An Essay by Renee D Mattila

April 15, 2004

The first thing to strike me as I read Body Indian is how realistic the scenario is. The title suggests a united Native condition but the condition that afflicts the characters is not racist. The alcoholism that affects the characters in Body Indian, is present throughout this multi-cultural country. The power of alcoholism over-rides ancestry. It is alcoholism that drives Bobby’s friends to rob him, repeatedly. They are not robbing him because they are native. They rob him because they are addicted to alcohol. Marie is not stealing money from her cousin to feed her children. She is stealing to feed her addiction.

I realise that I have seen this kind of behaviour before and it was in people of various backgrounds. A couple of years ago I discovered that a disabled woman I knew was being repeatedly robbed by her roommate. This roommate would take advantage of my friend’s disability by encouraging her to drink and pass out. The roommate would then enter the disabled girls room, rummage through her things, taking cash and the car keys. This is eerily familiar to the scenes in Body Indian where Bobby’s friends encourage him to drink himself into unconsciousness. They also rummage through Bobby’s pockets, taking cash and eventually his artificial leg.

The repetitive scenes of the play imply that such behaviour is common place or that it reoccurs. That was also the case for my disabled friend. She was not robbed once but many times. She began hiding her purse and car keys. My friend did not leave because she relied on the group to support her own alcoholism. Their encouragement helped her justify her own reckless behaviour. Like Marie, my friend had children who witnessed their mother’s lifestyle. They suffered from the same empty shelves and absent mother.

Bobby has also relied on the group to support his alcoholism and justify his behaviour. Now that he wants to change he faces the opposition of the group. The group does not trust change. They know and rely on their cycles of dysfunction; drinking, getting money for drinking and then drinking some more. My friend faced the same oppositions when she decided to break the cycle. Unlike Bobby, she did manage to separate herself from that group and the substance abuse problem. Bobby is trying to change while staying within a group that loathes change. The two stories, Bobby’s and my friend’s, are very similar because they address the problem of alcoholism that transcends racial identity. My disabled friend is part Tahltan, a band from Northern British Columbia, but she broke the destructive cycle of alcoholism in her life. Her native ancestry did not doom her to die of cirrhosis of the liver like her grandmother had. The people that stole from my friend were not native at all. Most of the group had a mixed European ancestry and ended up identifying themselves as either a Heinz 57 or Canadian. The unifying factor between my friend’s story and Body Indian, is not race, it is substance abuse.

Although this story could involve a variety of characters, the fact that these characters are native is an important part of this play. Geiogamah’s target audience is native people. His plays are concerned with native issues and themes. Alcoholism is one of those themes, like love, that applies to cultures all over the world. He tells a specific story that addresses a universal problem. That is why his play can be compared to real people’s lives.

April 16, 2004

The title Body Indian leads me to contemplate the relationship of cause and effect in the characters’ lives. Are these people poor and alcoholics because that is the condition of the Body Indian? Do they remain poor because they are alcoholics or has their poverty led to their alcoholism? The dilemma of which is the cause and which is the effect reminds me of Rohinton Mistry’s short story “Swimming Lessons”.

In that story the main character contemplates the condition of the Parsi people in India, a different kind of “Body Indian”. The narrator says “The Parsi community has the highest divorce rate in India. It also claims to be the most westernized community in India. Which is the result of the other? Confusion again, of cause and effect” (Mistry, 1075). I find this question very interesting. Does the Parsi community have a higher divorce rate because they are more westernized or are they considered to be more westernized because of their higher rate of divorce? Is the parsi individual doomed to divorce simply because that is the prevailing trend within the community? Is the Native individual doomed to poverty and alcoholism simply because that is the prevailing trend in their community?

I suspect that many native people doom themselves to poverty and alcoholism because they see no other option. They see the trend in their community and accept it as “the way life is”. I like the way that Geiogamah focuses on the problem of alcoholism and poverty as an immediate condition. He does not focus on laying blame or determining cause. There aren’t any rants about the evils of the European settlers and their “fire water”. Instead Geiogamah examines the present condition of the “body indian”. He reveals the cycle that is about to repeat itself. I think the answer to cause and effect lies in this cyclical pattern.

Geiogamah juxtaposes different generations to illustrate the destructive cycle and alcoholism and poverty. Characters such as Bobby’s Uncle Howard show that the elderly are affected by alcoholism. There are middle-aged characters such as Alice and Betty, young adults like Bobby and Marie, as well as teenagers like James and his friends. All of them are caught up in the cycle of alcoholism and poverty. They all spend their time looking for alcohol or money to buy alcohol. Bobby is ready to break the cycle but lacks support. James is still young enough to break free of the cycle, but he may follow the pattern set out by his elders because he feels that that is the only, or most appropriate, action.

By focusing on the effect instead of the causes of alcoholism and poverty, Geiogamah reveals cycles and patterns that perpetuate the dysfunctional state of the “body Indian”. So, it appears that the cause is the effect and vice versa. Although I strongly believe that the cycle can be broken, it is obviously difficult to do so.

April 17, 2004

The use of music in Geiogamah’s play Foghorn reminds me why I dislike reading dramas. A play is meant to be experienced, it is meant to be watched. Drama is so much more than just a script. Drama relies on costuming, stage direction, lighting and music.

This play, with its varied scenes, would be quite entertaining to watch and hear. The musical direction in the play is quite difficult to reconstruct with the imagination. “Progressive electronic sound” could be interpreted in a number of different ways (Geiogamah, 51). The term immediately brings to my mind the kind of music that is popular at Rave style parties. Such music is progressive and electronic in nature. The word “sound” leads me away from the idea of an organized song to suggest a more abstract, soundtrack set of electronic sounds. The form of the composition can not be determined from the text.

The use of more traditional native music serves to emphasize the importance of music in native culture. Many native ceremonies centre around music and dancing. The “Zuni Sunrise Chant” is an example of a traditional song. Unfortunately, “BAH HEY BA HO” does not communicate to us how the words are to be chanted (54). The rhythm is visible but the reader can not translate stresses or pronunciation from the text. The stage direction indicates that the Plains Indian War Dance Song is accompanied by drums and is sung in celebration. In this instance there are no lyrics provided. Having no personal knowledge of what a Plains Indian War Dance Song is supposed to sound like, I have no idea what it would sound like in Foghorn. The use of drums is traditional but many different rhythms and combinations could be used. Seeing and hearing this play would be an informative experience.

The use of music in Geiogamah’s play Foghorn also serves to link all of the scenes together. In Body Indian the scenes were linked together by repetition. In Foghorn each scene is introduced and supported by appropriate music. The War dance Song precedes the attack on the Nun. The most appropriate musical piece in the Pocahontas scene is the simple use of a kazoo. The Lone Ranger theme introduces a familiar character although the scene leads to a unique view of that character. The use of drilling sounds and earth visuals provide an ongoing connection between the scenes throughout the play.

Geiogamah’s use of music in Foghorn would certainly make it a fuller play to watch but it loses a lot of its effect when it is written in the script. Like drama, music is meant to be heard and experienced, not read as a script or sheet of lyrics.

April 18, 2004

Geiogamah’s play Foghorn is quite humorous. Even being read from a script there are some moments where I had to laugh out loud. Although that got me some weird looks from other ferry passengers, it could not be helped. I found humour in most of the scenes that I read. Geiogamah uses humour to address some serious subject matter. Most of the humour comes from Geiogamah’s construction of white characters.

The behaviour of the Nun is quite outrageous and stereotypical. To run around calling the people “poor, miserable, ignorant, uncivilized, NAKED” and then to expect their gratitude is absurd (Geiogamah, 57). And yet, it is not far from the actual behaviour of early missionaries. It may seem extreme, even humorous, but it is not unrealistic. The missionaries were sent out specifically to save the savages. To them the idea that the Natives did not need to be saved was an absurd concept. Geiogamah’s humorous representation of the Nun emphasizes the absurdity of the missionaries’ cause.

The schoolteacher is a stereotypical yet humorous representation of white teachers trying to teach native pupils. Her misunderstanding of her pupils is common and descends from the idea that the native children are ignorant savages. It is unfortunate that others shared her view that “These stupid children should be left on their reservations and forgotten about” (59). Although the teacher appears cheery she is also ignorant and hostile. Her vision of the children is similar to the Nun’s vision of all native people. The teacher thinks the children come from an awful place “where [they] all run around half naked, filthy, living in sin” (60). Today we realize that the residential schools that native children were confined in were often worse than any reservation.

The condescension shown by the First Lady is stereotypical of government agents. They treat the native people like children or inferiors. The way the First Lady describes the features of the native people reminds me of the way people talk about small children. I picture her speaking in that annoying singsong voice that is often used on young children or animals. “I have never seen such lovely, stoic faces… And their costumes. Aren’t they simply tooo beautiful” (68). Note the three O’s in the word too. Sounds like that high pitched singsong voice to me. But the First Lady does not treat the Native people like children or animals. She is treating them like a natural resource of her own country, which she is free to exploit in whatever manner she deems appropriate. The First Lady and the President decide to turn an Indian Reserve in to a National Park because “The Indians get very little use out of them anyway” (69). This is the general attitude that led to the relocation of Native people and the appropriation of their traditional lands. It is a symptom of the general belief that the European peoples, and their way of life, is superior to the Native people and their way of life. The First Lady embodies this belief system. She looks down upon the Native people as inferiors who need guidance. She gladly picks up the “White Man’s Burden”.

Each of the three characters, the Nun, the Schoolteacher, and the First Lady, seem motivated by the concept of the “White Man’s Burden”. The Nun is wrapped in a religious fervour as she carries out her mission to save the souls of the heathen Indians. She passionately takes on the “burden” that god has challenged her with. The Schoolteacher carries her “burden” with resentment. She is not even sure if these “stupid children” can be taught but it is her duty to educate them. The “burden” that the First Lady carries obviously gives her a sense of self-satisfaction. She really thinks that she is doing a great thing by converting a reservation into a park. They are all performing their duty, as they perceive it. Not because they want to, but because they should. Their purpose is self-serving.

Geiogamah reveals the “White Man’s Burden” without ever making direct reference to it. He uses action, dialogue and humour to communicate the motivation that underlies many of the white settlers actions and beliefs. None of the three white women discussed above are motivated by compassion or genuine concern. Just as they had done in many other countries, the Europeans marched in with their “superior” culture and tried to assimilate the Native population. Although a great percentage of the original Native population was wiped out, intentionally and unintentionally, they were not annihilated. Today, modern Native culture is being rebuilt. The idea that the Native culture is inferior is being beaten back. If the European settlers had been successful, Canada would resemble a sprawling replica of Great Britain with a little bit of France. Boring. I love Canada’s diversity and multiculturalism. The European replica that the settlers wanted would be a colony, not a country. Canada would be a much poorer country had they succeeded in assimilating the existing cultures.

April 23, 2004

I really don’t like reading plays. Did I mention that yet? I first noticed this when studying Shakespeare in Junior High School. Reading the script seemed tedious. It was nothing like learning a script for a performance. With Shakespeare there was the added difficulty of the language. I always felt as though I was missing the joke, or the point. That is how I felt reading 49.

I tried to visualize the scenes in 49, but my imagination always seemed to fall short. The pictures only served to confirm my suspicions. The photos revealed scenes that were quite different than what I had pictured. The Author’s note at the beginning at least helped me understand the general concept of a 49 celebration. It also provided a general timeline. Unfortunately, those general guidelines did not lead to a general understanding of the play.

Like a Shakespearean play, I feel like I am not speaking the same language. Many of the words are the same but they are spoken differently or imply a different meaning. The actions of Night Walker seem highly ceremonial, as he tries to draw all the young people together. His phrasing is unique, or seems so to me. His manner of speaking is often lyrical, like the balladeer and Shakespeare. The lyrical technique of Night Walker seems to be connected to the ceremony.

The 49 ceremony is too foreign for me to understand. Perhaps watching the play as it is performed would help me to understand it better. I would be able to focus on the performance instead of trying to visualize stage directions and imagine what the songs might sound like. The singing and dancing needs to be seen not read.

April 24, 2004

Another reading of Geiogamah’s play 49, has not greatly improved my understanding. I do understand a little bit more about the sense of “indianness” that excites the youth and fuels Night Walker’s speeches. The 49 celebration is a celebration of the people, of their unity, of their past, present and future. In my second reading it is the encroachment of the police that I found particularly puzzling.

I know that there have been many unnecessary confrontations between native peoples and the Police throughout history. Even during my own lifetime there have been armed stand-offs and disagreements over land use. I recognize the human barrier that is created in the final scene. In this play Geiogamah does not give a clear reason for the police’s hostility towards the 49 and its celebrants. He seems to rely on the stereotype that the police will interfere with any potentially threatening Native activity, even if the perception of a threat is inaccurate.

The whole thing seems oversimplified. A lot of history and details are left out that would explain the actions of the police. I do not intend to say that the police are justified in their actions. I think that they must have developed some rationale for there actions, even if it is flawed. Wanting to shut down a Native celebration just because there is drinking and rowdiness is not sufficient reason. It is possible that Geiogamah intended to illustrate the stereotype in order to emphasize the way that Native people and their ceremonies are continually disrespected by the police.

As I said before, I think that watching the play, instead of reading it, would provide greater insight. Maybe after watching it I would understand what Geiogamah intended with his use of stereotypes. Maybe through the music and dance I would be able to see what he is trying to communicate with this drama.

Works Cited

Geiogamah, Hanay. New Native American Drama: Three Plays. USA: University of
Oklahoma Press. 1980

Mistry, Rohinton. “Swimming Lessons” A New Anthology of Canadian Literature in
English.Eds. D. Bennett & R. Brown. Toronto: Oxford University Press. 2002. 1074-1089