Sing Birds 3 minute trailer

This Trailer is for Sing Birds: Following the Path of Cahuilla Power a 52 minute feature documentary that premiered on July 6, 2009 in Idyllwild, CA.
Bird songs are the traditional social songs that speak of the origins of the Cahuilla people of Southern California, their mythic or actual travels during ancient times, and describe their natural environment and its inhabitants. The evolution of bird songs themselves and how they are sung depict and serve as a metaphor for the changes in Cahuilla culture today. Sing Birds contains six chapters:
chemeynUkish (Our Creators)-Elder lead singers of the bird song groups relate their stories of the creation of the Cahuilla people and the evolution of the Bird Songs.
Hem Iiv'a Sechuumii (Remembered Power)-Recollections of Cahuilla Elders and others about the Shaman of their time.
sAwaanika (To Make Disappear)-An overview of the period between 1870 and the 1950s focusing on religious and BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) schools that prohibited the speaking of the Cahuilla language by the native students.
Kutpaah (From the Ashes)-From the 1950s through the 1970s, many Cahuilla thought the bird songs would be lost; however, in the late 1980s younger Cahuilla began to show a renewed interest in their culture and songs, and a number of the elder singers who had kept their traditions and songs alive began to teach them.
Supul (Change)-Loss of the Cahuilla language, contemporary western culture, issues of mixed blood have affected the intention of the singers and the purity of the bird songs.
Iva'a (Power Now)-Singers expressing different views, Cahuilla educators finding ways to reeducate the youth, and tribal leaders working hard to improve the life of their Band all work towards resolving current tensions and challenges while looking forward with renewed vigor and optimism.
The powerful and primal sound of Bird Songs are used in the sound track throughout the film.
Sing Birds can be viewed at nospecialability.com or purchased at