As summer closes, new doors are opening for filming opportunities! This September, the 3rd annual National Heirloom Exposition is drawing leading experts in the field of sustainable agriculture and heirloom seed saving from all over the world to meet in one location in Santa Rosa, CA. This week while Sarah and I were organizing interview dates with a handful of the farmers, authors and activists, we had a shocking realization. All of them were scheduled to be speakers at the National Heirloom Exposition! We jumped on this serendipitous occasion and reserved our tickets immediately for the 3-day event. Some of you may be wondering “what do heirloom seeds have to do with the Tarahumara tribe?” Allow me to explain. The Tarahumara’s culture is centered on agriculture. Specifically the cultivation of crops such as corn is central to their meal preparation, livestock, ceremonies and survival as a community. The disappearance of Mexican corn is leading to the dissolution of their culture through threats of famine and their ability to sustain their traditional practices. The isolation of this tribe makes their ability to save their own seed a crucial part of their existence in order to replant crops for the next year. When I asked some the Raramuri people we met about the origin of their seeds they responded roughly “from my grandfathers, grandfathers, grandfathers.” They seemed perplexed at my curiosity in this topic, their expressions seeming to say, ‘How else would anyone get their seeds?’ Although we could have chosen to document any number of indigenous cultures to witness a community living off of their ancient agricultural methods, the Tarahumara have additional qualities that set them apart. Foremost, we are interested in their unique resistance to diabetes, heart disease and cancer, which is linked to their traditional diet. What other community could offer such a combination of rare qualities to learn from? From seed to stomach, we are hungry for life-giving solutions! Through our documentation of the the Tarahumara’s ancient agrarian practices, backed by useful advice from modern-day sustainable seed and agriculture enthusiasts, we hope to rediscover some the basic principles of sustainable food systems and how we can apply them to our current agricultural practices. Some of the interviewees that will be attending include Dr. Daphne Miller, author of The Jungle Effect, examined the Tarahumara diet and community food practices, Jere & Emilee Gettle, the owners of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Astrid & Matthew Hoffman, Founders of Living Seed Company, Jeffrey Smith, the founder of The Institute For Responsible Technology and one of America’s leading experts on the subject of genetically modified foods, and William Woys Weaver an internationally known food historian who maintains the Roughwood Seed Collection of approximately 4500 varieties of food plants. I think we will have ‘our plates full’ during this 3 day event! We appreciate your continued support during the production of Goshen. To make this filming opportunity come to fruition, please make a tax-deductible Donation today!
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The first filming location for Goshen was in the remote depths of the Copper Canyons in Mexico. The Tarahumara people were documented because epidemiological research shows they are devoid of the top 3 modern diseases: type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The Tarahumara's ability to prevent certain diseases is believed to be a direct result of their ancient diet and their active lifestyle. In March 2013, we explored the diet practices of the Tarahumara -- from heirloom seed saving and meal preparation, to food preservation and communal dining -- and their overall way of life. Here is a teaser of the video footage we shot! Goshen is still in production! Support the production today by making a tax-deductible donation! Thanks to many generous contributors, in March 2013 we began production of our documentary film Goshen. The filming location was in the remote depths of the Copper Canyons, Mexico. Although it was an unusually challenging filming endeavor, the footage of the Tarahumara people is stunning and we are very thankful for the life changing experience. The first location we were flown to in the Copper Canyons was a small Raramuri community called Rawarachi. Mark and Carmen Egolf have been in relationship with the families in the Rawarachi community over the past decade. They decided this would be the best location for us to begin filming Goshen. Without Mark and Carmen introducing us to this community, we would have never had the opportunity to meet this community. The rugged geography has kept them hidden and isolated from the outside world for many generations. The Raramuri men and women were strong, with dark sun bathed skin and shinny black hair that stood out vibrantly against their colorful clothing. Men and women of all ages curiously greeted us with a gentle touch of their fingers to the palms of our hands, accompanied by the softly spoken word “cuira” (pronounced kwee-da) meaning "hello" in Raramuri. Tarahumara Men The first thing that broke the silent stark stares from the Raramuri people was the laughter and intrigue evoked from the Vibram-five finger shoes on our feet! Some exclaimed that they thought our feet were painted, or that we looked like we were wearing gloves on our feet, or that we looked like monkeys! We always responded with equal interest in their huraches (sandals) that all of the Raramuri people wore. They explained that their huraches were made from rubber scraps they salvaged from automobile tires, which were held on with think leather straps that wrapped up their ankles. The men, women, and children were able to walk and run extremely long distances in these minimal shoes on the most treacherous terrain. For the next few weeks we lived among this Raramuri community in an adobe hut that the tribe had built for Mark and his wife Carmen to stay in while they visited and worked with the community. The lifestyle of this community is beyond rustic. There is no electricity, no toilets, no running water--their drinking water is found from small natural springs providing just enough water to survive--and they cooked all of their meals over fires and slept in adobe huts. Although this seemed despairing, these living conditions are the only way of life the people of Rawarachi have ever known... therefore they lived with a refreshing satisfaction of life. When visiting their homes they always generously offered meals to us as their guests. Even though they often had very little food compared to what we are used to in our culture, they always shared it as though they had an abundance. We humbly accepted anything they offered from mouth watering corn tortillas, pinole, esquiate, bean stews, many variations of corn and beans, and of course the unforgettable ground nopales. Not only did the community offer eating meals communally, but their agricultural system was also rather communal. The farmers explained their difficulty growing in certain fields over the last few years due to the devastation of drought and plagues of insects. They elaborated that because of the widespread, diverse, geography of their community certain fields were unaffected by these issues, while others were wiped out completely. Their ethical solution to a problem like this is for the farmers whose crops were successful to share their harvest and seed with those who did not have any harvest. This was another beautiful example of how this community has self-sufficiently survived under such harsh growing and living conditions. It took an amazing amount of self control not to immediately pull out the cameras and begin filming everything that we were witnessing after anticipating documenting the Tarahumara people's lives and community for over a year. We were worried if they would even be open to us filming. One of the problems was that none of them had seen a video camera before. The other difficulty was the language barrier--only a few of the men spoke Spanish. After the first week, we began a conversation with one of the men of the tribe, explaining our desire to film their traditional ways of living, particularly related to food preparation. Later that afternoon, as we sat by a fire, he approached us. He stood, smiling and nodding at the fire then shyly asked “do you want to watch my wife make corn tortillas?” “Of course”, we retorted “should we bring our video cameras?” He responded, “Yes, of course” laughing at our over-excitement. This was our first filming opportunity and it was one of the most beautiful, meaningful experiences of our entire visit. From that moment on the entire community discussed how they would equally be involved, making sure not to exclude any family member of the community. We were amazed at their sense of unity and honor for one others equality of opportunity and decision making. Everyone in the community seemed to be full of life and excitement even to be part of this endeavor and to display the traditions and skills that they were most uniquely talented in. The remainder of our stay we would film from sun up to sun down. We witnessed aspects of their lives we never could have imagined having the opportunity to see. Everything seemed to flow so naturally from here on. By the end of our stay we had even had the oportunity to stay in another near by Raramuri village where famous Tarahumara runner, Arnulfo Quiremae lived with his family. We visited with Arnulfo and his family at their home and even had the privilege to film Arfnulfo running against the backdrop of the Copper Canyons. Near by Arnulfo’s lived the famous pianists, Romayne Wheeler, who had been living with this Tarahumara community for over 30 years. He kindly housed us in his awe inspiring home, overhanging the canyon walls. Romayne liked the idea of our film project so much he even allowed us to record him playing piano to use as part of our film's soundtrack. This couldn’t have been a more rewarding ending to our initially rough filming venture in Mexico.
Thanks for reading and continuing to support the production of Goshen! This Thursday, February 7th, the filmmakers of Back to Eden and Goshen will be broadcasting live on the Homestead Honey Hour radioshow, presented by Prepper Broadcasting Network. The filmmakers will be discussing the exciting story, behind the scenes, of making of Back to Eden and how it lead them to pursue their next film, Goshen. Don't miss your chance to hear this show and call in to ask questions to the filmmakers on the air! Tune in here: http://prepperbroadcasting.com/?s=goshen at (9:00 pm/Est.) (8:00 pm/Ct.) (7:00 pm/Mt.) (6:00pm/Pt.) Thanks to all of the amazing, generous supporters, we were completely in awe at the results of our Indiegogo fundraising campaign. We not only met our goal but surpassed it by far; reaching 116% of our total! Although our Indiegogo fundraising campaign ended on January 22, you can still make ongoing tax-deductible contributions to Goshen throughout the duration of production. Click on our Donate page to find out how you can make a donation online or by check. Thank you for your support! In conclusion of our 22 day barefoot-a-thon we wanted to share with you our thoughts of our overall experience barefoot as well as an update on the production of Goshen. We went into our barefoot-a-thon believing in the benefits of being barefoot. We enjoyed the feeling of not having our feet and range of motion constrained by shoes as we walked, ran, gardened, and hiked. We believe our muscles were strengthened, our balance was increased, our posture was built up, and so many more benefits by allowing our feet to move as they were designed to. We found out that we have toes for a reason - gripping surfaces! However, we did feel less comfortable barefoot when we were not in nature. Being barefoot in town, on asphalt, in grocery stores, banks, post offices, and other public places posed some risks that we felt were not beneficial to our health. A viewer brought to our attention that due to the skin being the bodies largest organ, we should consider what our feet are touching. Chemicals used to clean the floors of stores, oil on roads, herbicides on sidewalks, and other unnatural materials are not good for our bodies to be exposed to more than necessary. Therefore, throughout the next week, we are going to find the pros and cons of several minimal, barefoot shoes that are currently being made. Our goal will be to find a pair of shoes to wear when we feel we need protection on our feet. Otherwise, we fully intend to continue being barefoot! Overall, it was an extremely positive experience! Our eyes were opened to an entire new audience of barefoot enthusiasts that we never knew existed! However, the focus of our documentary, Goshen, will not be our feet, but rather the lifestyles of indigenous communities. Over the next few months we will be interviewing health and wellness experts, authors, seed saving specialists, and of course, the Tarahumara people. We believe that the information shared in our film will reflect the voices and perspectives of people from diverse arenas of knowledge and experience. We look forward to learning more about the topics we are passionate about during our filming process. Most of we look forward to sharing our film with the world. However, one of the most beautiful things about documentary filmmaking is that it is just like life... We can have an idea about what we are interested in seeking, but what we actually end up finding will most likely take us by surprise! Please subscribe (right hand side) to receive email updates of news and production surprises! Thank you for your support! On December 8, 2012 the fundraising campaign for Goshen began on Indiegogo! It has been a long journey - full of barefoot adventures, indigenous recipes, and so much more! With ONLY 6 DAYS to go, Goshen is 82% funded! WE NEED YOUR HELP TO REACH OUR GOAL! SHARE Goshen's YouTube fundraising video! FOLLOW Goshen on facebook! TWEET about Goshen on twitter! WATCH our barefoot videos! FUND GOSHEN: http://www.indiegogo.com/goshenfilm When we decided to start our “How Long Can We BARE It?” fundraising campaign, we were under the impression that people would want to help us put back on our Vibram Five-Finger shoes. Surprisingly, we were wrong! However, this fundraising campaign has opened many unforeseen doors, reaching new audiences of barefoot enthusiasts from around the world; many of whom are encouraging us to keep our shoes off after we raise the $12,000! And who knows, maybe we will! Watch our barefoot experiences here:http://www.goshenfilm.com/barefoot With 12 days left, we have raised 63% of our goal! This past week, Goshen was featured in the Gettysburg Times newspaper. Click here to read the full article, “Filmmakers Go Barefoot for Funds” by Dick Watson. We also had a phone conversation with pilot, Mark Egolf, who informed us that we will have the opportunity to meet one of the famous Tarahumara runners, Arnulfo Quimare, who was featured in the book Born to Run. Additionally, we were excited to hear we will be in Urique, Mexico for the “Caballo Blanco Ultra Marathon” race on March 3. Please share this news and our fundraising campaign with your friends! Fund Goshen: http://www.indiegogo.com/goshenfilm by Dick Watson Gettysburg Times January 8, 2013 Raising money takes work. Doing so barefoot adds a new dimension to the task. The documentary producers who filmed and made Back to Eden in Gettysburg say their new project is "Goshen." Mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 45), the Land of Goshen was occupied by the Hebrews from the time of Joseph to the Exodus. According to filmmakers Dana Richardson and Sarah Zentz, "We view 'Goshen' as the next chapter to 'Back to Eden,' which has streamed online for free more than one million times in 150 countries since August 2011." The new film will focus on several communities of the Tarahumara, an indigenous Native American tribe in Northwest Mexico in the remote depths of the Copper Canyon in the Sierra Occidental Region. "We're focusing on them because they are a step ahead of most developed countries in their resistance to diabetes, cancer and heart disease," said Richardson. Zentz added that, "Their resistance to these diseases is directly linked to the diet and active lifestyle of the Tarahumara (translated as foot runners and those who walk well...)." "We're relating to the Tarahumara in our "How Long Can We BARE It?" campaign to raise $12,000 by going barefoot ourselves everywhere until we reach our goal for the trip," they said. The filmmakers say they are scheduled to partner with Mexico Missions Aviation in March. The mission will fly them into inaccessible terrains to document various Tarahumara communities into which the mission has been transporting medical personnel for 10 years. Between now and the end of January, the women are busy in California raising funds to finance the documentary. Their unique fundraising method has already generated 50 percent of the funding they need. It hasn't been easy. "Going barefoot has been more challenging than we could have ever imagined," they said. "We have been unable to shop at some stores "no shoes, no service" restrictions. We've been embarrassed by peoples overall disapproval of us being barefoot in public. Even at home, it's uncomfortable cooking barefoot in an outdoor kitchen during freezing temperatures. The soles of our feet are callused and our toes are turning red from the cold weather but we are dedicated and enthusiastic about traveling to Mexico in March to document the Tarahumara way of life." Anyone interested in helping the women can contribute on the international fundraising site www.indiegogo.com/goshenfilm or by sending a check to: From the Heart, with Goshen Film on the memo line, at 1455 Mandalay Beach Rd., Oxnard, CA 93935. Also, the women are posting a new video every day at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time) highlighting their fund raising experiences at www.goshenfilm.com/barefoot. We are taking off our shoes and putting our bare feet down for what we believe in - our next documentary, Goshen. Don't misunderstand us, we believe in the health benefits of walking barefoot 100% BUT... it is the middle of Winter and our feet are getting cold! We won’t stop walking barefoot until we reach our goal of $12,000! Until we reach our goal, we will be posting a new video each day at 5PM (Pacific Time) highlighting our barefoot experience throughout the day! We’re taking a walk on the wild side so please, don’t drag your feet! DONATE to Goshen today! http://www.indiegogo.com/goshenfilm WATCH and SHARE "How Long Can We BARE It?" We have been asked by many people, "Why are you making Goshen?" Although we have many similar answers - our desire to live healthy lives, our love of food and gardening, our passion to preserve ancient culture, our ever-expanding environmental awareness, our dream to live in community, our faith in God, our effort to learn from our ancestors - our personal responses are very different. SARAH: A large percentage of my friends and family members have battled at least one of the most common modern diseases: cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. My Grandfather has had open heart surgery; a triple bypass operation. My Grandmother has battled cancer. My generation is facing a growing epidemic of disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, "serious diseases that are linked to what we eat, kill an estimated 3 out of 4 Americans each year!" Goshen is a quest for a solution to prevent disease and famine so that my family, my generation, and myself can not only survive, but thrive, in the days ahead. From my personal experience and countless hours of research, I know many diseases are directly linked to our diet and lifestyle. After creating Back to Eden and eating from Paul Gautschi’s organic gardens and orchards, I believe in the medicinal and spiritual value of food. I drove away from Washington maintaining a fully local, fresh, and organic diet and encourage everyone I meet to do the same. For me, there is no other way to garden than the Back to Eden way - the gardening methods truly are revolutionary. However, throughout life there is always more to learn. Growing your own organic food is only step #1. Sustaining a physically and spiritually healthy lifestyle requires more knowledge and more action. We receive countless emails each month from Back to Eden followers asking how to save seeds, where to buy heirloom seeds, and even which variety of vegetables and fruits to buy! Goshen will answers these questions, reveal new steps, and teach you how prevent and treat modern diseases and famine by sharing diets and lifestyles from communities around the world! Our goal is for you and your family to experience health and food security. DANA: Since I was a child, I have been curiously attracted to the idea of those who understand how to harmoniously live off of the provisions of the wilderness. Although I admit this idea can be easily romanticized, it wasn't until I experienced it for myself that I realized how disconnected I was from practicing basic survival skills in my daily life. In 2005, I embarked on a three month wilderness survival course on the glaciers and islands of Patagonia, Chile. Surviving in the wilderness was the most impacting experience of my life. I was surprised to find that it was not my connection to the land alone that allowed me to survive but my preparedness and most importantly my connection to the people around me. In many nations, advancements in modern technology, abundant access to clean water, food and shelter allow people to become comfortable and complacent -- it is not a necessity to think about how to acquire daily provisions. I believe that an integration of more sustainable living practices and survival skills may be critical for people to adapt in the near future. According to author Julian Cribb, "the global demand for food will more than double over the coming half-century, and the world faces looming scarcities of just about everything necessary to produce high yields of food – water, land, nutrients, oil, technology, skills, fish and stable climates, each one playing into and compounding the others. The coming famines of the mid-21st century cannot be solved by governments, by scientists or by farmers alone. We need a change in behavior by every person on the planet, especially in rich and urban societies.” With this information I ask myself, what should my change in behavior look like? It is my desire to learn more about the following: 1. SEED: How to save them for ultimately food security. 2. SUSTENANCE: How to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet. 3. SURVIVAL: How living in community can impact my spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being. My personal experience living "off the land” and my knowledge of current environmental issues makes me passionate and equipped to share a message of seeking life, prosperity and hope in future generations, through producing Goshen. If you would like to be a part of the movement behind Goshen there are many ways to get involved: You can support the production by making a tax-deductible donation by clicking here. You can follow us on facebook. You can tweet with us on twitter. You can subscribe to receive the lastest news about Goshen! |
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July 2016
Filming SITEFilming location in the Copper Canyons, Mexico.
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