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NOT RACISM |
Racist Play in Viroqua, WI cont...
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From: Harvey Gunderson [gunderso@triwest.net] Hi, Kathy (and others). We just received the following e-mail from Bill Tourdot, Principal at Viroqua High School, announcing that the play has been cancelled as a school event. However, a school employee said a radio station had announced the play will be put on as a non-school event with another sponsor. The "Sherry" mentioned in the e-mail is presumably the teacher who selected and is producing the play. His e-mail follows: "I am sure that by now a lot of you have already heard but, I thought I would try to keep everyone up to date on the musical. Sherry and I have agreed to cancel the musical as a school event. We have worked very hard at making the musical a school event, however, we feel it is in our best interest if it is not. Thank you to everyone who is involved and I hope we have all learned from this and can move forward from here. Bill Tourdot" The Viroqua situation particularly dismayed us because Viroqua athletic teams are called the "Blackhawks". While they claim they are referring to Chief Blackhawk, there were Indian references on their website two days ago when I checked it. The Principal said that he personally is trying to eliminate such references and he seemed sincere in that regard. However, we believe that the fact that a teacher would choose to produce a play which demeans Indians demonstates how Indian nicknames/logos/mascots are harmful. These athletic nicknames "dehumanize" Indians, leading to people becoming desensitized to the point that this type of treatment of Indians is considered acceptable even by teachers. Moreover, the play has been in rehearsal for five weeks, I understand, so the students involved with the play and their parents also appear to be desensitized to the offensive nature of this play given that they have not objected. (These teachers, parents and students probably are the same ones who claim that Indians should feel "honored" because they call their sports teams the "Blackhawks". Who knows, these people in the Viroqua area probably even feel Indians should feel "honored" by this play since it involves "Indians"!) The fact that a person or group in the community has stepped forward to sponsor this horrible racist play indicates that the problem reaches beyond school property. These racist or insensitive views appear to be even deeper with some community members. That adults would allow their children to participate in this play (or attend it) reflects very poorly on those parents. But this just reflects the insensitivity toward Indians of some members of the Viroqua community, whether toward "using" Indians in a racist community play for entertainment or "using" Indians for sports entertainment with their "Blackhawks" nickname. Even though the play is cancelled as a school event, I think we should now put increased pressure on Elizabeth Burmaster, Superintendent of Public Instruction, to take a very strong public position against use of these Indian nicknames. A stronger statement/policy from her would help end the mistreatment of Indian students in school districts like Viroqua and Osseo-Fairchild. Contact info is as follows: Elizabeth A. Burmaster, Superintendent of Public Instruction Thanks for any pressure you can bring on Burmaster. |
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Here is revised contact info regarding the Viroqua play/ "Blackhawksathletic
nickname. Time is of the essence if we are to have an impact. Other contact info is included. Contact info: (1) Elizabeth A. Burmaster, Superintendent of Public Instruction (2) District Administrator David Johnston (3) Board president Garith Steiner home 608-637-7205
Contact information for Viroqua High School and the Viroqua Area School
District: Viroqua High School (where this play is being produced and performed
starting November 14) The school board members' phone #s and e-mails from the school website ( http://www.viroqua.k12.wi.us ) are as follows:
[The Phil Solverson,Jim Olson and Sue Jacobson, whose phone number I don't know, are board members I assisted in getting elected because I wanted so much to see the superintendent out of his position. They have, of course, been wholly unresponsive to the racism their district continues to encourage.] The name of the principal who must have approved the production of this play is Bill Tourdot, 608-637-3191. The director of instruction (i.e. curriculum) is Kathy Hanson, 608-
637-1115 I am posting some of the play in a following post. That they are considering performing this play is not surprising. I have been telling a number of people, including those we with on the Wisconsin taskforce re: the logos/mascots, that what is happening here is escalating and my daughter has been seriously harmed as a result. To date we have received no support - not a single person has called to support us or called to school to even comment on what they did to my child - and what I warned people about is obviously coming to fruition. Deborah School board link: High school principal: Bill Tourdot, (who we can assume approved the production of this play), 608-637-3191 "Deborah_Kelly" wrote: IS it ok to post this to other groups? Maybe they need to get an earful from a large number of angry Indians. Absolutely. Yes. I went to the school board meeting and was so thrilled to see at least 13 people from the Univ. of Wisconsin, La Crosse, Native American Student Association there with signs standing outside of the building. Matt Stewart, who we have known for more than 3 1/2 years and have worked with in order to get the "Indian" logos/mascots eliminated was there from La Crosse. He and several of the other La Crosse people spoke. There was a woman from the Blackfeet Nation, another from the Ho-Chunk Nation, another who spoke as an Oglala and then Matt, who is Anishiinabeg. The board attempted to prevent me from speaking. They had changed the rules for speaking so that one must give them 24 hours notice to be placed on the speakers list. The only exception is if a person wanted to speak to an agenda item. The "Pledge of Allegience" was on the agenda sheet - it wasn't really an agenda item - so I wrote down that I wanted to speak to that. They actually called me up to the mike and I got enough out before they cut me off to assure them that they were clearly violating Wisconsin's anti-discrimination statute by allowing this play to go on. The other speakers, particularly Traci Littlejohn, were great. Traci highlighted the sexual assault nature of the play and asked if they really want their children, particularly their young children, to see a woman tied to a tree and sexually assaulted? I gave her the information provided by Michael Two Horses and she presented some of that to the board. She in particular noted how offensive is the misuse of the Lakota language, which is from the same language family as the Ho-Chunk language. They would not let me or a member of NASA to speak, ostensibly because our names weren't on their list, but they allowed Felipe of the Rainbow Family to speak even though his name wasn't on the list either. He did the standard spiritualese, nonsensical gibberish talk, saying nothing about the play, which I have no doubt he even knew was the reason we were there. If my daughter, who above all people should have been allowed to speak, had wanted to she would not have been allowed to do so. Another speaker is the son of a local business owner - one of the largest in fact. Since leaving this area he has attended UW-La Crosse and has become involved in the NASA. He is permanently in a wheelchair and thus also involved in "disability" issues. This was one of their own speaking to them about how "evil" it is for them to be producing this play. The last speaker was the English teacher who is producing the play. She took at least 1 1/2 minutes to list her credentials. Then she stated that the "Lakota" person who contributed to the play is Michael Murphy, who is a local country western singer. I was told by someone after the meeting that he was adopted by a Lakota family, which perhaps explains why he provided a smattering of Lakota words to the play. Listening to her speak was absolutely chilling, because it forced me to once again acknowledge that these people have no conscience, morality, or decency in them. Their sole purpose in life is to hang on to their power, such as it is, and they don't care that they are sacrificing their children's souls in order to do so. Of course, none of this matters to the school board. They plan to take no action on it. Hopefully, Matt and even more people from La Crosse and elsewhere will converge on Viroqua next month when the play is being performed. There was talk of getting national press coverage if possible. I have been telling people for years now that this is what is going on here and my daughter and I have had no real support. Not once has anyone called to ask us how we are doing or holding up. It would have made a difference in our lives. My daughter and then I have suffered the brunt of the hatred here; these people tried their best to destroy her and us. Now, I hope that people have realized that I was not exaggerating. There is no good in these people. I was told that a Viroqua teacher is suing the school as a result of this play, which I was so glad to hear and I hope it is true. She has never been our ally, but at this point I don't care. I am researching whether or not I have taxpayer or some other type of standing to sue the district. I do plan to relentlously post excerpts from the play, etc. on whatever local boards, lampposts I can, etc. for the next few weeks. Aside from the bigotry in this play and the continued harm it does to us I also have to think about the students who are being forced - this particular teacher is extremely heavy-handed with her students and sends them to the principal's office if they don't stand for the pledge which action violates state and federal laws - to participate as cast members, etc. But then, I suppose they can make the choice to strive for integrity and receive an "F" or they can fold and become like their parents. "Every time has its own form of evil, but a person can always be good." Julia Alvarez
[The characters in this play are as follows: Yellow Feather is the "savage" Indian who was supposedly killed, but who has vowed to come back and rape Little Mary Sunshine. His father is Chief Brown Bear who believes that his son, Yellow Feather, is truly dead. He decides to adopt Billy, one of the Forest Rangers, as his son to take the place of Yellow Feather. In this play "Kadota," "Dakota," and "Lakota" are used interchangeably. Chief Brown Bear speaks in fragments when speaking in English, as does Ernestine, who is a German opera star. This play is not only hateful of "Indian" people, but is also misogynist (the female characters are either whores or madonnas, or as in the case of Ernestine asexual) and anti-German.] The following are actual quotes from the play: (The lights come up and BILLY is seen coming out of the Teepee dressed in an Indian suit. He is followed by CHIEF BROWN BEAR.) BILLY. (Wiping brow and coughing.) Ah, fresh air. Your Teepee's a little stuffy, Chief. Tell me, do you always keep your horse in there with you? CHIEF BROWN BEAR. Indian pony's good animal. He likes me. He likes you too. BILLY. Well, as long as he likes us, that makes all the difference. Yes, sir, that was quite a ceremony, Chief, quite a ceremony. I feel like an Indian already. (Assuming Indian pose.) How's this? CHIEF BROWN BEAR. You are Indian. I give you wisdom and courage. I give you manly strength. (He takes out some dried raisins and blesses the food.) Toonk-ah-she-lah, Walk-on, Than-kah, tah-tee-ah- dotah, oon-chee mah-kah, wo-peelah. Me-tah-kee-yay oh-yah-sin. BILLY. Oh? CHIEF BROWN BEAR. Buffalo heart. Me-tah-kee-yay oh-yah-sin. For manly strength. Eat. BILLY. It's kind of gooey. My, oh, my. Yes, sir. What was it? CHIEF BROWN BEAR. Buffalo . . BILLY. I'm not very hungry. It's, it's very. . . .what is it? On second thought, don't tell me. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. Wash down with Minnie wah-kahn. (He hands a skin bag to BILLY. Next line should be said with a hint of sarcasm.) Good cooling fire water. BILLY. Say, Chief, that's very, . . . (Stomps around.) Ooo whee! Ooo whee! CHIEF BROWN BEAR. (Pleased.) You make fine Indian dancer. You are man now. You are my son. Now I give you presents. BILLY. Chief, if you're not careful you're going to kill me with kindness. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. First, your feather. (He sticks a feather in BILLY's headband.) Yellow feather for Yellow Feather. BILLY. There you go getting clever again. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. (Handing a belt to BILLY.) Good Indian belt. BILLY. Say, Chief, this is really something. What are all the little furry things? CHIEF BROWN BEAR. White man scalps. And last if the best present. Bow and arrows. Had these many, many years. Very fine. BILLY. Oh, Chief, I couldn't take that. Really. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. You take these. You are now my son. BILLY. Gee, this is jim dandy. (Tries it out. Shoots arrow off- stage.) My gosh, I didn't know it was loaded. You'd better teach me how to use this thing. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. Tomorrow I teach you. You learn to ride pony, too. Bareback. BILLY. Bareback? Now wait a minute, Chief . . . CHIEF BROWN BEAR. Tonight, tonight I pray to Wah-kon Tonk-kah, the Great Spirit. I thank him for bringing me a son. BILLY. Hey, look, chief; I brought you some presents, too. Here; first, a pocket knife. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. Pock-ket knife? BILLY. Yeah, for cutting. Very handy. (Demonstrates.) You can use it for all sorts of things; eat with it, screw driver, clean your nails; oh, it has all kinds of uses. Then, let's see; Oh, yes, a copy of the Rules and Regulations for a Forest Ranger. That's the best companionship a man ever had. (CHIEF BROWN BEAR nods appreciatively as he reads it upside down. BILLY rights it.) Now, one more. Ah, yes. Necktie. (BILLY displays a bright necktie.) CHIEF BROWN BEAR. (Looking quizzically at the necktie.) Neck-tie? BILLY. (Putting necktie around CHIEF BROWN BEAR's neck.) You wear it around your neck. And what it does; it sort of gives you that, that dressed up look. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. My son gives me presents. My son gives me necktie. Very good son, I wear necktie always. BILLY. It looks good. I like. Now you've got me talking that way. CHIEF BROWN BEAR. (Sitting on the rock L.C.) Ceremony is taking effect. I am glad. BILLY. You know what, Chief; I am glad, too. (Music in, ME, A HEAP BIG INJUN - Should not be read as such, but rather as "I'M A HEAP BIG INDIAN" -The song is sung and danced by BILLY as CHIEF BROWN BEAR watches and beats the rhythm on a small tom- tom. (1st Refrain) BILLY. I'M A HEAP BIG INDIAN OH, I'M A BIG KADOTA (Interlude) WHEN I WAS A LAD OF FIVE (2nd Refrain) I'M A HEAP BIG INDIAN, (During the first half of this Refrain BILLY does an Indian Dance.) I'M A HEAP BIG INDIAN, [I included this section because it illustrates how little the locals care even about their own children. Imagine allowing your daughter to be a part of a production where a lecherous old man is using jewelry to convince her to sit on his lap and then threatens her with physical harm should she refuse. Considering that we are in the portion of the state that is known for a much higher than average incidence of child sexual abuse, I suppose I cannot be surprised. There is a school district not far from here and wherein I almost exclusively sub teach that would NEVER even contemplate having this play produced.] OSCAR. There's a saying that it's better (1st Refrain) Think of me as a kind and loving uncle (3rd Refrain) OSCAR. Think of me as a king and loving uncle |
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Mike Two Horses Alert - Racist School Play in Varoqua, WisconsinLittle Mary Sunshine, an off-Broadway play that ran in the late 1950s and early 1960s and which contains subject matter concerning, among other things, sexual assault committed against a white woman by a Native American, is being produced at a Wisconsin high school by an English class. The play is racist, demeaning to both women and to American Indians, and is highly inappropriate in a diverse America in the 21st The administration and faculty of Viroqua High School and the Viroqua Area School District (contact information below) have so far shown themselves to be deaf to complaints and have gone out of their way to prevent discussion of the play at board meetings. century. The story barely disguises writer Rick Besoyan’s contempt for Dakota (Sioux) people – Besoyan renamed his imaginary ‘tribe’ the ‘Kadota’, and the ‘Indian language’ used is definitely Dakota/Lakota (Dakota and Lakota are mutually intelligible dialects of the same language), though there are some invented words and the sentence structure is definitely English (Dakota/Lakota, like most American Indian languages, is verb-based, not noun-based) – evinced by the ‘Kadota’ characters’ pidgin dialogue, ridiculous names, and the stereotypical ‘good-Indian/bad-Indian’ dichotomy. The Story Little Mary Sunshine supports herself and her Inn by baking and selling cookies. She is the adopted daughter of Chief Brown Bear of the Kadota Indians. Mary is in love with Captain "Big Jim" Warington, head of Forest Rangers, who are tracking down a roving band of murderous Indians. The leader of which is the `savage' Yellow Feather, the disgraced son of Brown Bear. Mary is afraid because Yellow Feather promised to return and `have his way with her.' Chief Brown Bear adopts Billy, another White character, as his son, to become the new `Yellow Feather.' This is done to the music of `Me a Heap Big Indian.' ‘Yellow Feather’ appears, lashes Mary to a tree and is about to have his way with her when Jim arrives and saves her. Jim vows that the Forest Rangers will make the heinous Yellow Feather into a useful member of society before returning him to his father, Brown Bear, who need never know of the base state into which his son had fallen. Fairfax announces that the U.S. government has decided to return one quarter of the state of Colorado to Brown Bear and the Kadotas. His honor returned, Brown Bear gives the land to Mary and to his newly adopted son Billy. The real Yellow Feather, apparently having reformed in record time, returns to wave an American flag during the Finale, in which all join happily.' (By Mike Two Horses) Here are samples of the dialogue from the play with translation of those words that actually were taken from the Dakota and Lakota languages provided (some words are nonsense or gibberish inserted for reasons that only the author can know), however, turned into a sort of pidgin-speak because of the attempts to take Dakota/Lakota words out of dictionary context and use them in noun-based English language structure. These are actual quotes from the play, clearly showing the racist and demeaning characterizations of the "Indians," who speak in broken, inarticulate sentences, often referred to as "Tontospeak." Note: In Dakota and Lakota, the letter 'c' is always pronounced as a ' ch ' as in 'chew'. Chief Brown Bear: "Ah- kee-chee-tah lee-la-wash-tay -low! Ah- kee-chee -tah lee-la-wash- tay-low!" [Akicita lila washte yelo ! "He is a very great warrior." ] "Hoka hey ah-kee-chee-tah Beelee Jes-ter?" [Hoka hey akicita Billy Jester. Welcome Warrior Jester"] "Heyoo-po " ["Hay-you-po" - *He* is the enclitic particle that denotes 'presence' and *upo*, a plural directive (command) meaning "to come" or "they come." *Pi* is the enclitic particle that pluralizes, and *yo* is the enclitic particle that makes a verb a directive or command as opposed to an assertion...with these types of verb endings, we (Dakota and Lakota) often contract them, e.g., *u pi yo* becomes *upo*. The problem is that this simply doesn't make sense, because the proper enclitic particle for plural 'presence' is *Hena*, not *he* (*Hena upo* - "They must come"), and it particularly doesn't make sense when taken in the context of the possible meaning of the second word. The second word, "e-nocken-nee-yo," COULD be an incorrect person rendering of the verb *enakiya*, which means "to finish," or "stop" (cease and desist)]. One of the problems that non-speakers (and new learners) have with
Dakota and Lakota is in figuring out which forms of the particles that
denote person are used with particular verbs - in that way, Dakota and
Lakota are like French, i.e., there are a lot of irregular verbs that
you just have to memorize. When you see a verb like *enakiya*, what
you're seeing is the infinitive form, "to finish" or "to stop," or the
third person form, "he/she/it finishes(ed)." In order to make a verb
first or second person, there are three different possible particles
for each 'person' - ma, ya, and bl (with the infinitive's own vowel)
for first person ("I"), and ni, wa, and gl (with the infinitive's own
vowel) for second person ("you"). If *enakiya* was indeed the word that
this writer was looking for (perhaps he was looking to have the guy
say "Knock it off!"), he chose the wrong second person particle, and
put it in the wrong place - he used "ni" and placed it after the third
syllable, *enakiniyo*, but the correct particle is "wa" placed after
the second syllable, *enawakiya*. Regardless, in context the entire
sentence wouldn't make any sense anyway: "Way-chay-kee-yie-oh Kadota." [The infinitive command "pray" - *cekiyayo* - is present here, and ' Kadota ' is an intentional misspelling of Dakota. The gist of the idea is seems to be "Kadotas pray." ] Taken in context with the next sentence: "I pray to Wah-kon Tonka -- Great Spirit.'" [Wakan Tanka is indeed the phrase that translates as 'Great Spirit' or 'Great Mystery', but in the context of this 'play' and the story, the use of the Dakota/Lakota concept of God is insulting and odious ] "My-you-ho" [A non-existent word ] "Eek-dome-nee omah-shtay" [ *Iktomi*, the Dakota/Lakota Trickster figure, here incorrectly translated as "merry," plus *omashte*, literally "the warmth of the sun," i.e., "Merry Sunshine" ]. "My-you-ho." [Again, non-existent word ] "E-tow-kee you-cha-la mah -tow?" [*Itoki* - "where from?" or "from which direction?" -*yucala*, "brown," and then *mato*, "bear." Obviously, Mary is asking Brown Bear where he came from.but it's still not a question; questions, asked by men, end in *hwo*, by women, in *he*. Further, again, there is no verb in a verb-based language! Little Mary: "You-cha-la mah -tow, Brown Bear, aay pah -ha sah -pa. [I kind of doubt that this ' aay ' is like our present day rez 'aay ', and I have absolutely no idea what it was supposed to mean here...anyway, the next two words should be instantly recognizable: Paha Sapa , the Black Hills, which confirms that the tribes being referenced are the Dakota and Lakota. There are two problems: first, the reference is contextless, and second, the Black Hills are in South Dakota and eastern Wyoming , NOT in Colorado] "You-cha-la mah-tow kola Captain Warington ." TT>[I suppose that this is an assertion that 'Brown Bear' and Captain Warington are friends, meaning of course, that 'Brown Bear' is a 'good', or 'hang-around-the-fort' Indian. Again, the sentence construction is absolutely and painfully wrong ] Fleet Foot: "Ah-Ho! E-skah. Me-yay Tonk-ah oh-ho-lah ah-kee-pah we-cha-sha Lakotas aay wash-she-chew eet-ko." TT>['Fleet Foot' says - more or less - *Aho* - this is more or less a way of saying "howdy" and an affirmation that he's there (the use of this cross-cultural word is widespread, and it can mean a lot of things that depend entirely on the context) - *Eska* - "That yonder" - *Miye tanka ohola akipa wicasha Lakota(s) - that he has great respect for Lakota men he meets along the way - *aay* - this isn't a word - *washicu witko* - "crazy white man" - washicu literally means "takes the fat," meaning "takes the best part," or "greedy" -- it is the term that Dakota and Lakota people use for the White man, and witko means crazy or foolish; problem is, this is all patched together without verbs and without any grammatical sense. Additionally, plurals are not created in Dakota and Lakota by the addition of an 's'; rather, what's required is the addition of a pluralizing particle (pi) to the verb in a sentence ] Little Mary: "Wha-she-chew we-cha-sha lee-la-she-cha. [*washicu wicasha lila shica*, literally, 'fat-taker man very bad', however, Dakota/Lakota speakers don't use both *washicu* and *wicasha* together, for a couple of reasons: the term *washicu* is obviously not meant as a term of endearment, and it reflects the experiences of Dakota and Lakota people with Whites. On the other hand, *wicasha* is a very common term that Dakota and Lakota people use for themselves, *ikce wicasha*, common folk, being "of the people." Mary also uses the term "me-la hah-shka" *mila haska*, "long knives," the common Lakota term for American soldiers ] Fleet Foot: (Rising angrily.) "Wah -she-chews lee-la she-cha [White men are bad; again, English pluralization by the addition of an 's' ]. Hoka-hey [Welcome? This is completely out of place ] Hey-you-po e-nocken-nee-yo !" [ once again, "they must come, knock it off!" which simply does not make any sense at all. ] In the following lines, stereotypes of American Indians as ignorant, backward, drunken savages abound. Further, author Besoyan chooses to denigrate Dakota/Lakota spiritual figures. People should ask themselves: if denigrating linguistic and cultural stereotypes about Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, or religious minorities such as Jews or Muslims appeared in plays or other media presentations such as this, would we not hear immediate calls to cease and desist from the wider society? What is it about American Indians that makes our cultures, our languages, and our religions "fair game?" (The lights come up and BILLY is seen coming out of the Teepee dressed in an Indian suit. [I have to ask: what is an "Indian suit" according to Besoyan? ] He is followed by CHIEF BROWN BEAR.) BILLY: (Wiping brow and coughing.) Ah, fresh air. Your Teepee's a little stuffy, Chief. Tell me, do you always keep your horse in there with you? [This is an interesting reversal of fact in that horses and camp dogs would never have been brought inside lodges; in fact, infectious epidemic diseases were common in Europe prior to the invasion of the Americas because people slept in the same buildings with their livestock - and their waste. Further, American Indians bathed regularly at a time when Europeans believed that bathing caused disease. ] CHIEF BROWN BEAR: Indian pony's good animal. He likes me. He likes you too. BILLY: Well, as long as he likes us, that makes all the difference. Yes, sir, that was quite a ceremony, Chief, quite a ceremony. I feel like an Indian already. (Assuming Indian pose.) How's this? [The stereotype of the "stoic Indian" in the typical cigar-store-Indian pose; this alludes, actually, to a problem that has grown increasingly in scope, particularly in the last twenty years, that of Whites who want to assume the trappings of "Indianness" http://users.pandora.be/gohiyuhi/nafps/ but who do not and will not assume the responsibilities of life within our societies. Please visit the main NAFPS pages for more information about these issues. ] CHIEF BROWN BEAR: You are Indian. I give you wisdom and courage. I give you manly strength. (He takes out some dried raisins and blesses the food.) Toonk-ah-she-lah, Walk-on, Than-kah, tah-tee-ah- dotah, oon-chee mah-kah, wo-peelah. Me-tah-kee-yay oh-yah-sin. [*Tunkashila, Wakan Tanka, Tate (with something non-Lakota attached), Unshi Maka, Wopila, Mitakuye Oyasin* - Grandfather, Great Spirit/Mystery, Wind(s?), Grandmother Earth, Gratitude, All My Relations - these are all part of the Lakota religious tradition. *Tunkashila* - Grandfather - is the way that we refer to the Creator in prayer, not to one's own grandfathers (*kaki, kaka*); *Wakan Tanka* is the Great Spirit, the Great Mystery, the Animating Force of the Universe; *Tate-*, the Four Winds (if that's what is meant here), are representative of the Four Directions, which are very important in Lakota cosmology; *Unshi Maka*, Grandmother Earth, is central in sacredness to Lakota people; *Wopila*, to give thanks, to be grateful, is a cardinal virtue amond the Dakota and Lakota, and among American Indians; and the importance of the concept of interrelatedness, of our belief that all things are living and that all things are necessary to one another and worthy of respect, expressed in the phrase *Mitakuye Oyasin*, "All My Relations," cannot be overstated. Besoyan takes these words out of context and demeans them and Dakota and Lakota people by using them in this manner. BILLY: Oh? CHIEF BROWN BEAR: Buffalo heart. Me-tah-kee-yay oh-yah-sin. For manly strength. Eat. ["Buffalo heart" and *Mitakuye Oyasin* - "All My Relations" - have literally nothing to do with one another. Besoyan is using White distaste for "ethnic foods" to make a comedic point at the expense of Indian people ] BILLY: It's kind of gooey. My, oh, my. Yes, sir. What was it? CHIEF BROWN BEAR: Buffalo . . BILLY: I'm not very hungry. It's, it's very. . . .what is it? On second thought, don't tell me. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: Wash down with Minnie wah-kahn. (He hands a skin bag to BILLY. Next line should be said with a hint of sarcasm.) Good cooling fire water. [This goes so far over the line of race-baiting in the beginning of the 21st century as to be unthinkable; American Indians deal with some of the worst alcoholism in the Western world due to despair, racism, poverty, and hopelessness caused in large part by hundreds of years of European/EuroAmerican colonialism and rampant abuse. The Red Road to Sobriety and Wellbriety Programs are making dramatic inroads against alcoholism and drug addiction using traditional Native religious models. Portraying American Indians in this manner cannot be excused; it is a hateful act.] BILLY: Say, Chief, that's very, . . . (Stomps around.) Ooo whee! Ooo whee! CHIEF BROWN BEAR: (Pleased.) You make fine Indian dancer. You are man now. You are my son. Now I give you presents. BILLY: Chief, if you're not careful you're going to kill me with kindness. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: First, your feather. (He sticks a feather in BILLY's headband.) Yellow feather for Yellow Feather. BILLY: There you go getting clever again. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: (Handing a belt to BILLY.) Good Indian belt. BILLY: Say, Chief, this is really something. What are all the little furry things? CHIEF BROWN BEAR: White man scalps. And last if the best present. Bow and arrows. Had these many, many years. Very fine. [Scalping was introduced to the Americas by the French, and was further promoted by the Dutch, who offered bounties for the scalps of Indian men, women, and children during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Hollywood, of course, has always portrayed Indians as the scalpers instead of the scalpees... ] BILLY: Oh, Chief, I couldn't take that. Really. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: You take these. You are now my son. BILLY: Gee, this is jim dandy. (Tries it out. Shoots arrow off- stage.) My gosh, I didn't know it was loaded. You'd better teach me how to use this thing. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: Tomorrow I teach you. You learn to ride pony, too. Bareback. BILLY: Bareback? Now wait a minute, Chief . . . CHIEF BROWN BEAR: Tonight, tonight I pray to Wah-kon Tonk-kah, the Great Spirit. I thank him for bringing me a son. BILLY: Hey, look, chief; I brought you some presents, too. Here; first, a pocket knife. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: Pock-ket knife? BILLY: Yeah, for cutting. Very handy. (Demonstrates.) You can use it for all sorts of things; eat with it, screw driver, clean your nails; oh, it has all kinds of uses. Then, let's see; Oh, yes, a copy of the Rules and Regulations for a Forest Ranger. That's the best companionship a man ever had. (CHIEF BROWN BEAR nods appreciatively as he reads it upside down. BILLY rights it.) [Of course Chief Brown Bear is an "ignorant savage" who cannot read; learning to read was actively discouraged among Indians until the Reservation Period, when Indian children were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to US-run boarding schools far-distant from their homes - where they were punished brutally for speaking their own languages, shorn of their hair, dressed in White clothes, and stripped of their tribal traditions, in short, to, as Colonel Richard Henry Pratt, who started the infamous Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, put it, "Kill the Indian to Save the Man." In point of fact, Whites depended on this fact during treaty negotiations in order to favor the US government ] Now, one more. Ah, yes. Necktie. (BILLY displays a bright necktie.) CHIEF BROWN BEAR: (Looking quizzically at the necktie.) Neck-tie? BILLY. (Putting necktie around CHIEF BROWN BEAR's neck.) You wear it around your neck. And what it does; it sort of gives you that, that dressed up look. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: My son gives me presents. My son gives me necktie. Very good son, I wear necktie always. BILLY: It looks good. I like. Now you've got me talking that way. CHIEF BROWN BEAR: (Sitting on the rock L.C.) Ceremony is taking effect. I am glad. BILLY: You know what, Chief; I am glad, too. Music in, ME, A HEAP BIG INJUN (1st Refrain) BILLY: I'M A HEAP BIG INDIAN (Interlude) WHEN I WAS A LAD OF FIVE (2nd Refrain) I'M A HEAP BIG INDIAN, (During the first half of this Refrain BILLY does an Indian Dance.) I'M A HEAP BIG INDIAN,
[It is difficult to overemphasize how inappropriate this kind of material would be at any time and in any place, let alone in 2003 in a multicultural society. The fact that people insist on performing this material suggests that there is some other agenda. Why go to these lengths to keep racism alive? What's the point? In Viroqua, at least, there is a larger issue of the school district's continuing use of the name "Blackhawk" - after the famous chief - as a sports team name and mascot. We'll have to see what the agenda is for the Broadway play... ] Dakota-Lakota translation provided by: |
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Racist Play in Viroqua, WI page 1
Indians are people not mascots
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