Floyd Red Crow Westerman - Just Another Holy Man

Watch the entire Rainbow Warrior Festival at http://www.viddler.com/explore/ChanceCarpenter/videos/1/

This is an amazing video of the late Floyd Red Crow Westerman performing Kris Kristofferson's 'They Killed Him' (thanks AuroraKismet ;-) ) at the Rainbow Warrior Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico in August of 1988.

I had the privilege of stage managing that event and of all the 20+ amazing acts on the bill, this song stuck out as one of the most moving of the entire 12 hours of music. Authentic, powerful, moving...real.

I was producer of an event a few months following this event in LA at the Director's Guild theater. Floyd was invited to lead the invocation. Turns out he walked down the main isle with a burning bundle of sage...that was about to set off the fire alarm, trigger the sprinklers and send 500 people out the door, ruining the event. He didn't know...and I didn't know that this would be an issue....but there it was...bigger than life. I tried to communicate that he needed to snuff out the sage but he went on with his invocation (which, of course, was beautiful)...and there I am...the white boy idiot...flailing my arms for him to put out the fire...and him looking at me like I'm, well, the white boy idiot. Afterwards I approached him and apologized, explained the situation with the fire department and all...and he said...'Well, I guess that's another good example of 'a clash of cultures'' and turned away. What do you say to that? It's too true. I wanted to go hide under a rock but we had an event to do...but that stuck with me.

I loved Floyd's performance...from the heart of a true Sage...to you.

Enjoy with love....

Chance

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Floyd
• Westerman
• Red
• Crow
• Just
• Another
• Holy
• Man
• Rainbow
• Warrior
• Festival
• Native
• American
• green
• Jesus
• MLK
• Sitting
• Bull
• They
• Killed
• Him
• Bob
• Dylan
• Kris
• Kristofferson

[cmunik8r]

I'm stunned and amazed that this clip has passed 100K views. I realize it's no 'Charlie Bit My Finger' but it says something that a 20+ year old clip of this amazing man's interpretation of this song has been seen by so many. I'm thrilled, grateful and amazed. PLEASE, keep passing it on! Blessings! Chance

[originalfunkyfry]

Very nice video, but I just have to add I think the name of the song is "They Killed Him."

[cmunik8r]

@originalfunkyfry You are quite correct...it is a Kris Kristopherson song that many have covered, including Dylan.

[Bra23we12]

What a knob.

A way of thinking that seperates people from nature by talking about "nature" as if it were somehow seperate from people. Something we could rescue. Something we are "responsible" for.

We are a part of nature....and what we we do is natural.

Tooth and claw. Species die away...and the new comes in it's place.

For millions of years "nature" has governed with no thought of the politics of a thousand years.No regret for the life that fails....only the next step....only going on.

[cmunik8r]

@Bra23we12 I think you could have found a way to express that without disrespecting the man by referring to him as 'a knob'. While I agree that nature does not factor politics or human suffering, there's something to be said for the fact that, as far as we know, no other species that's ever lived on this planet has had the capability, starting with our opposable thumbs, or, ending with our frontal lobes, the will to destroy it. I find it hard to think of war or nuclear weapons as 'natural'.

[Bra23we12]

@cmunik8r

You're right. It was disrespectful and I regret the remark.

Still, despite mankinds extraordinary ability to impose suffering both on itself and the rest of the living world, it remains a product of natures process. The idea that man stands outside nature at a distance determined by his behaviour, and therefore that some ways of living are more natural than others, is daft.

We are ALL part of nature.

[cmunik8r]

@Bra23we12

I appreciate you owning your comments about Floyd. I think I'll leave it at that.

[cmunik8r]

Wow...I'm so pleased that this video has passed 50k views! I realize that's not a huge number compared with videos of finger-biting toddlers and all but still, it has surpassed my wildest hopes.

Thank you everyone who has viewed it and shared it with others. Let's see if we can hit 100k...I think there are another 50,000+ people who should see this....don't you? ;-)  Namaste. Mitakuye Oyasin. Peace.

[BrokenWings601]

@ppc1989ark LaVar Burton: Georgi from Star Trek

[jemjoy2007]

i had the pleasure to work with him,in the Dreamkeeper movie,such a beautiful,humble,beautiful person.

[Bra23we12]

@CountryBuff08

It is in the governance of nature that a thing must be what that thing is. This is the meaning of natural.

That a thing might change and in that change shape all other things, is the meaning of flow.

It is wrong to think that when things are changed they become unnatural. It is the natural way that all things must change. Nature governs thus.....and none may stand aside.

[CountryBuff08]

@Bra23we12 You say we are a part of nature, and that we shouldn't talk about it as if it were separate, but in your later statement, you say nature does not govern with thoughts about politics. So I am confused, is nature a separate entity, or are we a part of nature? Your words seem contradictory.

[Bra23we12]

@stumptacular

We never lost our connection. We are natures children. What we do is natural.

Tooth and claw....we become all that our environment allows.

Today, we can change the environment that shaped us. We can shape our world as we shape ourselves.

The fear of change leads us to believe that yesterday was better than today.

Hope lets us feel that tommorow will be better than all our yesterdays.

We are all natures children. What we do is natural.

The purpose of life.......is life.

[stumptacular]

@Bra23we12 we have lost our connection to nature, our reverence... our understanding.... the tooth and claws come out of misunderstanding our place... we lived on this planet 60k years and all of the sudden we are ruining the planet... this is not nature... this is evil and corruption working against the natural way of things... what we think is "progress" or "technology" is a lie we have been programmed into believing and what they dismiss as "primitive" is the true sustainable source of life

[CharismaPeep]

I feel really happy when I listen to this song.. I have great great respect for the native people! R I P Red Crow you will never be forgotten!!

[slvn76]

Ojala existieran más personas como tú,!!!