With her fingertips, she holds the wind – a symbol of air calls to her spirit. It is time to release and share her words with the world.
Sacajawea carries mankind on her back for it is her Calling as a Mother, as a Warrior. Pain, heartache and loss show on her hands, the burden of her human experience. But they do not define her Purpose.
With the force of a whirlwind she has come over mighty rivers and magnificent, ominous mountains – determined to reach the Great Water with her prayers. “Holy” prayers, destined to embrace every shore. Sacajawea is awakening us. Her story rides on that wind calling us to something greater than ourselves!
This is her year, and though it has taken us so long to bring her story, in the blink of an eye it is her perfect time – for the world is open to hear.
We cherish your encouragement, your belief and your incredible love for this project. Gather around… let us walk together toward our dream, and hers, in 2019.
Powerful sketch by Marcia K Moore, concept artist for the epic film, Sacajawea, The Windcatcher.
One night in 2014, I was awakened from a deep sleep. At the time, I was in Los Angeles, trying to get the multimillion dollar movie, Sacajawea, The Windcatcher, produced. I thought that was why I had to go there, why I had to “disrupt” my life in Washington and give it everything I had…
… But, that night at 3 AM, it all changed. I sat up in bed and reached for the script I always had lying beside me, ready to write down spirit words that sometimes came in the night. This night, however, the words and the energy I felt were more powerful; they were innately vital to where the film project was going:
“Embrace the world with love words, and the world will be changed.”
I wouldn’t fully know what that message meant until several years later. But, one thing I believed that night, the project purpose had shifted in my limited understanding, to something far greater.
In 2018, the light began to shine brighter. Circumstances were happening in the world — both dark and light — that were moving us to an “awakening” space. Women were stepping forward, beginning to take their rightful place with bold resolve. But, when the injustices to Indigenous women, who were lost, stolen, abused and even murdered, were being reported around the world, I was so distraught. For, I realized Sacajawea was, in fact, one of them. The revealed meaning of her story became more transparent, the messages in the night became more profound, the waking-up of women and Sacajawea’s undaunted efforts to come to us in our time became more Spiritual. All are part of the change we seek for humanity. Her destiny rings true for Love, Peace and Oneness, something we long for in our souls.
Illumination — So, we end this year and begin the next, to align ourselves with others on the same journey. As we continue to produce this enormous film, we want everyone to experience the journey with us – for it is magical! One of our first steps is to honor the women’s movement, shine a light on the plight of Indigenous women around the world, tapping into the warrior woman spirit that is awakening.
Today, we embrace the world with “love words” so the world will continue to change! Our new website, WarriorWomanSpirit.com, is launched to carry the stories of warrior women who lift and heal us all. We invite you to read our very first blog post by Susan Hickman Sater, “Even in despair, you can rise!” at:
After you read the blog, visit the website contact page, fill in the form and connect with us – we want you to tell your story to help others. Our passion is to post the stories of 100 women! Please help by sharing these links and posts with your friends and contacts. Thank you so very much!
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.”
Scene Description: It is August 17, 1805, Camp Fortunate, Shoshoni camp. After a long and arduous trek, Sacajawea’s uncle (brother) Chief Cameahwait, tells her she cannot stay with her people because she has a child and belongs to the “white man.” This is the darkest, most hurtful moment in the young woman’s life. She’s given up everything to get back home. When she was first taken by the Hidatsa, her life was harsh as a slave, but things got better, she developed a friendship with Otter Woman, and she was safe, warm and fed. Her choice to go on this harrowing journey was motivated by love for the future husband she’d left behind. Until this very moment, she truly believed he would surely be waiting, no matter what, and he would want her back. It was hard to see the blessing…
There are many horrendous experiences in Sacajawea’s story that would cause most people today to give up. Hiking for 26 days in the pouring rain, without cover, and carrying a crying baby on her back, was not for the faint-of-heart. Many people today could not imagine a life without running water or an electric stove. They’d be devastated without a roof over their head, a TV or the latest cell phone in their hand. Today, our day-to-day needs are taken for granted, and without even the simplest modern convenience, many have believed their life was over – with nothing to live for.
Artwork by Marcia K. Moore, Production Artist
But, our greatest strength is our inner fortitude, our ability to spiritually see beyond our current experience, good or bad, and know that in truth our every need is taken care of – even the birds of the air are clothed in splendor. Yes, there are consequences to our decisions, and, unfortunately, the decisions others make for us. But, Sacajawea had a driving force within to push her toward the unknown. And, when she realized she could not stay, it moved her to another place. She could have ignored Cameahwait’s words, with great heartache ahead, or she could have listened to her intuition, her Spirit’s call, and walked on, believing in faith there was a greater purpose…
Sacajawea, The Windcatcher, shows us something if we are open to see. If Sacajawea had made a different choice and stayed with her people anyway, she probably would not have been an icon of history and we would not have heard her message of Oneness and Love through this story today.
The Indigenous truth, “The end is the beginning,” creates a continuous circle, which is part of Nature. It will not and cannot be broken, it is infinite. Our experiences in life cause us to make choices. When we dwell on our heartache and needs “as lacking,” we miss what is there for us, and we hide our own blessings – blessings that may extend to future generations. ~ Spirit Wind
“A strong woman is one who deeply loves. Fiercely, her tears flow as abundantly as her laughter. A strong woman is both soft and powerful. She is both practical and spiritual. A strong woman in her essence is a gift to the world.” ~Native American saying
There are two very prominent Native American women in our country’s history. Pocahontas has been in the spotlight many times. We have seen her depicted in biographies, movies, children’s animated films — her life has been shared over and over again. We have formed an understanding of who she was, what she did and how she lived.
Art by Marcia K. Moore – Official Artist for the Sacajawea project
But, the other prominent Native American woman, Sacajawea, is a mystery. There are a few lines about her in history books as she relates to the Corps of Discovery. We know her name, yet it is controversial. We know how long she lived, yet it is controversial. We know she was Shoshone, yet it is controversial… It is hard to know what to share because so many opinions and traditions dance around her existence.
But, what we do know is that from a young age this girl suffered greatly when she was ripped from her family and tossed into a different culture of people and a world with white men. Who would have ever thought this stolen child would be given an opportunity to contribute to the birth of a Nation?
Sacajawea deserves to be recognized and honored. If we look deeply, there are many things that are not controversial at all. She became a strong woman and survived horrendous experiences. She was a devoted mother who cared for her young son and later her daughter. She respected the earth and its riches and knew what would sustain her. She had a betrothed but was forced to have a child with an abusive Frenchman. Sacajawea was highly respected by the soldiers and they even wrote about her in the Lewis & Clark journals. She was a warrior for peace.
With the documented history and thrilling adventure of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, we have created an intriguing backdrop for the character of Sacajawea based on what we know, based on the traditions of her people and other tribes, and based on the time period. But, the greatest element of this story, that is evident from both her journey and ours, is Sacajawea’s own determined and transparent Spirit — and her willingness to share it with us.
This is the UNTOLD story of Sacajawea. Welcome to the journey! Please FOLLOW this blog for updates on the project.
Can you imagine what she thought as her moccasins took each harrowing step? Rain pounded her head with no cover for 26 days. Her baby was hungry and she fed him. The men were starving and she showed them where to find wild vegetables. She wore vermillion on her face because it said to other tribes, “We come in peace.” This saved all their lives.
Sacajawea was kidnapped, abused, enslaved, and traded as property. Yet, when she finally made it to the Great Water, she found the unselfish strength to pray that we would remember something — “The Earth is our Home and we are One.”
This is the purpose of Sacajawea and why she’s brought her message forward to a world in need of remembering. She made a powerful effort to get our attention, and we are so very privileged to give her a voice.
Please join us in this enormous and inspiring effort by contacting us through the BLOG contact page. Walk with us on this journey of discovery.
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: January 1806 – the explorers are making one of their last journeys to the ocean before returning east. Sacajawea has not yet seen the ocean. Though she tells Captain Clark, “It will be too hard not to see the Great Water after coming so far,” the deeper reason is her spiritual calling… she has to see the “Big Fish” on the shore.
Sacajawea stands on Tillamook Head looking down at the wide expanse of the magnificent beach. Her eyes scan the endless horizon, breath-taking waves crash one after the other onto the infinite shoreline. Her heart pounds when she sees enormous whales splashing and playing in the Great Water. She tears at the sight of the lifeless whale stuck in the sand… its rib cage picked clean, its bones reaching toward the sky. Sacajawea closes her eyes in awe of the majestic spirit. She prays with reverence, “Thank you, Great Father.”
The actual beach where Sacajawea stood inside the ribs of the “Big Fish.”
The purpose of the whale in the screenplay, SACAJAWEA, The Windcatcher, is to show Sacajawea’s deep spiritual connection to creation and the literal world that crosses her path, both light and dark. The Spirit Whale helps her bridge the expanse of miles to the family she had to leave behind. She is able to face her true feelings and emotions from her losses, and embrace the Great Spirit’s purpose for her life. To her, seeing the whales in the water and on the beach had a much deeper meaning.
The fascinating and thought-provoking fact, as the journals tell us, the whales were swimming and breaching in the water, the beached whale truly was on the shore with its rib cage in the sand, the Clatsop Indians did tell the soldiers it was there, Sacajawea actually stood up for herself and said she had to see the Big Fish… This is not a made-up event, it is actual and Spiritual. The most astounding revelation is that we have been entrusted, through this powerful scene, with a glimpse of Creator and how he worked in Sacajawea’s life – and, how she embraced her own intuition and her true calling. It also gives us a look into the future and assures us Creator is always at work moving us toward the light.
Sacajawea made it to the Great Water, and in the film, it becomes the purpose of her life that transcends generations. It is the end of our story, but, as spirituality shows us every day, “The end… is the beginning.” Though darkness followed through history, it is from this reality that we claim the message for us today: The whale is a wisdom-holder, a keeper-of-history, and a way-shower for Sacajawea’s rebirth… and our own. ~ Spirit Wind
INTERESTING SYNERGY FACT – Sacajawea was born in Salmon, Idaho. Little did she know that the basalt rock she hiked, called Tillamook Head, was actually a tilted remnant of a basalt lava flow that had traveled down the Columbia River, 15-million-years before. And, incredibly, the flow originated in Idaho, Sacajawea’s “home.” So, as she gazed out at the great water from that 1000 foot high cliff, she was, in fact, standing on her own land. Now isn’t that amazing!
Scene Description:
From the moment Sacajawea’s story begins, an eagle leads… He watches her, alone in a small tipi at the edge of the mountains. He follows her path when she is stolen away and made a slave. He is there when she finds a way home to her people. He guides her to them and gives her strength through great heartache when she cannot stay. He waits for her to come to him, and brings her to another soul — a soul who needs her love. And, when she finally reaches the Great Water and her destiny is revealed, the eagle rests, watching from a tall evergreen tree… carrying her prayers of Love on its wings.
Sacajawea sees the eagle through the smokey tipi hole.
Final Thoughts: In the screenplay, SACAJAWEA, The Windcatcher, we see powerful metaphors and deeper meanings that give us something to see, “if” we will see. Life does not appear to give us “light” all the time, yet light is never gone. As a very young child, Sacajawea did not know the eagle traveled with her, nor did she understand his teachings. But, as she grew into a young woman, on her moon time journey, she prayed for Creator to guide her way… not knowing the harrowing path that was ahead. But, the teachings from her people kept her grounded and focused. She believed and trusted in her guide, her teacher, that led her to Love. Love for all and love for self – a balancing of the human being and the human soul.
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
With her fingertips, she holds the wind – a symbol of air calls to her spirit. It is time to release and share her words with the world.
being reported around the world, I was so distraught. For, I realized Sacajawea was, in fact, one of them. The revealed meaning of her story became more transparent, the messages in the night became more profound, the waking-up of women and Sacajawea’s undaunted efforts to come to us in our time became more Spiritual. All are part of the change we seek for humanity. Her destiny rings true for Love, Peace and Oneness, something we long for in our souls.
Illumination — So, we end this year and begin the next, to align ourselves with others on the same journey. As we continue to produce this enormous film, we want everyone to experience the journey with us – for it is magical! One of our first steps is to honor the women’s movement, shine a light on the plight of Indigenous women around the world, tapping into the warrior woman spirit that is awakening.
Sacajawea was kidnapped, abused, enslaved, and traded as property. Yet, when she finally made it to the Great Water, she found the 
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:
OFFICIAL BLOG 