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 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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