Note: The title Indian denotes the native Canadian Red Indians. We call them, North American Indians. When the European settlers occupy America, they were driven to extreme north to live in cold places. The earliest settlers of Canada were French and English. The Aboriginal Canadians can be categorized into three: The First Nations (Predominant aborigines), Inuit (aborigine Canadians especially from Arctic) and Métis (a mixed race – Children of First nations and European settlers). The aboriginal literature has a rich oral tradition. After the colonization they began to write in English, the settlers ‘language. George Ryga also talks about the plight of North American Indians in his play Ecstasy of Rita Joe. The word ‘Indian’ is often misunderstood as settlers from Indian Subcontinent. In the context of Canada, it denotes the aborigines. It can be easily summed up as “In the beginning there was Indian. The Indian was with Canadian and the Canadian was the Indian. That’s our Canadian Indian.”
Setting: In the beginning of the Drama, on the stage, the audience are shown Telephone poles and newly driven fence-posts. Hammer and wooden box are also on the stage. A pile of ashes are also there on the stage.
Summary: In the beginning of the drama, INDIAN is sleeping on earth, facing the sun. He has a hat over his face. WATSON is approaching Indian. He yells at Indian and asks him about SAM and ROY. Indian replies, “They not here… Guess they run away”.(5) In the course of the conversation, Watson reveals that Alphonse, the kid of Indian is in Watson’s home and he has informed Watson of the recent drunken fight of Sam and Roy and the burning of their tent. Now, Watson threatens Indian. “If you run off after your pals, says Watson, “I’m gonna take my gun an’ shoot a hole that big through the kids head” (7). Watson, moreover, insists him to “work real hard and be a good boy” (8).
WATSON informs INDIAN that Agent of Indian Affairs Department visits Indians today. And he insists the Indian to tell him if he has got any complaints and again insists him to not to belly-act to any government guys. Indian describes Indian Whiskey which is sold for Indians. The cheap quality whiskey consists of “Wood Alcohol... maybe half quart formalin, an’ the rest is water from sick horse!” (10). When Indian asks Watson to feed him Watson condemns Indian that “Feed ya? Soon’s I get my ten bucks squared away, you can lie down and die! But not in my field… go on the road allowance!” (11). Indian addresses Watson that “You hard man, boss… Hard like iron” (11). Watson moves off from the place. Before leaving, Watson said, "you're working for me... if you got any complaints... you better tell me now" (8), for which Indian retorted, "Complaints? Me? I happy, boss. What you take me for?.
After Watson sets off a Car comes towards Indian and Agent gets out of the car. Agents asks, "There was a talk in the town that your camp burned out last night... everything okay? Nobody hurt?" (13). Indian affairs that everything is okay and begins to complain about his life. When the agent notices that Indian is wearing small boots he asks, "Aren't those boots tight? I suppose you stole them!" (14). When the Agent asks about the shirt the Indian is wearing, Indian says that he has stolen that shirt from his brother when he was sick and dying. the Agent, by hearing this laughs and asks, the Indian, his name. INDIAN responses, "Mebbe, I forgot... Mabbe I got no name at all" (15). when the Agent threatened the Indian of filing a report on him, Indian says, "How you gonna report me when you dunno who I am?" (15). In the course of play, the Indian becomes eccentric and behaves strangely and unpredictable. Indian challenges the Agent to hit him. Indian Shouts, "You wanna hit me? Come on... hit me...! You kill me easy.. and they arrest you-same people who give you car. . . I report you for beating an Indian and you lose your job. Come on - Show me you are a man." (17). When the Agent rerorts, " I got nothing against you, Boy! What's the matter with you.. What do you want from me" (18), INDIAN tells him that he wants nothing from the Agent and listen to him narrating how his brother died. When the agent tries to move from the place, Indian asks him, "You know what is like to kill someone-not with hate-not with any feelings here at all??" (19). The Agent is threatended and begins to get out od the place.
Indian tells the Agent that his brother died few years back and still his treaty payments are received by his friend. By hearing this, the Agent shouts, "There are laws in the country... nobody escapes law" (20). Upon hearing his words, Indian becomes furious and says, "I tell you about my brother.. I tell you everything. Then you tell me if there is a law for all men" (20). With the dread, the Agent again tries to get out of the place and Indian again asks him, "WHAT IF I GET MAD AND TAKE THE HAMMER ON YOU?"(21). The Agent is Thrown to the field in the course of the conversation. INDIAN shouts, "Get up! Or I Kick your brains in!" (21). Then Indian narrates the tragic story of how his brother died.
Indian says his brother was working in a farm and white bossman ordered him to dig a well. The bossman said he would give one dollar for every five feet down. His brother digged twenty. Indian narrates that his brother got into the Canadian blue clay mud. When his brother was trapped he was pulled out by Sam, another native. He was saved but left to be useless. "He was not dead, an' he was not alive."(27), says Indian. He was too near dead to live. White bossman gave him three dollars instead of four dollars and took a dollar for the shovel that he had left in the hole.
When the brother is brought back to the home he became a living dead. He shouts and wakes up at night and in the morning, he is like man who has no mind. He walks around and gets lost in the Canadian bush. His legs and arms dried to the bones such has had polio. He calls Indian and says, "go to another side of the lake tomorrow and take my wife and my son Alphonse... help me to die" (27). Agent who was listening to this asked Indian why didn't he take him to the hospital, for which Indian replies, "Hospital! A dollar he took from dying man for the shovel buried in blue clay... Hospital? Burn in hell!!" (28). Then Indian says, "I.. Killed my brother! In my arms I hold him. He was so light, like a small boy. I hold him... Rock'm back and forward like this.... I get my hands tight on his neck, an' sqeeze an' sqeeze. I KNOW HE DEAD" (28). Indian stole everything, his pants and shirt and finally buried him under his tent. When His brothers wife knows this, she leaves Alphonse with Indian and goes to live with everyman who has her, to forget him.
Agent asks his brother's name and Indian says, "Tommy stones" (29) and Agent tells him that he will send police to arrest him. Indian, upon hearing this says, "Name is not Tommy stone.. TOMMY STONE is me.. NAME IS JOHNNY STONE" (29). Indian then claims that he is SAM CARDINAL. Finally, with fury Indian shouts, "You try to find tommy stone..Sam cardinal too. Maybe you find everybody..Maybe you find nobody. All Indians same nobody. I NOBODY, I not even live in this world. I DEAD. You get it? I DEAD. I not just dead. I NEVER LIVES AT ALL." (31). Suddenly Indian becomes mad and says, "What if I choke you till you like rag in my hands.? Hit you with mebbe twenty pound hammer? One brother killed another brother why??? Why? Why??? Why??? " (31). The agent, with fear, breaks off and runs off stage towards his car. the play ends with Indian picks up hammer and driving post vigorously.
After Watson sets off a Car comes towards Indian and Agent gets out of the car. Agents asks, "There was a talk in the town that your camp burned out last night... everything okay? Nobody hurt?" (13). Indian affairs that everything is okay and begins to complain about his life. When the agent notices that Indian is wearing small boots he asks, "Aren't those boots tight? I suppose you stole them!" (14). When the Agent asks about the shirt the Indian is wearing, Indian says that he has stolen that shirt from his brother when he was sick and dying. the Agent, by hearing this laughs and asks, the Indian, his name. INDIAN responses, "Mebbe, I forgot... Mabbe I got no name at all" (15). when the Agent threatened the Indian of filing a report on him, Indian says, "How you gonna report me when you dunno who I am?" (15). In the course of play, the Indian becomes eccentric and behaves strangely and unpredictable. Indian challenges the Agent to hit him. Indian Shouts, "You wanna hit me? Come on... hit me...! You kill me easy.. and they arrest you-same people who give you car. . . I report you for beating an Indian and you lose your job. Come on - Show me you are a man." (17). When the Agent rerorts, " I got nothing against you, Boy! What's the matter with you.. What do you want from me" (18), INDIAN tells him that he wants nothing from the Agent and listen to him narrating how his brother died. When the agent tries to move from the place, Indian asks him, "You know what is like to kill someone-not with hate-not with any feelings here at all??" (19). The Agent is threatended and begins to get out od the place.
Indian tells the Agent that his brother died few years back and still his treaty payments are received by his friend. By hearing this, the Agent shouts, "There are laws in the country... nobody escapes law" (20). Upon hearing his words, Indian becomes furious and says, "I tell you about my brother.. I tell you everything. Then you tell me if there is a law for all men" (20). With the dread, the Agent again tries to get out of the place and Indian again asks him, "WHAT IF I GET MAD AND TAKE THE HAMMER ON YOU?"(21). The Agent is Thrown to the field in the course of the conversation. INDIAN shouts, "Get up! Or I Kick your brains in!" (21). Then Indian narrates the tragic story of how his brother died.
Indian says his brother was working in a farm and white bossman ordered him to dig a well. The bossman said he would give one dollar for every five feet down. His brother digged twenty. Indian narrates that his brother got into the Canadian blue clay mud. When his brother was trapped he was pulled out by Sam, another native. He was saved but left to be useless. "He was not dead, an' he was not alive."(27), says Indian. He was too near dead to live. White bossman gave him three dollars instead of four dollars and took a dollar for the shovel that he had left in the hole.
When the brother is brought back to the home he became a living dead. He shouts and wakes up at night and in the morning, he is like man who has no mind. He walks around and gets lost in the Canadian bush. His legs and arms dried to the bones such has had polio. He calls Indian and says, "go to another side of the lake tomorrow and take my wife and my son Alphonse... help me to die" (27). Agent who was listening to this asked Indian why didn't he take him to the hospital, for which Indian replies, "Hospital! A dollar he took from dying man for the shovel buried in blue clay... Hospital? Burn in hell!!" (28). Then Indian says, "I.. Killed my brother! In my arms I hold him. He was so light, like a small boy. I hold him... Rock'm back and forward like this.... I get my hands tight on his neck, an' sqeeze an' sqeeze. I KNOW HE DEAD" (28). Indian stole everything, his pants and shirt and finally buried him under his tent. When His brothers wife knows this, she leaves Alphonse with Indian and goes to live with everyman who has her, to forget him.
Agent asks his brother's name and Indian says, "Tommy stones" (29) and Agent tells him that he will send police to arrest him. Indian, upon hearing this says, "Name is not Tommy stone.. TOMMY STONE is me.. NAME IS JOHNNY STONE" (29). Indian then claims that he is SAM CARDINAL. Finally, with fury Indian shouts, "You try to find tommy stone..Sam cardinal too. Maybe you find everybody..Maybe you find nobody. All Indians same nobody. I NOBODY, I not even live in this world. I DEAD. You get it? I DEAD. I not just dead. I NEVER LIVES AT ALL." (31). Suddenly Indian becomes mad and says, "What if I choke you till you like rag in my hands.? Hit you with mebbe twenty pound hammer? One brother killed another brother why??? Why? Why??? Why??? " (31). The agent, with fear, breaks off and runs off stage towards his car. the play ends with Indian picks up hammer and driving post vigorously.
superji ...........thank you for your valuable notes.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much guruji for this content🥰😍
ReplyDeleteThank u for the notes😇
ReplyDeleteThank you so much
ReplyDeleteThank you soo much sir for your complete summary
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