“What happens when world views collide ? This is not merely academic question for philosophers to ponder. Currently in America, land use disputes exist that are rooted in ancient beliefs about the fundamental essence of nature. This exquisitely-produced film focuses in three areas sacred to American Native Peoples: the Black Hills and Bear Butte in South Dakota and Mount Graham in Arizona.

Narrated, directed and co-written by Robby Romero of Red Thunder, Makoce Wakan first aired on the VH1 music television channel. The film explores how the three areas have a connectedness with the development of scientific inquiry. This film also features interviews with leaders, including Colorado’s US Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Cheyenne) and Audrey Shenandoah, an Onondaga Clan Mother.

The Apache consider Mount Graham to be scared. That fact did not prevent the construction of a huge telescope on its peak. Western science posits that knowledge for its own sake is good, whereas Franklin Stanley, a San Carlos Apache Spiritual Leader, states, “I don’t have to build a tower to comprehend the universe.” In the Mount Graham sequence, Apache mountain spirit dancers appear like specters in a dramatic contrast to the hard, cold temple of steel that science built.

Romero contends that the fundamental issue is about respect of earth, others, and life. From the gorgeous aerial of the precipitous Black Hills to the close-up views of wild flowers-underscored by Red Thunder’s earnest music-this marvelous film is a must see the world views of American Native Peoples.”