John Trudell and his Graffiti Band are on a
By Freya Horn
Oegcn to*ty (mmwte
He (-alls it "Rant 'n' Roll."
"Those lines are my rant."
explains John Trudell, o Santee
Sioux whose poetry found n musical
companion in lbH5 when guitarist
Jesse Ed Davis told him. "I can make
music for your words."
Himself a Kiowa from Oklahoma,
Davis was something of a musical
legend, having played with the likes
of Jackson Browne, Boh Dylan. Taj
Mahal and the Beatles Davis' innate
understanding of blues and ris k 'll'
roll was juxi what Trudell had been
looking for
The symbiotic relationship
between poet and guitarist Iwire fruit
immediately One of the most strik
ing things about the collaboration
was the juxtaposition of the tradi
ltonal Native American rvthms and
i hauling with blues-inflected guitar
riffs
In lotto. Trudell and Davis began
performing with a full hand and
released their first album. AKA Graf
fih Man In 11W2 this album was
remixed with Trudell'* seven-piece
Graffiti Band (includingguest vocal*
by Kris Knstofferson and Jackson
Browne), combined with other
Trudell albums and re-released with
the same title on Rykodisc records.
A new release is planned for this
fall.
At first, however, the music nidus
tr\ was hesitant to accept this polit
ic ally and emotionally charged
music
"The strut tore of music is fast ist
the rules are set and you i an t
deviate," Trudell explains. "From
the middle HOs, the bosses the
business suits lit the boardrooms
would s.i\. People aren’t ready for
this they don't want to hear it.'
And I think that the people them
selves should decide what they want
to hear, rather than a handful of cor
porate elite."
Despite limited distribution, the
first album gained recognition and
support, most notably when Boh
Dylan acclaimed th«* release os “the
best album of 198fi" in a Rolling
Stour interview
Trudell never sot out to bo a poet,
rather, his pootii.al and politiial sen
sibilities were forced by the remark
able, sometimes horrifying
circumstances of Ins life
Prior to writing poetry, Trudell
was the National Spokesman for the
occupation force of Indian* of All
Tribes Occupation of Alcatraz in
1969 and the National Chairman
from 1973 to 1979 of the American
Indian Movement He also had
appeared in the Native American
documentary film Incident at ttglala
and in the movie Thiuulrrlieart
Then, in 1979 his life changed
drastically Only 12 hours after he
burned the American flag outside
the | Kdgar Hoover building in
Washington. D.C.. another fire
burned Ins Shoshone Paiutfl reserva
tion home, killing his family the ITU
declined to investigate.
following this tragedy, Trudell
began to dissolve all of his political
affiliations For spiritual solace he
turned to poetrv
"I went to it out of a compulsion to
express myself, he says "I was
pissed off at God, at the Groat Spirit,
at all of them, because this was a
betrayal to me And then the lines
came And the lines were my bombs,
my explosions, my tears — they
were my everything. I was just grab
bing onto something,"
So, while he may lightheartedly
refer to his poetry as a "rant."
Trudell also acknowledges that it
serves as his "hanging on lines."
"It's a way of hanging on to life, to
the appreciation of life," he says
"When we have that appreciation,
we i an deal with our feelings and
our problems more coherently." I bis
apprei iation is what differentiates
really living from merely existing, he
adds.
In addition, tins personal philoso
phy has far-reaching implications.
"I don't see an\ separation
between the global and the person
al We are all an inti<gra! part of the
whole We should never feel over
whelmed. rather we should feel
empowered by the •mmensity of the
world," he says
"I think appreciate, perpetuate
and participate in life," he says.
"We as people, we need to make a
peace with Karth. We really need to
get it, and understand that Karth is
our life-line. How we treat the Karth
is interrelated with how we treat
each other.
"There is no political solution ...
we can't end racism if we can't
respect all life. With all of the ani
mals and trees dying, if we don't
value them, how can we value each
other?"
Saturday. May H, at 6:30 p in. in
the KMU, John Trudell and the Graf
fiti Band join folk singer Jim Page
and speakers Dino Butler (human
rights activist) and Bonnie Black
Wolf (national speaker on AIDS) for
a concert to benefit the Oregon
Native Youth and Klders (withering
later this year. This gathering brings
elders and youth together to partici
pate in cultural activities and to
address issues such ns alcohol and
drug abuse prevention, teen suicide
prevention and. in general, the
future of the earth and humanity.
Courtesy
John Trudell and his Graffiti Band perform Saturday, May 8, at the EMU The concert will benefit
the 1993 Oregon Native Youth and Elders Gathering, an annual Native American event.
Chant and Poetry of the Andes
A bilingual
poetry
reading
with
Cecilia
Vicuna
By Ming Rodrigues
for tm Of*gor> iu-'r t 'waki
An <*xito from her homeland since
Chile's political coup of 197:1. Cecil
ia Vu min dill her first ritual porfor
mane c> on a Chilean hea< h in 19fi6
using abandoned ephemera from the
natural world.
As a poet and artist. Vic una said
she trices to keep alive some remnant
of reverence for the earth
"I trv to look at things Ikk k wards,
as they are going to look when I am
gone." Vu una on* i4 told an inter
viewer. I have a very intense feel
ing that what we do Is a I reads the
remains of what we are doing.
Calling her works "Hasuritas," or
"little garbage,” Vicuna's outdoor
pieces in* lude modest offerings of
sticks and feathers, tracings in the
sand, a length of twine *-ast into a riv
er, u few candles crowning a fire
hydrant or some tiny makeshift struc
ture that floated for a while in a city
puddle.
She weaves these hits of nature s
debris into a cosmology of si raps
one ompassing personal history and
mythu Andean lore. In her web of
poetic associations, architecture is
an offering while weaving is a lin
guistic endeavor and literally the fab
ric of Andean society,
"The thread of filler and the thread
of life are one." Vicuna once
remarked. "In the Andes, dress is lan
guage. It’s coded according to the use
and the purpose."
Hailed as 'one of the most vivid
and creative personalities of the Hum
American scene," Vicuna lias fol
lowed an unusual path within tho
possible directions of 1 -at in Ameri
can modernity.
Only now, and always individu
ally. she may be part of what the
poets Gonzato Millan and Javier
Campos call "the new Chilean lyri
cism," an emerging neo-romantic
alternative to imperialistic post
modernity.
Working in the tradition of the oral
poetry of the High Andes. Vicuna
brings to life a poetic universe of
ancient resonance and new forms
Sac red wordplay practiced in the
pre-Columbian Americas meets mod
ern linguistic s, and the wisdom id
tin* Andean women shamans is used
to confront the contemporary reali
ties of ecological disaster
That voice is evident in her latest
book and first extensive c ollection
in l.nglisb. Unravelling Wards fr the
IVemtng of Water. With poetry ric h
in tradition, photographs of her "per
formance" pieces, favorite quotations
and exploration into word roots and
metaphor linkage. this very contem
porary book is much like a book of
meditations.
"Chant and Poetry of the Andes —
A Contemporary Reflection" will lie
presented by Vicuna Monday. Mav
10, at 3:30 p.m. in the KMU Hen lan
der Room "An Andean Autobiogra
phy in Art” follows Tuesday. May
11. at 3:30 p.m. in the Walnut Room
Admission is free The event is pre
sented by The Department of
Romance Languages,
Film festival to shine new
light on homosexuality
By Daralyn Trappe
Oegoe D#*y f
For ihi' past several months,
a spotlight has been aimed at
tins country's gays and lesbians
From the local tug-of-war with
anti-gay rights groups to the
march on Washington. I) C. the
politics of being gay or lesbian
has been under constant st ruti
ny
But a local celebration has
been organized to shine the
spotlight on gays and lesbians
in a non-politii al way.
IVbby Martin, program assis
tant for the University's Student
Activities Resource Center. said
the first annual Qms-r Film Fes
tival is designed to give gays
and lesbians what they rarely
get from mainstream movies
and to offer the heterosexual
audience a chance to con net t
emotions and exponent es with
the political struggle
This is not designed to edu
cate or change people's minds,"
Martin said. "There's no polit
ical agenda. It's gist important
to experience this kind of cul
ture that's liceu denied us
"And it's also unfair for the
straight community not to he
able to see these kinds of films."
she said, "because along with
political change, you have to
roach people on a human level
That’s gist as important
Although there are gas and
lesbian film festivals in lug
cities such as San Francisco,
this is the first one In the
Eugene-Springfield area
The University's Lesbian. Cay
and Bisexual Alllaiu e and the
Cultural Forum have heen try
ing for years to organize a film
festival, Martin said l-ast year,
Martin and students Ron (Iregg
and Julia Wallace got the
wheels in motion with a S2,fMK)
allocation from the Incidental
Fee Committee that enabled
them to get the films
"Hopefully, we t an break
oven or maybe make a little
money to start a fund so we can
keep it going and not hove to
ask for money,” Martin said.
The festival began Thursday
with the showing of some of the
winning entries in the
film/video tom petition Martin
said uImjiiI 30 filmmakers from
around the country stmt in their
work. A jury of six faculty and
student members voted on the
CourtHy P**alo
Together Alone, a film detailing a conversation between two men
together for one night. Is a featured film In the Queer Film Festival
films.
Ron Brew * dot umentnrv on
Measure ‘t. last year's defeated
statewide anti-Ray rights initia
tive. was the only local entry to
win an award Brew's film will
tie shown Sunday along with
other winners
Tonight’s presentations begin
at 7 p m. in Room IBt) I’ll! with
the showing of four short films
by Sadie Henning, a young Mil
wauk.ee based woman who as a
teenager began making films
about the complexities of tieing
a lesbian Henning has received
national and international atten
tion for her efforts. Martin said
The feature film Together
Atom• follows Directed by I’ |
(iastellaneta. it details a con
versation between two men
together for « one-night stand
Shot in block and white, the
film touches on tope s ranging
from AIDS to abortion
Three short films by lesbians
will be shown Saturday at 7
p hi in lHO Pl.t;. Main Not hr,
the first feature film by Port
land-based director this Van
Sant, will then be shown Van
Sant, known for Drugstore Cow
hoy and An ('it n I r/v ulr Idaho.
made (his Mat k and-while film
about n goy man's obsession
with a voting Mexican immi
grant.
Gregg will present a talk/dis
cession titled "Pansies, Dykes
•uni other Sexual Perverts’ in
tils Hollywood" at I |t m. Sun
day in tint KMU Ben lander
Room
At t |i m . more winning
entries from tint film/video
competition will be shown in
180 PLC
Admission is S4 for Univer
sity students and $ri for the gen
eral public at the door for the
film showings f estival passes
are available at the KMU Main
Desk .mil ill Mother kali's Book
store for Sfl (student*) and $l.r>
(general public). Gregg's pro
seutation is free
Claim of thr Moon, a feature
film made by women in Oregon,
wraps up the festival next week
end. The movie, about one
woman's dist overy of her les
hianism. will be shown at
Springfield's McKenzie Theater
from May 14 to 17.
TUESDAY
MAY II
Qregon
Supply
i 720 t*<
\ ”*£$*>** 930 Sat
*-3^ 12:00-3:30 Sun.
Something
NEW
We will be closed
j Sunday, May 9
I and Monday,
May 10 to
get ready.
Muslim
Student
Association
A
Uslamic
Film
Festival
/ill lli/lll I \ Ml Ht
\i i wiki mi
I in iii/iuititifiiiii \iiI*\ tin
MS \ n//ii 1 MI ,.1
■ all He 17'IS
I
Admission Free To An Events
Mos May 10th 7-9 p m
Gumwood Room
Spanish ffluslims
71 film on Muslim contnbuttons to
Spain and Europe and their
oppression there
Wid May 12tm 1-3 p m
Cedar A
fflusiims in India
This documentary film displays the
Muslims' sacrifice, contribution,
accomplishment and struggle in
India
Tin rs May 1 3ih 3-5 p m
Cedar 1
Women in Islam
Film on issues on women in Islam
which is the most misunderstood to
the western people Islamic point ol
view on the issue of women, ihtcr
role in human endeavor and their
rights and obligations
i ri May 14th 1212 JO r w
Cedar A
Timeless Time
fl him on Islamic interpretation of the
Quran on the subjects of time and space
It uses modem knowledge of space
sciences and discoveries along with an
extensive use of film footage from NASA
11:30 A M.UOf M. EMU lobbv
Videos and literature available on
Bosnian war crimes at a lobby table in
I Ml Stop by and obtain relevant
Upcoming events sponsored by MSA
There wall be a guest speaker. Professor
Sami AlArtan. who will speak on
Palestinian issues Professor Al Artan
teaches at the University of South Flonda
and is currently the president of the
Islamic Committee of Palestine He is also
the editor of "Inquiry*
AIM) MX I Wfk Bcttv Turnip (Nattit Bowuan) wto
rtcmh cunt (yum Bosom *iU (ptalectuit about iKr
cuncM saujtwo then Tunc and piatt TBA
BIG SDr.VAlK SALE!
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