Star Ancestors - the Film Documentary Series - Nancy Red Star - The Film

Susana Archuleta, Tewa Taos Pueblo ~ Traditional Advisor

Susana Archuleta was born in the early 1900's. Her Father, Salvador Archuleta, was the last Indian Doctor on Taos Pueblo, above a "Casika." They both could heal broken bones. Susana was an herbalist supreme and was the only person living traditionally on Taos Pueblo Village. No Electric, No Wires, No Propane, Only wood. She followed her Indian Religion truthfully and never wavered. She worked as a Micaceous Clay Potter - Spirit of the Clay. Advisor for Star Ancestors and in the Film, she lived to 104 and never saw a Doctor at the Indian Hospital.

Lula Red Cloud- Traditional Advisor

Lula Red Cloud is the great-great grand daughter of revered Oglala warrior Chief Red Cloud from the Pine Ridge Reservation. Lula is one of the preeminent award winning contemporary Oglala Lakota star quilt makers.Her work is on permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.as well as other historical collections. Lula is a Trauma Specialist, Educator, Artist and Tiospaye for the Red Cloud Family. From the Heart of Standing Rock to Lakota Food Sovereignty to Lakota Child Welfare Lula is a relentless voice of her People. A wild foods expert and Traditional herbal Teacher Lula carries great knowledge with a big heart that helps many.

Nv-Ya Red Star ~ Executive Producer, Director/Writer

Nancy Red Star is a enrolled member of Red Lake Nation and also descends from the Redman/Parker/Vann/Mathews Cherokee bloodlines on her mother's side. She is the author of the Star Ancestors Trilogy (Inner Traditions/Bear & Co., 2000-03-05- Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Germany) and Life With a Cosmos Clearance (Light Technology Publishing,Inc., 2003) and UFOs-No Threat, Official Eyewitness Testimony-WSP (Light Technology Publishing, Inc., 2005-2006-Audio). Red Star was a Visiting Professor at Bard College, Annandale-On Hudson, NY, “American Indian Society.” Nancy Red Star is also the former Vice President of The American Indian Women's Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Red Star's work has appeared on Lifetime Television- Museum of Women in the Arts- Washington, DC,. History Channel and Travel Channel,- Discovery, ELLE Magazine-Paris,France,New York Magazine, NYC, Featured in The Santa Fe New Mexican- Santa Fe, New Mexico and International Speaking and Broadcasting Engagements.

In memory of the Late Phil Lucas ~ Director of Photography

Emmy and Award-winning filmmaker Phil Lucas has probably written, produced and directed more film and television programs than any other single American Indian filmmaker alive today. His emotional and cultural sensitivity with Indian People gives him keen insight into the presentation of native subjects in a way that honors those people while making their stories understandable and accessible to the world at large. His credits include~ The Broken Chain (TV movie for TNT Network, Co-Producer), The Native Americans (Documentary Series for TBS, Director), The Honor of All (Director), Healing the Hurts (Director)

Lucas graduated from Western Washington State, in 1970 with a degree in Visual Communications. Over the past 25 years he has made more than 100 documentary film and video programs including the award-winning PBS series, Images of Indians, The Honor of All, Walking with Grandfather, and the Emmy nominated, American Indian Dance Theatre: Dances For The New Generations. He also directed two hours of the Emmy winning, Native American Series, for TBS, and Co-produced The Broken Chain, a feature film for Turner Network Television. In addition, he wrote produced and edited an award-winning film biography on the late Apache Sculptor, Allan Houser, entitled Allan Houser: The Lifetime Works Of An American Master, which was completed in 1999.

John Trudell ~ Theme Song “These Memories”

John Trudell is an acclaimed poet, recording artist, actor and activist whose international following reflects the universal language of his words, work and message. Trudell (Santee Sioux) was a spokesperson for the Indian of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island from 1969 to 1971. He then worked with the American Indian Movement (AIM), serving as Chairman of AIM from 1973 to 1979. In February of 1979, a fire of unknown origin killed Trudell’s wife, three children and mother-in-law. It was through this horrific tragedy that Trudell found his artist and poet voices, writing to stay connected to this reality.

In 1982, Trudell began recording his poetry to traditional Native music and in 1983 released his debut album Tribal Voice on his Peace Company label. Trudell teamed up with the late legendary Kiowa guitarist Jesse Ed Davis and recorded three albums — AKA Graffiti Man was released in 1986 and dubbed best album of the year by Bob Dylan. Trudell released seven more albums plus a digitally re-mastered collection of his early Peace Company cassettes. Bone Days, his 2002 CD, was and released on the Daemon Records label. His latest double album, Madness & The Moremes, showcases more than five years of new music and includes special Ghost Tracks of old favorite Trudell tunes made with legendary Kiowa guitarist Jesse Ed Davis. Available on JohnTrudell.com.

Trudell played in feature films — a lead role in the Mirimax movie Thunderheart and a major part in Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals. He played Coyote in Hallmark’s television movie, Dreamkeeper.

Joanne Shenandoah, Ph.D.

One of “America’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed Native American musicians of her time.” Associated Press, Shenandoah is a Grammy Award winner with 3 Nominations, over 40 music awards that include 14 Native American Music awards. A humanitarian, working as a peace advocate and for earth justice, she has captured the hearts of audiences world-wide, and received awards for her work. She is a direct descendant of “Chief Shenandoah” who was given a “Peace Medal” by George Washington and established Hamilton College, Clinton, NY (The Oneida Academy). Shenandoah is a founding board member of the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge, a non-profit higher learning educational facility that is based on Iroquois principles. In 2014, she served as Co-Chair for the Attorney General’s National Task Force of Children Exposed to Violence for the Department of Justice [ PDF ].

“Joanne Shenandoah is one of the finest attributes to Native American Music and Culture,” Neil Young. “She weaves you into a trance with her beautiful Iroquois chants and wraps her voice around you like a warm blanket on a cool winter’s night,” Robbie Robertson

Dean Stockwell ~ Narrator

During the 1940’s Robert Dean Stockwell was a popular child actor, appearing with Abbot and Costello in Hollywood (1945), The Boy with the Green Hair (1948) and in The Secret Garden (1949). His success continued into adulthood. Together with Jason Robards and Ralph Richardson, he won Best Actor at Cannes for playing in Long Days Journey into Night (1962); he’d formerly won the award for his performance in Compulsion (1959) shared with Orson Welles and Bradford Dillman. Stockwell also appeared in Blue Velvet (1986), Air Force One (1997), The Rainmaker (1997) and The Manchurian Candidate (2004). He also co-starred in television’s Quantum Leap (1989-93). He was nominated for an Oscar for playing mafia don in Married to the Mob (1988). In addition, Stockwell heads up the Sci-Fi Conventions all over the world. This year, Phenomenon: Lost Archives was hosted by him on a 6 DVD set as well as Star Trek Enterprise Season 3 released on DVD. Robert Dean Stockwell is a National Treasure and has appeared in over 125 films to date.

Stevie Salas ~ Film Score Advisor

He was hand-picked by George Clinton as the guitarist for Clinton’s albums. He’s skipped cities in a private jet with Rod Steward, playing sold-out stadiums. He signed the largest deal Island Records had ever forked over for a new artist. His second solo album ousted the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith for “Best Album” in Japan. Most books name him as one of the Top 50 Guitarists of All Time.

Heading Into The 90’s, the buzz around Los Angeles centered around two guitarists: One was Tom Morello, who would later form Rage Against The Machine. The other was George Clinton’s right-hand-man Stevie Salas, a transplant from San Diego whose funk-inspired rock guitar was drastically opposed to the LA hair-metal scene of the time.

Stevie Salas was the Native American Events Director At the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. In addition, Stevie just released his first book, “When we were Boys,” Taylor Trade Publishing- Robert Yehling, Contributor. Salas travels all over the globe to preform, to produce upcoming musicians, to produce his own TV show in Canada.

Hayley Hutt

An enrolled member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Hayley resides on the Hoopa Reservation in Northern California. Hayley is Survival By Song. Hayley has been writing songs and singing for many years, performing for Tribal events and Inter Tribal events. Recording periodically for various Artists in New York City, NY, Seattle, WA and Los Angeles, CA has contributed to her experience. Hayley has worked with John Trudell recording back up vocal on the Bone Days Album. Hayley also contributed music and vocals for the song These Memories with John Trudell. The Demonstration CD Survival by Song features two songs Vision Dream and Tuesday Girl, which she wrote and did lead vocals. The majority of her songs are based on Vision Dreams, Traditional Stories and her own experiences as a Native American in a modern world. The background vocals for Vision Dream are recordings of her family traditional singer from the early 1940s.

Dennis Yerry

A Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Native American, Dennis Yerry brings the American Indian perspective on relationships with the earth to schools and university panels in his speaking engagements as well as with his music. A versatile jazz pianist, composer, arranger and teacher, Yerry was raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. He studied at the State University of NY at New Paltz and privately with keyboard artists Richard Tee, Sharon Freeman and Ronnie Matthews at the Jazzmobile in NYC. Music composer for Arm of the Sea Theatre, Mutual Strangers, Henry Hudson and the River that discovered him - he received a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts to compose and include Indigenous music from the Lenape. Currently, Yerry is an adjunct professor at Dutchess County Community College in Poughkeepsie, NY teaching Native American flute, jazz piano and jazz improvisation.

John Suazo- Narrator

John Suazo is a renowned sculpture from Taos Pueblo.Working with grey, pink and white ancient Alabaster, and Limestone... John reveals his love of his culture and his people by telling his story through the stones. A 40 year career receives great attention with a retrospective at the University of New Mexico's Harwood Museum.John has exhibited his work at the Moscow Institute of Art and at the Fulgence Gallery in Paris France and Colorado State University. Earning a Lifetime Achievement Award in Taos, New Mexico John is a great power of example to his community. In addition exhibitions at the American Indian Exposition in Tuscon, Arizona and the Collectors Art Show at the Millicent Rodgers Museum. John Suazo continues to be a prolific proud member of the American Indian World art market including more acknowledgements.

Lisanne Cole ~ Narrator

Actor, voice actor, coach, visual artist, Equity UK, SAG/AFTRA US

Lisanne hails from the UK and lived in the US for a lot of her life and lives between the two.

She has co produced 3 CD's of original songs, and performed all over. She has appeared in TV , Film and Theatre. She has written and performed 2 solo shows, "The Bald Waitress" and Walking Upright" Her Many accents include cartoon voices and accents from many different countries. She was on the board of New Mexcio Women make Film, and loved being a part of the film industry in New Mexico. She is currently working on a "Talk Show" where she plays all the characters!

Senior Editor~ David Aubrey

Owner of Lightningwood Pictures, a production company based in Santa Fe for over thirty-five years, David’s work has encompassed an international scope of feature, documentary, commercial and collaborative arts projects. He has worked for legendary ski filmmaker, Warren Miller, and been a member of the Editor’s Local 700 in New York. He earned an American Cinema Editors nomination for Best Edited Documentary in 1993 for Baraka. He was director of photography and editor for the 1994 concert film, Toward the Within, featuring Dead Can Dance and the feature film, Soundman, 1998. In 2013, he received an Emmy Award as Cinematographer and Editor for the documentary Canes of Power, about the ceremonial canes given New Mexico Pueblos by Abraham Lincoln.

He has lectured, taught and conducted mentorships throughout the Northern New Mexico community and worked on numerous films centering on cultural preservation from South America, Pakistan, to the American Southwest.