We Are Birds
From the left: Aubrey Hicks, Chris Finley, Frankie Morreo, Derek Duro, Jonathan Schwartz, Joanelle Romero, and Albert Chacon
“Ay, every generation, every man is a part of his past.
He cannot escape it, but he may reform the old materials, make something new –”
– Rudolfo Anaya
For many indigenous people living in the US today, the past had been cut off from them. We Are BirdsDirector Albert Chacon discovered this history through the tradition of birdsinging – bird songs are the oral tradition of passing down the family’s story through song and dance. The old rituals designed to keep history and spirit of the family and tribe alive.
As Chacon discovered the traditions, he began talking with other birdsingers and discovered others in the same situation. There men and women were also finding out about their history through this tradition and building new ways to (re)create ritual and community meaning. We Are Birdsis the result of interviews at powwows and other events on Southern California reservations.
Here is our conversation with Chacon and several birdsingers in this documentary. Thanks to so much to everyone involved in the podcast, what a joyous conversation!
If you haven’t seen the documentary, beware, we do talk about the whole film and there may be spoilers.
Host Jonathan Schwartz is joined by :
Albert Chacon(Writer, Director, Editor)
Derek Duro(Head Birdsinger, Dancer)
Frankie Morreo(Birdsinger, Dancer)
Joanelle Romero(Founder, CEO Red Nation Celebration Inst, Red Nation Film Festival)
Chris Finley(USC Assistant Professor of American Studies & Ethnicity)
If you haven’t seen the documentary, beware, we do talk about the whole film and there may be spoilers.
@BedrosianCenter, @jonHLYP, @CaliNDN , @NDNCinema
Links
Watch the film on vimeo!
We Are Birds on Facebook
Tribal Nations Maps
The Exiles
Listen to individual episodes on the Price Projection Room page, or subscribe at ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting app.
