In 2020 Musrara School, together with its partners- Wisdom of the Elders, a Native American heritage and culture preservation NGO of Portland, Oregon, embarked on a special program titled “Communities Connecting Heritage” (CCH), led by World Learning, supported by the US State Department and coordinated by the American Center Jerusalem.
Their mutual project, “The Hero’s Journey of Transformation”, involved exposure and exchange of Israeli and Native American heritage and culture to the partnering communities.
In February 2020 Musrara’s group of five participants visited Oregon and the State of Washington.
During this visit the group met with varied tribal communities, visited and experienced Native American heritage ceremonies and locations and shared knowledge and professional knowhow. The visit was conducted and led by Tim Keenan Burgess, a filmmaker, and Kunu Dittmer- Bearchum, a hip-hop artist.
The group was particularly exposed to the Native American heritage of appreciation to the land and to mother earth.
Soon after returning to Israel, early March 2020, the pandemic erupted and the continuation of the program, which consisted of a visit to Israel by the Native American group, was demolished and condensed to an online exchange and a virtual exhibition made of the outcomes of this unforgettable visit to the US ( Press here for more information).
Still, the strong friendship developed, the shared art and heritage and the thankfulness to Musrara’s hosts kindness and warm hospitality had to be reciprocated- Musrara made it its mission to expose the Israeli audience to the Native American heritage, culture and art.
PDX INDIGENOUS SOLIDARITY WITH BLACK LIVES MATTER
Centered on the Native American response to the Black Lives Matter social movement, this short was filmed and edited in one day.
Tim Keenan Burgess is a multi-disciplined Native American artist (Shoshone/Paiute), working primarily in video/film, photography, and music. Portland Oregon based, he is the Multimedia Program Director for the non-profit Wisdom of the Elders, where he provides peer mentor training for emerging Native Americans interested in multimedia and is Co-Director/Producer of their ongoing documentary film series. The documentary “Native Wisdom- the Peoples of Eastern Oregon” won numerous awards on the Film Festival circuit and was nominated for best documentary at the 45th annual American Indian Film Festival (2021). Tim has also documented the Portland area art and music scene for many years and has directed various music videos.
The participation was enables thanks to the support of Native Arts & Cultures Foundation.