voluntary in nature: 2023

Today marks 10 years since the passing of Willie Dunn (1941-2013). He was and still is so many things to so many people, but for all too short of a time, I called him a friend.

Belief in one’s work or passion is perhaps the biggest gift that can be given or received as a human being. It reaches far beyond finances, measures of material success, practicality, and directly nourishes the soul, lights fires, and helps us to continue the important work required in our lives, even against all odds. If you are lucky, this exchange begins with your parents, but also amongst relatives, chums, community members, collaborators, as well as strangers or folks who pass each other like ships in the night.

Considering what has unfolded around the world over the last 10 years, Willie Dunn’s music, film, and art remains as relevant as ever, yet what it accomplished at the time of its release, beginning in the 1960s, can never be underestimated. It brought people together, it inspired, it taught, and led the way. It both dared and dreamed to learn from the past, and through present day action, cultivated the “better tomorrow” hoped for in “The Ballad of Crowfoot.”

His monumental efforts, and that of his peers, many of who were featured on 2014’s Native North America compilation, were an extension of the generations who had come before, completely in the moment, yet still ring true today, an eternal offering.

“Creation never sleeps, creation never dies…” – “The Carver”

Thank you Willie.

Forever in our hearts. Keep spreading the word, good people… PEACE