Sun Dance Flesh Offering – Pulling Back on the Rope, by Thomas Mails
It’s difficult writing about oneself and I remain uncertain about how much of my participation in the rituals I should share; but my motivation for continuing this “Documentary in Progress” does speak from one heart to the next; and I’m learning from it at the deepest levels of the human experience. We are now planning to tell an intense story about the last seven years interviewing and practicing the most grueling Lakota ceremonies at Wakpamni Lake on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
For those of us suspecting that there is far more to reality and the human experience than consumers, spirits broken by modernity, can imagine; this documentary will reveal what mystical thinkers and Native American Medicine Men have saved for all of humanity. In this way, ancient wisdom will infuse the modern experience, and begin healing the ruptures in the fabric of our shared human consciousness.
So the directors Biography goes something like this:
Director Salvatore Consalvi – Hiking in New Zealand
Dramatic landscapes and intense cultural experiences drove Salvatore Consalvi into filmmaking. Nine seasons in Antarctica exposed him to Deep Field Camps where he captured four remote seasons; documenting small crews, isolated 4-months, 800-miles from McMurdo Station.
Though both experiences are very rare stories among modern humans, he immediately saw even greater value documenting the beliefs, rituals, and talents of a traditional spiritual leader living an indigenous religion and holistic world-view.
After interviewing Sidney Hasnohorse in 2009 the story of a complicated, controversial, Lakota Medicine Man began to unfold and consume all his creative efforts. Salvatore has remained fully dedicated to this Documentary in Progress since 2009.
However, the interests that led him to Antarctica and the mystical adventure on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation began long ago. He studied indigenous cultures since graduating from Purdue University; and lifelong passions for psychology, cognitive science, geology, quantum physics, environmental science, and spirituality continue to inform the documentary and color his experiences at the Wakpamni Lake Ceremonies.
He is currently working full-time to direct, write, and fundraise for both documentaries. And he continues to participate in the Sweat Lodge, Vision Quest, and even the painful and exhausting Sun Dance and Ghost Dance Ceremonies.
Siple Dome Camp Antarctic
Sun Dance Ceremony Grounds – Winter
Sidney Has No Horses: Oglala Lakota Medicine Man 
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