A great part of the Cherokee Legacy Project was in the film they produced. It was finally called 'Cherokee, The Legend of Little Wolf.' In the end, after all the editing work was finished, the image of Waya snarling at White Bear and then morphing into a man was one of the most dramatic moments they had on film…but no one believed it was real.
Evan had told them this would happen. The addition of special effects in films over the years had conditioned audiences to accept moments like that as a computer generated trick. But they had all decided it made no difference to the story they were telling, and so it would remain their little secret. Nate knew it didn’t matter…Usti Waya was gone, but his legacy would live on.
The footage of quiet running water and the lush green forests of the mountains in the Qualla Boundary embraced the audience with a sense of peace. That gave way to the images of an old Wise One sitting beside the fire, his head wreathed in smoke as he gazed up at the stars and then back down at the camera. The narrative spoke of beginnings, of a time when man first set foot in a world ruled by the animals.
Marshall's soft calm voice told the ancient stories and explained Cherokee culture throughout the film, and as expected he was a big hit. The silent black and white photographs, still images of a time long past, gave way to the riot of color and sound at the Pow Wow. They were especially proud of that transition.
To Evan and Denny, all that hard work had come to fruition in the raw footage Ted brought back from Marshall's place. The boys seemed changed when they returned, and Evan soon saw why when he ran the disks. He'd known something big was up before they left, but nothing prepared him for the images they brought back.
Evan had faith in his budding filmmakers and they didn't disappoint him at all. Given a studio the size of some of the major producers in the business they might have made something this spectacular. But two teenage boys couldn't have faked any of this, and the reality was shocking to the viewer.
Evan felt a chill the first moment he had a glimpse of White Bear, the ghostly creatures were frightening. But as the encounter unfolded he had a chance to study Nate and Marshall very closely where he saw they were in control the whole time. And that is how the film displayed those moments to the awe and wonder of the audiences.
They edited and re-edited until the final product in that section of the film began once again with Marshall and his great knowledge of the spirit world. In the role of the Wise One his words only reinforced what Nate and Ted had known all along, Marshall was more than a shaman.
That image evolved in the film until the audience could almost feel the power this man held in his hands. His calm demeanor in the face of those frightening ghosts from another world cemented the audience's love of the character. But if Marshall rose to the level of a shaman wizard, Nate gained the role of hero for his part.
Evan was in awe of the boy facing down the ghosts. What had happened to the quiet Cherokee boy he had first met? But when Nate stood up to declare himself Chief of the Qualla Bear Clan the audience almost cheered. The name Nathaniel Smiling Sky was known in Native American homes across the land, and the Cherokee had a new hero.
As a successful film, Legend of Little Wolf did moderately well in the independent film market. It left Evan no choice but to resign his university position to become production director for Smiling Sky Productions, a post he gladly accepted at Nate's request.
The production company took an office space in Cherokee. The attention that came their way after the film's release assured that they would be busy for some time to come. The book that spun off from the film sold half a million copies that first year. But to Nate the most wonderful thing was the demand for the short educational film on the Cherokee they made.
By editing out the ghosts they were left with an hour long film on the Cherokee that could be shown to any age level in schools around the country. Evan wisely chose to price the film moderately, and then set up a foundation to make it available free to those who couldn't afford it. Within two years of its release the film would be in libraries across the county.
The tribal council of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee were amazed and then pleased by the public response to the film. The summer following the release was the busiest one the town of Cherokee had ever seen. The added revenue allowed the various businesses and displays to expand and further educate the tourists.
It went without saying that there were those who objected to what was presented in the film. Marshall's brand of spiritual thought would never be especially popular among the elder Cherokee people. But the council felt like it had to do something to celebrate the Legacy Project and the two young men who inspired it.
It was Ted's first glimpse of how well he was accepted as one of the Cherokee. Marshall had warned him that once their arms were open that the embrace might smother him. At the Pow Wow the following summer Ted was designated Grand Marshal and rode his first horse in a huge parade.
Marshall took his new found fame all in stride and smiled inwardly at the way the film had finally given him a public voice. The Forest Service decided to allow Marshall a place in the Nantahala National Forest to speak his mind, and for his part Marshall wisely chose to tone down the rhetoric. The word spread that the Cherokee Wise One was speaking in Hiwassee Village most weekends and crowds formed to hear him speak of the old days.
Ted's parents had shown up in Boone for their son’s eighteenth birthday blissfully unaware of what he had accomplished. It was only two days after the ghostly encounter and Evan was still stunned by what had happened. He laid all that emotion at the Lawson's feet. The bottom line was that Ted was nothing less than a genius or words to that effect.
Smiling Sky Productions was bombarded with ideas and scripts as it seems everyone had their own concepts for a Cherokee film. Denny was asked to go through all that mess and help Evan find a new project. It was something she couldn't refuse since she now wore Evan’s engagement ring.
Ted completed his high school exams and was offered a scholarship at the university film school, Nate thought he should go. The events surrounding the release of the film forced that decision off into the future and gave Ted the time to push Nate in his studies. No one was going to college until they could do it together.
The whirlwind of publicity following the release of the film gave Nate little time to pause and examine where this was all going to take them. He was offered parts in several Hollywood films but chose to reject those parts because all they wanted was an Indian boy.
The Bear Clan of the Qualla soon became organized as people stepped forward to prove their claim and Nate found himself at the head of a large group. As chief it was Nate's role to set forth the goals and objectives of the clan and education was at the top of his list. The Cherokee language enjoyed a surge of popularity and Nate encouraged the study.
The best kept secret in the state was the location of the doorway to the spirit world, none of those involved would ever give that secret away. But after the film had spread and the publicity died down, Nate and Ted invited a select group out to view the scene.
The Lawson's, Bill and Ma, Evan and Denny, JT and the Crowe's arrived in Farner on a chartered bus and were ferried to Marshall's house by car. It was the largest gathering of people Marshall had ever allowed on the property, but they were all there for a reason.
All these strangers made Gihli nervous and she crept off into the forest to be with Waya. Marshall hosted a large barbecue for his visitors, the substance provided by Ma and Denise who made things special just for him. And when the food and a tour of the house were done Marshall led them down the pathway to the spirit circle overlooking the lake.
Evan smiled at the image, and marveled at how small the area seemed in person. But the emotions of what had happened here seemed to affect them all and the questions rolled out.
"Will Usti Waya ever be seen again?"
"Will the doorway ever open again?"
"What happened to the wolf?"
Marshall put two fingers between his lips and whistled. They all heard a responsive bark from up in the trees and down the hill ran Gihli with Waya close behind. She ran straight up to Marshall but Waya paused about a hundred feet away.
"Waya is a part of this place, he will always be wild and shun strangers," Marshall explained.
Nate walked halfway towards Waya and abruptly sat on the ground facing the creature. They could all see the wolf hesitate, and then slowly he took steps down the hill and went right up to Nate. For his embrace Nate got a good licking and affection from the king of the valley before the wolf ran off into the trees once again.
Marshall smiled. "Nathaniel speaks to the animals in his own voice and they listen, I've never seen anything like it." And then he swept his arms at the space around them, gesturing to the trees, the lake and the earth at their feet. "This is why I asked you all to come and bear witness to the majesty of nature in this place.
"I'm going to leave all this to Nate and Ted, my Cherokee brothers of the heart. We share the same vision, the same love for all things given us by the Creator. I am bound to the land and they will honor that commitment to the end of their days.
"Though I am not ready to leave quite yet, even a shaman has to hedge his bets and prepare. And to answer your questions, Usti Waya rests in the waters below us. His spirit returned to the river that gave birth to the Cherokee, but his name will live on forever.
"Since the filming I have not attempted to open the doorway. My acquaintance with White Bear allowed me a certain freedom that is no longer there. I may do it again or I may not."
"Why would you open that door again?" Joseph asked.
"The ghosts are still there, Joseph. They have not found the peace we were able to give Usti Waya. I have empathy for the tortured spirits who remain wandering the hidden world. I'm just not sure it's my place to help them anymore."
Nate explained the confrontation with White Bear and showed everyone where things had taken place. By late afternoon it was time for the guests to leave and catch the bus back to the Qualla. Marshall led them up the hill towards the house. Only Ted and Nate lingered inside the spirit circle.
"I know what you’re thinking, Nate. You’re waiting for the right moment to open that doorway again…aren't you?"
"I would if I knew how," Nate said. "But I know Marshall won't show me."
"You can't ease the suffering of the ghosts all by yourself," Ted said. "But you’re going to try, I know you too well."
"I'll figure it out…will you help me this time?"
Ted smiled. "Help my Cherokee brother do a damn fool thing? Of course I will."
Nate grinned. "I love you too."
U li s dv (End)