Te Ata (2016)

Boriana Williams: Young Te Ata

Quotes 

• Young Te Ata : But like my daddy says, the Chickasaws will never be conquered. But to live is to change, and that is what happened in 1906. We now faced maybe our biggest challenge. They were breaking up our government for one of their own, a state called Oklahoma.

• Young Te Ata : When the world was still young, there was but one man upon it. Seeing that he was lonesome, the Great Spirit sent a son. They walked upon the Earth and found it good, but it was too cold. There were no trees and no flowers to make the world beautiful. One night, the young brave had a dream and he told his father it would be through sacrifice that beauty will walk upon the Earth. "I'll give myself to the Great Spirit," said the son, and from his grave sprung the first pine tree, and from that came all the other beautiful trees.

• Young Te Ata : In the beginning, everything was covered with water. The only living were a few small animals, afloat on a raft. Not knowing what to do, the crayfish volunteered and dove off the raft into the great ocean. He tried every day to reach the bottom, and on the fourth day, he did. He built a great mud chimney that stuck up above the surface of the water. The mud spread out and created a newly formed Earth. It is from this mud chimney that the Chickasaw and the Choctaw people were allowed to come and live upon the new surface with all the animals.

• Bertie Thompson : Mary Francis! Don't be bothering the Governor!

  Douglas Johnston : Oh, it's alright.

  Young Te Ata : Uncle Doug, can't you pass a law so I can come tonight?

  Douglas Johnston : Hard to say no to such a charming constituent.

• Young Te Ata : We are all sparks from Ababinili. He scatters us out here and there to make light. And when we die, he gathers us up, so as to make one big blaze to show us the house of Ababinili.