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Item Description

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln recognized Pueblo independence by bestowing an ornamental, silver tipped cane to each Pueblo Nation. From more than 500 Indian nations in the United States, only New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos received these symbolic gifts of sovereign status.

The Lincoln Canes documentary – CANES OF POWER – and the related educational program, provide the vehicle for Pueblo people to tell the story of the Canes, and the struggle for sovereignty, upon which cultural survival depends.

CANES OF POWER is told through historical narrative, interviews, video images of Pueblo communities, and photographic or oral histories of cultural and political events. The film is narrated by Wes Studi, award winning star of film and stage.

John Nichols, author of Milagro Beanfield Wars, Missing, On the Mesa, and Sterile Cuckoo, offers his comments about CANES OF POWER:

“Canes of Power is a beautifully filmed documentary that tells the story of Pueblo sovereignty along the Rio Grande. It is at once a fascinating history lesson and a passionate argument for Native Americans’ control over their own destiny. The many Pueblo voices who speak here are dignified, resolute, very sharp, and also compassionate. The canes of authority, which passed from one sovereign nation to others in New Mexico under Spanish conquest, then Mexican takeover, and finally during the American invasion, are symbolic of a people’s resolve to abide on their own terms in their own country.

The film provides a unique insight into Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and into the personality of the Pueblo tribes who have steadfastly, over centuries, negotiated their freedom and sovereignty with different invaders. Modern issues of Pueblo governing and cultural change are also addressed at length.

Canes of Power is an eye opener, a valuable instruction, and a moving portrait of a people and of their remarkable homelands. A must-see for every student of New Mexico history, and for anyone seeking to learn how we all should deal with the planet we live on if we wish to salvage a positive future.

It is really a clean and powerful and instructive work of art.”

Silver Bullet Productions has won a prestigious Award of Excellence from The Accolade Competition. The Accolade recognizes film, television, videography and new media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film and television industry. In winning an Accolade, Silver Bullet Productions joins the ranks of other high-profile winners of this internationally respected award. Thomas Baker, Ph.D., who chairs The Accolade, had this to say about the latest winners, “The Accolade is not an easy award to win. Entries are received from around the world. The Accolade helps set the standard for craft and creativity. The judges were pleased with the exceptionally high quality of entries. The goal of The Accolade is to help winners achieve the recognition they deserve.”

About Silver Bullet Productions:

We are a not-for-profit educational film company.

We use filmmaking as the vehicle for positively impacting education and supporting economic and cultural preservation of rural and tribal communities.

SBP influences education at the very grass roots of New Mexico – each small community. The heart of each of New Mexico’s rural communities is its school, the one unifying center of the community. By engaging children, we engage the communities in educational reform. Involving schoolchildren in the process of making a film enhances academics and provides a viable skill base, vocation or motivation for higher education and economic hope for students of all abilities and cultures. SBP’s workshops teach skills that are relevant and offer the promise of good paying jobs after graduation in an industry receiving the state support. The final product, a short documentary, unifies the adults and students in a film about the community and school.

• SBP uses community leaders and their culture as the resources for educational film projects.
• Children first attend academic and film workshops, then participate alongside a professional film crew in the film process. The edited film is professional quality, with significant contribution from student rolls, to be used to promote or celebrate the community.
• In some educational models, film equipment remains with the school. In all models, the benefits to the community include teaching with materials developed for that community’s attributes, educational enrichment, and a completed short documentary video.

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