Spirits for Sale

[angelo]

hi
its amazing that one as known as a fraud is participate on this .
his name is mike chirobokow he get send away from the blackfoottribe because
he gatherd money for the tribe and used for himself .then he set up a sweat in germany without any permission ,then he dissapeard to u.k.

[Barnaby_McEwan]

I'm going to jump in here quickly before people use this as an excuse to rubbish the film. I think it's likely that Chirobokow is featured for precisely the reasons you mentioned, Angelo, as an example of the kind of activities which hurt Indian communities. I'm sure Annika or other people who worked on the film will correct me if I'm wrong.

[Freija]

I can only confirm 100% what Barnaby just said.

We wanted to be fair and let people from "both sides" speak up in the film.
Mike runs a sweat and talks about the way he sees things. Native people in the film get to comment on what he says and does.

Angelo, maybe you can watch the trailer on our website www.spiritsforsale.com ? It´s under the link "film".

[angelo]

hi i watched the movie and i hear whath this mike sad .but he is charching money for sweats
and he got striped his pipe from the blackfoot people the bloods .
so he is still a fraud .hes words are just words.

[Freija]

hi i watched the movie and i hear whath this mike sad .but he is charching money for sweats
and he got striped his pipe from the blackfoot people the bloods .
so he is still a fraud .hes words are just words.

....I don´t think there will be any doubt once you´ve seen the film, what Native people think. We preferred to let them express their opinions themselves. Remember that loads of viewers won´t have a clue about Native Americans and the ongoing exploitation. So you´ve got to see both sides to really understand the problem, it makes the film much more powerful in my eyes.

[angelo]

i dont wanna rubbish the film.
i understand what u are saying about .so sorry for my comments,it was a missunderstanding
from my side

[Freija]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us in our efforts to get the film "Spirits for Sale" up on the screens. The fact that it won "Best International Film" of South Dakota Filmfestival was incredible to us. It has been such a bumpy road since we started two years ago...so many setbacks...but I have always believed in this film and we finally reached our goal.

What makes me most happy is that this film, being so critical to the exploitation of Native sacred ceremonies and places, including Natives speaking openly about the massacres, broken promises and much more,  was awarded at a non-Native festival. It means so much to me and it must be a good sign!!

Again, thank you to all the Natives who supported us and made this come true!
Sometimes words are not enough......

[SkallePer]

Hej Annika and everyone else!
I am going to se Spirits for sale tomorrow! I live 50 km from Stockholm and am really lokking forward to seeing this movie. In the evening Arvol Looking Horse is giving a speach at the Ethnological museum in Stockholm.

I am new to NAFPS, allthough I registered in 2005 but have not written or read much since then. Soon I will write a short presentation of me and myself.

Be well,
SkallePer

[KiowaKat]

Freija
CONGRATS!! WOW this is what I've been wanting to see happen... something that explains to the general public, so they can indentify between the two...we need it so bad here in Missouri to educate the public!!.....did you guys include arts and crafts by chance?? lol...

[SkallePer]

Hello!

I am now home after a very interesting day. Saw 'Spirits for Sale' this afternoon and then in the evening a talk with Chief Arvol Looking Horse and Paula (I am sorry I did not catch her last name). I have many thoughts and perhaps more questions than before which is a good sighn.

Perhaps i will write of these but at a later date since i have to get up early to give a lecture on my own tradition, the Old Norse path or Asatru to a high school class.

Spirit's blessings,

[Kantuta]

It would be great to see the film Annika, I'm so looking forward to it!

Is it released on DVD? Where can I buy it?

[Freija]

Hey there :)

We´re not releasing the film on DVD just yet....it´ll end up on the Internet before you know it.  It seems to be difficult to spread it in Europe - much easier in USA! The reply we´ve had from TV-Channels in Scandinavia is "Sorry, this type of film does not fit in!"  Fit in to what??! They show documentaries from every corner of the world.

My guess is that Europe doesn´t want to let people know that Indians are "ordinary people" who have a voice of their own. It might ruin the sale of dreamcatchers and sweatlodges and everything in between....

Maybe you could ask the Samiis up there in Norway, Kantuta? The Swedish Samiis have invited me up there for the Samii week together with one of the Ndn guys from the film. They want to start a discussion about how THEIR culture is being appropriated, too. So that´s great!

[Kantuta]

The exploitation of the Sami culture is terrible in Finland, but mostly concerning the art, handicraft and yoiking. Finnish people dress up in fake Sami costumes and pretend to yoik for tourists. It's ridiculous.

I will se what I can do, there are three indigenous film festivals up here, I'll ask them!  :)

[educatedindian]

I received the film just today and finished seeing it only minutes
ago. My thanks to you both for a very good film that I think will
affect anyone who sees it. It's every bit as good as On Sacred
Ground.

So many of the speakers in the film are very powerful and eloquent
and I'm proud to be both in the film and alongside them.

I'll be searching for museums and university groups to show the film
to and hopefully use it to raise a little bit for charity.

[Freija]

So glad you liked it, Al!  I am very relieved and glad that the Native people who have been involved in the film have been so appreciative of it. I heard that Arvol brings it with him on his travels and shows it just about everywhere....

Good luck, Al, with showing the film. Let us know how it goes.