Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2007 - 52

Doug Hyde, Nez Perce/Assiniboine/Chippewa.
"Intertribal Greeting," bronze sculpture, 2003.
Installed on the grounds of the Heard Museum.

the federal government. The rights and beneﬁts
associated with state recognition vary from state
to state. So attempting to approach any tribe or
tribal members for research purposes can be
daunting and must quite literally be approached
as an "international exchange of information."
Some tribes' tendencies toward privacy
unfortunately can lead to misunderstandings
about critical aspects of their culture. Weston
echoes the notion that although some tribes are
very willing to try to explain things to outsiders
in the hopes of increasing understanding, other
tribes are much more closed about their cultures and rituals. There is no single formula for
learning to deal with tribal traditions.
Modern life intrudes
Both Weston and Laczko observe that increasing numbers of Native Americans (particularly
youth) are beginning to lose track of their own
tribal traditions because they themselves buy
into the stereotyped "Indian" images that they
see on screen, on stage, and in books or magazines. The omnipresence of media has also coerced many young Natives into letting go of their
culture in favor of pursuing styles and trends
that are popular with the masses.
Many tribes in the past had traditionally
adopted just a few English words, customs, or
ideals from the white culture-keeping what
was interesting or useful, leaving the rest. But
more and more often they are adopting and using English words even amongst themselves and
are following popular culture. Though this extreme is certainly not true for all youth or within
all tribes, the increasing lack of tribal identity
can certainly contribute to the difﬁculties en-

Snake dance on stage causes
controversy
Gina Laczko, Education Services Manager at the Heard Museum, worked on
Sam Shepard's Operation Sidewinder, a
satire on the social and political turmoil
of the 1960s, at the Vivian Beaumont
Theater in New York. Sidewinder featured some Hopi Indian characters and a
sacred Hopi snake dance. The ritual was
treated with great seriousness, but, taken
out of context, the audience found it confusing and laughable. The play closed
quickly, and Shepard faced additional
criticism from some Hopi people who
were very offended by the notion that
their private supernatural entities would
be portrayed publicly.

countered for anyone trying to conduct responsible research for an artistic endeavor.
What can be done to help the artistic community understand the complexity of these circumstances and increase their awareness of
the resources available for cultural research?
People like Weston and Laczko, who consider
themselves "persons of experience" in Native
American issues, but not "experts" (in Indian
culture a person normally speaks only on behalf
of his own clan or immediate tribe), are constantly educating people through the museum
and are always willing to make recommendations of additional resources and contacts.
The Heard Museum's annual ﬁlm festival,
which Weston coordinates, is a positive step toward introducing a Native American perspective
THEATRE

2007

DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2007