I’m shooting a few AICP spots with the Lummi Indians in the Pacific Northwest. One of the spots has to do with a rowing contest. The Lummi have dugout boats. That’s a real dugout from a log. I have the brilliant idea to mount camera on a crane on a chase boat. The problem is that the chase boat can’t keep up with the Lummi.
The younger guys are wary of me, probably because I’m white. That’s a good reason. We’re having lunch in the common building and there is a Michael Jordan Jumpman logo on the wall. We star discussing Jordan and Austin shows them a picture or two to establish that credibility. The guys challenge me to row with them. I get into the canoe and they teach me the stroke and the chant and the shift from side to side.
We go out on the water and it is one of the best experiences of my life.