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American Indian TheatreLabriola Center
The following bibliography lists reference material dealing with American Indian Theatre. Theatre is defined as that of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, and sound. The following resources include material found in the Labriola National American Indian Data Center and the ASU Libraries. Books American Indian Ballerinas, Lili Cockerille Livingston. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997. An authorized biography of four twentieth-century American Indian ballerinas: Maria Tallchief, Rosella Hightower, Marjorie Tallchief, and Yvonne Chouteau. American Gypsy: Six Native American Plays, Diane Glancy. Norman: University of Oklahoma, Press, 2002. A set of six plays incorporating an array of myth and realities of modern Native American life. The plays range from length from 15 minutes to over an hour. Buffalo Bill’s America: William Cody and the Wild West Show, Louis S. Warren. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. The Wild West Show was one of Buffalo Bill’s successful traveling shows which toured North America and Europe for three decades. His show The Coyote Cycle, Murray Mednick. Santa Cruz: Native Images, 1985. Seven plays written and directed by Murray Mednick and performed by the L.A. Theatre Works. The seven plays include: “Pointing,” “The Shadow Ripens,” “Planet of the Spider People,” “Other Side Camp,” “Listening to Old Nana,” “The Sacred Dump,” “He Brings the Waterfall.” A Dancing People: Powwow Culture on the Southern Plains, Clyde Ellis. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2003. The author explores the origination and the meaning of the Southern Plains powwow, including personal interviews and detailed bibliography. New Native American Drama: Three Plays, Hanay Geiogmah. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1980. The plays present Native Americans to Native Americans and avoid the Euro-American stereotype of Indians. Powwow Country: People of the Circle, Chris Roberts. Missoula: Meadowlark Publishing Company, 1998. Roberts has been a dancer of powwows for over thirty years and he focuses his images on all the facets involved in North American powwows. The Pow Wow Trail: Understanding and Enjoying the Native American Pow Wow, Julia C.White. Summertown: Book Publishing Company, 1996. A descriptive guide to powwows, including detailed descriptions of the dances with background information along with history of the dances. Stories of Our Way: An Anthology of American Indian Plays, Hanay Geiogamah and Jaye T. Darby, eds. Los Angeles: UCLA American Indian Studies Center, 1999. Anthology of twelve plays spanning over thirty years and drawing tribal experiences of Cherokee, Choctaw, Kiowa, Navajo, Oneida, Otoe-Missouria, Rappahonack, and urban Indians. Includes the 1930s classic The Cherokee Night. We Dance Because We Can: People of the Powwow, Don Contreras and Diane M. Bernstein. Marietta: Longstreet Press, 1996. The full-color portraits of more than thirty dancers including profiles of selected tribal leaders, craftsmen, and children. Where the Pavement Ends: Five Native American Plays, William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. Norman:University of Oklahoma Press, 2000. The playwright bases his plays on his own personal experiences and incorporates humor and explores Indian and White relations, ecology and identity. The following reference books can be found in the Labriola Center near the reference desk. Indian Dances of North America: Their Importance to Indian Life, Reginald and Gladys Laubin, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1977. See following chapters on “Concert Dancing,” and “Indian Dances Today.” The Native North American Almanac: A Reference Work on Native North Americans in the United States and Canada, Duane Champagne, ed., Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1994. See Theater, Dance, etc. Native North American Firsts, Karen G. Swisher, ed., Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. See Dance, Music, Performing Arts, Theater, etc. Into the Circle: An Introduction to Native American Powwows, [video recording] Full Circle Communications, 1992. An introduction to powwows with an explanation of the following: the evolution of powwows, the role of the drum, the head singer and the songs. Keep Your Heart Strong, [video recording] NAPBC, 1995. The hour-long documentary gives an inside view of the powwow and it’s participants. Song to Sing: A Portrait of Bonnie Jo Hunt, [video recording] Artist of Indian America, Inc., 1982. A biography of an American Indian opera singer Bonnie Jo Hunt. Periodicals Native Playwrights’ Newsletter, Paul Rathbun, ed., Madison: NPN, 1993-1996. Addressing theinterest of Indigenous playwrights and theatre artists. Theses and Dissertations “The Development of Native American Theatre Companies in the Continental United States,” Sally Ann Heath. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis, University of Colorado, 1996. The study explores the emergence of Native American theatre and it examines the success, failures, and the present state of affairs of theatre companies. Included are small manuscripts, informational brochures, museum publications, photographs (including slides), articles and poetry. To find ephemera related to American Indian Theatre, search the American Indian Index http://www.asu.edu/lib/resources/db/amerindx.htm which is accessed from the Arizona State University Libraries home page under “Specialized Collections.” Type in searches such as: “theatre,” “plays,” “performing arts,” “powwow” and “drama.” Music “The Canyon Records Collection,” contains 454 sound recordings (CD’s, LP’s, cassettes) of Native American Music published by Canyon Records of Phoenix, AZ. The items are held at the ASU Music Library and none of the items circulate outside of the library. Online Resources The following indexes and databases are accessed from the Arizona State University Libraries home page by clicking on “Articles and entering the title of the database in the space provided. American Indian History and Culture is a database offering fast access to more than 15,000 years of Native American culture, history, and biographies. Ethnic NewsWatch is an interdisciplinary and comprehensive full text database of newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic, minority, and Native press from 1990 to present, including: Indian Country Today, News from Indian Country and Akwesasne Notes. Websites In addition to the most important links below, there are a number of ever changing sites set up by varied American Indian theatre projects throughout the country. “American Indian Community House,” http://www.aich.org/index2.php. The American Indian Community House (AICH) is a not-for-profit organization serving the health, social service, and cultural needs of Native Americans residing in New York City. The AICH Performing Arts Department promotes Native American performing artists and provides a performance space and audience for music, dance and drama, written, directed and produced or performed by indigenous artists. “American Indian Film Institute,” http://www.aifisf.com/. The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) is a non-profit media arts center founded in 1979 to foster understanding of the culture, traditions and issues of contemporary Native Americans. “Yellow Bird Indian Dancers,” http://www.yellowbirdproductions.com/. The dance group presents a repertoire of authentic Apache, Southwest and Northern Plains dances ranging from preschool age to adult dancers. In addition to the dances, they provide professional stage production of their works including: storytellers, lecturers, flute players and native craft demonstrators. “Project HOOP”, http://www.hoop.aisc.ucla.edu/about.htm. Project Hoop, “Honoring Our Orgins and Peoples” through Native American theater is a national, multi-disciplinary initiative to advance Native theater artistically, academically, and professionally.
Melanie S. Toledo, M.L.S. Page last modified: June 06, 2006 |
