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Cornell Arts Groups and Departments Collaborate On Year-Long Look at Native American Portrayals

ITHACA, NEW YORK - With Native American representation continuing to be a nationwide controversial topic, departments and programs at Cornell are collaborating on a year-long examination of Indian identity through the creative and performing arts. Beginning with events in September, this program, titled "Indians' Indians: (Re)Presentation of Native American People in the Arts," will explore through events and symposia the contemporary representation of Native American culture. This program is sponsored in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts.

The "Indians' Indians" program was initiated after the Cornell Department of Theatre, Film & Dance decided to produce the play The Rez Sisters by First Nations playwright Tomson Highway (Cree) in the fall 2001. "We wanted to bring the work of a Native American playwright to our program and, in the process, bring to the forefront issues of Native American portrayal in literature, art, theatre, etc., both historically and in the contemporary," said Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts Artistic Director David Feldshuh. The Rez Sisters portrays seven present-day Native American women on a reservation. Playwright Highway will be visiting the department for discussion of this play and his other award-winning works. Cornell alumnus Randy Reinholz, MFA'88, will bring his Choctaw heritage into play as director of the production. The Rez Sisters will be performed October 24-November 4.

The "Indians' Indians" program will kick off with a Traditional Opening on September 6 at noon on Ho Plaza. A Thanksgiving Address will be given by Jason Corwin '02 (Seneca) and remarks will be made by Feldshuh and Daniel Usner, Director of the American Indian Program. An Honor Song will be performed by the drum group Thunder Lizard Singers. Events will continue throughout the 2001-2002 academic year -- all either performed by Native Americans or related to Native American representation.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Traditional Opening * September 6 * Noon * Ho Plaza (Rain Location: Memorial Room, WSH)
Opening remarks by David Feldshuh, Artistic Director, Schwartz Center, and Daniel Usner, Director, American Indian Program

Truman Lowe * September 25 * 5:30 pm * Tjaden Gallery, Olive Tjaden Hall
Lecture by Truman Lowe, sculptor and curator of Contemporary Art at the National Museum of the American Indian. Sponsored by the Department of Art.

American Indian Dance Theatre * October 4 * 8:00 p.m. * Kiplinger Theatre, Schwartz Center
An integrated company of dancers, singers, and musicians from various tribes, the American Indian Dance Theatre is an internationally acclaimed touring dance company. Sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance.

Akwe:kon * Week of October 8 * Akwe:kon, Triphammer Road
Native American Heritage Week. Exploring myths of discovery. Sponsored by American Indian Program.

James Luna * October 18 * 5:15 pm * The H.F. Johnson Museum of Art
Lecture/performance by Native American performance artist James Luna. Luna's performance art examines Indian/White relations with irreverent wit and an unconventional viewpoint. Sponsored by the H.F. Johnson Museum of Art.

Tomson Highway * October 18-19 * Schwartz Center
Artist-in-Residency: Playwright Tomson Highway. Lecture and staged reading scheduled. Sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance.

The Doe Boy * October 18-19 * Willard Straight Theatre
Filmmaker Randy Redroad presents a program of his award-winning short films and his feature film debut, The Doe Boy, winner of the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. Sponsored by Cornell Cinema. The Rez Sisters * October 24-November 4 * Class of '56 Flexible Theatre * Schwartz Center
The Rez Sisters, an award-winning play by First Nations playwright Tomson Highway (Cree). Sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance.

"The Truth of El Dorado" * Early November
"The Truth of El Dorado: Indigenous Peoples and Anthropologists," a conference which will discuss Patrick Tierney's book, Darkness in El Dorado, which sparked an explosive discussion of research ethics and methods used by anthropologists to interpret Indian societies. Sponsored by the American Indian Program. Design and Culture * Early November * 11:15 am * Warren Hall B45
Special lecturer on Design and Culture. Sponsored by the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis. Coming to Light * November * Willard Straight Theatre
Documentary filmmaker Anne Makepeace presents Coming to Light: Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indians. Sponsored by Cornell Cinema. Jim Welch * November 14 * 4:30 p.m. * Goldwin Smith Hall, Room D
Jim Welch (Blackfeet), fiction writer. Author of The Heartsong of Charging Elk, Winter in the Blood, and Fools Crow. Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program. In the Light of Reverence * Late November
Symposium on Sacred Sites, Religious Freedom, and Indigenous Environments. A screening of the documentary film In the Light of Reverence will be the occasion for a panel discussion on the significance of sacred sites in American Indians' relationship to the land and to the United States. Sponsored by Rurul Sociology. The Adventure of Coyote * March 25 * 5:00 p.m. * Film Forum, Schwartz Center
"The Adventures of Coyote: A Readers Theatre." Traditional stories about Coyote, a comic trickster who survives through his cunning and creative gifts, are told by Indians throughout the western U.S. The performance includes both traditional stories and contemporary poetry. Sponsored by the Anthropology Department. Spiderwoman * April 5-6 * Class of '56 Dance Theatre, Schwartz Center
Critically acclaimed performance group, Spiderwoman, will present their original works based on Native themes, present a workshop for students, and participate in a symposium. Sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance. Pow Wow and Smoke Dance * April 4-6 * Barton Hall
Annual Pow Wow and Smoke Dance Competition. This annual event draws to Cornell outstanding drum groups and dancers from around the country. Organized by Native American Students at Cornell. Indians' Indians Symposium * April 5-6 * A.D. White House
Symposium with members of the performance group Spiderwoman. The symposium will address issues of Native American representational practices as well as practices of representing or displaying Natives by non-natives in society. Sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance. Luci Tapahonso * April 12 * 7:30 p.m. * Goldwin Smith Hall, Room D
Luci Tapahonso, Native American poet. Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program. Joanne Shenandoah * April 26 * 8:00 p.m. * Statler Auditorium
Music performance by Joanne Shenandoah, Native American singer, songwriter and performer. Sponsored by the Music Department. Additional events may be added. For current listings see: indians' indians or call the Schwartz Center Box Office at 254-ARTS.