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-We used to tell these stories mouth to mouth. Now my children and grandchildren are going to get their stories from DVDs. -Joe Ives, Port Gamble S'Klallam carver

We are pleased to have this opportunity to ask for donations from you and all our friends. With the Bringing Salmon Home film production we plan to pay our singers, carvers, dancers and film makers. And, as with our first film, we plan to make our film series available to every one for free at our website www.Hamumu.org.

We are the Hamumu Arts Collective (HAC) and we are working together with Joe Ives of the Port Gamble S'Klallam tribe to create a short film we call 'Bringing Salmon Home'

"Bringing Salmon Home" (BSH), is the second in a series of films based on Salmon stories Joe Ives remembers his Grandmother telling, and will open a door for a larger group of people to the rich traditional Northwest Coast tribal arts of storytelling, music, mask dance and puppetry. Audiences and those who find the website will find introductory resources to local traditional foods, cultural wisdom and the local NW arts traditions

-detail of the Geneva ives Memorial Pole in Little Boston at the Tribal Center

-Everyone who has seen the Suquamish Salmon Hatchery is aware of the classic  character of the Joe Ives salmon designs painted on the  buildings and on the Cowling Creek Center sign. 

Joe is a great candidate to offer his expertise and vision for this film project. Joe is a well known  wood carver and storyteller from the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe (PGST). Joe's carving and design style has become iconic throughout  Washington State (in tribal casinos, murals, public installations and private collections) and within a wide radius of the his home in Little Boston where Joe's classic characterizations of NW animals influence many  carvers and designers. 

Joe's traditional carved wooden masks and articulated sculptures have intrigued a group of young carvers, singers and dancers to bring to life the powerful stories that continue to tell the stories in a potent way to that we want to pass down to the next generation in S'Klallam territory, other Salish Sea regions while heightening the visablity the art all over the work.

Here is the first HAC film in the Salmon Spirit series; Natural Gifts - it is under three minutes long.

Only you and others who visit this Indiegogo crowd sourcing web page are able to watch Natural Gifts (NG) film for free with a single click because we ask all others to give us their email address in order to view the short film.

BRINGING SALMON HOME

We understand and want to strengthen the tradition for carvers to create transformation masks and puppets to depict the creatures of the age of transformation. We want to build a chorus of singers trained to sing dynamic songs composed in the ancient S'Klallam dialect. We will form a team of dancers to step to the beat of a drum in choreography uniquely qualified to represent their stories. Our dancers will train to dance transformation dances where people transform into animals and back again. This community of artists can expose a large community of arts appreciators to this NW arts tradition. We believe it is important to learn from each other online and in person - join us.

With your support we will be able to Dance our story, Film our dance and Pray for healing and the cultural and environmental revitalization for the whole world!

Please consider giving us your financial support

Campaign funds will be used to pay for space rental, materials, film crew fees and honorarium for sculptors, singers, dancers and coaches. Many will donate their services to complete the production and the gifts to keep the Salmon Spirit film series campaign alive. Some funds will be used to expand the Hamumu.org website where the people can find links to NW Native culture art and story resources to explore . Our website will also guide those who wish to invite one of the Hamumu Arts Collective artists to offer workshops for teachers and students to develop arts skills build cultural awareness and environmental stewardship.

Bear and Salmon pole by Joe Ives assisted by James Smith and Craig Jacobrown

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Hamumu Arts Collective (HAC) is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2008 by co-founders George Taylor and Craig Jacobrown with the mission to integrate the arts of music, sculpture, dance and theater to bring to life ancient stories that can have a positive impact on future generations. Hamumu means 'Butterfly' in the Kwakwala Language and is one of Melas Taylors Family Crest symbols.

Three years ago Hamumu Arts Collective was performing 'Spirit Mask' in the Port Gamble Theater near Little Boston. The Spirit Mask story, A story of a transformation dance passed down in Georges Kwakwaka'wakw family, intrigued Jake Jones a Port Gamble S'Klallam tribal (PGST) carver, elder, former PGST tribal chairman and Joe Ive's uncle. Jake suggested HAC use a S'Klallam story for our next production. Craig asked Joe if he would join the Collective and share some of his carvings and Grandmother's stories. Now, three years later, we have involved young PGST artists, singers and dancers to work with Joe and the Hamumu collective to rehearse for the BHS film.

Craig Jacobrown, George Taylor and Joe Ives- Three Hamumu Arts Collective artists and board members.

In Joes first story 'Natural Gifts', a Bear offers generosity to a Raven and sets the tone for the Salmon Spirit film series. Now our version of a story about the Old Man Fisherman and the First Salmon ceremony is well known amongst the S'Klallam and throughout the Salish Sea. They say that the mysterious spirit of an Old Man only appears to fish every year in season just before the first salmon arrive down at the mouths of the NW salmon run rivers.

Loren Edwards (Swinomish) joined Craig Jacobrown (non-Native) as a dancer for the short NG film production. With all the carving, dancing together with the skilled efforts of our cameraman and film editor, Keith Brofsky, the NG film was a big project to accomplish on a small budget. We are grateful for the support supplied by the Potlatch Fund as well as the in-kind donations from each of our artists, many of whom plan to continue to work on the BSH film. 

HAC plans to post BSH, our second short film, online with our first film to help us build an audience, rally support for subsequent productions and create a network of young NW artists who want to learn. Historically our Hamumu Arts Collective practice was to produce and tour live theater and now we plan to build upon our network of supportive tribes, schools and educators who have been able to see the previous HAC live performances of  'Echo' and 'Spirit Mask'. Over the past five years over a dozen schools, NW tribal communities and other venues have invited HAC to bring live theatrical performances into their community. We’ve seen how difficult it is to access quality NW Native arts and culture programming so we will be happy to contact our network of tribal communities that may well appreciate our film project as we seek financial support for our program.

-Joe is completing a giant Salmon for the Bringing Salmon Home Film

JOE IVES ON BOARD

We can not overestimate the power of inspiration Joe Ives has provided our organization. Joe is both a S'Klallam elder and an internationally renown artist who is a respected member of the NW Coast Native carving and designing community. Joe has dynamic and stylized carved wooden masks, and graphic designs panels and poles throughout many public spaces, homes, businesses and casinos in Washington. His unique two dimensional form-line design and three dimensional shapes are both stylistically unique to Northwest Coast First Peoples while possessing his signature 'Ives character'. He is also a well respected elder and art teacher amongst his family and friends on the Port Gamble S'Klallam reservation.

Joe learned many stories from his grandmother, Clara Jones, and claims that his artwork has always visually illustrated these stories. As the films highlight, he can also narrate each story as his grandmother did. The 'Ives' style has become internationally recognized and particularly well known throughout Washington state and Kitsap county. Today, through Joe's visual illustrations and storytelling in our film series we will promote the arts of painting, sculpture, music and dance that can inspire a new generation of artists while contributing to the spirit and health of all who share this local region and the earth community.

Our success with Joe can provide a template for future collaborations with other storytellers and artists. Joe and his crew of wood carvers have already begun to carve some dynamic transformation masks for the BSH film such as this initially roughed out Old Man Fisherman mask.

Unfinished 'Old Man Fisherman' mask by Joe Ives

As experienced artists and puppeteers, we are in a unique position to accomplish this project. Joe is a unique First Nations wood carver ready to distribute his work on film online. We ask for your support as we 'cast a large net' and make films which we promote free of charge on the internet.

We know the NW Coast First Peoples sculptural and visual art has always been the first part of the NW tradition to become popular outside of traditional NW tribal and ceremonial life. The powerful mix of deep stories, bold sculptural arts, dynamic songs and colorful dances can inspire people all over the world. Once people have tasted each of these beautiful arts we've increased the potential they'll attempt to become further immersed in these ancient traditions. We hope to revitalize a new culture of people deeply committed to visual arts, song, dance and story culture that promotes environmental stewardship.

The Joe Ives artistic style provides a for our rich traditional storytelling and dance presentation. For over four decades Joe has created many carvings throughout NW tribal communities and other Washington public and private collections while he has also taught many others in his family and community how to design and carve.

-Visitors to 'the Point' casino on PGST reservation  will not only see many of Joe's art such as this Salmon painting,  but also many designs Joe helped younger carvers to fashion for the facility.

George Melas Taylor (Kwakwaka'wakw) co-founder and lead singer/composer for the Hamumu Arts Collective wrote songs that he sang in the Natural Gifts film and he plans to write more songs for the new characters of the BSH film. For 30 years Melas has been the lead song composer, singer, choreographer and storyteller for the Lelala Dancers a renown dance troupe from Vancouver Islands Northern Kwakwaka'wakw region. George has maintained deep contact with his First Nations culture and he understands, due to traditional protocol, Joe will need to personally own a new song for each of the masks and puppets that he creates for the HAC film series. As with the Natural Gifts film, George is committed to composing music and record the songs in the S'Klallam language and then choreographing the dances for each character in the BHS film.

- Craig Jacobrown thanking his neighbor Ed Carriere of the Frog clan

Craig Jacobrown (non-native) is the third co-producer on the BSH film and a good friend and coworker with Joe Ives for over 25 years. As a professional puppeteer/mask maker, dancer and educator for over 35 years, Craig has been operating a theater performance and design company called The Maskery. Together with other carvers, Craig will assist Joe creating the mask and puppet sculptures, perform on camera and help with film production and editing for the BSH film. He will also coordinate and manage the promotion of our Indiegogo fundraising/marketing campaign. 

Other Hamumu Arts Collective Board members include:

Elaine Grinnell and Zann Jacobrown.

Key non-board Hamumu Arts Collective members include:

Laura and Joe Price and Keith Brofsky

HAC is very excited to collaborate with Laura Ives Price, a coordinator within the PGST Youth Services Department. Laura has offered her services recruiting and supervising young people for the film in cooperation of her husband, Joe Price (also a PGST member) who is the coordinator of the S'Klallam song and drum club. Laura has also volunteered to help translate Georges songs into the S'Klallam language as she works to integrate S'Klallam students into our film.

Keith Brofsky (non-native) of Brofsky Productions filmed and helped edit the first 'Natural Gifts' film and is committed to filming BHS, the next film in our series. He has produced television, and promotional video online in addition to still photography for over 25 years at www.brofsky.com.   Keith and the film crew will capture all of our story on film and then continue to edit the videotape throughout the fall when we distribute the film both online and through our network of schools.

We believe it is important to pass on traditional wisdom face to face. We believe it is important for people to learn to use their hands and heart to create these dynamic dancing art objects. So Joe is currently teaching a carving class at his home in Little Boston for students who might be interested in creating their own articulated mask (mask with a moving jaw). Some students might even contribute an artwork to our BSH campaign to help spread the iconic Ives aesthetic style (see our gift to donors of $30 or more). Some of the masks, puppets and sculptures designed and used for the film will be offered to our donors after shooting the film.

fish stick puppets we offer our small scale donors

Although we have been making films for the past two years, we still prefer face to face teaching situations with our audiences and learners. Sometimes it is difficult to convince our audiences and critics that personal contact is important to us. Even as our audiences share our film, we encourage them to budget the funds and time for our artists to travel to work with their community in person.

Some keepers of the culture believe films like ours can never transmit the most important information HAC artists can offer. This may be true. But we believe the films serve an important purpose for after we produced and distributed the Natural Gifts film, elders who had previously criticised our educational approach have become more supportive. They appreciate, as we do, that a whole new audience is visiting our website to see the films and become active supporters sponsoring our work and possibly more in-depth arts workshops from one or more of the HAC artists.

Ives Bear Drum

Two HAC Collective members, Joe and Laura Price from the PGST song and drum club have already identified a number of young artists as talented singers and dancers for the film. Currently several young singers, drummers, dancers and carvers from both the Suquamish and Port Gamble S'Klallam (PGST) tribal communities have expressed interest in participating in the BHS film production. Some are willing to donate a percentage of their time to HAC but fortunately, through Indiegogo, we intend to offer some compensation to many of the young artists who work on the film.

James Smith (Suquamish), one of Joe's carving assistants, working on a giant salmon sculpture.

Filming is scheduled during the summer of 2015 when Joe and George will train some Port Gamble S'Klallam youth in the transformation mask dances before we gather at the PGST House of Knowledge to film. Craig and Keith will continue the editing and post production of the film during the fall of 2015 so the film can be completed and posted by 2016.

HAC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization comprised primarily of First Nations board members. Please consider giving a tax deductible contribution to HAC and/or join our email list and help us expose the largest group of people possible throughout our Northwest Salish Sea region and the world to the beauty, depth and artistry of our NW Native Elders on the internet.

We believe a relatively small contribution from each of the group of our 100 devoted patron/friends will help us complete this film that can have such a deep impact on any one who resonates with the study and practice of the arts and culture of traditional NW First Nations.

If you can't give dollars please send your email information. We hope to keep contact with all who view our films. We hope you give us your email address so that we can inform you of each subsequent episode in our film series when its in production and/or after it's release.

If we fail to raise all the funds we need to produce this film we might have to cut the script to make the film shorter. Even then, with a short film, we might not raise the money for the minimum length film and we may choose to charge future audiences a small fee to watch the film.

We are pleased to offer global audiences maximum access to the beauty, wisdom and dynamic roots of NW Native arts and cultural values. Our BHS film can serve as a gateway to inspire a other young, carvers, singers and dancers to revitalize endangered Native knowledge, art forms and stories. And through our collaboration with Joe Ives we hope to pique the interest of more elders to join our collective artists in this endeavor. Please consider a generous donation and allow us to offer the short film online for free.

Finally we ask that you pass on our website link to those who share an enthusiasm for NW First Peoples art and wisdom, so that when Bringing Salmon Home is complete, along with Natural Gifts and other 'Salmon Spirit' educational resources, they will be available at no cost at our www.hamumu.org website.

We hope you’ll ask folks to get the word out and make some noise about our campaign. You can easily

use the Indiegogo share tools!

 

Thank you for all your help.