two Spirit people were once considered holy people, blessing, “if you dance to this you are going to be healing yourself,” His niece says Geeyo is his role model/idol, male jingle dancer, “I dance so that people can understand where I am coming from.” Destiny in Alice (Dir. Sonja Dare, 2007) Alice Springs, Lesbian capital of the outback, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Dissections of house, Books etc., Idealized, Rose colored, Desert Rose, Archival Footage of protest, merging of cultures, Nature program, green and purple, out of hetero construct, transfer of knowledge, “ Culture Vultures”, tourists, ethnography, A- Team never far from glass of red wine, rarified lesbians, F- Troop good at playing pool, beer drinkers.

Make any sense to you?

On Saturday October 20 I had the profound pleasure to view Elijah and meet lead actor playing the role of Elijah Harper, Billy Merasty. He is a very humble and brilliant actor.

From the film festival guide this:

“Elijah (Dir. Paul Unwin, 2007) is a unique bio-pic. Elijah Harper goes from being a shy politician in Manitoba to the voice of a people when he stands against the Meech Lake Accord in 1990.”

For my take on this film please listen to our podcast. However, Billy did respond to an email I sent him.

Billy,

It was a pleasure to meet you and thank you for the pin…I wear it proudly! I also wanted to take this opportunity to ask a couple of questions?
-How did you prepare for your part?
-Are you statisfied with the finished picture?
-What are your future projects?
Thanks again…I am composing a blog on the Elijah screening for NAICA online and wanted to include some of your words. Hopefully I’ll see you soon.

Sincerely,

Sonny Grant aka the Apache Mohawk

His response:

Sonny, Dahling, it was a pleasure meeting you too. Always good to meet others of our ilk. And hope you’re well.

Alright then, to answer your question about how I prepared for the lead role of “Elijah Harper”- it helped that I knew him very well over the years, and that we both come from similar places up north-isolated fly- in reserves, where life can be dismal- as well as incredible. Elijah has a beautiful heart, and soul, and he truly cares about native people and is concerned about their integrity and welfare. (something that concerns me too.) He is also a very shy person but does not stand up to address what he knows is wrong and he does it with great wit and charm. I love the man. And yes, I’m very pleased with the result of the movie, it is very well made and it has great charm and people fall in love with it instantly and profoundly. I have been recieving great praise from my role in it, and yes, I am very proud of my work in the movie. And as far as my future projects are concerned, I will continue to go out to auditions as they come alonmg and win as many gigs as I am able to. I love the whole competitive process and I only hope that there are many other projects to come with roles perfect for me. Thank you.

Yours,
Billy Merasty

Every year the Association on American Indian Affairs, a nonprofit organization established in New York City in 1922, holds their annual board members meeting along with a cultural event that reflects their mission. This year they chose a short film showcase open to the public which was hosted at the National Museum of the American Indian. Before the board meeting convened and the screening began a lovely reception, also open to the public, was hosted in the American Indian Community House gallery which is located across the street from the NMAI.

Center: board member John Echohawk

I arrived about ten minutes before the reception began at the Community House. The food and beverages were already set out. I can’t say I wasn’t tempted to dig in, but I refrained taking time to set up my video camera and test my audio equipment. For the record, we are a fledgling nonprofit ourselves so any expenses incurred come out of our/my own pocket. This includes camera and audio equipment of perhaps not the highest quality…my lavaliere mic crapped out on me. I was sad, actually I was frustrated. But my video camera is actually quite good! (see videoplayer above) Folks started trickling in right at 5:30p.m. Honestly, I was surprised to see a large turn out of supporters, members and the curious. While testing my equipment a non-Native woman wandered in. She looked confused but curious, which is good, I suppose. Gallery director, Soni Moreno, offered her some coffee and assured her that the unsolicited email she received would net free food and fine films. So she stuck around and why not? It was a well-catered event! I particularly enjoyed the fresh fruit and selection of double cream cheeses.

a selection of cheese lovers.

face stuffers, on-lookers, and art enthusiasts at the AICH gallery.

For three years now independent director/advocate/curator Raquel Chapa has programmed the films for the AAIA sponsored showcase. Each year she selects films that closely align with the objectives of the organization which include endowing scholarships for higher education, cultural preservation, and language retention. Each of the films selected for this year’s showcase illuminated these themes pragmatically: documentaries, yet were also reflective, even poetic: experimental narratives. The showcase itself was only an hour long and only began after the public board meeting which took about a half an hour. I think most of those invited or tourists who had wandered into the museum from Battery Park were surprised to find themselves at a board meeting. Quite honestly, the board meeting was the most illuminating portion of the evening for myself as my organization is about to embark on it’s own nonprofit adventure. I sat taking mental notes, “Ohhhhh so that’s what you have to do! Ah hah! Mmmm-hmmm.” Then the films began after a brief introduction by the coordinator Lisa Wyzlic and curator Raquel Chapa.

The six films presented back to back were a balanced representation of the over-arching theme of cultural preservation-a main tenant in the association’s mission statement-but with a post modern self-reflexive awareness. Annabel Wong’s Kawdan’s Song illustrated this point concisely.

Laura Ortman makes music.

Modern Indians may still reside on reservations, an archaic concept for the uninformed mainstream, but they also travel between that space which informs their cultural identity and the urban cities which also mark their identity but in less overt ways. Not ironically, New York is the space that will make new marks on the young Native musician in Kawdan’s Song. A gifted violinist, she is offered an audition at Lincoln Center. We see her arrive at her friend’s home-a beautiful loft somewhere in Manhattan (I wish I had friends like these!). We see her take in the sights of the city from the balcony; luminous time-lapse footage of the Empire State Building is coupled with reaction shots from the lead actress Laura Ortman. Music was composed specifically to reflect the emotions the protagonist is feeling at any given moment while dialog is minimal. This can be hokey if not executed well. However the director chose wisely to rely on the strength of Ortman’s screen presence, musical talents and her interesting beauty does not hurt either. She has a face one can look at for some time and not be bored or annoyed, like, say with Natalie Portman. We then see her prepare for her audition transforming herself from laid back girl to refined metropolitan woman. The audition does not go as well as she hopes noting from the wings the difference between her emotionally provocative performance and that of her competitor who performs a decorous by the books number for the judges.

Making it as an artist of any stripe in New York City can be a crushing disappointment for most who move here with that goal. In Kawdan’s Song this fact of life is no exception. However, it seems to say “only crybabies run back to the rez!” The final sequence reveals a self-salving performance in the park at Union Square. If they won’t invite you to the party make one for yourself even if you do so illegally-I believe you need a permit to play in public spaces in NYC. However the fact our protagonist is fresh from the rez and therefore wouldn’t know the rules works for the scene nonetheless. It is probably an unintentional irony that the performer is Native American-taking back the land via illegal performance in a public space without a permit!
Kawdan’s Song-1/ Establishment-0
I’m making it sound like Flashdance minus the stripping and iron welding, but t’s not. And the film is less trite than it sounds. Although it could have easily devolved into histrionics but the absence of dialog, strength of performance-both musically and performance wise-aid the film in it’s intention, which I believe is a simple iteration of a common theme, never forget where you come from.

Fun Times with Good Friends

The second film was not surprising to see in this showcase because it brilliantly illustrates another of the tenants of the AAIA mission which is language retention. Cedar Sherbert’s Gesture Down (I Don’t Sing) is based in part on the poem Gesture Down to Guatemala by the late Native writer James Welch. It is a studied montage of title cards and glimpses of his Kumeyaay family across the Mexican border of California. It is a self-aware rumination of the intimately distanced relationship between his identity seen through the veil of modernity-videocameras, pickup trucks, super Walmart purchases married to loss of language and loss of cultural connection. I have only see this one short piece by Sherbert, he’s obviously talented. More importantly, he is self-reflexive. A truly post modern Native film maker. Let’s hope to see more from him very soon.

more scenes from the gallery.

Executive Director Jack F Trope goes in for a cookie

The last four films in the showcase were documentaries. Half of Anything asked the probing question, “What is a real Indian?” Sherman Alexie, John Trudell and two intellectual Indian girls (we can see they are intellectual because they are shown wearing glasses and meandering around university campuses) offered some long-winded answers. Of course Sherman had to make the most stupid statement in the film, “When I see Indians at my readings wearing ribbon shirts, I’m like, ‘Come on…’ It’s like they’re wearing a costume…” Really, Sherman? Really? I think someone’s jealous because he doesn’t look as good in pink and turquoise ribbons!
More stupid statements followed from an Indian radio producer in the documentary “Indians for Indians” radio program out of Anadarko Oklahoma. He claimed when people who are non-Native happen across the radio program and phone in or email to tell him how much they like and value his work he thinks, “O.K. that’s nice but I don’t care because, really, it’s not for them. It’s for Indians.”
I guess that’s why the show and documentary chronicling it’s history is called Indians for Indians? Hmm-mm, I reckon. On the other hand, it could be the Oklahoma red-neck in him that makes him think in such a self-circumscribed manner. In any case these two docos were not as well executed as the endeavors from Wong and Sherbert but they were certainly thought-provoking and also aligned with the objectives of the AAIA.

All together this showcase demonstrated what thoughtful curation and programming can achieve especially when produced with a specific agenda and target audience in mind-provocation of thought regarding the objectives of the AAIA while demonstrating the film-making and performance acumen of contemporary Native talent. It is no surprise that Raquel Chapa is completing a documentary for PBS on the Trail of Tears. We look forward to more of her curatorial efforts as well as the debut of her film.

*See the videoplayer above for a brief, impromptu interview with herself and actress/musician Laura Ortman.

Special Note: In case we haven’t said it enough or in the case it hasn’t sunk in yet the American Indian Community House gallery is an incredible space that showcases the often contemporary work of American Indian artists. You simply must make your way down there to check out the art and meet the lovely Soni Moreno, the gallery director, and the rest of the friendly staff.

all images: copyright maria colon

The Burden Carriers, 2007
dir. Pierre Barrera

For some reason this film was slated in the “Shorts from the Underground” section of ImagineNative. Albeit, this film can definitely be read as a short, realistically though it doesn’t fall within the classical narrative genre but exists somewhere in between narrative and experimental film, what I like to call experimental narrative. Shame on Maria for finding this tedious—just kidding—she has the right to feel this way as I can definitely see how she might, but I on the other hand felt the somewhat post-apocalyptic atmosphere, ala Terry Gilliam, and environmentally wasteful commentary on American consumer society refreshing in this tongue-in-cheek piece. After being introduced to Pierre by our mutual friend, Sterlin Harjo, I had the opportunity to sit down with Pierre and his wife prior to the screening. Both Pierre and his wife are extremely charming and warm people. I have never felt more relaxed in front of people after having only met them seconds before.

Our conversation moved to Pierre’s film, as I prodded to know more. Thus, Pierre informed me how he had an orchestra score the film in a very “experimental” style (see this is why we’d tend to categorize his film as experimental). The orchestra was given great liberty to experiment on the score as they watched the edited version over and over to provide the accompaniment for it. I had mentioned to Pierre it sounded as though it was a “foley orchestra”, which I was pleasantly surprised to hear him use this phrasing when discussing his film afterwards.

The Burden Carriers starts off with about five individuals carrying immense burdens of waste, if not possessions on their backs. They are somewhere in the desert, in this case high mountain desert, as Pierre filmed The Burden Carriers in Santa Fe. These five individuals roam the ostensible wasteland collecting post-consumer waste as they forge ahead adding it to their already cumbersome loads. One individual is stuck hauling a refrigerator on her back. Eventually they come to a highway and a pickup truck stops beside them as a man gets out and hands the lead carrier a steering wheel that he is getting rid of and the carrier affixes it to his burden. As the carriers continue their directionless march they move through the downtown center of Santa Fe (anyone who has visited Santa Fe will be able to identify this location with ease). Finally, the carriers come to rest within a suburban locale outside some poor, unexpecting family’s house. The burden carriers make themselves at home on the family’s front lawn and slowly, but literally, unload their burdens upon this family. Now and again, a carrier will go missing, which is eventually revealed as some unknown governmental force whisking these “burden carriers” off in a white van. It appears that since these original “burden carriers” no longer take part in our consumer culture, they are deemed no longer useful for our economy and wheeled off to some unknown wasteland of environmentally friendly, anti-consumer population away from the consumer-controlled populace. The poor unexpecting family has now become the next generation of burden carriers.

As I’ve recently, once again, begun to pare down my possessions (in an attempt to lessen my large carbon footprint), this was the way I read Pierre’s construction. He told me this was his first attempt at directing someone else’s screenplay, and I think he did a wonderful job commenting on our consumer culture with satire, wit and composition.

film still courtesy: Gwendolyn Cates

As a Puerto Rican I was excited to see this film which follows the career of New York City Ballet principal dancer, Jock Soto.
Jock is of mixed heritage-Navajo and Puerto Rican. The film was directed by his good friend Gwendolyn Cates-an estblished fashion and celebrity photographer. She also has a book of portraits titled “Indian Country” that features famous American Indian artists and activists. I like the images in her photo book. Although it is not altogether conhesive and the inclusion of Val (Chero)Kilmer is dicey at best. I heard from friends who saw her film at a special screening during this year’s Indian Market that it was a poignent piece, well worth seeing. I like to support female artists and directors since they are hard to come by especially ones with actual talent. So I was highly interested to see what Ms. Cates brought to the screen and her choices in representing certain aspects of Soto’s ethnic identity-most notably how he navigated being Navajo and Nuyorican.
But of course, I missed my opportunity to see the film and meet Jock and Gwendolyn in Toronto. See my “Adventures and Reviews” post for deatils as to why I missed it. (Evidently I can’t read directions)
Needless to say, I was bummed but I did see Jock meandering through a late night party at the Gladstone Hotel. When I mentioned to noone in particular that I wanted to at least meet him I was told he was “tired” which was ironic because I had just driven 12 straight hours just to make his screening and was pretty tired myself, but I didn’t bother him. A few nights later I did meet the director after the awards ceremony, which we also missed. She was in a daze having just won for Best Documentary. She told Sonny Grant she “felt honored” by the indigenous film community. Honestly, there wasn’t much compettion in the documentary department except for Bennie Klain’s Weaving Worlds which is about the best damn documentary you will ever see on the subject of Navajo rug weaving and the buzzard/traders who circle the rez looking for a steal. Though I loved Bennie’s film, and it is certainly deserving of an award or two, I can’t comment on the validity of Ms. Cate’s win. Perhaps her documentary truly is a masterpiece? I will have to see for myself. I will have that opportunity in November here in New York City at the Lincoln Center.

Then I will weigh in as to whether or not it merited and award or not. Of course, it will only be my opinion. HA!
Stay tuned for an in-depth review of the film and a possible podcast interview with photographer/director Gwendolyn Cates.

Fellow CU alumnus, Mike Goodman’s, “A Deadly Affair” was unfortunately accepted into this year’s ImagineNative film festival. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any animosity towards Mike personally, I only had to endure this poorly constructed homage to film noir. It was so poorly lit (in this case overly lit–not in the traditional low-key lighting style of film noir) that it did a disservice to that classical genre; there were more grays than shadows and highlights. This film is an obvious example of not paying attention to detail. I’m not saying that Mike is a bad filmmaker, I’m simply saying that this film has been given credit where credit is not due.

Let me address some problematic issues with this film. The use of a replica 1940s vehicle that looked more like a modified hotrod especially when a camera tilt down revealed the specialized chrome rims completely jolted me out of my suspended belief. Another problematic area was the very sophomoric attempt at special effects, both visually and audibly. The special audio effect of the gunshot was so muted it most definitely was discerned as some non-diegetic sound—I myself perceived it to be a thud off camera. I felt embarrassed of the image-sound relationship in this film. The accompanying visual effect of gun smoke, which was expelled from the revolver’s barrel, was non-existent on the wall as shadow, yet the gun and hand holding the gun were existent. The gun smoke special effect was an obvious post-production addition, yet it’s cause-effect relationship was parochial. The acting was sub-par at best; the two male cast members were over dramatic and poorly directed, inducing a cringing sensation while watching their performances. This film does not represent the high caliber of work that usually comes out the University of Colorado.

“A Deadly Affair” is a film that should have been excluded by Navajo Spotlight I curator, Charmaine Jackson-John, but apparently she overlooked the deficiencies present within the film to include it in this survey of films. Regarding Charmain Jackson-John, I’m not sure what her curatorial credentials are, but it seems the inclusion of this particular film failed to create a cohesive and well-rounded program. When a film of such low caliber is included in a body of work, it stands out in stark contrast to those other, more deserving films. This creates an atmosphere of ambivalence regarding–in this case–Navajo filmmaking. I believe the rest of the films she incorporated in this spotlight provided a wonderful view into the insight and perspective of Navajo filmmakers. Overall, this was one of two films (possibly three) that shouldn’t have made it past the screeners into any program, but incidents like this are bound to occur.

written by Torry Mendoza