SnakeMedicine_Book1
first in a series of personal odysseys that explore sacred earth sites. A joint project by photographer Scott Angus and Emily Sopensky. first in a series of personal odysseys that explore sacred earth sites. A joint project by photographer Scott Angus and Emily Sopensky.
Missouri River from Lakota Hills, Arrow Head / Arrow Rock, Missouri.
C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t h e A r t i s t When I was an undergrad at the University of Missouri, I used to drink wine on the bluffs of Lakota Hills overlooking the Missouri River. My friends and I would talk about life, philosophy, and the makings of great political leaders. Our musings probably bore little resemblance to reality, and the wine was of questionable merit, but we certainly enjoyed the moments. Before the Civil War, the last of the slave trading camps that remained on the Missouri River sat on top of those hills. The bluffs of the slave trading are just to the right. We talked about changing the world and making it a better place. We all wanted to be senators and congressmen. The energy flow is mesmerizing. No, it is not a designated site—but I know it is sacred. This photograph was taken while standing on the east bank of the river, looking west. I took several angles because I wanted to capture the hills and the flow of the river and the sunset. I knew it would be tricky to capture the reflection on the water without its dominating the picture. The water is flowing south towards me. The bend in the river with the hills curving around it makes this spot sacred to me. The hills seem to be bottling up the energy as the river flows through. The dominant color is white. The dominant object is the river. I would crop the sides so that the trees are not interfering with the line of the river. If I look at this long enough, I think I can feel the spirit of Native Americans that is then reflected as an African American sacred site. Viewers should see the curve with the white, and imagine what the sun does on the river. How the reflections create another world, another space. It’s a solemn place. It’s the end of their journey. 17
- Page 5 and 6: SACRED EARTH SITES: SEEING THE UNSE
- Page 8 and 9: TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S PREFAC
- Page 10 and 11: THE ITINERARY 1. MONTICELLO, VIRGIN
- Page 12 and 13: ON LOCATION 1 I M O N T I C E L L O
- Page 15 and 16: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 17 and 18: Bear Mound, Iowa. Bear Mound - Effi
- Page 19 and 20: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 21: “Wineman’s” Bluff, Missouri.
- Page 25 and 26: Mountain Ridge, Colorado Plateau, C
- Page 27 and 28: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 29 and 30: Stone Circle, Colorado. Stone Circl
- Page 31 and 32: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 33 and 34: Endless Embrace. Scruff in the fore
- Page 35 and 36: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 37: Undulating Seams. Shot at high noon
- Page 40 and 41: Eternal Sky Meets Age-old Artifices
- Page 43 and 44: C o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h t
- Page 45: Beyond Approach. Cliffs drop off to
- Page 48 and 49: ON LOCATION 9 I BLACK MESA, ARIZONA
- Page 50 and 51: A Stairway (Black Mesa, Arizona). S
- Page 52 and 53: ON LOCATION 10 I S U P E R S T I T
- Page 54 and 55: The Stillness of a Whisper. Apache
- Page 56 and 57: ON LOCATION 11 I B O R D E R , A R
- Page 58 and 59: Arizona-Nevada border, north of the
- Page 60 and 61: ON LOCATION 12 I A N A S A Z I R U
- Page 62 and 63: The Winding Way. Arizona Anasazi Ru
- Page 64 and 65: ON LOCATION 13 I Z U N I L A N D S
- Page 66 and 67: Split Tree in Black-and-White. A Zu
- Page 68 and 69: ON LOCATION 14 I E S C A L A N T E
- Page 70 and 71: Bleak Plateau. In black-and-white,
Missouri River from Lakota Hills, Arrow Head / Arrow Rock, Missouri.
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