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THERE´S THREE DENE COMMUNITIES - I GUESS YOU COULD SAY BANDS - ALL IN AND AROUND THE LITTLE TINY TOWN OF FORT SIMPSON.  

 

(Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́) OR ´FORT SIMPSON´ IS THE PLACE WHERE THE RIVERS COME TOGETHER.  IT IS A VILLAGE ON THE DEHCHO REGION, THE ONLY ´VILLAGE´ IN THE NWT AND A CRADLE OF INDIGENOUS CULTURE AND TRADITION.

 

BOTH KJ McCUSKER AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ON THE WHISPERING SKY PROJECT AND A GUY NAMED DANIEL McGONIGLE ARE BOTH FROM A DENE BAND NEAR FORT SIMPSON.   THE EVIDENCE FOR US OF SOMETHING MORE POWERFUL AT WORK HERE IS THAT UNTIL THE EVENTS OF OUR STORY OCCURED, NEITHER DAN NOR KJ KNEW OF THE OTHER. 

 

DANIEL McGONIGLE´S CONNECTION TO OUR STORY IS THIS, HE IS THE GUY WHO LAST SAVED OUR 39 BOXES FROM DISAPPEARING FOREVER, SAVING THEM FROM BEING TOSSED INTO A GARBAGE BIN OUTSIDE AN ABANDONED STORAGE LOCKER OR AUCTIONED OFF TO A LESSER PERSON.  YOU CAN READ THE DETAILS IN THE PDF BELOW. 

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THE IRONY IS THAT DAN WAS ONCE ONE OF THOSE KIDS WHO SHARES THE BRUTAL STORY OF SO MANY WE ARE NOW LEARNING ABOUT.  DAN AND HIS SISTER WERE BOTH TAKEN FROM THEIR FAMILY, FROM THE LOG HOME ON THE RIVER THAT THEY HAD GROWN UP IN UNTIL THEN, AND PLACED IN A CHARTER SCHOOL WHERE THEN HE AND HIS SISTER ENDURED YEARS OF ABUSE.  

 

OUR FOLLOW UP MOVIE ´FOLLOW THE SKY HOME´ PLANS TO SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE DARKER TRUTHS OF BOTH KJ´S AND DAN´S STORY.

 

I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR DAN AND THE STORY OF WHY HE ENDED UP WITH ALL THAT FILM.

 

AMEN 

 

DIRECTOR/CINEMATOGRAPHER/PRODUCER JETH WEINRICH