Popular Categories

Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 21)

David Bald Eagle journeys to the Spirit World





DAVE BALD EAGLE

DAVE BALD EAGLE

It is so hard to process my feelings right now after hearing the sad news of the passing of Dave Bald Eagle, who plays Dan in my latest film, Neither Wolf Nor Dog. It has certainly been an emotional day.

Dave was truly unique. His life was more extraordinary than of those that most great biographies are written about; the joys and the tragedies. He was an astonishingly beautiful man. The sparkle from his eyes when he smiled or was being mischievous was a joy to behold.

I have spent much of the last two years looking at him and listening to him on screen, while editing his performance in Neither Wolf Nor Dog. I still get a thrill when I see his best moments on screen. When my own time comes and I look back on what I have achieved in my life, helping introduce more of the world to Dave through the film, will be one of the highlights. The few that have seen the film since its recent premiere have been falling madly in love with him through his amazing performance.

For three incredible weeks, Dave, his wife Josee, Christopher Sweeney, Richard Ray Whitman, Jonathan Bald Eagle, Rick Van Ness and I, became a tight family within the embrace of our amazing hosts, Carolyn and Todd O’Bryan. It was a miraculous time, and I never had any right to expect that I could assemble such a beautiful group of human beings.

Dave said the best thing I could ever hear about Neither Wolf Nor Dog. He said it was the first film he had been in that “told the truth” about his people. We previewed it to him before it was finished at a special, private screening in Rapid City. Some of the other stars of the film were there too. The film screened early in the evening and then later there was a party that finished at midnight. I was told, Dave was the last to leave. He was beaming all night as he was so proud of the film.

But that day might not have happened. When Dave arrived with his wife Josee that morning, she said, “I’d saved his life the day before.” You see, the day before I made an impromptu visit with Dave as I was traveling with one of our main supporters of the film through Kickstarter, and I wanted him to meet Dave. We had a wonderful visit with him that afternoon. But Josee told me, the next day, that Dave had been due to attend a tribal meeting that afternoon, but stayed at home instead since we’d popped by. Now while that tribal meeting was taking place, their building took a direct hit from a tornado and many there were hurt. A 96-yearold would possibly not have been so lucky. Those of you that know Dave’s bio, know that he survived many things that the rest of us wouldn’t have. His endurance during filming was remarkable as was his courage in taking on such a major undertaking.

Most people’s worlds get smaller when they move deep into old age. Dave’s just seemed to get larger as his family continued to grow and those he influenced swelled too. Certainly, all of us that came to know him in these final years through the filming, love him deeply. I am so proud to have become his friend. And honored to be able to take his landmark performance in Neither Wolf Nor Dog out to the world.

On a broader note, Dave represents one of the very last of a generation of amazing elders, who were the last to be brought up by those born free within their culture. We mourn the passing of an era also.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.