tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86429568369708936022024-03-13T10:08:35.133-07:00BLOGSilas Hagertyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18215166624737764919noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-58592647111772551992009-06-18T11:15:00.000-07:002009-06-18T11:36:32.014-07:00Editing Dakota 38 Film<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3e_XeReqSyLDdxzvtYDJA02Uot2EfEEvM8iqdxIBw0MJnvz1qTbJgq89qoFiMRQMx5T2SFuEBCXQcpBHcFC8rbBVf9VYebD-aHLrbCYCzKuAx_K9KgR0obaAwliUpMSKBgyd_oJCSM6x2/s1600-h/IMG_0040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3e_XeReqSyLDdxzvtYDJA02Uot2EfEEvM8iqdxIBw0MJnvz1qTbJgq89qoFiMRQMx5T2SFuEBCXQcpBHcFC8rbBVf9VYebD-aHLrbCYCzKuAx_K9KgR0obaAwliUpMSKBgyd_oJCSM6x2/s320/IMG_0040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348737237198195378" /></a><br /><br /><br />Currently I’m digging deep into the 60 or so hours of film taken last December on the horse ride. It’s a rainy day in NYC which makes it a little easier to be glued in front of a computer screen for so many hours. It’s been a powerful and humbling process over the last 5 months editing this film. Often times I get very emotional as I’m editing and I feel so honored to be playing a part in telling this story.<br /><br />Jay McKay has already started working on an amazing original soundtrack for the film and here is one <a href="http://smoothfeather.org/Music/DakotathemeROUGH.mp3">rough track</a> if you’d like to have a listen…..Jay doesn’t like me sharing the tracks until they’re polished yet it’s just a taste of what’s to come. <br /><br />Right now we’ve got about 20 minutes edited on the timeline and it's exciting to see it taking a solid shape.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXD9fI3HY5i346MlRPIKwNjQ_sXKYbDgOBvS_VD1aoJT0sKP90HNGc4Bt4ayYcHlS-LZ8NfS8a8Jrhwrpo1MvxAtnfyIn9gu4hmRpnMKSuTrmJFkECwj2NQgbie830GDQH0ybdFMfG-ed9/s1600-h/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXD9fI3HY5i346MlRPIKwNjQ_sXKYbDgOBvS_VD1aoJT0sKP90HNGc4Bt4ayYcHlS-LZ8NfS8a8Jrhwrpo1MvxAtnfyIn9gu4hmRpnMKSuTrmJFkECwj2NQgbie830GDQH0ybdFMfG-ed9/s400/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348734580756345074" /></a><br /><br />The goal is to get a rough cut done by Early July and then share the film with everyone at the Sundance that Jim Miller leads in Alberta. This will be a great place to get feedback regarding the film.<br /><br />I'll keep you all posted as the editing evolves.<br /><br />Big Smiles from NYC,<br /><br />SilasUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-32441405712565965242009-01-20T12:38:00.000-08:002009-01-20T12:48:52.406-08:00"Open Book" -post by SilasSince returning from South Dakota many people are asking how the trip was. Each time I find myself struggling to put the experience into words. And so I guess that’s why I’m glad we filmed it :).<br /><br />Today is Tuesday the 20th of January. I’m currently posted up at my longtime friend Gardner Halsey’s kitchen table in Porter, Maine. He’s taking care of a brown lab named Cleo who is overly joyful and continues to make me crack up this morning with her enthusiasm. Gardner has let me use his home this week to work on Smooth Feather things.<br /><br />Since finishing our filming in South Dakota, Adam flew back to the east coast and Pancho and I said our goodbyes to Jesse, Sarah and the whole Weston crew. Pancho and I then climbed into “Bonne”, Smooth Feathers loyal 1990 Pontiac Bonneville :). We then embarked on a road trip west towards San Francisco. One of the highlights of the trip was when Pancho and I pulled off at a rest stop in the middle of the Utah Salt Flats. See picture below.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBIjr5ZZ6IQejiAY50TG6If9riZm7NO4Czyult4vdalTYI_BiYOhTxLPL-JZFRZkFJCPE20VFIejKIpAZ3gtw115zjdKdPXRpPnylfc8rIITowSe_md9WlsnBAixgORlUloWgdJqm4Jgo/s1600-h/IMG_1149.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBIjr5ZZ6IQejiAY50TG6If9riZm7NO4Czyult4vdalTYI_BiYOhTxLPL-JZFRZkFJCPE20VFIejKIpAZ3gtw115zjdKdPXRpPnylfc8rIITowSe_md9WlsnBAixgORlUloWgdJqm4Jgo/s400/IMG_1149.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293478757811749474" /></a><br />When looking out into this endless expanse of glory, we both decided to strap on our running shoes and embark on a long run. With the white salt under our feet in every direction it felt like we were running in a different dimension of space. Soon the distant traffic appeared to be floating 5 feet off the road and the curvature of the earth could visibly be experienced. After crossing the 7-mile abyss we finally came to a mountain, which we summited with burning legs (pancho’s idea, he doesn’t know when to call it quits). On top of the mountain we struggled to make out the rest stop that was wavering in the distance. There is something that the desert does to you, which deeply humbles your soul and can even make you uneasy at points with no bare essentials in sight. In the above photo you can actually make out Pancho if you look very carefully. Although it was his idea to summit the mountain he hadn’t taken into account that we still had to go back,.. and that he hadn’t run in 3 years since his knee surgery. :) So I was able to get this photo of him finishing strong on a wobbly knee. <br /><br />After this adventure we continued westward on interstate 80 and for the last 300 miles drove Bonne without brakes. :) For a week I was in Berkeley with Pancho and also got some needed rest in Robby Stacey’s hot tub as well. <br /><br />And so today, I have since traveled to see my family in Maine, and begin gathering my thoughts for our latest film “Dakota 38”. I have so much gratitude for all of the people that I have met in the last 4 months in the Dakotas. Each one of them has given me great insights into life and myself. <br /><br />A friend asked me the other day what the film is going to be about, and I responded with, “unconditional love”. This is the number one point that I personally have taken away from the journey in December. As Jim Miller led us on this journey he opened every interaction and meeting with the following, “I want to tell each and every one of you that I love you very much.” And as Adam once pointed out, it never got old. It never lost power or became a mundane saying. Every time you could feel the genuine love behind his words. And so that energy trickled down throughout all of the riders. Jim even hugged the guys from the Fox network and told him that he loved them. We got some great footage of their response afterwards.<br /><br />The second element that I’ve taken away from the ride is another quote from Jim, “I live my life as an open book” I’d heard this saying many times yet this time it was different. I started asking myself what I’m hiding from the world. How can I be more transparent with everyone that I encounter, and most importantly myself? And this is exactly why I’m writing this blog right now. I’ve often times had mixed feelings about sharing my thoughts through a blog and I have actually been less active with blogging in the past year. Yet since the ride, I’m inspired to live in a way that is more transparent and open. I want people to experience the process of making these Smooth Feathers projects and not only the final films.<br /><br />I’ve gotten lots of emails in the past year from people that want to help out…which is so awesome. Yet I find myself overwhelmed with managing these requests. So if you or someone you know is inspired to coordinate glorious people and find ways for them to fit into Smooth Feather projects than I’d love to talk to you. :) Which brings us to the latest Smooth Feather idea, which was born a couple weeks ago when Adam Mastrelli visited me in Maine. Here are a couple emails that Adam and I wrote to one another last week. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Adam’s Email to me,</span><br />So there's something with physical activity, exhaustion, and people sharing that together that brings people closer together into a community. Of course there needs to be an interactive site, where people can share, interact, but I feel there's a deep, deep need for people to connect on a human level and not just in meeting and coming together to have conversations. We need to get them up and moving, physical activity, building something together, being a part of an activity larger than themselves which then will mirror the mental and emotional state of feeling like they belong to something bigger. I'm passionate about this. I thought about it again this morning after watching a TED talk, but was also thinking it over the weekend. There were many examples, you and your father building a tree house together, Kristin and I, walking up that hill and keeping the fire going together, your father, mother, Kristin, Willy, myself, putting logs onto the sled...That's what the ride provided in a lot of ways. An activity. The sharing at night I feel was made possible by people working together during the day on a project. Something physical. This is attempted in office life with projects...the problem being they're not physical enough. There's no sense of play or building. It's too mental. People are dealing with projects (not all the time, but mainly) from their logical, headspace...I believe that it takes physical activity to break that, get blood pumping to our hearts and to incorporate more of what people have been doing for 10,000 years, building, physically working together...I'd like to see whatever we continue to work on incorporate some of these things, activities....:)adam<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">My email to Adam</span><br />LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEE IT BABY!!!!<br />That's exactly what I'm talking about son. I really dig it man.<br />I've begun thinking more about the question you posed about my grandest vision for Smooth Feather.<br />And today I envisioned pulling into a driveway that lead to the top of the mountain here in Maine. That open field on top of the hill would have a film/music/performance studio space that is solar powered and full of sunshine and glorious people coming together. There would be a couple grills going out front, people tossing a frisbee in that large soccer field to be. And sheep wandering amongst the scene. Willy and the horses are eating the grass close by and then you hear some loud music coming out of the windows of the studio from someone who is getting creative.<br />Mastrelli then says, "Alright, we've been heart storming & working all morning who wants to take a run to the river for a swim." Then a motley crew of New York City Vagabonds mixed with the dude next door, jump into the back of a pickup and head for a swim break.<br />After lunch, a few people are inside working on the latest projects, and the other half are outside working to pull weeds in the garden. When the computer people are getting bugged out, we switch.<br />That night we all have dinner on a large table that is on one side of the studio room. And we laugh about the day’s antics.<br />After that, people start a bon fire and maybe we project some film work onto a large screen under the stars. Or maybe we host a gathering where the neighborhood sees some footage from our latest project. Or maybe we host an evening with a local band and we have a small stage for them to play from.<br />After that people head back to their tents that are set up in cool spots throughout the woods. I see this happening in different blocks throughout the year. They could be 2-week gatherings where anyone is welcome to join. Seeing as though many of us are often times on the move with different jobs or tasks, this would be one solid schedule throughout the year where our community could converge on this glorious spot in nature and get recharged, sweat to the bone and create magic for the world.<br />We've got the land, we've got amazing trees we can cut down to have lumber for building,....Pancho wouldn't have to engage in this part :) <br />One of my best friends works with a green building company that we can work with.<br />If we build it they will come. :) Also we can host a triathlon, we can involve local artists, we can build crazy sculptures and play soccer into the night.<br />Let me know what your thoughts are man, and what you would like to see on this mountaintop. i.e. a room for this, a section of land dedicated to this, a basketball hoop, etc.<br />Much love from cold air brother,<br />Si<br />p.s. I love you buddy :)<br /> -----<br /><br />So that’s the latest idea, and as you can see we’ve taken on Jim’s “I love you buddy” :) At first it felt a bit awkward, yet I’m getting better at it.<br />Sending much love to all of you from deep snow in Maine,<br />SilasUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-80312561743940812182009-01-20T12:30:00.001-08:002009-01-20T12:37:54.849-08:00End of the ride? -post by Adam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkkccNwM56S1rmBzd84DzGAkP_32pQTpcklCnmNnlfUG_SdBpGXCcuaq7R_ozWspSVOrQ65vFfBiap-jykqlVuSBwI6yUwYbrHAq5F6NLaC4o2REqhDfd6JB8vnb0h_YymjjWmjDEVTLe/s1600-h/Jim+Indian+School.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkkccNwM56S1rmBzd84DzGAkP_32pQTpcklCnmNnlfUG_SdBpGXCcuaq7R_ozWspSVOrQ65vFfBiap-jykqlVuSBwI6yUwYbrHAq5F6NLaC4o2REqhDfd6JB8vnb0h_YymjjWmjDEVTLe/s400/Jim+Indian+School.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293477382263102002" /></a><br />I'm not really that excited to write this right now. I'm 37,000 feet above the ground and I'm not quite sure how to write and complete the journey that I've just been on in writing. I've heard everything about the blog from "I love it" to "That's all you got out of this trip"...so it's run the gamut. Mainly the feedback has been positive and I'm extremely thankful that people have found it helpful to read the blog and be able to keep up with the ride. You know, over the course of the ride, I would truly wait until I felt like writing and then I would just write. The words and scenes from the day would just ooze out of me onto my computer screen and it really felt like the blog was writing itself and I would inject my own slant every once in a while to keep the story flowing. Today feels different. I'm writing today because I'm stuck. Not stuck like I have writers block but today is Dec 28 and the ride has been over for 2 days. I'm on a plane to see my family in Tampa bay sitting next to a silver haired grandmother in a pink sweater with pictures of her grandchildren on her shirt with the text "Grandma's Angel's" above their picture...I'm in seat 30-A...I'm not following a horse, I'm not on the ride. Yeah, I could tell myself that I'm STILL ON THE RIDE, and I'll always be on the RIDE, but that's different that's an analogy, I'm not on the Dakota 38 ride. That has ended for the year of 2008. Jim Miller's dream that came to him 4 years ago has been completed and next year if the ride continues it will be up to the younger generations to continue the ride as Jim has expressed his desire to "retire". (which he jokingly says...my opinion is he'll be there in some capacity) Personally the last day of the ride was the longest I've ever rode a horse, 10 miles. I had moments where I felt like I was flying, or at least riding a fake horse that wasn't touching the ground. Kind of a mix between the horses from the carousel scene in "Mary Poppins" and the exciting "Tatanka" chase scene in "Dances with Wolves" with a dash of Billy Crystal's enthusiasm (minus the Mets Hat) from "City Slickers". I had my moment of feeling free on the horse, flying, and I wanted more. But the ride is over. These horses are amazing. Take what the people on the 330 mile journey did and multiply it by any number larger than 100 and that's a starting point of how much respect and admiration I have for these animals. They battled poor weather conditions, running on hard, icy roads, (they'd much prefer fields), exhaustian, injury, (cuts, pulling up lame, saddle tears in their skin), all of this and more while carrying us and the completion of a dream. They literally carried us on their backs and I am forever grateful to all of the horses that participated in this years ride. The same reasons I feared riding them in the beginning of the journey are the same that I have come to revere them by the end. Strength, consistency, power, grace, calm, aggression, passion, love, stillness, and their ability to carry a people. It has been truly inspiring. I'm looking for opportunities to spend more time with horses. The ride is over. Then there's some of the things during the ride that I just didn't vibe with and left me wondering. Why on the final day in Mankato, in the middle of the ceremony culminating the 330 mile trek, and honoring of these 38 Dakota warriors, did one of the Native American elders (who was standing in the center of a circle right in the middle of a ceremony) answer his cell phone and begin to have a conversation. Strange. Why when we were at one of the community centers did one of the Native American men who was organizing the event say "And if any of the women want to help out with the serving of the food, then go now". There were women who rode horse during the day and cooked at night. There were no men. It seemed out of balance. Why after giving a plastic plate to one of the riders that we had brought to avoid using styrofoam in the cities we visited, did he smile, agree, take the plate and then simply use the styrofoam plate anyway yet put the plastic plate underneath as a sort of colorful garnish? Interesting. <br /><br />The ceremony in Mankato went off with out a hitch. We had great support from the community, law enforcement, local establishments. It's difficult for me to put into words all that was happening on Dec 26. At this point, I think I'll let the eventual footage speak for itself. There is one thing I did want to mention though. There was a tragedy on Dec 17 within the Native American community. A young 18 year old boy Seth passed away on Dec 17. His wish and his families plan before his death was to attend this ride and ride with his family from Lower Sioux to Mankato. His family buried Seth on Dec 22, and then on Dec 23 they came to the ride to fulfill Seth's wish. The family brought 5 horses, one of which was riderless that was lead by Dallas (Seth's father) throughout the snowy trails. That families horse was the horse I rode. I didn't realize until midway through my first day of riding. I was hit with a wave of emotion. To see the strength, compassion, and togetherness of Seth's family and his horses, (which would not leave each other's side) was astonishing, something I'd never seen before. On the ride back from Bob Folsom's farm with the family they gave me Seth's mass card and I was able to read what this young man who I had never met but was now connected to was interested in. He was into traditional dancing, horseback riding, running among many other things. Beloved by his friends, he lit up a room. I also read that in years past he had participated in a 98 mile run starting at midnight on Dec 25 from the concentration camp site in Ft. Snelling, and arriving at the hanging site in Mankato on the morning of Dec 26. It's an all night run and has been going on for over 20 years. The run is done in relay legs. I knew when I read that, that I was going to run for Seth. His parents were participating on the ride on horseback and with a wristband that was his given to me by his mother I was going to be able to run for him from Ft. Snelling. Silas, Pancho, Sarah, Crystal and myself after a long day took the drive to Ft. Snelling (1.5 hours from Mankato) and participated in the run for Seth. Together we ran a 2 mile leg at 3:30am for Seth. We then drove back to Mankato to sleep for 2 hours before getting up for the ceremony in the morning. It was a wild night but I felt great that Seth was honored on both fronts for this historic day. During an honoring and funeral service in the morning, I presented Seth's mother Fern with a bracelet of Seth's that I wore during the run. It will remain with her. Love to Seth and Seth's family.<br /><br />Yesterday Pancho, Silas and myself woke up late and talked all afternoon. We sat on our couch at our house in Flandreau, SD and then moved to a coffee show next door for Mexican Coffee, Tea, Pizza and an awful egg sandwich that Silas attempted to make us both take a bite of. Pancho did and regretted it, I made the smart choice. We caught up, checked in, talked about the ride, God, religion, spirituality, what's next for us, what gets us going, what resonated with us on the ride, what didn't. The one thing we all agreed on was when Jim talks about his life being a open book. Jim Miller is a recovering alcoholic. 27 years sober I believe. Jim Miller is a decorated Vietnam Veteran with 38 confirmed kills. He didn't make the connection to the Dakota 38 until he had his dream 4 years ago and began researching what he saw. Jim Miller is not a Republican or a Democrat. Jim Miller ran guns, served time in Levenworth, and spent 2 years straight in solitary confinement. Jim Miller says "I love you all very much" before he says anything to a group, and when seeing you and giving you a hug says, "I love you buddy"...Jim Miller will tell you all this. Jim Miller is an open book. <br /><br />We spoke about that all yesterday. How amazing it is to see someone lead their life as that much of an open book. Jim is a humble man and will be the first to tell you he's not a spiritual leader. He always puts the leadership into the hands of the people. The people know who's leading, and that leader empowers the people. It's truly a lesson in leadership and community. I was contemplating whether or not to have this blog contain some of the things that I didn't resonate with here on my journey. Some of the challenges I believe the community as a whole face moving forward. In my opinion the major ones being reducing drugs, alcohol, cigarettes on the reservation and improving the diet, (too much soda, sweets, not enough fruits/vegetables). I wanted my thoughts to be an open book. These are my thoughts, feelings on the subject. Over the course of the past 25 days I have been inspired by so many things in this community and I have written about all of them. I'm truly grateful to this community for their warmth and openness and only ask that in reading this to respect my thoughts and feelings as an open book. <br /><br />Another thing that I have been thinking of lately is what one of the women in one of the communities said to me after one of my latest blog entries. I had written thoughts of linking the genocide of the Holocaust to what the Native Americans went through at the hands of the US Gov't. For me I was taking a leap. For me that was putting myself out there. Her comment to me was first that the blog was "honest"...I said thank you. She then proceeded to say that "I was actually thinking, that's all you got out of this ride?" I immediately was put on the defensive. I thought to myself that was an odd thing to say to someone. It got me thinking. Did I not go deep enough? Should I have invested more? Could I have invested more? Why was I so defensive when this woman said this? It has stuck with me for a few days. My thought is that I didn't like it because someone who didn't know me questioned my effort. Questioned my heart, what I've been doing on this ride and how I've been interacting with the community. A lot of what this ride is about is very difficult to put into words and I truly feel ill equipped to give the rundown of what's going on sometimes. I have been writing this blog because it felt good to share what had been going on with the ride, tell stories and share. I was putting myself out there. I was sharing my thoughts and feelings. Sometimes I would shy away from a difficult topic because I didn't want to offend or I felt I didn't have the knowledge and information to have a complete argument formed. But I, like I have heard many Native American elders say about their ancestors...Did the best I could at that particular time. I usually give people the benefit of the doubt. That's what I did, I did the best I could at that particular time and I went as deep and got as much out of this experience as I could at that time. More importantly I GAVE as much as I could. I feel complete with my involvement in this ride and I hope that all of the riders and supporters do as well. It was an amazing journey, a true experience of a lifetime and I'm so honored to be a part of it. And to the woman who said that statement, if you are reading this blog, I'm writing this all with love and do not mean to demean your question as I'm sure you did not mean to offend me. It raised a red flag with me and I wanted to investigate why. That is all. Open Book.<br /><br />That also came up recently in someone saying to me..."you're leading with your head not your heart, get out of your headspace and into your heartspace"...This after knowing me for two days over brief conversations. I questioned a belief. I questioned a story someone heard and I questioned whether or not it happened. Or how it happened. I wanted to investigate deeper. I believe in questioning a story instead of simply believing with blind faith, I was assumed to be looking at the issue from a head space over a heart space. I didn't know one was better or worse that the other. Last time I checked the world and most people in it are working towards balance. A mix of head and heart. If we're not questioning stories and history then we're simply living into our own past. And as we've seen if we're living in patterns and past, some of the past is not something we'd like to be living into. I did take a lot away from that conversation. I was not offended by them challenging me with my questioning of a story, but am glad they did because it leads me to question my own beliefs, who am I, what do I believe, how can I help...Thank you ladies. <br /><br />The headspace, heartspace argument I believe is a central one in allowing people of different religions/spiritual practices to come together. If I question a belief within a certain religion it's most always taken as an attack on the individual. That needs to end. I'm not attacking anyone, I'm questioning a belief system. A story. I want to know what inspires a person about their way of living. Their view on the world, communities, the cosmos, the origins of life...I felt that over the past week especially of this ride. I'm not a practicer of the Native American ancient spiritual traditions, I'm not a Christian. Although I was raised Catholic and baptized in the church I don't associate with the beliefs. I'm not a Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. What I can do is respect and understand individuals. I've sometimes in the past looked for ONE method of linking everyone. A magic bullet if you will of spirituality or connection or whatever you'd like to call it. To get rid of the division and bring in the reconciliation. What I've realized through conversations with friends and colleagues is that that's a protection for me. It's too broad. It would allow me to look at people as groups and try to figure out through study and information how to bring people together. (headspace) Not a bad thing, my heart was in the right place, but I would be acting from my head. What I've been seeing through this ride is that any community is truly made up of people. Individuals. Even in a church. I guess I've always known that but I never quite felt it as deeply as I did during this ride. Getting to know individuals, respecting their points of view, religious, spiritual, beliefs, not trying to change them into some futuristic spiritual robot that makes everyone the same. Loving the diversity within a certain community. Getting to know the people. And if I don't get to know everyone within the community on the same level. That's ok. That's real, that's life. I'm not trying to run a Tony Robbins seminar here and make sure everyone gets their money's worth out of a weekend...(keeping in mind, I love Tony Robbins and think what he does is amazing on a lot of levels, but it was just an example)...I'm just trying to be of service and find my place in this world. I don't have a definition for God. I don't have a definition for my spirituality. I don't have a definition for faith. It's not set. I don't know. That's where I'm working from today. It will change, that's inevitable. But being okay with where I am today, and more importantly for me, not judging others for their beliefs and where they are is an extremely important thing for me to take away from this ride. I often hear and have said in the past. Be present, be in the moment, be in the now...What's hot now for the general public of this definition is something resembling a Eckhart Tolle, Secret type, meditation, yoga, Oprah type thing, for the most part. (Give or take an Oprah)...And that's great. I've seen the Secret, I've read the Power of Now, practice Yoga, meditation, watch an occassional episode of Oprah, I think this is all great stuff and extremely helpful. What I've found though is that I have to define what being present means to me. What being in the moment means to me. That's being alive for me. Defining how I feel about life, not taking someone else's definition or story of it. Being present to me is life. Is writing this right now. Taking that deep breath after not looking up from this screen for a few minutes. My definition will change too. I'm not going to be attached to being present. Sometimes I'm more alive than others. That's life. Life is beautiful. I love these days. When life just feels light. I'm not going to chase that light feeling. It will be there and then it won't. And when it's not. It's ok. It's still there just at a different frequency. A little lower. I may not be able to feel it as deeply but it's there. Then it will hit me. Boom, that baby crying which 10 minutes into the plane ride might have annoyed me is now sweet sweet music. Things change. And the grandparents who were sitting in the row in front of me who took a long time to get into their row...Remember that scenario? Hurry up will ya? yeah sometimes we say that to ourselves, but other times we're blown away at how sweet, cute and loving this couple is still after all these years...They kiss. That moment was worth it. The fact that I'm tearing up while writing this as we start our descent to Tampa. This is a great moment. I started this blog not knowing. Not knowing what to write, frustrated about some of the things I was feeling about the trip. I still don't know. I don't know anything more than when I started, but something has shifted. Has changed. Whoa, turbulence the plane is shaking, I'll have to close for now. Things change, but stay the same. To ride it out and keep questioning is something I love. Question and Trust. Head and Heart. Yin and Yang. Dark and Light. Joy and Sorrow. Life and Death. I still don't know, but I feel better, I can breathe deeper, smile broader and end this post and this ride with a feeling of joy, gratitude and Doksha...What's doksha you say? It's the Native American saying for "I'll see you around"...I noticed that very few people say goodbye...They always say Doksha. Like just "see you round"...As my inspiring and awesome new friend Pancho would say, "We are all citizens of the world"...So with that, I'll see you round the world...Doksha..Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-38527335210516887652008-12-27T18:04:00.001-08:002008-12-27T18:04:25.356-08:00Day 15...Happy HolidaysSo tonight is Christmas Eve. Merry Xmas. But I also want to acknowledge all of the other celebrations and I know with my limited knowledge of world religions and ceremony I'll mention a few and then put an etc...Merry Xmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy Kwanza...I thought I'd squeeze them all in to one email as our journey is nearing it's final destination and the journey part of the Dakota 38 blog as far as the ride is concerned will come to an end...Let's do some catch up. Yesterday Dec 23 was my first day back on the horse. Literally. I rode a beautiful and at first aggressive horse named Tatankawi...(possible mispelling don't want to offend his family) I rode for about 5 miles and then traded places with Silas on the horse. The great part was that for about a mile Silas carried the camera on the horse and got some really interesting shots. It wasn't really all that it was cracked up to be in the end but basically for the little time that a camera was on horseback, it was pretty wild. What a great feeling yesterday was. Riding through cold, snowy conditions, over beautiful terrain with 45 other riders on horseback. It's a day and an experience I'll always remember. I plan to ride again tomorrow as it is our final day of riding. 18 miles. I want to thank all of the riders, all of the supporters and to Jim Miller for having this dream, all of which made it possible for me to experience yesterday. I'm truly thankful. Ok, blah blah blah about me. On to today. So much is happening it's almost like I can't keep up. Here are some highlights. Pancho rode a horse today with a large flag of the Planet Earth on it signifying his committment to Global Oneness. It was pretty awesome to see this large flag jutting above all the heads of the riders and definitely sent the right message to the other riders as well as the communities that we are currently driving through. We are 18 miles away from Mankato. 18 miles away from the site of the largest mass hanging in US History. It's a lot of mixed feelings right now to be honest. I believe at the end of every journey there is a feeling of completion, joy, community and bonding. This journey although mirroring that pattern in a lot of ways somehow seems different. There's a different kind of energy as we near Mankato. One of hope and reconcilliation, but one also of pain, loss and hurt. Although the hangings in Mankato happened 146 years ago I'm amazed at how fresh these wounds feel to the Native American community. Over the course of American history the numbers go like this...60 million to 800,000...At it's lowest 800,000 was the number of Native Americans living in the United States. That number has gone up a small amount and factoring in Cananda in North America I believe the number of Native Americans living in North America is at 1.7 million. This is going to be strong. But that's genocide. I'm truly not trying to be too political here as I want to remain with the inspiration and how many amazing acts of kindness and generosity we've seen along the road but just read the history. Look on websites. Read articles that are outside of the 1 chapter that you may have read in a high school textbook. I promise you it will be worth your while and extremely informative and enlightening. With all of that being said I was thinking about the Jewish Community and the Holocaust. In linking these two attrocities together, (as there are many scholars who believe Hitler borrowed the US Governments form of concentration camps used on the Native Americans at Ft. Snelling and all along their death march from Lower Brule to Mankato.) I thought about all of the healing that has gone on within the Jewish community. From apologies, court hearings, and punishing of war criminals to museums, monuments, tolerance centers and various mainstream books and films, the Jewish community (at least in my experience) have begun to come together and heal the wounds that stemmed from their time in the concentration camps. To me it doesn't seem like the Native American community has had that healing. Now I don't claim to be a historian, so I don't know exactly who's apologized for what and when, as well as the history of specific treaties, land aggreements, trusts, tribal gov't etc, but it does seem to me in my limited amount of time here that their story has not been told. I mean why had I not heard of the largest mass hanging in US History? Did you know about that? Is there a memorial day to commemorate such a horrific and spectacular loss of life? I've seen this ride and the showing of some of our footage to the communities that we travel through have that healing effect. It brings people together. We talk, we share, we laugh, we cry. This in my opinion needs to happen all over. My hope is that this film and our experience here will spread like wildfire. There is so much wisdom in the land, the culture, the spirituality and the people within the Native American community. What first needs to happen is that the Native American community needs to get in touch with the Native American community. The fact that only 10 people under 30 on the Sisseton/Wopton Reservation speak Dakota is a real crisis. The language is in danger of dying out. The elders are passing away and with them will go the oral traditions of this great culture. This needs to be preserved and these brave warriors need to continue to live and thrive on their original land. From new green jobs, cultural and language education to returning to an organic diet the future truly is bright and this ride has shown me hope. Now I don't want to get all utopian on you. I have seen some of the darker sides of the community (as with any community) and I'll leave it at that. There is work to be done and I encourage the Tribal Governments and will continue to help my new friends in any way possible. I've made new friends. Within the Native American community and outside as well. I'll start small. Smooth Feather will continue to focus on the small. Small acts of kindness and finding out how we can make a difference in one persons life, a family, a community, a nation, an earth, a universe, a solar system, a milky way:)...The last little bit I give thanks to Pancho for his truly inspiring Global view.<br /><br />I know I know..."Adam, this feels like the final scene, the final chapter of this journey, it's a little bit much and pushy for me. I liked it better when you're funny and getting bucked off horses in Canada"...True that is always funny, but I'm not trying to prove a point, make a speech, prove that I can craft an argument. I'm simply being direct. These men and women I've met are direct. They ride horses all day and will always tell you how they feel. Even if they're quiet, my new friends are as Sarah would say "Telling without telling"...The above statements are direct and I hope you the reader can appreciate that. I''m completely humbled by my experience here and look foward to tomorrrow when I'm back on the horse. I leave you with that tonight. It's ok after you get bucked off a horse to take your time in getting back on. That's natural, it's healing, it's real. But when you get knocked down, bucked off, broken up with, rejected, whatever, breathe, heal, take your time, but then get up and start running again. You and all the beings on this earth are truly made of magic. You were born to run. Run, feel the wind on your skin...Dance feel the air under your feet, sit still...feel the breath in your lungs...Whatever it may be...Get up again, and be direct, honest and you'll never go wrong...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-56914578071973002822008-12-27T18:02:00.000-08:002008-12-27T18:03:35.896-08:00Day 13...Day of Rest....Nanny Nanny Poo Poo and the MafiaTonight's blog will be short. A day of rest and a long night of community has left me a little tired. Two points that I wanted to quickly bring up that made me chuckle over the past couple of days. So I'll go in reverse order of my title because the first one cracks me up and I want to save it for last. The Mafia...Bill Miller is Jim's brother. From day one when they met me because I'm Italian they made Mafia jokes. It's kind of like their way of joking with me but also they're kind of serious and I believe it's their way of connecting with me and my background, not knowing a heck of a lot about me. I found it funny though that I came into this project trying to be rightfully sensitive with the Native Americans and the culture and here Bill and Jim are making Italian jokes and tying me to the Mafia basically because I'm Italian. I found it funny, charming and didn't take offense. I actually thought it was great that they crossed the line in that humorous way to make me feel at ease. It's a lesson for me and crossing into other cultures. Basically there's a time to be PC, sensitive and hyper aware of your surroundings, but in my humble opinion the occasional and well placed joke and crossing of the line in certain respects can really loosen up a sensitive and possibly tense situation. Second, Nanny Nanny Poo Poo...This is a quick story of oneness and unity. So I'm playing freeze tag with the kids on the road and as we're playing I heard one of the young guys say "You can't catch me, Nanny Nanny Poo Poo"...It stopped me in my tracks. My first thought was a generational thing. Instantly I thought, kids today still say "Nanny Nanny Poo Poo?"...Who in fact started that? It feels like it's been around for such a long time. I thought kids by now would have evolved out of that and into something I don't know maybe...cooler...I mean this is the Hip Hop generation, I was anticipating more of a "You can't catch me dog...YUP YUP" type of thing. But no, I got Nanny Nanny Poo Poo...It made me laugh. Kids are still kids and stories and history is difficult to break I guess. Which then launched me into a whole other thought. These Native American youth are the same as the white kids I grew up with. I know that sounds like common sense, but I must admit just as the generational thing shocked me, I was also shocked that Native American children would say that phrase. I guess in my mind (and I'd never really thought about this before today) but "Nanny Nanny Poo Poo" was an exclusively white saying. I thought that kids from other cultures would have other sayings. Actually they very well might, but the fact remains that "Nanny Nanny Poo Poo" is one of them as well. It made me chuckle and humbled me at the same time. It also got me thinking that sayings, stories are hard to break or change. If you're on the positive side of history then you're in the pink, but if you have generations of stories of genocide, oppression, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, spiritual practices made illegal until 1978, then those stories and history are tough to break and change. Just a thought. That's what this ride has become for me. A coming to terms with the past. The past of my country, the past of my new friends. Hopefully we'll get to a point where we all and especially the Native American community are playing a game of freeze tag with our pasts. We can run away, leave it behind and with a confident smile say, "Nanny Nanny Poo Poo, you can't catch me"...Our future is a blank slate...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-15860939899331845452008-12-20T23:04:00.000-08:002008-12-20T23:26:14.592-08:00Day 10/11...The Welu Farm in Milroy to Morton...This is pretty awesome right now. Pancho and I are sitting in the front seat of the US engineered awesomeness that is our rocket on the road..."The Boneville" checking our emails and blogging while borrowing a signal from the farmhouse that we're staying at. It's a pretty hilarious scene. We're going to sleep in the barn tonight so I think a little technology before sleeping on a haystack is allowed. Today was a day of schools. We were up early to do a presentation and assembly in Russell, MN and then on to Milroy, MN for another later in the afternoon. We had a few of the riders speak to the kids and it was great to see the interaction between the students and riders. Questions were asked, answers were given and nobody blinked while discussing a very difficult subject for young people to understand and feel. A few light highlights came when we interviewed a few of the young girls who saw the presentation at Russell. During the interview it came out that one young girl had a crush on Chris who is one of the riders. Over the course of the next 5 minutes through loud giggles and physical movements that could have either been excitement or sugar(check that school lunch), the girls went on to express their crushes on Chris in a very sweet way ending with a C H R S...chant...I know I know I forgot the I in his name you say. But I'm just reporting what they did. In spelling his name it seemed as though they were so excited that knowledge of the alphabet went out the window. Oh yes, and just to set the scene on Chris' exit it went something like this...<br /><br />Chris: Thank you everyone for your time, I appreciate it. I gotta go RIDE...(said Clint Eastwood style steely and smoothly)<br /><br />Middle School girls melt and cue the video...and scene...<br /><br />Ok, so that was pretty hilarious tonight when we watched the footage enlarged on the barn wall that we're staying at. It's great to be able to share this footage with the riders/supporters as we go. Pardon the cheesy reference but tonight felt like camp. It's pitch black, there's a pig farm, chickens, a peacock, the horses are right outside, there's a few dogs running around and the Welu family and their friends have been nothing short of spectacular. They cooked for us, provided us with a place to stay and even have matching sweaters with their names on the back with a Native American greeting on the front and the word PEACE in rainbow colors on the front. An amazing gesture and really only adds to my camp reference so I feel validated and officially less cheesy. <br /><br />On a personal note, tomorrow I get back on a horse for the first time since my near bucking experience in Canada. I'm ready. I'm in the third leg of the relay and I believe it's my turn to step up. Some of the riders have gone home to see their families and will return, others are tired and could use the rest, and also I am inspired to get on, show my solidarity and not ride for me, but ride for these people. The people who I've spent the last 10 days with and have gotten to know. I feel their passion and struggle and tomorrow just happens to be the day I ride. All of us on this ride and the people we've interacted with, if you've read this blog, looked at the website, have all played a part during the journey. There is no job that is better than the other, not one person who is above someone else. From riding horse to cooking a meal or from cleaning dishes or singing a song after dinner, we all play a part and I'm happy to be a part of something beautiful and historic. <br /><br />I can't get over the fact that I'm in the front seat of a car on a random farm in Milroy, MN writing this blog. We truly all are connected. And whether that's the internet, or GOD or what the Natives call Creator, it's nice to know there are people out there who think of you, pray for you if you like. Send you good thoughts and good vibes for a better life and a better world. I have so many thoughts running through my head but lately they've been slowing down and coming out of me at just the way I'd like them to. It sometimes feel like this blog is writing me. Ooooooooo, that sounded so new agey I almost scared myself out here in the dark. My only light is this laptop and a blow up Frosty the Snowman lawn ornament that looks like he's loosing light but still maintains the Frosty shape that we all know and love. That's another thing I realized. The holidays are upon us. Xmas, Channukah, Kwanza, New Years, (my birthday, call me...cough) It really feels like the holidays even though I'm on this ride away from my family. I feel very close to them and I know that they know I'm thinking of them every step of the way. That has been expressed very clearly by everyone here how although they are sacrificing their holidays away from their families, they feel like family here and the 10 day unfolding prayer and journey is for their children, for the youth of all communities. It feels great to be a part of that. You should all feel proud that in reading this you are a part of it. We're all the same, one planet, one people. I used to think that was a little too much, but if you can give yourself some space and find your voice, you might be saying the same thing. And that doesn't mean you have to leave your job or school and become a radical. The real joy is finding your voice and space in your everyday lives. What's your horseback ride? Maybe it's waking up in the morning and feeding your child. Or getting your kids ready for school, studying for a test, saying I love you to someone, giving someone a hot meal who needs it, there are infinite ways to find your ride. Actually here's a trip. You're already on it. We're already on it. Everyday is a different path along the way but the ride always is, always was and always will be. That's something that I've understood while being here. Even though I'm in MN on a ride for healing, my journey is with the people and within myself. It's not magic, there's no spiritual fairy dust I'm sprinkling on myself. It's living my life in different circumstances and doing the best job I can. I like that. I like that a lot. <br /><br />HAND CRAMP!!! oohhhhh, lesson number 1, when hunched over a laptop in the front seat of a car take hand breaks because the mix of cold and constant movement is not good for the joints. I'm not a doctor but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn express last night...yeah right, I slept on the floor at a community center. So cool. Pool table, good food, good people. Thank you to the communities of Russell and Milroy, MN for their hospitality and good will to all. We could have done this without you...<br /><br />Alright off to sleep. Early morning tomorrow and I'm riding so I could use the rest. BIG UPS! to the Dakota 38 riders!!! (said in an Ali G type voice) We're creating a character here on the road that keeps us light, wait for the footage.<br /><br /><br />Day 11...Blizzard #2...I can't really explain the footage we shot today. The riders took off today into driving snow. I was expected to ride the 3rd leg. I must admit that I was a little frustrated with the disorganization this morning. One point that has been stressed during the ride is that we are all leaders on this journey. It has been pretty empowering to the group and actually there have been very few slip ups along the way with this large a project. But this morning for instance there was very little discussion about some of the dangers of taking off into the snow, wind and freezing conditions. My first concern is for the safety of the ride. Recently I've been straddling both worlds of being involved and on the ride and simply helping to document. I've come to the realization that I can do both, and now it's just about going through the process. It was a little messy today. We took off on 19E from the farm with 6 riders. The conditions were very bad and when Pancho and I caught up to the lead team, we could barely see the road ahead of us. Within the messy conditions however we did manage to get some pretty terrific shots so all was not lost. Midway through the second relay the ride was called. In other words, it was being shut down for the day. The conditions had worsened and Gus Higheagle's (our brother from Canada) truck and horse trailer with one horse in it had slid into the ditch. Oh and also, I'm running on EMPTY on my gas gauge. We pull up to the horse trailer in the ditch and everyone is pitching in to help out, Pancho jumps out to help and when I get out to film, I'm told to not get out of the car and move ahead as it was dangerous for my car to be on the road unattended. I wanted that shot of people coming together to help in the middle of the blizzard but the story of it will have to do. I didn't get the shot but moved on and finally got some gas. At the end of the day everyone involved was safe and save a young girl getting kicked in the hand by a horse everyone was was healthy. (she's fine now) <br /><br />We're currently in Lower Sioux, MN at the Jackpot Junction Casino and had an early dinner at the community center here. We left the camera at home and really had the chance to just sit with the group and bond after a messy and unexpected day. Bill Miller said it best today. Sometimes things go wrong. There's something to learn from both approaches today I feel. Preparing and talking about what everyone feels and then making an informed decision, (the model I'm used to) and the other of, get the horses ready, and let's ride, (one I'm not used to.) We rode about 7 miles today and we'll go back tomorrow and pick up the remaining mileage for the day so all is well. I'm beginning to see a whole world that I was never privy to. Tonight at dinner we heard some great stories from Jim, Bill, Orville and a few others. It really felt like a family tonight. No cameras, mics, just a Xmas tree in the background and people talking about their lives, what they're thankful for and what this ride means to them. Very cool. <br /><br />It's been a long day and this is a double long post so a quick ending is in order now...Day 12, possible quick ride then a day and a half of rest. That's the plan. But like I'm learning, sometimes there is no plan, it's ok to just go and trust. ADAMUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-83343150200137564882008-12-17T20:44:00.000-08:002008-12-17T22:07:22.569-08:00An Emotional Ride...Day 8So it's 10:45pm and in the past 20 minutes I've lead a mini Yoga class, laughed my ass off and teared up from watching footage from the riders sharing their experiences at Dakota State University to a room full of white students. That's a full 20 minutes. You know there's a very popular expression that says "Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt,sing like no one is listening,and live like it's heaven on earth."...that analogy is pretty much running on a 20 minute cycle here on this ride. <br /><br />From a screening and graduation at the Flandreau Indian School, to a beautiful ride and dinner at our first stop in Minnesota with the beautiful people of Pipestone, MN. Over the past few days I've found so many things that I've been inspired to write about but actually have found it difficult to put into words. And as I'm writing tonight I feel that this blog is actively evolving from a check in of the happenings of the day to really an attempt to capture stories. People's stories. People who look like me. People who don't look like me. People who have completely different beliefs. People with amazingly difficult upbringings, people who inspire me and people who are truly all alike. The stories may be different, the skin color may not be the same, but whether man or woman, elder or child, all of the stories I've heard have touched my heart and soul. As I'm writing this I'm watching footage of the DSU talks with Sarah, Pancho, Kevin and Sarah's son Mikey...We're watching footage of a young man named Craig. Craig makes me cry. Craig is honored to be on this ride and shared his heart, soul, and pain with a room of complete strangers. All of the riders did this that day and I've very rarely seen such transparency. To be honest it's a lot to handle. There's a lot of pain. There's a lot of hurt. There's a lot of history that I didn't know about and when I hear it, does not paint the prettiest picture of what my country did to the Native American people and the struggles the community continues to have. <br /><br />If you're non native and reading this blog and you're like me before I came on this ride, you know very little about the Native American community aside from what you've read. You've probably never spent time on a reservation except maybe on a school trip when you were younger or a family vacation at some point in your life. My thoughts of Native Americans before I can here were completely general. I knew from what I read that Native Americans received little attention from the main stream media and in textbooks, but realistically all I saw publicly of Native Americans was based upon something in the past, a stereotype. Wigwams, tepees, feathers, war bonnets, bows and arrows, almost something you would see in the Museum of Natural History. Those are all representations of the history of the Native American community, but the fact is that THAT is what passes for current views of Native Americans held by the majority of Americans today. That and possibly Casinos, Alcohol and drug abuse and some of the struggles facing the community at large. I'll be the first to tell you that I was wrong. That's a shallow attempt at the whole story and it's only in being here and living within the community that I can truly see individuals. See beyond a general community to being able to ask questions about people in their specific lives. Their struggles and joys as opposed to a history lesson and macroleve type questions. There's a time and a place for that but starting small and getting to know people is the first step. I'm so thankful to be on this ride and meeting new friends and from this point on, truly being welcomed into a new family. <br /><br />Kevin is one of the riders. He's sleeping over tonight. I've given him my bed. It's great to have him here watching videos of himself. He's never seen himself on tape like this. Sharing himself emotionally with a room full of strangers. I remember him telling me that he's not much for speeches. In 5 minutes, he moved a room to tears with a simple and honest power that was both healing and refreshing. It made me cry and laugh at the joy and possibilities that I finally see for individuals. Thank you to Kevin and all of the riders for helping me to see past the large and connect with the small. It's something I've connected with before and had lost. Thank you for helping me connect again. <br /><br />Tonight's blog is all over the place, but I'm pleased with how it's going. Kevin just asked me for a smoke. Pancho breathed deeply while downloading material. Sarah and Mikey just left and Silas has been asleep for an hour. I'm blogging. That's a community moving all at the same time still connecting. I love this. <br /><br />Ok, a few juicy stories from the past few days. Let me start with today and then finish with something I'd like to say about storytelling and the youth. This morning the MEDIA came...dum dum dum...I say that half jokingly as the we the crew had a 2 hour discussion last night at Subway, (yes there's a Subway in Flandreau and I completely rocked a turkey breast footlong on wheat bread with every topping imaginable...thanks Jared) on the benefits and drawbacks to involving the media into this spiritual ride. I won't walk you through the transcript but will say that it was a very spirited discussion. Fast forward to this morning when the ABC affiliate from Sioux Falls, SD showed up at the Flandreau Indian School to capture footage of the horses the riders and to truly be a part of the ride themselves. I told them this on the phone and I don't think they truly knew what they were in for. Sean and Mike from <br />ABC show up get some footage of the horses and then begin their interview with Jim Miller. Jim immediately hugs them and says "I love you guys" upon meeting them. They were blown away. Essentially during the interview Jim relayed the importance of the ride and also said something very interesting about forgiveness. He mentioned taking responsibility for the Native American part of the Dakota conflict and basically was asking for forgiveness and truly looking for healing and reconciliation. Mike and Sean expressed after the interview for our camera that basically they had been to Native American ceremony's before and the tone they felt was one of anger. Not here, not today and not Jim. Jim was ALL LOVE. I'm on this ride and it is ALL LOVE. It's all healing and it's all inclusive. These reporters were part of the ride this morning and they felt that energy and that love. It blew them away. <br /><br />A big thanks to both Sioux Falls, SD ABC and NBC affiliates who participated in the ride today and ran great pieces this evening on the 6pm news. <br /><br />Second story from the past few days involves Sarah's son Mikey. He's 9 years old, very funny, smart, endearing and a bit of a ham. He loves to jump around, play games and is really a bright light amongst the team. So last night after dinner Pancho, Mikey and myself were left afterwards to clean up while Sarah and Silas captured some footage of a meeting with the leaders of the ride. After about an hour of cleaning, we turned off the lights and took a rest on a couple of couches. Mikey said to me, "Adam, tell me a ghost story"...I was tired, I said "Mikey, not now, you tell me one"...he smiled and launched into a legitimate 7 minute story of action, adventure and suspense with ME as the main character. I closed my eyes and felt great. It brought me back to times when my mother, father and grandfather would tell me stories with me as the main character. My grandfather specifically used to tell a story called the "Three Golden Pears" where I was a young Prince hunting a giant who was threating my kingdom. It had it all and I loved hearing him tell me that story. Strangely enough, last night was the first time I felt like that since my grandfather past away, and it was from a 9 year old. One of the big themes of this ride is that the ride is for the youth. To preserve their language, culture, ancient ways. Another big theme is respect your elders. Both of the previous statements I 100% agree with. I'd also like to add another one....<br /><br />Listen to OUR YOUTH. They are the ones telling the stories that we're going to live into. They are the ones who are going to preserve and thrive within our culture whether native, non native. OUR YOUTH are storytellers like no other and their imagination runs as wild as the magical horses we ride on this journey. I felt that last night. Thanks Mikey for being yourself, being creative and sharing it with me. <br /><br />Tomorrow morning we leave Pipestone, MN and travel to Russell, MN. The ride continues. It's quiet here. I like when you can hear just the ticking of the clock. You can really take in your day. And when you've had a day where you've laughed, cried, danced, sung, prayed, questioned, answered, listened and shared yourself with others, your head can hit that pillow and know you did everything you could that day to live now. As part of the Dakota prayer stated before the 38 men were hung on Dec 26, 1862 "It's a good day to die"...in other words, I've LIVED!!!<br /><br />Live, Love, and do something today that scares you. much love from the Smooth Feather Team on the road...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-44864836744561563222008-12-17T00:03:00.000-08:002008-12-17T00:10:35.295-08:00Footage from first week of shooting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ONt5CfMfLSKS4YIoZgZfSKKBoRFyUeZdKFlG16D9WoD1hEAVyBqJQodKXuqY56_md3qNIp1VjP3s4icWxIoJKfZvds3OCdmsW19sbEvfhYYEQAns1PohkHy_esYFam2uhrgXiLM19vu-/s1600-h/screen-capture-10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ONt5CfMfLSKS4YIoZgZfSKKBoRFyUeZdKFlG16D9WoD1hEAVyBqJQodKXuqY56_md3qNIp1VjP3s4icWxIoJKfZvds3OCdmsW19sbEvfhYYEQAns1PohkHy_esYFam2uhrgXiLM19vu-/s400/screen-capture-10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280667623380223746" /></a><br /><br />Hello All, Silas Here. Adam has been a rock star on the blogging front for our journey so far. I just wanted to post a quick link to some video that we put together of the ride so far. This project has been inspiring me in deep deep ways and it's such an honor to spend time with everyone out here. I hope you enjoy the quick preview and there is much more to come.<br /><br />To see the video <a href="http://www.smoothfeather.org/dakota38">click here</a><br /><br />Big Smile and Much Love, SilasUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-40589548174710057102008-12-14T18:01:00.000-08:002008-12-14T18:56:27.076-08:00Day 5...Blogs, Blizzards and Blackouts...adamWhere do I begin today? A day of firsts, a day of high winds, a day of high snow, a day of high flying planets...(I'll come back to that last one) We arrived last night to Howard,SD and our accommodations at the local 4H complete with horse stables for our some now 40 horses. After taking the horses from the trailers and into the stables a fe of us huddled around a laptop to look at the weather for the next day. The forecast, snow, wind, rough conditions. The group then proceeded to circle up. This was the first time we had done this. We'd circled up for ceremony's outside but mainly during these ceremony's there was only one or two people speaking and we were outside with logistical concerns about keeping ahead of the weather and making certain mileage markers during the day. Last nights circle was different. We made it to Howard after a long day of riding. As we passed the microphone around to hear peoples comments, concerns, feelings about the ride/day, you could tell the riders legs were sore and they were tired from the journey but they stood. Upwards of 50 people shared their stories, their history, their personal journey and they stood. We were hungry, tired, and knew that there were challenges ahead tomorrow...We all stood. We wanted to share, we needed to share, and I could feel the Utopian words of "We're all family" grow simply from language and thoughts to hugs, helping saddle a horse, pushing a car out of the snow, cooking for 50 people, sharing a blanket, making tea for a friend. Thoughts are things. <br /><br />7am came very quickly this morning. We plugged in the coffee and awoke to a blizzard. Horrific riding/driving conditions and the waiting game began. Some wanted to ride, others wanted to wait until the afternoon. Visibility was zero, the snowy wind was blowing sideways, and after deliberation and communication within the group the decision was made to wait until at least 12noon to see if the storm would pass. We were back to the laptop now and continued to check in with local weather sites to see what the forecast was for the upcoming hours to see if we could ride today. It's 22 miles to our next stop Madison, and you could tell there was a itch within the group to get moving regardless of the conditions. As the day wore on, it became more and more evident that the weather was not going to break. The final decision was made. Although the passion and spirit of the riders was strong, the best decision for the group was to remain here in Howard for the day/night and ride tomorrow. We moved swiftly into action. Our host here at the 4H Jim Krantz made his indoor stable available for our some 40 horses and our job now lay in getting enough bales of hay indoors and then get the horses out of the cold and into the warm shelter for the night. I have to say. I've traveled all over the world and I feel have had a lot of truly amazing experiences. Today's experience of running horses out of a stable through snowy conditions and snow drifts that came up to my knee into an indoor shelter is one of the most memorable and amazing experiences I've ever had. Rolling out the hay, ushering these beautiful animals inside is something I'll never forget and am thankful to all of the men and women who trusted me with their horses enough to handle them. Quick real time update, there's some sort of amazing drumming going on right now with some sort of hat game going on. I can't completely tell what's happening but I'm enjoying the community feel and it's nice to see people circling up and laughing, playing games. Ok, back to today. After the horses were placed in the barn, the hay was placed all around the fenced in area, I stuck around to just watch. <br />I watched these horses for over an hour. Just watching, leaning against them, rubbing them, brushing ice off their backs. I melted. It was pure love. Pure emotion and pure stillness. The fact that these animals who during the ride display such power, grace and strength can all of a sudden become so still that they begin to look like statues was mind blowing. I've never been this intimate with a horse. Never been able to look this closely at them, attempt to read their body language and as Sarah would say "tell without telling"... That's the part of today that I truly loved. To see all of the strength, passion, power, love and energy that these animals posses frozen in a moment. I breathed deeper than I had in a very long time. I hung on them like I was a 5 year old. Just leaning on them, letting them feel my weight, feeling their strength. It was so relaxing. If not for needing to do other things around the center, I would have laid with my chest on that horse for the rest of the day. Laying on the beach in a tropical paradise has nothing on a snowy afternoon break with my new 4 legged friends in Howard, SD. Speechless.<br /><br />Back to real time. We've just screened a 3 minute cut of the footage so far. It's amazing to see this film begin to come together and I'm loving the process of involving everyone in the shooting, feedback and sharing sessions. I have Silas and his commitment to empowering others to thank for making this a special experience for me and I know for the rest of the community. Emotions ran high after the screening and through my tears, I listened to other riders/supporters share their thanks for "the film crew", (FILM MAKER!!!, I'll return to this:)) their fellow riders, the communities that we are riding through and most importantly the native ancestors who were hung, displaced, and a people who have been oppressed for way too long. It's time for a change and it's empowering to see so many individuals "Be that change" here on the ride. It's happening now, here, all over. Can you hear this drum? Can you feel it? Carl and Kevin are pounding on this drum as this game is being played. People are smiling, eating, watching others, talking...close your eyes, turn off the television, the radio, turn your phone off, go outside if you have to...Listen, can you hear the drums? The sound of change, the sound of revolution and the cries of a people who are fighting for their culture and their lives...To me it sounds like a heartbeat. One heartbeat, One people, One breath, One moment. That's how change comes. It may look like it happens over long periods of time but it happens in one moment. It could be now, could have just happened or it could be coming. We just have to listen for it. Find your horse, find your peace and find yourself. Ask questions, smile at children, maybe learn the drums:)<br /><br />We leave tomorrow morning and we'll decide as a group how we travel. I'm off to eat some food. Oh and yes, I promised you the Pancho "Astronomy" story. Basically Pancho is an Astrophysicist who after the film screening, gave an amazing presentation about the universe, our place in it and it's oneness. I want to thank him for the presentation, inspiring tonights blog, and truly inspiring everyone he comes in contact with. I'm honored to be here with him...Si se puede! <br /><br />I understand blog and blizzards Adam but what about the blackout part? For about 10 minutes tonight we were without lights. That's it. It was a "B" though and I thought would fit nicely with the first two "B's"...that's my creation today...ha...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-84089443813586911422008-12-12T19:45:00.000-08:002008-12-13T19:19:14.275-08:00Day 3...Full moon...adam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdGvs9bckn83strB4_1BAKPTH3yqBn02JaMTA8_C1mXcWdFVRNdzc7NJJZ307rBCNCQp9kFRDIUHjHb2o3hmLoYN4q6c0l1RM18mjJ8EjMNBlC9shVqzkZVW1YYXnVhNbz_wR1ly2pNWr/s1600-h/screen-capture-8.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdGvs9bckn83strB4_1BAKPTH3yqBn02JaMTA8_C1mXcWdFVRNdzc7NJJZ307rBCNCQp9kFRDIUHjHb2o3hmLoYN4q6c0l1RM18mjJ8EjMNBlC9shVqzkZVW1YYXnVhNbz_wR1ly2pNWr/s320/screen-capture-8.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279480070874317522" /></a><br />Chris, Luis, Janice, Jim, Billy Ray, David, Bill, Orville, Sarah, Jesse, Gus, Kevin, Tyrone, Jason, Craig, Evelyn, Mark, Harold, Dallas, Silas, Pancho, Julian, JB, Andy, Mark from the gas station, Claire, Harvey, Peter, are just some of the wonderful people I've gotten to know over the past week. These are the names that I remember, there are some riders/supporters who I've shook hands with, shared meals but have yet to get their names. I wanted to start out with them on this blog tonight because they are the ones who are really making this ride come alive. From the riders who are logging 30 miles a day on horseback, to Janice/Luis who prepared all of the food for the nights we were staying in Ft. Thompson, to Julian and Dallas who are camping out every night in a tepee to watch over the horses at night, everyone is playing a part in this truly amazing journey that I am so happy and proud to be part of and also a witness to. I spent the night in the tepee with Julian, Dallas, and Pancho and wanted to wish them well as they are sleeping there again tonight. I look forward to other opportunities I have to spend the night there. The last few days have been difficult. A lot of riding, confusion at times about when to have the camera on/off, which ceremony's could be filmed which could not, discussions about our own production team coming together with people from different backgrounds, what we saw the film as, getting to know the riders, excitement, exhaustion, I'd say the emotions ran the gamut. What I do feel today though and I'm confident that the riders/supporters feel the same way is that this film and the ride are coming together as one. We're not making a film about this ride, we really want this group, community to feel that they are part of the film making process as well as it has been evident that the riders/Native American community want us as the film crew to be a part of the ride. The word that has been used a lot is family. We all have a new family. Sound Utopian? Pancho will I know be able to link this Utopian ideal scientifically and all that really means is communication, honesty, amongst people of different backgrounds. On some level we all know this, but watching it unfold in practice in the middle of a small town in South Dakota is amazing and even more inspiring to be a part of. It makes me miss my family, my loved ones and makes me want to reach out to those who matter most in my life. <br /><br />Some specifics about the ride today. Great shots all around today culminated by Silas jumping a fence to hang with some wild horses and donkeys to get a ridiculous sunset and simultaneous moon shot over a rolling hill. Sitting on the side of the road was never so gratifying. According to Sarah, Silas has horse medicine in him, which at this point I'm bound to believe as he truly has an amazing way with the animals and enjoys getting the shots with no fear. To make sure the 30 or so miles was achieved today, there was a relay happening with the riders/horses. 3 or 4 groups would take turns riding throughout the day with the thought that smaller groups could cover more ground as well as keep the riders/horses safer as we approach towns with more traffic on the roads. All of the riders have been fantastic and what they are doing for themselves, their families, and the Native American culture is more and more inspiring everyday. I know I'm using that word a lot, but it's the best description I could come up with. I can't wait for everyone to see this footage and to be able to truly appreciate the dedication and commitment that it takes to organize, feed, shelter, ride over 16 days for 330 miles in cold weather and possible dangerous conditions. <br /><br />I wish all who are reading this a safe day, night and wherever your journey takes you. By the way it's a FULL MOON tonight, go outside and howl at it, I promise you you'll feel good.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-66906897663917485972008-12-10T04:19:00.000-08:002008-12-13T19:21:21.403-08:00Day 1 of the ride: Adam<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjm-qVhURqjvJhZfY38FPHBYZnj0KB2INXhLfbBzi2QfUosDknODd8CDT4x9MokLC-JDaWoNn342nZS6OcsdXyx4rHoW-bBvkyW6PsrfRZHISovZNNPBMKAhibeb7EHAaD5LeVWbrZqPt/s1600-h/screen-capture-3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYjm-qVhURqjvJhZfY38FPHBYZnj0KB2INXhLfbBzi2QfUosDknODd8CDT4x9MokLC-JDaWoNn342nZS6OcsdXyx4rHoW-bBvkyW6PsrfRZHISovZNNPBMKAhibeb7EHAaD5LeVWbrZqPt/s400/screen-capture-3.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279480560067333586" /></a><br />It's 7am and we're in Lower Brule getting ready to go to breakfast. In various states of getting up, getting ready, and meditating Silas, Pancho, Jesse, Sarah and myself are at the beginning of the journey. Last night the riders were assembled here in Lower Brule at The Golden Buffalo Casino convention center. Thanks to everyone in the community here for providing the convention space, the food for the riders and supporters. There were very moving speeches last night including that of spiritual leader Jim Miller who's dream the riders will be following starting this morning. After last night's dinner, there was a sweat lodge, and then back to the hotel for a quick sleep. To say our crew is excited is an understatement. I was thinking last night how amazing it was to hear from Jim especially last night. He has this amazing natural leadership quality that has been developed over a lifetime and I'm also sure was naturally always there. He said something that really struck me. He said he'd never done this before, and he was going to need everyone's help. There will be times during the ride that he'll need to make speeches in communities, at colleges and it will be time for others to take a leadership role. He demanded it and expected it. It was really inspiring to hear someone ask for help in that clear a way and express his own fears at the same time. That is definitely one of the things that I took away from all of the amazing speeches last night, Jerry, Mark, Harvey and others, (sorry if I'm forgetting names) as well as the sweat lodge experience. That was my first sweat since last summer and jumping in from the cold weather to the heat was quite a shock. At first the sensations are quite uncomfortable and the fear of not being able to breathe is immediately present. I knew it was coming so it was much easier to be with that fear and I did what I needed to do to be with my breath, lower my head and sit with my fear while participating in this very important ritual. The feeling after the sweat is an amazing one. Prayers are offered during the ritual and not only the physical sensation of moving from the heat to the cold but the experience of moving from a spiritual ceremony back into "life" is amazing. I'm enjoying how I take things with me now. I'm bringing more of myself wherever I go. From breakfast to sweat lodge, from the spiritual to the neutral, more of me shows up each time. I think previously I was compartmentalizing situations, and trust me I still do this but I definitely am seeing progress. Alright enough of me, back to the ride. The roads are icy so thoughts and prayers are going out to the riders for a safe journey. I enjoyed the children last night, just running around, having fun at the dinner. There was a common theme of this ride and the documenting of the rituals on film is for the youth, to continue traditions within the Native American community and promote healing not only within their own community but across communities and cultural lines as well. My horse "bucking off" was shown last night and got quite a laugh. I'm happy to provide some humor:)...Jesse sang beautifully again last night and I do believe the journey has begun. Special thoughts,prayers and love to the riders, supporters and tarheir families and to everyone reading this blog for a great day. In the words of the Dakota/Lakota language Anpetu which means "today is a red day" (a holy day, sacred dayUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-51943215723199865982008-12-08T08:11:00.000-08:002008-12-08T09:38:37.780-08:00From wild horseback riding to 5th place in a Potato dance, a wild and memorable weekend in Canada...:AdamSo how I want to begin this blog post is through something that happened to me over the weekend. I rode a horse to a ceremony that we filmed. Now I don't mean one of those "dude ranch" horses that I rode when I was 13 years old that I could kick countless times and it would still walk...This is a horse raised on the land of the Canupawakpa Dakota Nation reserve (Canadian term for reservation)...and let me tell you, these horses are ready to run...All started out fine when Gus who we went to visit asked me if I wanted to ride over to the ceremony. I felt honored, here I am an outsider being asked to ride with three "first nationers" (Canadian term for Native Americans) to a very important horse ceremony for their people on their reserve. I was excited, I had ridden horses before, not many but I felt confident I would be able to ride up to the ceremony and look like I knew what I was doing...So Gus hands me my horse a beautiful brown horse named "Spirit"...I was given the instructions that "Spirit" was a good horse and without hesitation I jumped on. I mean, I'd done this before, I just rode a horse this summer in the Hamptons and felt extremely comfortable why would this be any different. Foreshadowing much? So we take off literally across the plains with myself on Spirit, and Gus, Tyrone, and Kevin taking the lead. Now let me continue to say we're taking off across the plains, this is Canada in the dead of winter, snow is on the ground, a stray dog from the reserve is following us and the whole time I'm thinking this is pretty awesome. Our horses mainly walked for the beginning of the trip and an occasional trot was a a welcome change. But not too fast I thought, there's no trail, keep pulling back I thought, don't let this horse get away from you. The best example I can give of the difference between the "dude ranch" horse and one raised on a reserve is akin to going from driving a 4 door safe sedan to jumping <br />behind the wheel of a really nice 6 cyl sports car. Once you get behind that engine you can really feel the power of the vehicle. It was the same with this horse. Ok, so the ride continues, and all is well. The air is cold, I can see my breath and it really is an amazing scene one I'll always remember. Over the horizon I can hear the sound of a truck, I look to my left and it's a few of our friends with Silas riding in the back of an open pickup getting ready to film us as we're riding to the ceremony. This promises to be a pretty great shot as the light is perfect and the new camera we're working with does amazing things with slo motion...Riding past the truck are Gus, Tyrone, and Kevin with me in the rear. There's laughing and all is well, now here's where it gets interesting...Gus, Tyrone, Kevin, split the truck which leaves me behind the truck and to the left. I guide "Spirit" to the right directly behind the truck to get a good shot and then eventually reunite with the other riders, what ends up happening next was a complete shock...no sooner than Silas said "Mastrelli!!!" in a very this is awesome type way, did the truck hit the gas and to my surprise spooked my horse "Spirit". Now in case you're wondering, we do have that footage and let's just say it's hilarious. So, the horse gets spooked and basically takes off!!! Now the best analogy I can come up with for the distortion my face went in to takes us back to Chevy Chase in European vacation as him and his family are running away from the German hordes who are planning to kill them...My face was a cross between that and Jerry Lewis screaming "LADY,ahhh!!!, "Spirit" was kicking, bucking, twisting, trying to get me off...All I could hear through my panic was everyone screaming "Pull back, pull back", so in my best cowboy voice which I'm sure sounded more like Santa saying "Ho,Ho,Ho", I started pulling back and shouting "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!!!" and after a good 10 seconds (that's right I lasted more than 8 seconds) I was able to control the horse and bring him to a stand still. Kevin grabbed my horse and we quickly switched horses. I rode a different seemingly calmer horse up to the community center and although I was still excited to be a part of the ceremony, my confidence was shaken. We arrived to the center and tied the horses off. We then went on to bless the horses and the riders for a safe ride, sing songs, share stories of the Dakota Nation, (Lakota, Dakota, Nakota) and listened to Gus and the eldest tribe member Albert express their desires for their people moving forward. A really moving moment for me came when Gus' daughter Jesse got up toward the end of the afternoon and sang an amazing rendition of Mariah Carey's HERO. Her voice is beautiful and the lyrics took on completely new meaning for me. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and began if only for a second to be a part of the tribe. After a full day of singing, speeches, food, community and conversation, it was time to ride the horses back to the house. I was less than thrilled to get back on a horse. I didn't feel confident and thought it best if I took the car. It's funny though what happens when simply asked, did I want to ride?...My response, yes, so I literally got back on the horse. The ride back was fairly uneventful, I was now on Rudy, a much calmer horse and although I wasn't confident I did have moments where I really appreciated the beauty of the ride. We returned safely and it got me thinking. I've heard people tell me that phrase "When you get knocked off of the horse, get back on"...for my whole life. People say it so matter of fact that it's actually lost it's meaning. I wondered how many of those people who've told me and I include myself telling others, have ever ACTUALLY gotten kicked off of a horse. It's a completely different feeling. That was the closest I ever got to getting kicked off a horse and let me tell you it's a completely different feeling than anything I've ever felt. I wasn't sure I was going to be safe when I got back on. Everyone one of us has our own horses to fall off and I'm pretty sure they all feel intense when getting back on, we're not sure if we're going to be safe or not. For everyone who's ever felt that way, (which I hope is everyone at one point) I'll share what everyone at the dinner table that night shared with me. They said..."We'll it's not whether or not you're going to fall or get kicked off, when you're training wild horses that's bound to happen. You know you're going to get back on but the important part is HOW YOU FALL..." I thought about that really hard. It's about HOW YOU FALL, knowing that I'm going to fall and then just protecting myself the best way I could so that I could continue. I loved that, I felt it really empowering to hear after a day when the last thing I wanted to do was get back on a horse. We all had a good laugh about it, and although I didn't feel completely comfortable I wasn't hurt. I'll always remember it.<br /><br />After the day we took a drive to Saskatchewan that night to participate in a round dance which is a community even with singing, dancing and amazingly enough Santa Claus. I never realized how much of a part Christianity played in the Native American community. It makes sense as missionaries continued to move west brought their religion into the native communities. Gus had given Silas and I white cowboy hats so we were really playing the part when we arrived at the dance...Gifts were given out, and we were honored as the film crew from New York. There's still to this day an amazing sense of ceremony that remains. The footage will show this more clearly. The highlight of the night came when Sarah and Silas participated in a "Potato" dance the winner getting $100. (which we found out later) The point of the dance is to do a step type dance while keeping a potato pressed between two people's foreheads or third eye shakra's for the Yogi's who may be reading this. Easy you say? Money in the bank? Think again, these potatoes were misshapen and the pressure was on for Sarah and Silas to perform well. A few minutes of warm up S&S tried different strategies, talked through hand signals and made me laugh so hard I didn't know what to do with myself. After the practice round the whistle was blown and it was time for the event...There was 10 or so couples dancing and the formidable team of Sarah and Silas really started off strong thanks to a combination of arm lock started by Sarah and Thighmaster inspiring deep knee bends by Mr. Hagerty. After a strong start I knew they wouldn't last long, they were dancing too fast. The other more experienced couples were barely moving and it seemed like there was a little inside knowledge of the judges. I'm not calling for a fix, I'm just saying...The last final flourish to stay in the game resulted in the potato being pressed directly into Sarah's left eye by Silas' forehead while they maintained a slow turn to the left. They both knew it was over but watching them try to keep it together was priceless. I have footage oh yes, I have footage. Eventually the potato dropped to the floor. The result. 5th place, a respectable showing for their first dance together. I have high hopes for this team in the future. <br /><br />We said our goodbye's to the people at the dance and basically slept on the hour and a half car ride back to Gus' house. We had a full day of traveling (12 hours back to Flandreau, SD) the next day so sleep was needed. The next day we woke up, quick breakfast, added a passenger, Gus' daughter Jesse and headed back home. After an entertaining stop at the border in which we saw some deer and Silas was questioned about traveling to Denver, we made it back last night safely and feeling inspired about the upcoming trip. Silas and I had great conversation in the car about his vision for the film, and what's inspiring him these days. It's very needed to check in like that to keep people going as the road can become exhausting. <br /><br />We pick up Silas' friend Pancho from the airport today, show some clips from previous Smooth Feather productions tonight at a school and then take off for the ride tomorrow morning. In honor of yesterday Dec 7, I would like to give special recognition to all the lives lost on that date in 1941 at Pearl Harbor. Also a birthday wish to a very special girl Kristin who's birthday also falls on Dec 7. That's all for now from snowy SD. See you on the road!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-79307833257763435752008-12-04T20:44:00.000-08:002008-12-04T21:31:00.569-08:00Post by AdamSo let me reiterate how cold it is here in South Dakota. The temperature at it's lowest was a whopping 5 degrees...This got us on the crew thinking about specifics on the road and how we'd best be able to hold interviews with the riders, with the least amount of time spent on set up as we know the weather will be a factor. Solution. An RV, that's what where looking for. An RV for the crew to set up camp with that will be a roving production office/spot for interviews/place to sleep for us. The quest begins...Today was a productive day at times and very relaxing with needed rest at others. Time has seemed to slow already and the day seems longer with conversations moving in and out of specifics about the ride to the history of the Native American people as a whole, is that Pineapple ripe and can we have it for desert tonight. Pretty standard really. Today's first stop was to interview Sid Byrd who is the eldest male at 90 years old of the Santee Sioux Tribe here in Flandreau, SD. "Sid was raised on a reservation in South Dakota, where, early on through the guidance of his grandfather, his life became a bridge between worlds, that of his Lakota people and that of the white man. Later, as his life unfolded, he came to hold the common ground among some native peoples, marrying a Hopi wife. The path of his heart, which Sid has pursued through his deep Christian conviction and his work as a Presbyterian missionary, has been his way. His stories and education are an inspiration..." (introduction from Stories of a Lakota Elder)<br /><br />Silas, Sarah and myself went over to Sid's apartment and set up the camera. He was very enthused to be speaking with us and embarked in the telling of a slew of jokes throughout the morning and breakfast at the retirement home where we originally met him...The session and the stories lasted for an hour and a half and his stories ranged from the Great Wars of 1862 and the Dakota 38, to larger thoughts on Native Americans and their history here on this their original land. There were many touching moments, many passionate moments, and I look forward to looking at the footage in the near future. Before I move on I do want to mention one point that he mentioned that stuck with me. Out of the 38 men that were hung on Dec 26, 1862, 36 of them had converted to Christianity during the time of their imprisonment. <br /><br />After we packed up the gear, we next moved on to Sarah's high school alma mater The Flandreau Indian School. There we met with Stuart Zephier the acting Principal of the school. After showing him the promo video, it became evident that he had never heard of the "Dakota 38"...The story was not a part of his history. I had naively assumed that all native american history would be universal and would be reproduced in the same way that my version of American History was in textbooks when I was a kid. This is not so. There are so many different tribes with so many different written and oral history's that it makes sense that not every story would travel across tribal lines. As I learn more, I'm getting the feeling that every tribe will have their own similar stories of triumph in the face of great adversity as the Native people have had that heaped upon them truly not shortly after the first Thanksgiving. <br /><br />Stuart was excited about the project and the conversation got rolling with ways of getting the school, the community and most importantly the youth involved in this historic ride. <br /><br />Dinner tonight was a chicken salad, Apple juice, followed up with Pineapple. An interesting mix indeed, but it all seemed to come together nicely. There was doubt in what we both wanted to eat but Silas just started moving forward and pretty soon something was there to eat. I like that. Moving forward, taking an action, even if that action is nothing. But choose it. If you want to relax, relax, if you want to run, run. If you want to be indecisive, then that's fine too. There's a time and a place for every emotion, every feeling that you have within yourself to just be and for you to be ok with it. I needed to hear that today so I'm glad I wrote it. <br /><br />Tomorrow we leave at 6am for a 12 hour car trip, (Sarah bought the new Honda btw)to Canada to film a very important horse ceremony. Our good friend Jim Miller will be attending a funeral tomorrow and will be unable to attend but a phone conversation that Silas had with him earlier today has renewed the juices in the tank for the team and we're ready to go...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-58479445839496167502008-12-03T13:01:00.000-08:002008-12-03T14:31:37.653-08:00Post by AdamMy name is Adam Mastrelli and I'm going to be one of the crew members, camera/sound here at Smooth Feather on the road with our latest film "Dakota 38." My first involvement with Smooth Feather came through being inspired by "Lusaka Sunrise" and helping to promote the film in various screenings throughout the NYC area. I'm an an actor/filmmaker living in New Jersey. <br /><br />Alright boys and girls out there of the Blogosphere, welcome to South Dakota!!! First things first and let me get this out of the way, yes it's cold. But it's also flat, laid back and peaceful. There's a sense of the holidays here already, and I've only been here for a few hours. I was picked up at the airport after a missed flight and a delay in Minn., by Silas and Sarah in our friend Jesse's 1990 Pontiac DeVille, two words...a-mazing...Nothing beats driving around the frozen tundra that is Sioux Falls, South Dakota in a this majestic piece of American engineering...I'm currently sitting in a Honda dealership as Sarah is contemplating buying a car and I've somehow lost Silas. Last he was seen walking off to the other end of the store smiling and laughing into his cell phone. He'll turn up. We also stopped for lunch and bought a book about the "Lakota" people for us to read. It's called "Through Dakota Eyes" and is a history of the Dakota people and importantly to this project the Dakota War of 1862. Silas is reading it right now, I look forward to diving in to it soon. A few thoughts about our most recent national holiday Thanksgiving. As is to be expected for me Thanksgiving took on a different meaning this year, a different feeling. A much more somber and real look at what the Thanksgiving holiday represents, what we're celebrating and why there's a huge "Kermit the Frog" float following an Iroquois Indian 3-5 minute song and dance without a microphone. I believe that was the only Native American tribute throughout a parade highlighted by boy bands, Broadway musicals, and larger than life floats...not that there's anything wrong with that...It got me thinking...Why are Matt Lauer and Meridith Viera not talking more about the history of Thanksgiving? Why were there not more tributes and or representatives from the Native American community? Did they reject the parades offer or where they never offered? I began getting curious. I began to wonder what really happened at the Thanksgiving that I learned about in school. What was the rest of the story? What happened before it, after it, specifics...So...I looked it up, I love the internet...There's so much information from so many differing sources it's really an amazing invention, thanks Al Gore. I don't see it being a good use of this blog space to provide specifics and repost history here for you to read, but I do encourage you to look it up for yourself. Google "Thanksgiving"...Get a few different posts, read about different viewpoints of history, I promise you won't be disappointed...<br /><br />So moving on, I feel like a kid again. Like I'm on a road trip, a journey. It's amazing how that can just happen. Things can be going one way for so long and then all of a sudden...boom...things can just change...I had been sick for the past 3 days and had to postpone my original Nov 30 flight. I'm so lucky that I had my mother and father with me for those three days to help get me to the doctor...ends up I have some sort of virus that at it's peak had me jumping into a tub of ice cold water to cool myself off from a very high 103.8 f fever...My fever has gone down since then and although I'm still running a fever and have a sore throat, I feel like a kid! I continue to take two Amoxicillin, and Prednisone...On Friday we drive to Canada to film a horse cermemony and I believe we're also going to attempt to film Sarah's brother Josh who is the Tribal leader of the Santee Sioux Indians. He's a great person to speak with about Indian affairs and politics as he and the rest of the tribal leaders were present when President Elect Obama, came to South Dakota to meet with Tribal leaders. I'm excited to hear what he has to say and have many questions about politics in the Indian community, how they specifically interact with the US gov't, and challenges they are currently facing...I look forward to being of help and am off to take my medication...Also Sarah's back from her test drive and is smiling widely, we may have found a winner...ADAMUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-52642315707986362732008-11-30T11:29:00.000-08:002008-11-30T12:07:02.633-08:00Our latest film "Dakota 38"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqXFf_FH7AyPHSp2xb7mVViYUvsrlh8lHHmro46ZCzRcQ1zxS_90FcCuXT3DJQtbGydefNqyuEWTSKxdWXsEI3vagI01cRfkJDb8cmKLDQgcqh78LumG1qoVQjmD9QMB8M_ABLtWGjoNC/s1600-h/IMG_0890.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSqXFf_FH7AyPHSp2xb7mVViYUvsrlh8lHHmro46ZCzRcQ1zxS_90FcCuXT3DJQtbGydefNqyuEWTSKxdWXsEI3vagI01cRfkJDb8cmKLDQgcqh78LumG1qoVQjmD9QMB8M_ABLtWGjoNC/s320/IMG_0890.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274542985569449442" /></a><br /><br />Hello all, It’s been a while since I’ve written on this blog yet I’m back on board.<br />Currently I find myself in rural Flandreau South Dakota with 2,300 fellow residents. Smooth Feather has rented a nice 2 bedroom home on Pipestone Avenue and we’ve got a 1990 Pontiac Bonneville parked out front. :) The Pontiac is courtesy of my great friend Jesse who is letting us borrow the whip for the duration of our time filming here. Jesse, once again, you’re the man.<br /> Our latest film, “Dakota 38” started over 4 years ago after I experienced my first Native American Sweat Lodge at my good friend Jeff Galuzas place in Maine. The sweat was lead by Lakota Spiritual Leader Jim Miller who was visiting Maine from South Dakota. Over a Dinner afterwards Jim asked me if I would help him create a film in 4 years. He said that he wanted to ride 330 miles on horseback to honor a dream that he’d had that would bring healing to his people. I was very intrigued by the opportunity and agreed to help him create a film. And so today, 4 years later, after many hours of travel, contemplation & growth from this project, we’re gearing up to film the ride across South Dakota and Minnesota.<br /><br />The past couple months have been very intense...That seems to be the best word to describe it. I recently got back from visiting my family for the Thanksgiving holidays in San Francisco and I found it difficult to put my experience living in South Dakota into words. And so I guess I’ll leave that description for the film :) It’s always been the best way that I’ve been able to express my thoughts.<br />So we’ve got an amazing group that is coming together to create this film. Sarah Weston who is a member of the Santee Sioux Dakota Tribe here in Flandreau, is co-directing the film with myself. We’ve also got Adam Mastrelli who is flying in from New York to assist with camera work & sound. J.B. & Andy Weston will also be filming from the saddle throughout the entire ride and Jay McKay has already fired up the keyboard for an original score. Zach Graber emailed yesterday and will be lending his post production magic during the editing of the film and there are many more members of the Smooth Feather posse who will be taking part in some way.<br /> <br />So as I write, my ears are popping at 20,000 feet as I approach the Omaha Airport. Adam flies in this week and then Sarah, J.B, Andy, Adam & myself will be assembling for a week of pre-production in Flandreau. Then on Friday we head 12 hours north to Manitoba Canada for our first shoot which will be filming a horse ceremony. Because many Dakota elders from Manitoba will not be able to make the long trip south, this ceremony will allow them to offer their prayers and support. After that we’ll head back to South Dakota and gear up for the 330 mile ride. We'll be sure to update both this blog and the one on www.dakota38.com for the duration of the ride.<br /> <br />Sending big smiles from open Skies,<br /> -SilasUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-55243781146418295922008-08-18T08:41:00.001-07:002008-08-18T08:56:43.354-07:00Back In Life Featured on YouTube<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie03oZk4QvzF0DHgU4XA0sT5KdD_Ref2zyMs5NWVIwtNIbr6gk5U__jsiqaBGxCeE2w4o1vviJQQelFJlbQGkjLYg4_0mweLXxp9w7dhME2lGNHzeRdQLxKfs6KjdDZAp-Rrz5Emz3cX1i/s1600-h/backinLife.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie03oZk4QvzF0DHgU4XA0sT5KdD_Ref2zyMs5NWVIwtNIbr6gk5U__jsiqaBGxCeE2w4o1vviJQQelFJlbQGkjLYg4_0mweLXxp9w7dhME2lGNHzeRdQLxKfs6KjdDZAp-Rrz5Emz3cX1i/s320/backinLife.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235886389840174498" /></a><br />Checking my email last night was quite a trip,....I all of a sudden had about 300 new emails from YouTube in my inbox :) It's such an honor to be a part of this film and to see Zack's inspiring message spread to so many folks around the world. Last night Zack and I had a chat on the phone, and we were both floored by the news. If anyone would like a DVD of this film to pass onto someone who could benefit from it, feel free to<a href="http://www.smoothfeather.com/contactus.html"> give us a shout.</a><br /><br />Thanks also to all of you on YouTube who have shared your thoughts and emotions regarding the film, I can't tell you how much of an honor it is for all of us to read them.<br /><br />Big Smiles,<br /><br />Silas<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rQ0TZ6cxMZM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rQ0TZ6cxMZM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-6416308904540595142008-02-28T22:55:00.000-08:002008-02-28T23:01:12.253-08:00LUSAKA SUNRISE ON YOUTUBE HOMEPAGE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nEkmalsU6u1cxutNZB3EXlcp1KzuEw5p2z5kkGB7U2jRMqPbDpeDlxWKWxE_ARrs5LWnEl-nQ5s4R6fvXt6trCnxoWPF4VwKcGrNgjjj28PmtnE2k0uGoHGCmTy2BzckCNxpjNo0rhN9/s1600-h/YOUTUBE+HOMEPAGE.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nEkmalsU6u1cxutNZB3EXlcp1KzuEw5p2z5kkGB7U2jRMqPbDpeDlxWKWxE_ARrs5LWnEl-nQ5s4R6fvXt6trCnxoWPF4VwKcGrNgjjj28PmtnE2k0uGoHGCmTy2BzckCNxpjNo0rhN9/s320/YOUTUBE+HOMEPAGE.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172292802248925954" /></a><br />Lusaka Sunrise is currently a featured video on the home page of <a href="http://www.youtube.com">YouTube</a> Check it out :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-68220016021241029532008-01-14T20:10:00.001-08:002008-01-14T20:37:13.233-08:00Joes Journey is CompleteMonday, January 14th – 10:30 P.M…..Joe’s Journey is complete! :) Since the amazing premier under the stars we had in Connecticut this past summer many people have given fantastic feedback and helped mold “Joe’s Journey” into what it is today. From Jay McKay’s original soundtrack, to some magic from the Jones Street Boys, to advice from filmic masterminds such as Myles Jewell…we finally felt that it was ready to rock. We sent out the link to Joe this morning and his reply, “I’m watching it right now….You are the BOMB! You're the best. I'm quite emotional” :)<br /><br />You’re the man Joe! :)<br /><br />We’re all looking forward to a premier of “Joe’s Journey” on February 20th in NYC where Joe will be speaking after the screening. We’ll be sure to give the details should anyone want to roll out for it. <br /><br />Until then, we hope you enjoy the film.<br /><br />Big Smiles from fresh flakes in VT,<br /><br />-SilasUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-11971746449431409342007-11-30T09:37:00.003-08:002007-11-30T11:24:42.147-08:00Smooth Feather Headquarters- Middlebury, VermontSo recently a few people in the Smooth Feather posse, Sean Goodwin, Seth Herman, and myself all decided to hunker down for a couple months and crank out some Smooth Feather magic. :) Sean pulled some strings to get an amazing house in the cozy town of Middlebury. We're super excited for this amazing opportunity of creative collaboration and when we're not working on projects we will surely be tearing down the slopes of the glorious Green Mountains. So with that said, if anyone finds themselves anywhere near Middlebury you're more than welcome to drop on by. We've got working space upstairs and a screening theater in the basement :).<br /><br />In other news, if anyone is near Dartmouth NH this weekend there is a great "Lose the Shoes" soccer tournament which is being held by <a href="http://www.grassrootsoccer.org">Grassroot Soccer</a>. Following the event there will be an awards dinner as well as a screening of <a href="http://smoothfeather.blogspot.com/2007/10/lusaka-sunrise-aired-on-znbc.html">Lusaka Sunrise</a>. The soccer is from 12-4 and the dinner is at 6 in anyone is interested in attending.<br /><br />For the next few weeks we're working on finishing up the editing & scoring of our next film <a href="http://smoothfeather.blogspot.com/2007/05/week-with-damons.html">"Joe's Journey"</a>. We'll soon ship it down to our main man <a href="http://www.jaymckay.com">Jay McKay</a> in NYC whom I'm sure will create an amazing score for the film. We'll keep you posted as to when it will be released online.<br /><br />Seeing as though it always seems complete to post a video as part of the blog,... I thought I would pass on this hilarious clip that our good friend Justin McLennan took while hiking in Peru a while back. He couldn't figure out who was yelling until he came across this little guy :) Happy Friday! <P><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VgAXZHMi_ws"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VgAXZHMi_ws" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-89919152156018731572007-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:002007-11-29T08:08:34.216-08:00Margaret Mead, Couch Surfing,.. Generosity :)Last night Jenny Douglas and I were part of the Margaret Mead film festival and it was a fantastic event. Jenny spoke to the crowd of 200 about <a href="http://www.karmatube.org">KarmaTube</a> and rocked the house. I told a few stories of <a href="http://www.smoothfeather.com">Smooth Feather</a> and the best question came from the crowd at the end. One gentlemen asked, "So Silas, how do you afford your apartment?" I smiled and responded with, "Currently I don't have an apartment :)" I have a feeling I may have been the first filmmaker at the festival without a home. Although these days my home seems to be defined by the many glorious couches & kitchen tables that have been generously offered to me over the past months.<br /><br />Speaking of offerings, a recent friend of mine Laurie Meadoff made an offer to Smooth Feather that was over the top! I recently got together with Laurie at her production house NextNext Entertainment in Manhattan . Their work is fantastic and their latest project called <a href="http://www.chattheplanet.com">Hometown Baghdad</a>, is an online documentary series about life during wartime. If you haven't seen it, you should definitely check it out. At any rate, last Thursday we were sitting at her beautiful office in midtown and I began to explain the spirit behind Smooth Feather Productions and how we all resonate with giving with no strings attached. And at the end of the conversation Laurie says with a smiles, "well, we've just had a few people relocate and we've got some extra office space if you'd like it." A ridiculously generous offer! :) So now the Smooth Feather posse may be meeting up for a bit at W 38th on the 18th floor! :) The joys of the gift economy.<br /><br />And if that wasn't enough, Laurie then offered her expertise to help distribute "Back in Life" to many of her network connections at MTV, VH1, HBO and the like. My only request was that we give it away to the networks at no cost, with no strings attached...well one string attached...that no adds interrupt the films :)<br /><br />In other news, we just re-cut an old promo video for <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.com">CouchSurfing.com</a> over the weekend. 6 Years ago Casey Fenton and I put together a video in my backyard in Maine when CouchSurfing was only a crazy idea in Casey's head. Today the site has over 350,000 members world wide and been featured in the NY times and covered by NBC nightly news. CouchSurfing is an amazing worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit....and its free:) <br /><br />Due to some copyright issues of a Sublime song we used 5 years ago I offered to recut the promo piece for CouchSurfing and add a bit more flare to the video :)<br /><br />Feel free to check out the promo here.<br /><br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/488616&feedurl=http%3A//smoothfeather.blip.tv/rss/&autostart=false&brandname=Smooth%20Feather&brandlink=http%3A//smoothfeather.org/" width="420" height="339" allowfullscreen="true" id="showplayer"><param name="movie" value="http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?enablejs=true&file=http%3A//blip.tv/rss/flash/488616&feedurl=http%3A//smoothfeather.blip.tv/rss/&autostart=false&brandname=Smooth%20Feather&brandlink=http%3A//smoothfeather.org/" /><param name="quality" value="best" /></object><br />Big Smiles from NYC,...next Couch...The home of the Jones Street Boys!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-87260497014004152512007-11-04T19:11:00.000-08:002007-11-04T19:53:33.161-08:00Bill Clinton Meets "Lusaka Sunrise" Cast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyO6wxF11R1h5vtLsink-aO5aCyU4uLx_Zew4AaSrdvzwtOHgtWEBrMio0sbpBlYYp4IfSjTIO7_7foQSRWh609fgePM5t5Ss_ORoprLFzVL5Pse1oKNojAXi-YtN20qbvLY_U6rwOuHgn/s1600-h/bill.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyO6wxF11R1h5vtLsink-aO5aCyU4uLx_Zew4AaSrdvzwtOHgtWEBrMio0sbpBlYYp4IfSjTIO7_7foQSRWh609fgePM5t5Ss_ORoprLFzVL5Pse1oKNojAXi-YtN20qbvLY_U6rwOuHgn/s320/bill.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129195453534792754" /></a><br />Completed at this time last year, "Lusaka Sunrise" continues to generate amazing energy in all directions. Bill Clinton recently met up with Victor Mawere in Lusaka and partook in a few Grassroot Soccer games highlighted in the film. Read more about it <a href="http://clintonafrica.org/2007/08/05/standing-together-to-overcome-stigma">here.</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtZ8C0ZzconGbeCs51R50B5l3IitR0uCHmgs_1Nd9Jvv6EYGsQJpXf9G59_1pglOLETVkPaRGG61Mhj_OQV8_b0NyBroeJ7eC_5qw1PmVn955MaO27-v8sVGZ_skoi3I4-S_s0hK7VZ64/s1600-h/ZAMBIA6.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtZ8C0ZzconGbeCs51R50B5l3IitR0uCHmgs_1Nd9Jvv6EYGsQJpXf9G59_1pglOLETVkPaRGG61Mhj_OQV8_b0NyBroeJ7eC_5qw1PmVn955MaO27-v8sVGZ_skoi3I4-S_s0hK7VZ64/s200/ZAMBIA6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129196677600472178" /></a><br /><br><br /><br />"Lusaka Sunrise" will also be screened this Sunday at the Margaret Mead Film Festival in NYC. The event is held at the American Museum of Natural History and begins at 4:30 on Sunday. Myself and Jenny Douglas will be there as part of a panel discussion focusing on user generated content in relation to the internet. It should be an <a href="http://www.amnh.org/programs/mead/mead2007/php/films.php?f=Machine">amazing event</a> and it would be great to see all of you there. I'm sending big smiles from the wild city of NYC. -Silas <br />P.S. Our Smooth Feather Powerhouse Composer Jay McKay, finished the NYC marathon in glorious form today. :) You're the man Jay.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-50457438497136744062007-10-23T00:35:00.000-07:002007-11-04T19:09:50.528-08:00"Lusaka Sunrise" airing on ZNBCWe just recently got amazing news that Lusaka Sunrise was aired on ZNBC to thousands of viewers in Zambia, Africa. Both Ebby and Victor were invited onto the Kwacha Good Morning show and talked about their work of using the power of football to educate youth in Zambia about HIV/AIDS. This is an amazing milestone for "Lusaka Sunrise" and it's so exciting to see that the films powerful message is spreading to those most effected by HIV. Feel free to watch Lusaka Sunrise here and if anyone has any feedback regarding the film, feel free to shoot either Ebby or Victor an email in Zambia. I'm sure they would love to hear from folks across the ocean :) Ebby: ebbymka@yahoo.com, Victor: maweretj@yahoo.com.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kyplef2Hi6Y&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kyplef2Hi6Y&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-92213139136301134052007-09-28T14:57:00.001-07:002007-10-15T18:18:56.983-07:00BACK IN LIFEHere is our most extensive Gift Economy Film as of yet,...after over 300 hours of shooting, editing, scoring and polishing, we present to you.... Back In Life. :) We hope you are as inspired as we are . This weekend we are printing out our first set of 100 DVD's that we plan to send to other quadriplegics that have recently been injured. We'll be sure to keep you updated as things develop with the film. All the best from San Fran, -Silas <script src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.js?mediaId:413101;affiliateId:117699;height:322;width:410;" type="text/javascript"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-8909720104551236042007-09-13T15:46:00.000-07:002007-09-13T16:22:56.918-07:00Signing in from CaliforniaCurrently I’m posted up next to the gift economy wild man <a href="http://www.charityfocus.org/insp/heroes.php?pg=nipun">Nipun Mehta</a> who got me into this crazy lifestyle a year back. :) We’re both at his folks house in Santa Clara where we each took part in a weekly Wednesday night meditation. Every Wednesday for the past 10 years Nipun’s folks have opened their home to anyone who wants to take part in an hour of meditation, followed by a small discussion, and then a glorious meal. It was so powerful to be in the presence of such amazing service and loving people.<br /><br />So I’m planning to be out in the bay area for the next month or so working on developing the online infrastructure of Smooth Feather with Nipun. We’re developing some exciting ideas that will soon allow others to get more actively involved with future productions. <br /><br />In regards to the latest Gift Economy production, two weekends back we offered our service in Cape Cod to the amazing reggae band John Browns Body.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicN-X5V_e4GaJ3nTQhy4CsFaABC8o_RWHCACEECZUVAd_xujlGh99sXRW6wFsgMLfcLuJhPT3M7Vyqhk9_l1KFB4gAdhxTvjxhpddp_G9jU5zPb66DUUDbTDLkKQjwC9-yHtlY8SdAtA7U/s1600-h/MIDNIGHT+RAVERS+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicN-X5V_e4GaJ3nTQhy4CsFaABC8o_RWHCACEECZUVAd_xujlGh99sXRW6wFsgMLfcLuJhPT3M7Vyqhk9_l1KFB4gAdhxTvjxhpddp_G9jU5zPb66DUUDbTDLkKQjwC9-yHtlY8SdAtA7U/s400/MIDNIGHT+RAVERS+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5109832605032234946" /></a><br /> It was a weekend of frisbees, flip flops and sun on our shoulders. :) JBB played two sold out shows at the Beach Comber and on the second night we showed up with the cameras rolling. The show was fantastic and the band was clearly touched with our no strings attached offer. <br /><br />To view the film click below.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kDAxKyjsARU"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kDAxKyjsARU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642956836970893602.post-64647883383352909482007-08-29T09:36:00.000-07:002007-08-29T10:20:57.995-07:00Signing in from Cape CodCurrently I'm out by the edge of a road in Cape Cod barely holding on to a stray wireless signal :) So i'll make this short. Last week was very amazing. I spent 8 days at a summer camp called camp TLC (Teens Living a Challenge) www.jdaf.org which is available for teens living with HIV/AIDS. We had an amazing screening of Lusaka Sunrise www.lusakasunrise.com and the week as a whole was unbelievable. I hope to upload some of the video and photo's taken from the week very soon. We even created a 6 minute murder mystery short :)<br /><br />Yet before the week at TLC, I spent an afternoon with my amazing Uncle Henry Hagerty who is a actor/filmmaker in NYC. Over a glorious Thai food dinner on the upper west side we talked about the gift economy. While walking back to his apartment we both realized that one of his most powerful films was in fact created completely in line with the gift economy's principles. Everyone was volunteer, they worked with what was offered to them, and they focused on the power of a small 6-minute message.<br /><br />So with that said, Henry was floored to add "Easter Clearing" to the Smooth Feather Line up. We're honored and excited to help spread this film's inspiring message.<br /><br />Click below to view the film before its online release through Karmatube.org.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JymUdRQcoq8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JymUdRQcoq8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />And if anyone is in Cape Cod, the Smooth Feather Studio, (my laptop) is set up in Harwich until tuesday of next week.<br /><br />Also our after effects powerhouse Zach Graber www.zgraber.com, has volunteered to create an intro graphic for Smooth Feather. We're very excited to see what he comes up with.<br /><P><br />Big Smiles,<br />SilasUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0