April 4, 2014
The Cherokee Word for Water听听is a feature-length motion听picture听that tells the story of the work that led听Wilma Mankiller to become听the first听modern female Chief of the Cherokee Nation.听It is a听feature-length motion picture inspired听by the true story of the struggle for,听opposition to, and ultimate success of听a rural Cherokee community to bring听running water to their families by using听the traditional concept of 鈥済adugi 鈥溾�撎齱orking together to solve a problem.
Set in the early 1980s,听The Cherokee Word For Water听begins in the homes of a rural听Oklahoma community where many houses lack running water and others are听little more than shacks. After centuries of being dehumanized and dispossessed of their land and identity, the people no longer feel they have power or control over their lives or future.
Based on the true story of the Bell Waterline Project, the movie is about a community coming together to improve its life condition. Led by Wilma Mankiller, who went on to become the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation, and fullblood Cherokee organizer Charlie Soap, they join forces and build nearly twenty miles of waterline using a community of volunteers. In the process, they inspire the community to trust each other, and reawaken universal indigenous values of reciprocity and interconnectedness. The successful completion of the waterline sparked a movement of similar self-help projects across the Cherokee nation and in Indian country that continues to this day.
Directed by:听Tim Kelly and Charlie Soap, 2013
Place:听Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall, 715 22nd Ave South
Time:听6:15 to 9:30 pm.
- Reception 6:15-6:45
- Screening begins at 6:45
- Discussion follows
All events are free to the public.
Thank you to our sponsors: the American Indian, First Nations, and Indigenous Studies Department, the Augsburg Native American Film Series, Native Americans in Philanthropy and the American Indian Cancer Foundation.
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