By BROOKLYN BROWN BIGMEAT
One Feather Reporter
CHEROKEE, N.C. – “Sovereignty”, a play written by Cherokee Nation Citizen Mary Kathryn Nagle that explores the impact of the Indian Removal in present-day, is coming to Cherokee Central Schools Sept. 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m.
“Sovereignty”, a play written by Cherokee Nation Citizen Mary Kathryn Nagle that explores the impact of the Indian Removal in present-day, is coming to Cherokee Central Schools Sept. 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. (Graphics by Three Bone Theatre)
Three Bone Theatre is presenting the show, which is directed by Carolyn Dunn and stars Cherokee Nation Citizen Mvnte July as Chief John Ross and Billie Merritt as Sarah Ridge Polson. Yona Wade, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), was a cultural consultant for the show, and EBCI member David Jumper was a Cherokee language coach.
July is excited to return to Cherokee, previously starring in the Unto These Hills 75th Anniversary. “I am so happy when I’m there, and then I get so sad when I leave,” July said. “This is an honor, really. It’s an honor for me to play John Ross…Unto These Hills really broke it down for me. I had Matthew Tooni (EBCI member) there to help me. I had a lot of locals there who said, ‘Hey man, we know you’re from Oklahoma but come learn this with us and we’ll teach you what you need to know here.’ I felt so happy that Matthew Tooni and them were able to really expose me to what I needed to know. That was when I really had that first thought of, ‘I am a Cherokee Nation citizen doing what I love and telling a story about my people.’
July said that realization has become a life goal for platforming Native voices and stories.
“I have dreams of being on Broadway, but I want to push it further than that. A lot of people want to sort of pave their own way with Native American theater behind them, but I want to get there in the Broadway circuit, I want to get in where I fit in, and then I want to start producing. And that’s my goal because, yes, I can advocate for Indigenous theater all day, every day, but nothing’s going to happen until I am there on Broadway where somebody’s willing to give me a voice and a platform. That’s what I would like to do with what I’m doing now. And I know it might take some time, but guess what? They’re going to be reminded that we’re still here.”
Director Carolyn Dunn is a theater artist and associate professor of theatre and dance at California State University Los Angeles. She said she is a Cherokee, Creek, and Tunica/Choctaw-Biloxi descendant.
“I love that Mary Katherine has given us a play that uses Indigenous storytelling so that we hear the voices of our ancestors. Not only do we hear them, but we see them and they’re always present in our lives,” Dunn said.
“There’s a moment that Billie’s character witnesses time folds in on itself, and she’s in the present, but she sees this interaction between her great-great-grandparents. And John Ridge says to Sarah Bird Northrup, ‘Will you forgive me for signing the treaty?’ Because he knows that he’s going to be facing death for signing the treaty. And he says, ‘Will you forgive me?’ And she says, ‘For what?’ And he says, ‘For choosing my nation over my family.’ And she says, ‘Your nation is your family.’ And for me, that encompasses the whole play.”
Merritt, who said she is a Cherokee, Seminole, Creek, Seminole Freedman, and Hopi descendant, added, “I know the history’s complicated and a lot of people have a lot of different viewpoints on it, but I think the way that we present the characters and give them a lot of humanity, they’re not just two-dimensional characters… I feel people will get to connect with those figures who represent the conflict…I think just seeing the strength of community, regardless of the obstacles, my hope is to help people feel connected to one another and just feel proud of that resilience.”
Merritt said she is also excited about performing in Cherokee, “I have just extreme gratitude for just having the opportunity to come to Cherokee to share this story. I’m here with open ears and I want to be able to hear people’s feedback and learn new things and understand new things. That’s kind of my intention is to present the story but also let it be a dialogue. That’s what I’m excited about.”
Tickets are available for the upcoming show here.
