“Either things that we make will overtake us or nature will take over.
“Earthquakes, floods, rain, severe drought, severe winter, lightening destructing, wind destructing.”
— Thomas Banyacya.
Interpreting for Martin G., David M., and the other Elders deep inside the Kiva on an important day in the early 1970s.
My friend Gil T’s mother Laura Nyro wrote the soundtrack song “Broken Rainbow” for this movie.
I did not know him or his mom when I first heard this song.
I didn’t know them when I first saw this film either!
I was surprised and delighted to learn that the woman who wrote “Eli’s Coming” for Three Dog Night was the same woman who wrote this song for Roberta Blackgoat, Pauline Whitesinger, Kee Shay, Katherine Smith — and essentially she wrote it for all of us.
Please watch this movie if you can.
I wish copies of this movie were given to each of the people who are filmed in it. That’s not how the movie industry works though, is it? Roberta got to watch it eventually because Kee Shay went and got a copy on VHS from someone. And then he started showing it to all kinds of people who couldn’t watch it otherwise. Kee even showed it to me when my microbus was stuck in a wash one February day. I’m so thankful I got to watch movies at his house like you wouldn’t know. The places I was living that year didn’t have VCRs, internet, television, electricity or anything. For better or worse. I remember Roberta explaining to me that she is so famous she’s been quoted in dozens of books, and so many movies, but no one gives her copies of any of them. Please help me vow that when we make movies and books about people we will at least give as many free copies to the people we “mined” for them, as we do to our cronies who we hope will help us climb up the ladder over.
I will never take electricity for granted, I will never take water or air for granted. I hope to never take you for granted!
Sometimes I will but I’ll stop myself, because I have in fact vowed that I will never take all this for granted.
That is important. Especially because of the people in Japan who die so that I can type this on a battery powered laptop, recharging in an electrical outlet in a nice warm Starbucks when the weather is sunny and cold.
It’s important because of people in Arizona who die so that Uranium 238 can become Plutinium 239 and I can keep plugging in my laptop any time the battery starts getting low.
I will never take any of these things for granted. I was taking them for granted when a 9.0 Earthquake hit and people were making it so important that they call it an 8.9 instead of a 9.0. I was taking all this for granted when a Tsunami hit and people were trying so hard to say it wasn’t quite as bad as the one in Sumatra; and when many reactors began melting down and exposing radioactive rods as people were trying to say it’s not as bad as Three Mile Island and focusing so much important energy arguing whether this is worse than Chernobyl or not.
Does it matter whether it’s worse or better?
People are dead, plants and animals are dead.
I have the electricity I need and want.
That, my friends is what matters.
When I eat bison chili, or smoked cornbeef, or brisket there is ceremony I can do to thank the animal who gave his life so that I can be nourished and sustained.
We’d better find ceremony to remain thankful for people in Japan who gave their lives up not just under nuclear bombs, but in/near power plants so that we can have electricity at a low subsidized rate.
Ceremony must include people in Arizona who will mine our Uranium, Coal, Molybdenum and Gold so that our way of life can stay maintained.
Broken Rainbow – Part 1 of 7 Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iN3zdpdgvY
Broken Rainbow – Part 2 of 7 Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ7Dua4RZNA
Broken Rainbow – Part 3 of 7 Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBOUBKDvzhQ
Broken Rainbow – Part 4 of 7 Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69-XEN1BTpY
Broken Rainbow – Part 5 of 7 Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtMri7I8D4Y
Broken Rainbow – Part 6 of 7 Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9LctAViabA
Broken Rainbow – Part 7 of 7 Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmhRdYZ0S8c&feature=related