admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:18:08 +0000

Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre is debuting our free performance of The Rememberer at 11 AM on Monday, May 28th at the 41st annual Northwest Folklife Festival (http://www.nwfolklifefestival.org/). The Rememberer tells the true story of Joyce Simmons Cheeka, a young Squaxin Indian girl forcibly taken from her home in 1911 and placed in the government-run Tulalip Indian Training School. As the chosen “rememberer” for her tribe – an honor passed down to her from her grandfather, Mud Bay Sam – it is Joyce’s duty to pass on the stories, history, and wisdom of her people. However, the aims of the white boarding school are quite the opposite: “To kill the Indian to save the man”. They feel the way for the Native Americans to survive is to be assimilated by the society and therefore try to eliminate any traces of Joyce’s heritage. She is forbidden to use her Native language and customs. Through her friendship with the headmaster of the school, and with the help of her spirit guide, Joyce succeeds in forming a bridge between this new world and the world of her ancestors. Through her patience, grit, humor, curiosity, and inclusiveness of spirit, she does honor to the words of her elders: “Each day is a gift. And to waste that day is inexcusable. Account for yourself. Be useful.” Joyce Simmons Cheeka lived a remarkable, heroic, and indeed, useful life.