Play examines quest for Indian identity

Page 13

REVIEW

fareWel

By Ian Ross

96 pages

$12.95 (pb)

Scirocco Drama

Welcome to the Partridge Crop First Nation, a fictional Saulteaux reserve in Manitoba's Interlake region. Here we have six characters, Melvin, Nigger, Robert, Rachel, Phyllis and Teddy getting on each others' nerves as they wait for the welfare cheques to arrive.

But the cheques don't arrive and so begins Ian Ross' play about frustration, helplessness, racism, self government and, ultimately, self determination. Despite the depth of the issues that Ross presents in his play, he does so with humor and honesty. And don't believe that this isn't an issue-oriented play. These are issues that always arise on reserves whenever there is a crisis, which in this case is the late welfare cheques. The play's title comes from the characters referring to welfare as "farewel."

This time the late cheques leads to calls for action. And to make matters worse, the chief is off to Las Vegas again. Teddy, the owner of the on-reserve pawn shop, feels it is time for the Partridge Crop First Nation to be a self-governing nation. For him, welfare is a government tool for oppression. He wants Partridge Crop to be self-sufficient but he knows he needs some form of revenue. He figures a casino will do the trick but he has to buy the machines, which is a problem for a reserve that is bankrupt.

But Teddy has a few problems of his own. He doesn't want women involved in the political process, he hates Bill C-31ers, as he calls them, and detests the success of Robert, a self-employed businessman, even though he needs his business acumen and money.

Melvin as a Bill C-31er, is having an identity crisis. He's a Christian but he's also a gas sniffer. He believes in Teddy's dream but resents his bullying and hate for "half-breeds." His big desire is to be able to stand up and say that he's an Indian, but can't because he's not traditional, can't speak Saulteaux and only got his treaty status because of Bill C-31. Melvin is also torn because he admires Robert's success but refuses to take the job Robert offers him because he's lazy. He believes in Teddy's dream of self government because no one else is demanding it and he's tired of waiting for the welfare cheques.

Phyllis is near the end of her rope because she's out of food and needs the cheque to feed her children. On top of that, there's been two funerals lately and her superstitious fear is telling her that death runs in threes and there's bound to be another dead person soon. She hates herself for being on welfare. Teddy's demand for self government is tempting but she's afraid it will only make things worse and lead to a return of their "heathen" past. Phyllis' best friend, Rachel, is also considering leaving the reserve and returning to Winnipeg, leaving her alone to face the hopelessness surrounding her.

Rachel too is suffering an identity crisis. She hates the welfare but the only option she sees is to return to Winnipeg. Teddy's dream of self government is enticing to her but he wants nothing to do with her because of a secret they share about her past.

Nigger is a clown; an indestructible Indian who's been beaten, bitten, run over and shot but is still breathing and drinking on his own power. Nigger's real name is Sheldon, but no one refers to him as that. His dream is to be considered a good man even though he looks like a bum and can only feed himself on the sandwiches that are offered at wakes. His prize possession, a fiddle, sits in Teddy's pawn shop and he can't scrape up the five dollars needed to get it back. But he hobbles along, going where the winds of change blow and gets caught up in the self government dream because it will mean Bazooka Joe comics will be written in Saulteaux. But when Rachel and Melvin are at their lowest, Nigger will be the guide that will lead them to the answers they seek. Unassuming and honest, Nigger just doesn't want to be dead to be considered a good man.

Robert, under any other circumtances, would be considered a successful man. He owns a septic tank cleaning service which earns him enough money to have his own satellite dish and a new truck whenever he needs one. But his success also earns the resentment of other people on the reserve. He would think himself to be reasonable and logical. But he's just as much a bigot as Teddy because he sees his own people as nothing more than welfare bums.

Ross honestly portrays people near the end of their rope who are reaching out for some sort of salvation. He's not afraid to show Indian people who are gas sniffers, ex-hookers, bigots and reliant on welfare. But he's not making fun of these people. In the end, we are closer to understanding what it means to be an Indian and that it is something that supercedes any government or band council definition.