Meet James Pakootas | Storyteller, Performing Artist, Producer & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with James Pakootas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Thoughts become things, but only when met with action…and belief.

I remember floating through my 20’s without any real sense of direction of where I was going & where I wanted to be. I felt useless and uninspired as I worked menial jobs to help others shape their vision. My real passion was music, but I didn’t have a record deal or regular play on the radio. So, I didn’t consider myself an artist. I didn’t see myself as an entrepreneur. My vision was skewed and I was undermining my own work & passion. In the end, it stifled my creativity. I quit pursuing art as a career in 2010.

In 2015, I got into a tragic drunk-driving accident, where I lost the use of my dominant, right arm from the elbow down. The nerve roots were pulled from my spine, 3 of the 5 nerves in my right shoulder were severed, never to be reconnected again. Both of my forearm bones were shattered, but I was alive.

3 months later I wanted to commit suicide. I didn’t know how to live without my right arm and hand. The simplest things of my day had just become immense obstacles. I had to teach myself how to put a spoon to my mouth, and wipe my own butt. I had to relearn how to live. By month 3, I was teaching myself how to write letters but I still felt hopeless. The daily, uphill battle back to my sanity seemed too hard…I just wanted to go back to the way things were. I couldn’t step into the now. I wouldn’t accept it.

My Mom was there that day. She saw by the anguish on my face that something was up…I was battling with something.

She asked, “What’s wrong, Son?”

I felt this bubbling of anger, and hatred, and resentment, and sadness, and pain… all at once, rising to the surface before yelling out,

“I DON’T EVEN WANNA BE HERE ANYMORE!”

As tears began pouring out of my eyes…

“My life is over… look at me…it’s over. I can’t eat soup, I can’t even wipe my own ass. My life is over.”

My mom hugged me in that moment as I battled with my own will to live. She called in to work with a family emergency that day before coming back to say:

“James, I’m not gonna question you or pester you today. I’m just gonna be here, even if it’s just to listen. I just want you to know that you are loved and deserve love.”

I didn’t reach out. I didn’t talk… but in that moment, I knew I was loved. It was like a seed of resilience had been planted. The next morning, I woke with the sun. Before the sun had even reached the horizon I had chosen life. Thoughts quickly became things as ink began to bleed through paper; each pen stroke reminding me of my own heartbeats rhythm, every scratch reminding me of my worth. Intuitively, I knew that my words would save me and it was poetry that saved my life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I want the world to know that I come from A Living Peoples. Our languages, stories, ways, and songs are a woven thread. As a storyteller, the magic resides in the weaving of the stories told. Our power resides in the telling. My stories aren’t about chiefs in head dresses and they don’t romantacize A Peoples from a bygone era as if we don’t grow or evolve as Nations.

I come from people whose future, present and past are expressed through story, song, dance, and art. As a vocalist who creates conscious hip hop and spoken word poetry, I carry on this tradition. I tell stories – stories that empower, stories that fascinate, and stories that speak truth to our existence. The core of my content speaks to resilience, a deep understanding of trauma, and paths to healing.

putiʔ kʷu aláʔ
We Are Still Here.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
“A Place of Truths” Plaza overlooking Spokane Falls is always a goto when I’m sharing the city with visitors. The Spokane Tribe and many other interior Salish Tribes have a deep connection to these lands and The Spokane Falls were central to our salmon harvests. It’s pretty awesome to see our stories being shared in the middle of the city. Both Jeff Ferguson & Smoker Marchand led that project & are like family to me. To see their vision come to life in such a powerful way is absolutely breathtaking.

Lucky You Lounge is a consistent source of great music, great food, and great performances. I’ve been introduced to some of my favorite artists, bands, and acts through this intimate venue. Karli & Caleb have crafted a space for the ultimate listening experience. Lucky You is my favorite spot to play in the city, hands down. They understand and take an active part in building an entire ecosystem where music & performance can thrive.

Phò Van is Money.
Toro Sushi Space is Money.
La Presa is Money.
Jacob’s Java & Blissful Blends? MONEY.
Market Street Pizza!?!? OMG 🤑 MONEY 🤑
La Pica Chica Everythaaaaaaang!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Devonte Pearson, My business partner & Co-Founder in New Age Warriors, L.L.C. has been one of my greatest influences, as well as our partnerships with The Northwest Native Development Fund & First Peoples Fund.

Devonte brings a wealth of knowledge & experience in community building, artistry, and production. We came together in 2017, when we co-produced and performed in a vision we both had to engage our youth. We called it, “Empower Our Future” Speaking & Concert Series. We modeled vulnerability and created safe spaces for our youth to express themselves through music and writing, and we’ve been working together ever since. We’ve just secured a space of our own at Panoramic Dreams Recording in Spokane, Washington. We’ve renovated the building to house 4 studios, a candy business, a gathering space, and a conference room to further our vision of creating space for artists and creatives to meet, collaborate, grow and develop as humans, artists, and entrepreneurs as we all navigate the various creative industries we find ourselves in throughout the city.

The Northwest Native Development Fund and First Peoples Fund were foundational in my identity as an artist and entrepreneur. Cassandra Waters from NNDF & Lori Pourier from First Peoples Fund began collaborating on a way to teach artists a business approach that centered Native values when creating, pricing, and selling art. They were about to roll out a new curriculum for performing artists and organized a gathering of artists from my homelands and Peoples of The Colville Confederated Tribes. Cassandra grabbed me last minute and had to convince me to go. I’m a hip hop artist and in 2018, I didn’t know if that was considered art or that I could even be a rap artist. So, I was hesitant to even show up.

I remember walking through that door and seeing Smoker Marchand, a master sculptor and artist, Yvonne Swan, master artist and activist for Our Peoples, Bernadine Phillips, master weaver and artist… my elders and masters of their craft. I remember shrinking into myself feeling as if I didn’t belong in that room. The facilitators asked us to introduce ourselves by name, Tribes we’re members and descendants from, and our art forms. When the circle made its way to me, I sheepishly said,

“I’m James Pakootas, I’m Moses/Columbia, Entiat, Chelan, San Poil & Wenatchi…I don’t know if what I do is at art. I don’t know if y’all would even consider me an artist but I’m a rapper. I’m a hip hop artist.”

Yvonne Swan looked at me and smiled with so much love in her eyes before saying,

“You’re right where you’re supposed to be James. You’re an artist. What you create is art.”

Smoker nodded and repeated some of the same sentiments in his own way, others nodded and agreed, affirmed, and encouraged the thought and statement. That moment will forever be etched in my mind. It was all I needed to begin stepping into my identity as a storyteller in that moment. Without NNDF, Cassandra, First Peoples Fund, Lori, and the elders and masters in our community holding space over the past few years, there would be no Just Jamez. I am my community, this is my family.

Website: www.panoramicdreams.com

Instagram: @iam.justjamez

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-pakootas-24809614a

Twitter: @EpicNDN

Facebook: @iam.justjamez

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/JustJamez

Image Credits
Maurice Johnson Carlos Martinez