In this blog post, Ocean talks about Starhawk’s novel The Fifth Sacred Thing, how it incorporates American Sign Language as part of the concept of access and inclusion for all, and the current efforts underway to bring the novel to the screen.
This post also contains a video which is captioned for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This video discusses the novel’s concept and provides some insight into the movie story line, and can be found at the end of this post – it is recommended that you read the post first to get the background info before viewing the video.
About a year ago, I introduced Crossroads readers to The Fifth Sacred Thing, a post-apocalyptic novel written by well-known Pagan leader, teacher and author Starhawk.
Anyone who knows me well knows I am a big fan of Starhawk – her books, her teachings, her outlook on life. I’ve had the pleasure of attending her workshops, participating in rituals with her, and even teaching her how to cuss in sign language:
I’ve also had the pleasure of helping her to gain a better understanding into the importance of Equal Communication Access. By working together, I’ve helped Starhawk in making the Spiral Dance ritual accessible for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and also in assuring that videos are either captioned or transcribed so they can be enjoyed by all.
In the book The Fifth Sacred Thing, the main characters – although hearing – do know and utilize American Sign Language, as part of the overall philosophy of inclusion practiced by the ecotopian society of the Bay Area (a skill which is sometimes viewed with nervousness by outsiders from other areas):
“My name is Madrone,” she began. By habit, she was starting to sign her words as she spoke them, as she would in a Council meeting. But the ripple of discomfort that passed over the women’s faces reminded her that they were not accustomed to the signs, so she placed her hands in her lap.
~ The Fifth Sacred Thing, page 271
The San Francisco of The Fifth Sacred Thing, in the year 2048, is a richly diverse community where many races and ethnicities coexist in harmony. Differences of color, gender, age, sexual orientation or physical ability are not allowed to restrict a person’s opportunities. The ancestors of many cultures are honored in ceremony, art, and education. Every child in the city grows up speaking at least three languages: English, a neighborhood or ancestral tongue , and American Sign Language. Lessons and Council Meetings are always signed as well as spoken, so the Deaf are easily integrated into public life.
That American Sign Language would be incorporated as one of the three languages taught and used in such a community should hardly come as a surprise, since the Bay Area is home to a large and active Deaf Community. That Starhawk incorporates this fact into her novel demonstrates recognition of a goal which the Deaf Community has long advocated for – access and inclusion. While maintaining a fierce pride in their own unique culture and identity, Deaf people do desire integration into all aspects of public life.
Plans are currently underway to bring The Fifth Sacred Thing to the silver screen. Last year’s Kickstarter fundraising campaign netted over $76,000 in initial funds, and demonstrated community support for such a project. In the nine months since, the movie project team has been hard at work getting their legal and financial structures set up; creating art, character sketches and illustrations; writing and recording musical themes; developing a preliminary line-item budget; and getting an investor packet written, illustrated, designed and distributed to likely prospects. In addition, Starhawk herself has been busy revising the screenplay, writing the first script, and drafting a sequel.
The team recently released a new video – “One Act of Courage.” Produced as a teaser for The Fifth Sacred Thing film project, the video is designed as a quick and effective way to present the story ideas and themes of the film to those who have not yet read the novel. Narrated by Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis, who has signed on to play Maya Greenwood in the film (one of the main characters), in keeping with the spirit of access and inclusion this video is captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Special thanks to Starhawk, Mouse, and everyone associated with The Fifth Sacred Thing Film Project!
Enjoy.
The first one was taken in Muir Woods in California. I am a big fan of John Muir and quote his writings quite frequently on my own blogs. I didn’t get to spend nearly as much time exploring Muir Woods as I would’ve liked (it was a whirlwind tour of the area, trying to fit as much in as possible). I hope to go back. The redwood trees are awe-inspiring and walking into a redwood forest is, to me, like walking into a cathedral or other sacred ground. The amount of time some of the trees have experienced being on Mother Earth boggles my mind. I’m originally from the east coast of the U.S. and have spent the majority of my life and times east of the Mississippi River. Sights such as the redwoods and Yosemite are beyond anything we have on this side of the country. Not that we don’t have some great stuff. We do. But the redwoods! Wow. I think I spent most of our time in Muir Woods with my eyes wide in wonder and my mouth hanging open in awe.
The second photo was taken from Point Reyes, California. It rained and rained and rained for almost the entire trip (a few sunny spells here and there, including the day we went to Muir Woods). It was raining on our way out to Point Reyes. But by the time we got there the rain stopped. The clouds were doing some amazing things as they cleared out, and every now and again the sun would peek out from behind them, turning the Pacific Ocean shades of blue, silver, and even gold at times. I liked this view of the sea as seen through the V of Mother Earth.
The third photo is of a green frog, one of the many that hang out near our pond. I know that my hostess is Deaf and there are many deaf readers here so please pardon me as I describe the frogs a bit through their sound. They make a sort of “ponging” sound that’s similar to someone twanging on a banjo. At the height of their mating season, the sound is overwhelming at night, making it difficult to sleep. The bullfrogs generally join in the clamor and it’s like there’s a party going on out there. Once the pond is covered with frog eggs, the sounds start to die down a bit. The green frog is known for having a prominent tympanum (that big round thing you see just to the right and under its eye), and they are not always green. They lay 1000-7000 eggs. The great thing about having them around is that the tadpoles eat algae and water plants, keeping the pond relatively clean. In fact, we’ve found that most of the wildlife in and around the pond keep the pond in great shape, everyone doing their part so to speak. Green frogs are not particularly shy so photographing them is easy except that they do blend in quite well with their surroundings making it difficult to spot them at times. They’ll also eat anything they can fit in their mouths including smaller frogs, small birds, small snakes, and even their own cast off skin.
The next photo is of Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright house located just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Honestly, this photo looks like just about every other photo you find of Fallingwater. There’s a reason for that. There’s a spot set aside with this view of the house and it’s the best outside view you can find on the property where the public is permitted to go. Osh and I thought this fit in well with the idea of living in harmony with the land. It’s worth touring as it’s quite interesting to see how Mr. Wright positioned it over the waterfall and incorporated the land around it (including large rock structures) into the house. Ceilings in the rooms were intentionally built low so as to direct the eye towards the outside to look at the beautiful surroundings.
The last photo was taken from the top of Mount Tamalpais in California and the curvaceousness of it seemed appropriate for this spot as representing Mother Earth. One of the great things about all that rain that fell while we were in the San Francisco area of California was that the land was very green. The green, the curves, and the hill and mountains reminded me of the Highlands of Scotland. On an even more personal note, I couldn’t resist doing a 
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
