Aïsha Devi uses her voice to break through the din of our current musical moment.
Singer, producer and performer Aïsha Devi speaks with Chal Ravens about her personal philosophy, why the voice is her preferred instrument and how she looks at ritualistic traditions as a source of inspiration for a new transcendental electronic music.
Teaching of the Sundance and why we dance, the history, the outlawing, the youth,men, women and elders points of view. It does not show the ceremony but the preparations involved and work involved to make it happen. We were offered to film it but declined out of respect for the dancers and our people. You can teach people about the ceremonies without showing the ceremony. The only real way to learn is to go, watch, listen and help. It aired 10 years ago in March 0f 2003.
Told from the perspective of contemporary Lakota people, the film explores the life of Crazy Horse (Tasunke Witko). Viewers see the natural world of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana that Crazy Horse knew. His spiritual nature is discussed, as are his unique qualities as a leader. The final portion of the film examines his role at the Battle of Little Bighorn, his resistance against reservation life, and his violent death at Fort Robinson in 1877. Lakota people share what Crazy Horse means in their world today. The film features original music created for this story. Sharing their insights are Lakota historians Jace DeCory, Donovin Sprague, Wilmer Mesteth and Whitney Recountre.
As part of the Dark Paradise exhibit curated by Yin Shadowz and the Applied Mythology Project at LAST Projects Gallery in Hollywood in Oct./Nov. 2015, a diverse group of women come together to discuss "Art As Ritual" in today's world, exploring the topic from various perspectives including depth psychology, folklore, popular culture and the occult, mysticism, social justice, and inequity. The panel explores the archetype of the new perennialist, the postmodern search for authenticity in expressive culture, the role of magic in everyday life, living one's life as art, the role of ritual in art-making practices, and inequity of space for creative exploration. Panelists include Jennifer Selig, professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute and author on depth psychology and archetypal studies; Sabina Magliocco, professor at CSUN, ethnographer, and author on folklore and the Neopagan revival; Tanja M. Laden, founder of PopCurious, writer and biographer of Marjorie Cameron,; Maja d'Aoust, practicing white witch, artist and speaker on esoteric studies; and Rochelle Martin, Chicana artist. The panel is moderated by co-curators Kristin Trammell and Meagan Boyd.
