The Evolution of Indigenous Identity in Native Indian Drama: A Comparative Study of Cultural Representation from Metamora to The Thanksgiving Play

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand how Indigenous identity and representation have changed over time in Native American drama. For works historic and contemporary, the characters, themes, and cultural narratives present in plays written by and for Native peoples may provide insight into the social and political climates of the times when those plays were penned. The difference between the portrayal of Indigenous peoples in plays such as Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags and the portrayal of Indigenous characters in plays like The Thanksgiving Play and Body Indian is striking and significant. Playwrights who have been part of the historic tribal memory of their peoples may serve as an Indigenous lifeline to live historical memory rather than politicized “wokeness,” which seems to be the societal expectation of plays these days.