So here’s a story form A to Z…
When it came time to choose a project, I wanted to get my hands on the raw footage from the trip. I new the footage had no direction, and did not contain any ceremonies. That rather left me up a creek without a paddle. So I got to thinking and decided to film my own ceremony of sorts grouped around CC ritual. However, when it got down to filming it, it became more of a joke than what was intended. At this point it is Sunday before the film is due, everyone else is busy and I better think of something quick. Luckily, the idea must have been there all along because it revealed itself to me forthwith. Edit it as if the whole thing was a day at Pine Ridge. Juxtapose the humor with the seriousness of how the experience effects people.
Twenty-four hours later (after requesting an extension from Bruce), the film came together. After five hours of converting, two hour of researching, and who knows how long finding the cuts I wanted, actually assembling the pieces was a breeze.
Now as I reflect I feel like the film itself was guiding me to this outcome. It came so smoothly and naturally that I couldn’t call it a true challenge. However, portraying the message I was thinking came as the true challenge. The message was, “don’t stop now, you are surrounded by ritual and ceremony in your daily lives. Find it and continue your spiritual journey. Don’t let the block plan wipe away how far we have come.” I have seen people see themselves. I have loved…each and every one of you.. for the adventures and sweats we have shared. Making this video, was like pretending to be Bruce, and being a proud parent.
This video is my prayer. The ceremony involves one mind and one computer. The ritual involves many hearts. So enjoy this whenever you want, you guys made it.
PS:”Hello… how bout that ride in? I guess thats why they call it Pine Ridge haha. You guys might not know this but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one man Buffalo pack. But when Bruce brought The freshman home, I knew they were one of my own. And my Buffalo pack, it grew by one. So there… there was two of us in the Buffalo pack. I was alone first in the pack and the freshman joined in later. And six months ago, when Bruce introduced me to you guys I thought “wait a second, could it be?” And now I know for sure, I just added the non-freshman to my Buffalo pack. 26 of us Buffalo, running around the desert together in South Dakota, looking for sweat lodges and tobacco.”
–Edited from the hangover
