A documentary by UNC geographer Altha Cravey that explores the connections of the indigenous Otomi people in Durham, N.C., and in their hometown of San Pablito, Mexico, has been selected for an American Indian film festival.
Cravey is an associate professor of geography in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. The film, “Seed Spirits: The Otomi of Carolina del Norte,” will be screened at the Fifth Annual Film Festival of the American Indian Movement West (AIM-West) on Oct. 12 in Santa Rosa, Calif.
The film was supported by the N.C. Arts Council Folklife Division. Additional producers/directors are Elva E. Bishop and Ciro Arroyo Vicente.
The main source of livelihood in the town of San Pablito, a small village in highland Pueblo, is artisanal papermaking. Papel amate was used for creating the ancient Mexican codices. In the last generation, Otomi (who call themselves Hyuhnu) have relocated to Durham, N.C., and are sending remittances back to supplement earnings from papermaking. The documentary focuses on indigenous traditions that mark the cycle of life and the passing of the seasons: Carnaval, a Quinciñera, and Day of the Dead. In addition, Don Alfonso Garcia, a leading curandero (traditional healer or shaman)of San Pablito, speaks about the role of seed spirits cut from sacred paper in his healing work.
Films selected for the AIM-WEST festival exemplify the legacy and spiritual movement of resistance, and the fight for self-determination found among indigenous peoples throughout the globe. Held each year on Indigenous People’s Day, the festival offers an educational alternative to the stories typically associated with Columbus Day and what it means to indigenous people throughout the Americas.
For more on Cravey’s film, visit http://seedspirits.unc.edu/about.html.
For more about the film festival, visit http://bennyjcuellar.wix.com/aim-international-film-festival.
