From Sacajawea, The Windcatcher – It is June, 1805, along the Missouri River. Sacajawea’s fever is broken after being deathly sick. She sits on a rock in the shallows of the river, cleansing herself, braiding her hair and preparing her face in the tradition of her people.
At the edge of the trees, Captain Clark waits, guarding with his gun ready. He looks the other way from Sacajawea, his eyes scanning into the forest.
Suddenly, he is startled when the girl appears from nowhere, next to him. “You are better!” he says with great relief. He looks closely at the vermilion lines drawn across her forehead and in the part of her hair. “What do these markings mean?”
Sacajawea smiles, “It is from my people, to show how we walk. It means, the Spirit is with us. It says we come in peace.”
Captain Clark’s face softens when he realizes Sacajawea has been wearing the vermilion the entire journey. And, because of her, all the tribes they’ve met along the way knew they were peaceful…
Sacajawea was true to herself and her traditions. She walked with love and an innate knowing that “in peace” we find Creator – though she was not afraid to do what’s right, even if it caused discontent. For Sacajawea was very aware of light and dark, as one cannot exist without the other. She also knew that peace would not be a relevant truth without chaos.
Sacajawea’s Symbol of Peace
The question is, which one leads us and what will we leave behind for others? Sacajawea knew the explorers would be killed if she did not go before them, proclaiming the “peaceful” traditions of her people.
Peace, as Love, isa noun (a thing) anda verb (an action),and therefore,they hold Infiniteand Universalpower in allWorlds...
“The language of the People makes my heart soar like a hawk.”
~ Chief Dan George
Spirit Chief says a prayer in Shoshoni for Sacajawea’s journey.
SACAJAWEA, The Windcatcher, gives us a unique opportunity to share with the world important languages that deserve to be protected and preserved.
Many Indigenous cultural dialects depicted in the Sacajawea story, have never been heard by most modern day people. The languages include: Shoshoni, Hidatsa, Mandan, Blackfeet, Nez Perce, Flathead, Snake and Clatsop.
As Lewis and Clark history records, one of the most moving encounters was when the captains needed horses from the Shoshoni to traverse the mountains. Sacajawea’s language proficiency was why she was on the expedition. They interpreted from Shoshoni (Sacajawea) to Hidatsa (Charbonneau, Sacajawea’s husband) to French (Private Labiche) to English. This exchange will create a powerful and meaningful scene in this majestic film.
Along with Sacajawea’s knowledge of Shoshoni and Hidatsa, we will show how she gradually learned English to help communicate throughout the story.
Sacajawea listens in Shoshoni to her Spirit Chief.
Other interpreters on the expedition included corps members: Private Labiche and George Drouillard, and a French fur trapper, Rene Jessaume. All these men were proficient in sign language and spoke English and French.
We will strive to present these languages creatively, using the universal sign language familiar at the time – to bridge the gap between understanding. Dialogue will be subtitled so we actually hear the words of the People in their own language, allowing the audience to participate more authentically in this emotional, epic adventure.
Soon, we will be sharing new members of our team who will help to bring our passion for authenticity through language to the world! Think of that, the WORLD will hear the words of Indigenous people from 1805, and a new awakening will begin!
Darkness revealing light is what Sacajawea’s life shows us… She was a Native American woman from 1805. She was a stolen child, an orphan, a slave – abused and forced in so many ways.
Sacajawea had no voice and she saw hardship throughout her young days. She was sometimes sick and mostly sad, and her husband tried at every turn to control her fate based on his own selfish Will.
Throughout Sacajawea, The Windcatcher, we sense that this young woman’s greater self is at work. Yes, she uses her knowledge of tradition, ceremony and Mother Earth to be an important and valuable member of the expedition. But, we also sense something deeper – she claims a great wisdom in her spirit, even before she knows it. She walks this dark, harrowing quest, until she awakens to the sun and finds it is her own brilliant light.
We are going through the darkness right now in our own lives. But, it is different than usual, because we are all, collectively, walking together with the same pain, sadness, worry and fear with COVID-19… It is a wonder how we can be so at odds, when we could choose to awaken and love each other, no matter what. If we claimed our wisdom, we would find a light to guide us out of this place together.
History tells us, life was not easy or perfect for Sacajawea. And, though she may not have understood it in words, her Elders had taught her from a young age about the darkness and the light on EVERY path. It didn’t matter what was happening around her, she came to believe she was walking where she was called to go. I wonder if she ever imagined that her illuminating light would be seen for generations – that her spirit would be felt, for all time!
Through the darkest spaces, Sacajawea continues to see the sun…and so can we. Come with us, let us walk toward that sun, let us learn through our darkest times that we are all One, and we can get through this together. Let us become aware of our own magnificent and transparent Light. ~ Spirit Wind
What will you do in your life? Will you just exist day to day or will you venture out, being a watcher of your heart? What do know, what is written there that you cannot ignore? And are you willing to go the distance?
Sacajawea, The Windcatcheris a journey of one woman’s life, yet as watchers of Sacajawea’s life, we bring her journey to ourselves.
She walked, she talked, she sang, she prayed on smoke to the Great Father. She knew joy and she knew pain… indeed, she had a dream written on her heart that she could see.
Over the last 31 years, I have visited many places where she had been, and I have felt her spirit with me. From Three Forks, MT, where she was kidnapped, to the Hidatsa village site in North Dakota, where cranes danced above my head, to the Oregon beaches where she saw a great whale and sent her prayers to every shore.
Take the visual journey of the places she has been, and as you see each photo, be a watcher of her dream. This is to be an epic film about a brief moment of time in the life of this soul who lived. Yes, she lived and loved… and had a dream we are making real.
Scene Description: Boinair’s (Sacajawea) life as a child is filled with love, family and friends… Her people are nomadic, following the buffalo in season. Sometimes food is abundant, and other times scarce – but always they believe the Great Spirit cares for them and brings them everything they need. After four years of captivity, Sacajawea returns to her people with the Corps of Discovery. She longs for the man she loves and believes he is waiting for her return. It is hard to see so many loved ones gone – stolen or worse. Her tribe is hungry, waiting for the buffalo hunt, and mourning their many lost. Her family embraces her, but something in her young life is about to change — something she doesn’t expect that nearly crushes her spirit. A broken heart is the worse pain of all.
Artwork by Marcia K. Moore, Production Artist
It is for “Women” that Sacajawea brings her story to us in our time. It is humbling to share how her spirit has been essential to my own life and growth. She has touched me in so many ways…
When I was a little girl, I was loved and cared for by family and friends. I had a nurturing mother and father who did not fight or abuse me – they were the embodiment of loving kindness and gentle spirits.
When I was 20 years old, I was married in a flowing, white gown, to a man I loved with all my young heart. I thought my life would continue in peace and harmony. We would have children and raise them to be strong and good in every way, with a mommy and daddy to love them.
Let me just say….
The spirit realm and Creator work in mysterious ways. From our deepest self, we call what we need to learn for the path we have been given. Sometimes it takes a lifetime of pain before we realize that — sometimes we never see. I did not know at the time of my marriage, that my path would lead me to write the story of Sacajawea, and I did not know her spirit was with me already. At the time, my life was easy and filled with light. Deep darkness had not shown its face, and because of that, I was not yet whole…
After nearly four years of marriage we had a beautiful daughter — and a couple years later, a son. Life seemed to be unfolding before me just as I had expected…
The Great Mystery…
I tell this story to show you how Spirit works in our lives. No matter how dark it gets, Creator wants to give us the desires of our hearts. In order for us to truly see, we must understand, circumspectly, the light and the dark, for both are the desires we seek to learn from. Only in that way, can we transparently embrace what Creator has for us…
So, I want to tell you about the moment I realized there was deep darkness in the world. If someone had asked me if the world was dark, I would have said, “Yes, of course,” not wanting to appear naïve, “There is sadness everywhere.” But, I would not have truly known, because up to this point at 27 years old, I was not able to know.
It was the beginning of summer… My baby was 6 months old and my daughter was 2 ½. We were gearing up for a wonderful season of walks with the stroller and trips to my parent’s lake cabin. It seems surreal, looking back — but one day in time, through a brave, caring soul, I learned my husband was unfaithful.
Sitting on the porch that night, knowing he was with someone else, was the most horrific and devastating night of my life. I cried, I screamed, I prayed, I was confused, I didn’t understand… My heart was turning inside-out and ripping apart. I was so alone. And, yet, not alone — I literally felt something pressing down on my right shoulder, and I thought it must be the hand of God.
The Universe at work…
It would be 25 years before I would write Sacajawea’s story, and before I would become aware of her presence in my life. But, once I woke up to that awareness, everything made sense — I realized and recognized what I felt that night pressing down on me…
It was her sweet spirit. I have felt it many times since. She cried with me then, in my darkest hour.
That night, I learned something. That night, I became whole. That night, I had to walk on, for even though I didn’t know it, the true love of my life was to come. It was many years before I could completely break down the barriers and hurts from my broken heart, but forgiveness helped me heal with a clearer vision of pure love.
As with Sacajawea, she believed her betrothed would love her forever – he’d accept her back if she could get home. But, that was not her path…
I never would have known what Sacajawea felt if I had not experienced what I did in my life. I was Called to write her story, and I was given the tools I needed along the way. We have to trust Creator. The step we take after heartache is our choice. As women, no matter what happens on our journey, we are created to be nurturers, caretakers and givers-of-life. How will we use what we are shown, how will we grow from it, how will we share ourselves with others to fulfill our rightful place?
Even in the midst of Sacajawea’s greatest heartache, she made a choice. She walked on. She rose to a new purpose. She was Called, and answered the Call, to bring her story to us in our time… Sacajawea shows us transparent Love, Light and Peace, and that is what will empower and change the world. ~ Jane L. Fitzpatrick
“The honor of the people lies in the moccasin tracks of the women.”
The powerful emotion and purpose that drives this feature film will grab hearts everywhere — and not let go. With the harrowing and rugged backdrop of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the “look and feel” of this film will rival The Revenant… And, its awe-inspiring landscapes and magnificent, epic beauty, will remind us of the momentous and unforgettable production of Dances With Wolves.
Sacajawea, The Windcatcher, is the untold story of the brave woman who accompanied the Corps of Discovery. Though most of us have heard her name, her life has never been depicted in a feature film. After more than 200 years, we are privileged in our generation to finally know the heart of this great spirit. For we have given her a voice and through her eyes, we will see history as never before.
Sacajawea is a mystery, yet she is relevant for today. She walked with joy and she walked with pain… from her deepest, darkest cave, we will learn about the power of light.
This film is based on a true story and inspired by the journals of the Lewis & Clark expedition.
Scene Description:
It is April 1805. The corps has left Fort Mandan and the icy winter behind. Everything is changing after the snow-melt, as nature comes alive. New leaves poke from tree branches, grass grows before their eyes and wildflowers bud and bloom. The long days are filled with soldiers pushing the packed boats up the Missouri River toward the unseen promise of the mountains. Some of the men walk on the banks pulling the boats with ropes through calm and rough waters – pushing and pulling, maneuvering the load. It is exhausting.
Sacajawea walks on the shore with Pomp in his cradleboard on her back… When she cannot go another step she rides, letting the soldiers pull her canoe against the current. At times the river is simply a small stream of water trickling toward them from the hills, causing the men to drag the boats across the dry and rocky terrain. The struggle is real and the destination is unknown, the circumstances are nearly unbearable…
Final Thoughts:
There is a powerful metaphor for life in the screenplay, SACAJAWEA, The Windcatcher. One might ask, “Why didn’t the soldiers take horses from Saint Louis to Fort Mandan to the mountains, then make canoes and sail down the river, with the current, to the Great Water?” As with life, they didn’t understand the terms of the journey, they didn’t know what was ahead, they didn’t realize the land was so massive, the mountains so high and the trek so dangerous. Life never gives us all the facts upfront. Sacajawea and these men pushed and pulled their way, struggled and labored with chaos lurking around every corner.
Finally, they left their boats behind, bargained for horses with the Shoshoni and traversed the treacherous, snow-capped mountains to the other side. Weak, starving and vulnerable, the explorers came across the Nez Perce village. They did not know if the tribe was friendly. But the Nez Perce ended up helping them build canoes for the downward flow to the mighty Columbia River – and, ultimately, to the Great Water.
No one’s life is easy, we must go through countless trials, poor decisions, undeserved pain, but there should be no regrets and no judgment. Miraculously, when we least expect it, someone comes along to help… Our greatest strength is to have faith and believe in the journey, for that belief is stronger than any foe. We all push and pull our way, but when we learn to let it go, we begin to recognize the miracles, and our love, like the Great Water, flows out to the entire world. ~ Spirit Wind
Growing up, I never imagined life would take me on a journey that required absolute belief. Not belief in a thing or a person, but belief in something unseen, intangible and abstract…. A belief requiring the willingness to step outside of my mind. It has taken much prayer, walking even though I didn’t know or understand — it has taken sacrifice and faith to know what I have been called to do…
This woman, Sacajawea, is a determined spirit. She has the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a wolf — she flies on eagle’s wings and rides the wind through time and space. Unseen, yes… intangible, yes… abstract, yes…. and absolutely real.
We are here to tell the untold story of Sacajawea. She has drawn a talented and creative team with A-list film industry credentials from the very top! Windcatcher will rival the “look and feel” of the “The Revenant,” and touch the “heart and soul” for generations, as “Dances With Wolves.”
If there is one thing I have learned throughout my life, it is that the mind is as mortal as the body… it’s our spirit that carries us in this life, connecting through intuition and transparent belief — and that is forever.
The powerful emotion and purpose that drives this feature film will grab hearts everywhere — and not let go. With the harrowing and rugged backdrop of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the “look and feel” of this film will rival The Revenant … And, its awe-inspiring landscapes and magnificent, epic beauty, will remind us of the momentous and unforgettable production of Dances With Wolves.
Final Thoughts:
This woman, Sacajawea, is a determined spirit. She has the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a wolf — she flies on eagle’s wings and rides the wind through time and space. Unseen, yes… intangible, yes… abstract, yes…. and absolutely real.
OFFICIAL BLOG 