lAURIE aRNOLD, gONZAGA UNIVERSITY
PROPOSAL TYPE
Structured Conversation or Traditional Panel
SEEKING
- Seeking Additional Presenters
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Specific Expertise
RELATED TOPICS
- Memory
- Oral History
- Place
- Public Engagement
- Social Justice
ABSTRACT
In 1910, fourteen chiefs of the Shuswap, Okanagan, and Couteau (Thompson) Nations prepared a letter, characterized as a “memorial,” for Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s visit to their homelands. In 1999, descendants of these leaders commissioned Cree playwright Tomson Highway to create a narrative of that visit, to be staged for their communities. Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout premiered in 2004 and recounts Indigenous lifeways, homelands, kinship and reciprocity told over the course of one evening’s preparations for the prime minister’s visit, a visit that would ultimately betray the optimism the chiefs expressed.
Through these lenses of Indigenous history and stories, I seek to explore and discuss theatre as a site of public history. The Secwepemc (Shuswap) Nation could have commemorated this event and document in any format—book, music, poetry, fine arts, scholarly research—but chose Canada’s most important playwright to tell this story.
DESCRIPTION
The Laurier Memorial, as the chiefs’ document is known, welcomed the prime minister, introduced him to their place and people, and noted their certainty that his “recent attitudes toward Indian rights” would lead him to correct wrongs committed through settlement of the region.
Highway’s play features four women—representing the seasons—in conversation and in various stages of preparing the feast which would mark the conversations between chiefs and prime minister. The juxtaposition of Indigenous women telling stories representing place, culture, ancestral traditions provides an important contrast with the document written by Indigenous men for consideration by a colonial authority. The history narrated throughout the play reinforces ways Indigenous people continue to belong to their homelands despite disruption, it illustrates what we today discuss as TEK and food sovereignty, its focus on land and ancestral practices connects with landback movements, and the play’s program included copies of the Laurier Memorial, an artifact of both history and the play.
This paper or conversation—depending on opportunities to share in Montreal—builds on research I began a few years ago, about contemporary Native American playwrights writing new wave history plays. I’m seeking to join or create a session—roundtable, structured conversation, traditional panel—with others engaged in considering theatre “as a neglected site of public history,” to quote David Dean.
I view discussions about memory, place, and authority/voice in storytelling as central to explorations of this topic. As a Sinixt person, unexpectedly encountering this play about Shuswap people, ancestral and contemporary neighbors and kin, was surprising and exciting. As a scholar forming new research questions, it reinforced the importance of Indigenous people finding myriad ways to talk to diverse publics, beginning with their own communities.
I welcome questions about the proposed idea, suggestions or invitations for collaboration on a session, and general feedback. Thank you!
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly: Laurie Arnold, Gonzaga University, [email protected]
ALL FEEDBACK AND OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 1, 2021. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
This sounds fascinating! I wonder how this artistic response was shaped by the political atmosphere of the early 2000s and if it would be written differently today in the context of the debates around Canadian politicians and their controversial memorialization.
Good questions. Thanks for the feedback.
Laurie, I’m *very* excited about this proposal! There has been a lot of discussion about how performance and public history intersect or diverge but I think that the firm roots in Indigenous history and performance gives this proposal some important specificity.
I would encourage a structured conversation/roundtable that may include reading. At the Las Vegas conference, I learned so much about audience, theater, and history at the session led by South Africa’s Isikhumbuzo Applied History Unit in which they performed some of their works (dance & drama) and also analyzed their experiences of crafting the plays, performing, and reception of the work.
Thank you for the feedback, Modupe, and for the reminder about the Applied History session in Las Vegas. Very useful.
Laurie
Laurie – I have two suggestions for panelists. The first is Katie Phillips (Red Cliff). Her most recent book (Staging Indigeneity) explores how theater can be a site for public history, but also public confusion. The pageants she covers are about Indigenous peoples, but rarely include Indigenous folks in the storytelling (and hence, get much wrong). I believe she is also currently working on a historic pageant that the Red Cliff Band put on themselves in the early 20th century.
The second is Jen Shook, who examines Native peoples’ reimaginings of historic commemorations through theater.
Thank you for the feedback, Rebecca. Useful context for my exploration of Native playwrights.
Laurie
Laurie,
What a fascinating topic! I curated a set of two exhibitions at a University Art Museum in Kansas about 10 years ago that had some interesting points of intersection with your topic. One exhibition included historical Native American materials associated with communities who had occupied the area prior to Kansas Statehood, while the 2nd exhibition presented the work of five contemporary artists who are enrolled members of the Native American nations represented in the historic exhibition. The exhibit was developed to coincide with the sesquicentennial of Kansas Statehood and served as more of an intervention than a celebration. One of the five artists included was a Kiowa playwright, Dianne Yeahquo Reynor, who performed an original piece during the run of the exhibition. The other artists all provided gallery talks on the meanings of the works they prepared for the exhibition. The painting by Bunky Echo-Hawk was a visceral image that interpreted a historical incident involving the murder of a group of Pawnee Scouts. I have been looking for a context in which to reflect on these exhibitions. If you think there might be interesting connections please reach out and lets talk!
Thank you for your feedback, Nancy. My research focuses on 21st century Native playwrights interpreting the past through the text they create from community knowledge and research. Your exhibit and questions are interesting–I’m not sure my approach would do them justice.
I am thoroughly excited about this. I started my career in museum theatre at Colonial Williamsburg and know the power behind character portrayals. What draws me to this more is the possibilities inherent in the addition of Modupe’s suggestion – a structured conversation where we hear some of the work followed by some analysis of experience or behind-the-scenes aspects that helps us understand what one goes through to put these presentations together.
Yea…I’m really excited about this one!
Thank you for your feedback, Richard. My research focuses on 21st century Native-authored plays–so text rather than performance–but I agree that revealing the process of narrating history from community perspectives will is an important tool for helping audiences understand why history plays matter.