Reinventing Traditional Alaska Native Performance (Studies in Theatre Arts, V. 17)
Publisher: Edwin Mellen Press
Published: March 2003
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 376
ISBN-13: 9780773469877
Subjects: Ethnic studies; Theatre, drama; Performing Arts; Performing Arts/Dance; Alaska; Theater - General; Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies; Inupiat; Rites and ceremonies; Theater; Yupik Eskimos
First sentence: The performance of the Alaskan Eskimo was a performance of visions and myths and functioned in a time when the world was a shroud of mystery filled with spirits.
Description: Reinventing Alaska Native Performance vividly demonstrates the capacity of human beings, whomever they are, to cross over the gap that unfortunately exists between people. The author, Thomas Riccio, though the mechanism of theatre, has cleverly built a bridge between differing worldviews, and he has done it well. This kind of bridging is magical and sometimes mystical, which is appropriate for t Alaska native cultures and the art of performance. Crossing this bridge the fog below clears and we get a glimpse of the cognitive landscape of the Yup'ik and Inupiat mind. Standing on this bridge we can hear the resonance of my ancestral drums and begin to see how traditional performance--expressed through storytelling, dancing, drumming and singing-- form not only an integrated, place specific performance, but holistic way of seeing the world.  Being a Yup'ik Eskimo and having been born and immersed in Yupiaq verbal and performance art, I have personally experienced and appreciate the bridge presented by this book.

from the preface by George Charles (Kanaqlak)
Table of contents: label: Preface
title: by George Charles (Kanaqlak)
pagenum: ix; label: Acknowledgements
pagenum: xiii; label: Introduction
title: by Dale Seeds
pagenum: 1; label: 1
title: Essays; label: One
title: Traditional Alaskan Eskimo Theatre
pagenum: 13; label: Two
title: Message from the Eagle Mother
pagenum: 49; label: Three
title: Tuma Theatre, the Pathway
pagenum: 85; label: 2
title: Performance Scripts; title: Eagle's Gift
pagenum: 175; title: Qayaq: The Magical Man
pagenum: 191; title: Utetmun (Homeward)
pagenum: 229; title: Now You Are Part of Our Story: Alaska Native Elders in Performance by Dale Seeds
pagenum: 241; title: Naam/Gen Eehu (I don't know, whatever)
pagenum: 247; title: Yup'ik Arnaq (Yup'ik Woman)
pagenum: 267; label: 3
title: Resource Appendix; title: Ritual Preparation
pagenum: 285; title: Elemental Forms
pagenum: 299; label: Notes
pagenum: 309; label: Bibliograpy
pagenum: 313; label: Index
pagenum: 325