Tag: A woman’s story

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Higher Ground

Night great water

Boinair (Sacajawea) faced many hardships in her life. Though we have spoken of them before in this blog, we want to look at her life in a different way. It is 1800, in the early morning hours of a dark, sad day. Boinair has been stolen away from those she loves.

20191029_101115When she awakens, she finds her wrists and ankles are bound, and she is tied to a tree. Young women and children sob and cry around her, they are hungry and hurting both inside and out. Through yesterday’s chaos, Boinair remembers catching sight of her mother and grandmother, and wonders if she will ever see them again… Her world has turned dark, and she can only think of one thing – how to escape!

Thoughts for today…

“If Sacajawea’s life had been easy, we may never have seen her spirit revealed to us in our time. She may never have become the icon she is today, to the children’s children of the world.”

If she had grown up on the prairie and the mountains, married her betrothed, had children and lived happily-ever-after, we most likely would never have heard her name – and her existence would have been lost in time.

Saca chief wonderingIronically, it is the darkness around her that made us aware of her light. She was stolen away – and in that terrible moment, our story began…

 

Sacajawea’s trials and tribulations opened doors that she never imaged existed. She knew her Spirit was unstoppable because she was able to recognize a powerful path through the darkness by Being the light, and that is a divine trait.

She was strong to stand her ground, and even though she was a Native American woman in 1805, with all the injustice and prejudice around her, she refused to succumb to it. Sacajawea was “awake and aware.” Her ego did not guide her, for she knew she had a higher calling, from a higher Being, and there was a higher ground to walk.

It is a choice we make when we see something greater in ourselves and in humanity. Though, like Sacajawea’s life, our world seems chaotic at the moment. But, nothing is more powerful than our own choice to change it.

~ Spirit Wind

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I remember my vision from when I was a young girl –

From Sacajawea, The Windcatcher – A Novel by Jane L. Fitzpatrick

Sacajawea shell

“I saw myself sitting on a narrow strip of land that seemed to never end, weaving along the edge of the sea. Water crashed and climbed over the sand, again and again, creeping up higher toward me.

A mist hung in the sky and there was no definition between it and the earth. It danced with foggy shades of blue, red and gold. The sound was like the rhythm of wind and rain pounding, crashing through a forest, yet, there were no trees. White birds cried with shrill voices, climbing and diving in freedom, transparent in their existence…

An Elder of my people was with me – though I had never seen him before. We sat together by a roaring fire. He took two diamond-shaped shells from his pouch and gave them to me. I followed his caring eyes and I will never forget his words. He told me, ‘These shells were tossed back and forth for ages in the great sea. The sand and rolling waves made the edges smooth and easy to carve into these shapes. You are like the shell, young one. Remember this, for it is part of your journey.’

I believe in visions. I believe they can mirror our path, but I do not know how. I breathe deeply and my heart begins to pound. I lick the shell and taste the salt… a mystery. There is a remembering, like I know something in my soul, yes, something to come.”

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Hope, Faith, Belief in the Path…

Sometimes we get discouraged, we look at others who seem to be getting all the breaks of success. But, most people who reach their dreams have faced “the hard” along the way. The explorers of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were no different…

As Sacajawea and the explorers canoed down the Columbia River, they were exhausted and discouraged. But, hope revived when they began to see driftwood float passed their canoes, despite the piercing wind and pounding rain. The choppy current was strong, forcing them to shore…. a shore that had no bank.

Dismal Nitch

The only thing they could do was climb to the top of a huge pile of gnarly driftwood stuck in the bushes. It bobbed and shifted under them. They tied their canoes and baggage around the edge and that was where they ate and slept. Day after day, night after night – cold and wet in that dismal place. That is why Captain Clark named it “Dismal Nitch.”

But, then, the storm passed and they were finally able to move on. Edging the shoreline they worked their way in the rough water to a high cliff jutting out into the river’s mouth. Climbing up loose dirt, brush and rocks, they struggled to reach the top. The salt air and seagulls gave them hope for a view of the Great Water…

Cape Disappointment

 

But, it was not yet to be, for all they could see was a thick wall of fog. Yes, they were disappointed, they had come so far. And, the name of that place mirrored their feelings, “Cape Disappointment.”

Like those hopeful explorers, we are also called to walk a journey with unflinching faith – to believe in things unseen. We’ve been hurt and we’ve had difficult choices to make, sometimes blindly. But those who are “called” to something life-changing, must be willing to go to the edge. It is not for the faint of heart.

Sacajawea has many things to teach us from her incredible, adventurous path.

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Caring Heart of a Warrior

Scene Description from Sacajawea, The Windcatcher:
Just as the explorers reach the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, they are awed by a massive flock of sandhill cranes thundering through the clouds. Captain Clark takes aim from his canoe, shooting a huge crane from the sky. Seaman, Lewis’ black Newfoundland, jumps from the boat to retrieve the bird.

What is she thinking cropWithin moments, screaming and wailing rise from an abandoned village nearby. The men on shore run toward the huts where a group of Snake women and children huddle together – they are terrified that the bird was killed in flight by a loud, unfamiliar blast. They believe the white men will kill them, too.

The captains call Sacajawea to come, and without pause, she enters the hut. She speaks to the women and children with care in her Shoshoni language, which is close to the Snake words, and everyone is calmed…

There are so many examples of Sacajawea’s depth-of-character depicted in the screenplay, Sacajawea, The Windcatcher. She never allowed a judgment of color, creed or religion to keep her true heart from being free as she walked the expedition. This scene with the frightened women and children in the abandoned village shows us her true spirit.

sketch WOMEN
Otter Woman and Sacajawea – Concept Artwork by Marcia K. Moore

At this point, the explorers had already encountered many people and dangers along the way. They had seen her caring warrior spirit multiple times and the soldiers had built great respect for Sacajawea. This scene shows how they counted on the peacemaker she embodied. Indeed, she was a bridge for them in their time, and her spiritual story is a bridge for us, in ours. We, as One People, are awakening to hear.

ONWARD!
Spirit Wind

#warriorwomanspirit

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Power in Diversity

Scene Description from Sacajawea, The Windcatcher:  As the story of Sacajawea unfolds across this harrowing trek, we get to know the characters. Their spirits and energies move together with surprising unity, despite the circumstances. They are an uncommon and diverse group considering it is 1805, when African Americans and Native Americans are treated as slaves and many of the soldiers are of “mixed blood.” Yet, there is something compelling about this snapshot-in-time and the adventure they find themselves in, together.

Explorers and Native Americans

Instead of focusing on a particular scene, we are embracing the relationship between three unlikely counterparts: Sacajawea, Captain Clark and Clark’s black slave, York. Life’s journey for Sacajawea and York mirror one another as they know what it is like to be abused, sold or traded at a white man’s whim. In their diversity, their relationship is powerful because they have seen much pain, yet they are both compassionate and caring to all, no matter what their race or status.

Sacajawea is a peacemaker and a guide. By finding wild foods and medicinal plants, she cares for them all. Clark is Sacajawea’s protector on several occasions, and York helps her in many ways, especially with her child. York is also Captain Clark’s protector, and Clark trusts him, maybe for the first time in his life, to carry a gun and scout alone to assure the safety of the group. There is great respect between them all and we see it play out even past the end of the journey…

We can learn much from the Corps of Discovery. Certainly, the literal lessons of survival and pursuit, driven by a will to live and the courage to make it over the ominous mountains. But, the character snapshot captured in the Sacajawea film, has so many more implications to who we are as Spiritual Beings.

If this small group of diverse individuals can move beyond their prejudice and ignorance of the time period, even for just a little while, and come together for incredible success, then we absolutely know acceptance of diversity has the power to change the world.

It is our fervent hope that those watching this majestic film one day, will embrace something that goes beyond the literal, something that is not defined by the frail mind of opinion and judgment. But, instead, that we all will recognize the infinite vibration and energy that is already here, waiting for us to AWAKEN, calling for us to come together. Indeed, believing in who we really are and showing us the way – if we will just embrace it and listen.

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Transparent Belief

Scene Description from Sacajawea, the Windcatcher: 
It is summer, 1805. Sacajawea and the men are searching for the Shoshoni village so they can trade for the horses they need to cross the mountains. Though Sacajawea has been away for four years, she remembers the landscapes, the wild vegetables growing in the meadows, the summer rains. She also remembers the loss of her family, the harsh realities of her life and starvation while her people waited for the buffalo to return. Sacajawea does not forget her teachings and despite the hard memories, she stays true to her belief.

The men pull and push the canoes up the rushing river. And, sometimes they drag the boats, loaded with their baggage, through the rocky dirt because the water is just a trickle. They push on, as they are ordered to do by the captains…

Beaver Head art 2One day, Sacajawea literally jumps for joy when she recognizes Beaver’s Head rock shooting up from the plains. They are near the summer camp of her people! The men see this as, “getting closer to the horses they need.” While Sacajawea sees it in a much deeper way. Through her transparent belief, she claims whatever answers are before her because she knows everything comes from the Great Father…

Sacajawea’s people relied on their Belief to exist. Their circumstance was not always easy. They followed the buffalo for their food, they relied on a shelter of logs and animal skins for their protection, they trusted that the river would keep flowing and the sun would come up and the vegetables would grow in the summer. Sometimes, the things beyond their control caused hunger, sacrifice and loss… They did not always have immediate answers – but their prayers never stopped. They were not distracted by false security like today, for their experiences were on the edge of fear, yet they chose to trust Creator’s brilliant Light.

That is where we must go in our own life. Are we truly happy only when we have enough to eat? Would we share the shirt off our back, even if it meant we would be cold? Would we be willing to go “without” to lift someone else? And, if we have nothing, are we angry, are we fearful, are we driven to take matters into our own hands and hurt someone or ourselves? It is easy to believe when life is easy. But that is not Transparent Belief. The irony of Truth is: When we feel we have nothing, we have an opportunity to remember we actually have everything.

Sacajawea was taught to rely on her instincts and believe her needs would be taken care of because she Loved her Creator — even when all seemed lost. The men of the expedition were from a different world. Sacajawea took the opportunity to show them something else…

Let us pray together in gratitude that Sacajawea’s story will soon be told to a world that needs to hear it. For we know, through transparent belief, the answers we seek are already here!

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The Wonders of Spirit, the Wonders of Life

Scene Description from Sacajawea, The Windcatcher: 
It’s January 1806 — the explorers will soon leave the Great Northwest. But, they must make one last trek to the beach where a massive whale has washed ashore, hoping to retrieve blubber for fuel. The night before, Sacajawea is adamant she must be allowed to finally see the ocean after coming so far on the journey. She proclaims with passion, “It would be too hard not to see the Great Water and now the big fish…” Captain Clark agrees. As they traverse the 1000 foot high Tillamook Head, a massive basalt lava flow connecting one beach to the other, the girl is awed with Creator’s wonders. Though she does not know just how important this very trail is to her total Being…

As history records, Tillamook Head is a massive volcanic lava flow that traveled down the Columbia River 15 million years ago. It came to rest along a beach of the Great Water, south of the mouth of the river.

Williams Clark’s journal tells us that Sacajawea hiked with him and a small group of explorers over this high rock to Cannon Beach, where the “Big Fish” washed ashore.

In the screenplay, as Sacajawea reaches the top of this 1000 foot high trek, she stands in awe of the infinite beauty. It is here she remembers the wisdom from her uncle (brother), “Boinair, your spirit is not bound, it is free.”

windcatcher
Near Tillamook Head and Cannon Beach, Oregon

While researching Tillamook Head, the most amazing revelation captured us and affirmed Creator’s Spirit in all things for Sacajawea… spiritually and historically, without time or space. For what we learned was the basaltic lava flow that traveled down the Columbia millions of years ago, came to the same spot where Sacajawea was to be in 1806.

The absolute miracle is that this lava originated in Idaho, Sacajawea’s home! As she carried out her ultimate purpose to pray at the Great Water, spirit surrounded her with an energy source that touched her very core – it was the energy from her People and home, right under her feet, that flowed through the basalt rock she traversed.

Though Sacajawea did not know the geology, she did recognize the power, because she was taught to listen to her intuition and use the energy that was drawn around her life through the Infinite Wonders of Spirit.

ONWARD!
Spirit Wind

~ Descriptions and content from Sacajawea, The Windcatcher, are protected under a copyright from the U.S. Copyright Office and the Writer’s Guild of America/west.

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Giving Credit to a Great Team!

The Shell cover
Gia Fisher, Actor

Broken Hand Productions is honored to be producing the teaser reel for the epic feature film, Sacajawea, The Windcatcher. This teaser, “The Shell,” would not have happened without the commitment from a visionary investor and the film’s production team. These people have a passion for Sacajawea and for giving life to her story!

Blaine C. Ginther is an Executive Producer for the feature film. He is devoted to bringing in the funds needed to keep the production moving forward! Blaine embraces a reverence for history and he is committed to this amazing project with all his heart.

Kaaren Ochoa is a Producer/2nd Unit Director for the feature film and has been with the project since 2014. She and her husband, Doug, drove all the way from NM to OR to Direct the teaser reel. Her devotion astounds us and she has always seen the most wonderful, powerful vision for the story, that has taken us down many paths on this journey!

Susan Funk is a Co-Producer for the feature film and has been with the project since 2015. As Producer of the teaser, Susan worked very hard to coordinate the details, the actors, the locations, the editor. She is of the Flathead Nation, and believes in our purpose. Susan has always been an encouragement and she’s given so much to this production.

Shawna Fitzpatrick is the Costume Assistant for the feature film and Costumer for the teaser reel. She did a fantastic job of gathering authentic costumes, working with Wendy Partridge, one of the costume designers on the feature film. Shawna is pouring herself into the Sacajawea productions including the Warrior Woman Spirit campaign, the Spirit Wind Collection online store and other associated projects.

Kevin England and Vincent Caldoni are the Cinematographers for the teaser reel. These gentlemen were incredible to work with and their vision for this production, utilizing their equipment, including a drone, captured the glorious scenery and magnificent sky to make “The Shell” deeply emotional and dynamic.

spirit chief teaser
Scott Morgan, Actor

Gia Fisher and Scott Morgan, are the Actors who played “Sacajawea” and the “Spirit Chief” for the teaser reel. The connection was immediate between them, and it transferred its energy to the filming. Just in this teaser reel, watching the actors perform through their expressions and the body language, brought tears to our eyes. It is going to be absolutely magical! We thank Gia’s mother, Rebecca, for her support and love for Gia and for accepting this opportunity!

Jacob Halseth is the Production Assistant/Photographer for the teaser reel. At 16 years old, we were very proud of Jacob’s commitment to brave the cold and wind to get the photos and footage we needed to continue our posts on social media, as we generate excitement for the project.

Laura Roe is the Video Editor for the teaser reel production. She was recommended by members of our production team. We believe Laura will take all the pieces we have brought together, and create a promotional tool that will attract major investors. Laura’s expertise and talent will unfold a magnificent, emotional journey, worthy of Sacajawea and the overall film production.

Sarah Ortegon and Dennis Ambriz are the Voiceover Actors for the teaser reel.  They have taken the words of the teaser script to transform the actions of Gia and Scott into a compelling and inspirationally dramatic experience for the audience.

Marcia K. Moore is the Concept Artist for the feature film, and also for the teaser. In the “The Shell,” as Sacajawea speaks to us about her “Spirit Chief” and how she met people who were different from her own on the Lewis and Clark journey, we see Marcia’s concept art. It will give us a glimpse of our vision for the feature film and the magnificent characters we will see.

ocean teaser
In the midst of a winter storm, we saw the Light! 2-9-2019

Ronald Owen is the Composer for the feature film and the teaser reel. Ronald’s music grabs us in the very beginning of the teaser and builds our emotions through the arc, to the very powerful ending. Coupled with Native drums, this background music is both professional and moving, and it will bring the vibrant effect we have imagined.

Even though the teaser is less than 3 minutes long, it will tug at hearts and show, through words, visuals and music, our undying devotion to authenticity and making sure Sacajawea and her message are represented in the most beautiful and profound way to the world. Thank you to each one of these passionate and devoted team members. We are so very blessed each and every day.

ONWARD! We soar on eagle’s wings!

Jane

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Truth is Forever 

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 “self” and “mind.” I still work at it every day. It takes much prayer and walking forward, even when I do not know the answers…

These truths were also real for Sacajawea in 1805, and she knew them from her journey as a Shoshoni girl. She was blessed with persistent determination. And with the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a raptor, she soars on eagle’s wings and rides the wind, even today. Unseen, yes… intangible, yes… abstract, yes…. and absolutely real.

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We are called, and we are here to tell the untold story of Sacajawea – both her literal walk and her Spiritual quest. As Sacajawea did, we also must awaken and believe in this Truth: It is our Spirit, and our Spiritual health, that carries us in life, and after life, through intuition, determined faith and transparent belief in the infinite Oneness of a timeless energy — and that is Forever.

Come with us and follow this journey. See something greater outside your mind and body. Embrace the Love you already are. The world will change when we awaken. Let us soar on eagle’s wings.

Onward!
Jane

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2019 is the year of Sacajawea!

20181231_101411.jpgWith 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.

http://www.warriorwomanspirit.com

ONWARD!
Jane

#love #inspiration #grateful #peace #thankful #film #healing #warriorwomanspirit #warriorwoman #sacajaweathewindcatcher

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