Timothy White Eagle's Indian School is a solo performance that delves into themes of cultural displacement, identity, and the enduring impact of historical trauma on both personal and communal belonging. Weaving together timelines of America’s ongoing projects of genocide and hydraulic engineering that reshape landscapes and sever connections to place, White Eagle explores incomplete family archives and assimilation tactics that distance us from understanding and belonging.
Through a deeply personal lens, White Eagle reflects on his own adoption by a white family and his struggle to reconnect with his heritage. He also traces the story of a boy, loosely based on his grandfather, who was forcibly removed from his tribal family and sent to government-run boarding schools designed to assimilate Native American children. This dark chapter in American history is central to White Eagle's exploration of intergenerational trauma and resilience.
The performance offers a historical exploration through contemporary ritual theater and an expansive audio-visual design. Co-created with dramaturg/director and writer Hatlo, Indian School spans time and place and submerges the audience in a river of memory.
The collaboration includes original music by Olivia Komahcheet, live sound design by Crystal Cortez, video projection by DB Amorin, scenic design by Juniper Shuey, and lighting by Geoff Korf, with support from professor emeritus John Kendall Wilson. Indian School ultimately celebrates the healing power of storytelling and ritual in community.