Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2020)
8 JANUARY 15, 2020 Smoke Signals ‘I’ve always known who I was’ FILM continued from front page nookan origin of death myth. Beginning Thursday, Jan. 23, and running through Sunday, Feb. 2, in Park City, Utah, the Sundance Film Festival attracts filmmakers from all over the world and includes full-length features and short films; series and episodes; and showcases emerging media forms. Since 1978, hundreds of films featured at the festival have gained critical acclaim. “maɬni” is produced by Sky Hopin- ka, 35, a language teacher and vid- eo artist who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. He collaborated with Mercier, the Tribe’s Cultural Resources specialist, for the past three years. Scenes were filmed during Canoe Journey 2018, as well as at different areas in Grand Ronde and the Tribe’s ancestral homelands, the Oregon Coast, and on the Washington and Oregon sides of the Columbia River. “This is an experimental film and there are many aspects I’m hoping the audience will take away,” Hopinka says. “I’m hoping they take a different look at Native culture and the relationship of myth and language. It’s our way of opening up the possibilities of what Indigenous art and cinema can look like.” Hopinka, a Ho-Chunk National and descendant of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, is a fluent Chinuk Wawa speaker who helped teach Mercier the language while a student at Portland State Univer- sity 10 years ago. He grew up in Ferndale, Wash., and spent several years living in the Portland area. “I’ve always known who I was,” Hopinka said in an interview with Filmmaker magazine. “It’s always been a part of my life.” Hopinka’s early films feature the reawakening of and interest in In- digenous language and filmmaking. He undertook the projects to “feel like we had control over what we were doing and the films we were making.” Hopinka works as an associate professor of film, video and anima- tion at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and his video work centers around “per- sonal positions of homeland and landscape, designs of language and facets of culture continued within, and the play between the accessibil- ity of the known and unknowable,” according to his website. As a 2018-19 Radcliffe-Har- vard Film Study Center Fellow, Hopin- ka worked on post-produc- tion for the film. He has had a num- Sky Hopinka ber of shorter films featured at Sundance, ImagineNATIVE Media + Arts Festival, Projections at the New York Film Festival, To- ronto International Film Festival’s Wavelengths and others. This isn’t Hopinka or Mercier’s first collaboration. Several years ago, they worked together on a short film called “huyi huyi,” which means “trade” in Chinuk Wawa. “This is a follow-up to that,” Mercier says. “I’m really excited about it. This isn’t something I ever thought I would be a part of. It’s really cool how he is changing the narrative in Native film and telling our story in a different way. He is on the leading edge of Native cinema.” During a screening of the film in Grand Ronde three months ago, Mercier said that even those who were not well versed in Tribal cul- ture, language and storytelling had positive responses after seeing it. “People had a lot to say about this,” Mercier says. “It gets at the heart of our people’s identity by putting it into visual form. It is modern myth telling. If our ances- tors had access to this technology, they probably would have used it to tell a story.” Native Americans have a long history of being exploited and ste- reotyped when it comes to filmmak- ing, but that is changing. “This is good exposure for our community,” Mercier says. “We’re a positive example to many Tribes with our progressiveness, and this is another aspect that fits into that.” Tribal Council member Denise Harvey will attend the Film Fes- tival to represent the Tribe at the screening. Hopinka isn’t sure if the film will be released for distribution, but he plans on holding screenings in Portland and Grand Ronde in the future. To watch a trailer for the 80-min- ute documentary or check a calen- dar of upcoming screenings, visit www.skyhopinka.com. TABLE GAMES DEALER SCHOOL WHAT: Learn to deal Blackjack and several other games. A commit- ment of Six weeks* is needed to potentially become a Part- Time Black Jack Dealer. Addi- tional five-week commitment immediately following to learn additional games to maintain employment. WHO: Preference will be provided to enrolled members of the Con- federated Tribes of Grand Ronde; although all applicants are wel- come to apply for consideration. WHEN: Deadline to apply is Thursday, Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. Training begins on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020 and ends April 30, 2020. (11 weeks total, 6 weeks Blackjack, 5 weeks addi- tional games) Class Times: Mon- day – Thursday. Class times will be decided based on availabili- ty of the majority of students. WHERE: Training is held in the Table Games Training Room at Spirit Mountain Casino HOW: On-line Application Instructions: 1. Go to www.spiritmountain. com/careers 2. Select View Current Positions for external applicants (current SMGI employees will log into Ul- tipro and then select Menu, My- self, My Company, View Oppor- tunities) 3. Select Dealer School Student. Please read information about the school. 4. Select Apply Now at top right hand corner of the screen. (ONE CLASS OFFERED, MINIMUM OF 12 STUDENTS) •Seniority with the company and must be in good standing for cur- rent employees •External applicants must- demonstrate good work history •Passing score for basic math entrance exam For more information or assis- tance, please contact employ- mentteam@spiritmtn.com, Upon successful completion of the school, students will be re- quired to pass a dealing audi- tion. Brandy Hembree, 503-879-2479, Brandy.Hembree@spiritmtn.com or Jessy Powley, 503-879-2483, Jessy.powley@spiritmtn.com. Dealer positions are not guar- anteed. Open positions will be posted and filled using the regu- lar employment process as busi- ness needs arise. All training is unpaid time and should not interfere with your current work schedule. All students should be prepared to work at part-time status if of- fered a Dealer position. Applicant selection will be based on a combination of the following criteria: •Tribal Member preference will apply Once a student is hired as a Dealer, mandatory classes for Pai Gow Poker and Pitch Black- jack will be required in order to maintain employment. •Ability to obtain High Security Class III Gaming License 5. Select Sign-in if you already have an account or fill in regis- tration information to create a new account. SELECTION CRITERIA: without knowledge of these additional games. *After completion of six weeks of school, students must com- plete additional Five-week train- ing in Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Ultimate Texas Hold’em & blackjack variants to maintain employment. Students will not be eligible for full-time positions www.spiritmountain.com/careers • employmentteam@spiritmtn.com Ad by Samuel Briggs III