“It integrates the relationship between the United States history of the federal government and tribes in the region,” said Thompson, director of the UM Regional Learning Project.
More than a dozen people joined her at St. Paul Lutheran Church to help the educator read through what amounted to a three-act play. Everyone was assigned a role, ranging from Indian reservation agents and peace treaty negotiators to chiefs representing tribes throughout the region.
4 comments:
In the early 90s an Intertribal Council produced a play & took it around to various parts of the country. It was called "The Trial of Columbus", & the ending - the play itself - always varied. Why? Because the viewers were the jury. It was very interesting to see how people responded. Some - both non-Indians & Indians - wanted to be fair, level-headed, politically correct. They listened carefully to the mock trial & attempted an 'impartial' vote. Me? I guess I'm a vigilante at heart. Either that, or I really AM what White folks say when they ask my tribe & I answer Comanche: "OH! They were the 'mean' Indians, weren't they?" (Followed by a nervous titter.) At any rate, I confess - I started dragging out the noose the instant I heard the defendant's NAME! Bad, mean Comanche!
"The Trial of Columbus" sounds like a great idea. As a "what if?" story, it would make a good movie, TV show, or book. It reminds me of The Court-Martial of George Armstrong Custer, another of my favorite Native-themed books.
Is the play you mentioned the same as "The Trial of Columbus," pp. 87-94 in Rethinking Columbus, Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson, eds., 2nd edition (Rethinking Schools, 1998)? I may have to check it out.
Is the play you mentioned the same as "The Trial of Columbus," pp. 87-94 in Rethinking Columbus, Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson, eds., 2nd edition (Rethinking Schools, 1998)? I may have to check it out.
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