This post hits close to home for me historically and spiritually. It features a friend that I went to high school with, played shinny ice hockey with, and skateboarded with in Ottawa: Joe Buffalo. Joe is from the Samson Cree Nation in Alberta.
There’s history in this post for me because when we were hanging out I was completely unaware of the life Joe lived before arriving in Ottawa. However, bumping into Joe in Vancouver recently at a skateboarding event, and connecting with him through online videos and magazine articles I began to listen to the stories he wanted to share. There is spirituality in this post because it is through skateboarding that Joe battled demons of the past, and I understand the power that skateboarding has to do just that.
Joe is coming out with a short documentary to tell his story, and it is called “Joe Buffalo”, and is being shown at several international film festivals, albeit remotely right now. I feel like video is a fitting method through which Joe can tell his story. Although he is very capable with the gift of the gab, videos have been a big part of his skateboarding career, so he is at ease in this medium.