...a word from creator zelan bonn
This
project is inspired by the millions of Native Americans and Native people and
their children around the world who have grown up all these decades without
a major Indian
hero on television or in film---someone of their own they can look up to
and admire---someone we can all admire. I
had Superman reruns. He was my hero growing up. I am euro-white so I naturally
identified with him---he came from my culture and looked like my people. Who did you identify with and
have as heroes growing up? Now imagine
having nobody---Hollywood having abandoned you all your life! Welcome to
Native America... This
hero aspect may seem trivial to some people but libraries are full of books that
have been written
on hero culture and how it works to mold and transform society. Our heroes,
or lack thereof, tell a lot about us and what we value and don't. Society devalues native people and
society's output is discrimination for which Native people must pay, in this
case, for
generations. Equality does not exist for these groups and nowhere is it more
apparent than in Hollywood. I know, I work here and I've experienced it
firsthand. Now
imagine an industry that has, on routine for a 100 years, devalued your heroes
and portrayed
your people in the light of the enemy, in the light of racism. It's hard for most of us who have never
experienced such a thing to imagine the degradation from being bombarded with negativism
from society that finds ever increasing ways to discriminate against you unless
you've endured it yourself---most Americans have not---Native Americans have, and do, to this
very day. Is
Hollywood a demon, no, it's a machine, and like all machines, "garbage in
and garbage out". We must change what we put into the machine if we want it
to provide equality for all. That's a good part of what this project is all
about. How
A Fictional Hero Came To Real Life The
Ticci Man Project came from the seeds of an entertainment product that met with
fires of racism and discrimination in Hollywood. The entertainment goal was
simple---create a cool Indian hero that everyone would love and put him on
screen around the world. Let the masses enjoy, learn, and embrace Indians as heroes
too... or that was the idea... Normally, the job of getting such a fantastic and unique
hero to the big screen would be easy
enough---if the hero was White. When
a stream of film executives demanded that the project's Indian characters be portrayed
by Whites and Hispanics in order to secure funding, it became clear that the
unspoken obstacle was clearly racism and discrimination against Native
Americans. For we knew unknown talent had been used successfully in thousands of major
films, including the blockbuster Titanic--a true
testament to James Cameron's insights as a director who understands how to find
and develop star talent. Today, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are household
names, transformed by the shear fires of Cameron's brilliance as a director and
those who financed the project--a
Hollywood gift that is often given to many rising talents but almost never
offered to
Native American talent. The
mega-giant success film Avatar, also by Cameron, is now the top grossing
film in world history and it also features a once little known talent Sam
Worthington in the lead role. (Worthington also came out big in the Cameron film
Terminator: Salvation, in a rare double blockbuster exposure of a
relatively little known talent prior these two major film débuts in 2009). This
proves that great yet unknown talent is bankable and can come from anywhere if
there is the will to seek it out and the directing talent to bring it out. Yet
we do not seek out or develop our Native American talent--why? Could not the
lead character in Avatar just as easily been a fresh but little known Native
American talent and would not the film have been assured success under the
direction of Cameron? Would the film not have enjoyed an even better stamp of
approval from nonWhites who trash the film on issues
of race even now while simultaneously applauding its artwork and craft? Over time,
through the trials of fire in Hollywood, a humble Indian hero inside a slain
film project, a unique heartfelt character who had been victimized
by racism and discrimination, magically leaped off the script and blossomed into a real life
hero---a nonprofit humanitarian seeking to build greater issue awareness,
respect, and equality for Native Americans in Hollywood and around the world---his
name is the Ticci Man and this his project. He wanted to use himself and his
experience so that others could learn so here we are. Civil
Rights Progress When
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for Civil Rights, he did not intend it, but he
left the Native American far behind. We had focused the fight on Black equality and eventually won
much of it, but we forgot about our
smallest minority---America's first people. It's time we correct that oversight
using whatever tools we might. The Ticci Man Project is not the full solution, but
it's not a bad addition toward building on that noble goal. In
this modern era, there should no longer be a need to cast stones of upset to force people to
listen toward reducing stereotyping and racism---most of us have learned the lessons taught
over the decades by
great social leaders like Reverend King. Instead, what we need is remembering
and educating and
sensitizing to the needs and voices of Native America. We need mass media
exposure and leaders to come forward so we can lift up humanity for the world. By
exposing Native America, its unique and rich cultures and people, we increase
understanding and that helps us discover mutual respect, if not admiration. We
must start the healing process. The
Ticci Man Project is about focusing the eyes of the world, if for a brief
moment, on the world of the Native American, toward drawing in the masses to
learn and want to learn more. It is about making an effort to raise awareness
for the issues of Native America, to showcase its greatness, to build up
goodwill and respect for Native people that they, too, may fully enjoy the fruits
of equality. It is a project about us---Americans---the world of humanity---redefining our future by recognizing the
failings of the past and overcoming them in the spirit of friendship that is
shared between citizens of the ancient and modern, all world dwellers on the stage
of life, together--each defined by how they treat their fellow human. This
project has many layers toward benefiting Native America and native people of
the globe and I hope you will take the time to learn more. However, the
capstone of this project is the creation of a world icon for film and
television, an Indian hero---the Ticci Man. For by
creating such a hero, the world may forever change the way it views the Native
American---children of the world will see that our world-society values heroes
of all types, races, and ethnicities---and someday, they will rise to become our
real-life heroes too, in a world that qualifies them as "equal". Simple to conceive, difficult to achieve.
Be
A Hero, Not A Villain
Anyone
can light a match and destroy a community forest---anyone! Please do not throw matches on
this forest but instead, help it to grow. Ticci Man Project needs your help. Remember,
we are not always defined but what we do, but also by what we avoid.
Ask yourself this... will my name be associated with helping Native America and humanity, or will others
see me as silently supporting racism and discrimination through my conspicuous absence? I will
leave that for you to decide but know this... if you help us, we will do our
best to honor your contribution. We thank you for doing what you can,
whether it be donating time, money, expertise, resources, or just a friendly
word to others toward building community goodwill. And in exchange, take our
blessing, many thanks, and appreciation of millions of Native Americans---children here and around the
world---that they may one day awake to a sunny new world were equality shines down on us
all---all because you helped grow the forest of positive transformation by
sharing your humanity for the benefit of others. Let
us all celebrate Native America and spotlight it brilliantly with the power of
Hollywood's stars--let us grow the seeds
of equality for all to
their full,
rich, and beautiful splendor---for this could be one of Hollywood's greatest
accomplishments, if not the world's. Have fun, see and enjoy the richness that
life has to offer from Native America and in the process, make a new friend of
the world. The
Ticci Man Project is strictly meant to be a fun, uplifting, and a celebratory
effort on behalf of Native America and Hollywood both---each gaining from the
other's sharing of the proverbial olive branch of healing---each moving forward
into a new era of greatness and mutual respect. I
invite you to join us during the week long Celebrity Festival For Native America
in Hollywood, California and experience an enchanting and awe-inspiring world
that is at once alien yet
familiar to us all---a mementos page in the diversity of life, culture, and
people that makes our planet so uniquely fortunate. May
The Great Spirit Bless One And All, Zelan
Bonn President Kon Ticci International
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