Antíkoni reimagines Sophocles’s Greek tragedy to adapt it to a Native American narrative. It’s a story of family conflict and the continuous struggle of the Natives to preserve their legacy. The story stresses the topics of law, gender, and tradition in the historical context of the marvelous world of the Nez Perce Nation (The Nimiipuu people).
Playwright Beth Piatote explores the Nez Perce’s history and challenges through a series of characters that reflect the urgency of the Tribe to continue the fight for their rights in a time of uncertainty. Set in the near future, Antíkoni tells the story of a museum that is endangered by the rise of a Nationalist Party. Directing the museum, Kreon (Frank Henry Katasse) is able to bring back some of the ancestors’ remains that were in the hands of private European collectors. However, Kreon’s niece Antíkoni (Erin Xáalnook Tripp) opposes the idea of keeping the remains in the museum. Defying Kreon, she wants to bury them respectfully, so she tries to get the help of her fiancé Haemon (Kholan Studi) and sister Ismene (Isabella Madrigal) to carry out the risky operation. In this play, The Chorus are the Aunties, who try to guide them in the right direction. And just like in Sophocles’ play, there’s also Tairasias (Nikcoma Lee Mahkewa), the wise blind prophet who attempts to reason with Kreon.
Piatote questions the role of the museums in caring for the dead. Several museums exhibit objects and remains of Natives, while dismissing their humanity at the same time, an arrogant symbol of their historical looting. In the play, Kreon does whatever he can to track down some of the remains of the Native ancestors held in Europe to bring them to the museum he directs. This becomes a contentious issue between him and Antíkoni. Both think they’re right and this leads to an intrafamilial conflict.
In this extraordinary display of eloquent defiance against assimilation, Piatote and Director Madeline Sayet deconstruct the Western vision of museums and literature that has attempted to silence and disregard the rich and vast culture of the Native nations over the years. No matter the forced relocations, ethnic cleansing, or Trail of Tears, the new generations of Native Americans continue to fight invisibility while demanding the return of what belongs to them (check out the message on Antíkoni’s jacket).
Antíkoni accentuates the mastery of the Nez Perce as storytellers. Throughout the play, there are several stories about the origins of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Storytelling is a central aspect of Indigenous epistemology. It is through oral tradition that parents pass down important lessons to their kids, based on knowledge and experience. Piatote and Sayet invite the audience to be mesmerized by this ancient rubric, setting up the seats in a circle, as though sitting around a fire.
The structure of this play brings a refreshing take on the traditional stories we are so accustomed to read and see. Thanks to organizations like Native Voices, playwrights like Piatote have the opportunity to revisit the past to rescue and disseminate the richness and sublimity of the millennial Nations, inviting us to compare, question, and challenge our own perceptions of the world. The talents of Piatote, Sayet, and the passionate thespians of Antíkoni allow us to dream.
Antíkoni
Southwest Campus
234 Museum Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90065
November 8-24, 2024
Opening: November 8, 8 p.m.
Thursdays and Fridays: 8 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays: 2 p.m.
Student Matinees: November 15 and 22, 11 a.m.
Tickets: theautry.org/events/native-voices
Written by Beth Piatote (Nez Perce). Directed by Madeline Sayet (Mohegan).
Cast: Frank Henry Katasse (Tlingit), Erin Xáalnook Tripp (Lingít), Isabella Madrigal (Cahuilla/Turtle Mountain Ojibwe), Kholan Studi (Cherokee), Nikcoma Lee Mahkewa (Hopi-Tewa, Mohave, Chemehuevi), Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), GiGi Buddie (Tongva and Mescalero Apache), Dawn Lura (Diné), and Nathan Woodworth (Karuk).
Creative team: Courtney Mohler (dramaturg) and Jennifer Bobiwash (assistant director).
