Way off-Broadway
The Native American Theater Ensemble was established in 1971, by director Hanay Geiogamah at the age of 26. (Courtesy: La MaMa Archive)
Story told by Mitch Deer
This was in the middle of the 70s. Try to imagine a theatre of Native Americans doing plays way off-Broadway in little theatres and coffee houses.
I went down to the place where these Indians were hanging out. They owned a four-story house, and they all used to live there. There were about 20-30 of them. Across the roof on the other side, there were even more Indians there. This is way down on Houston Street in the Village.
There were all kinds of Indians. Some were Pueblo, some were Apache.
We didn’t know that many Natives in New York. Me and my sister heard about them and just started hanging out with them. We used to go there and listen to them sing because some of them played the big drum.
They were called the Native American Theatre Ensemble. This guy Hanay Geiogomah from Oklahoma was the director.
They performed Native themed plays in different places in the Village. They had all nice feathers and wore long hats with sunglasses and played the big drum. The venues they did were only about 100 people. Like I said, this was way off-Broadway. It wasn’t on the main stage in those big theatres in town.
In those days, nobody knew about Natives. No one gave a shit about us. Some Natives would go and watch, if they knew about it. They would put ads in the paper under current events for their plays.
We all used to hang out together. It was so nice.
There was this Indian guy who was a part of that group. He made up these plays about Indians. He was also trying to become a comedian, that was one of his desires in life. His name was Charlie Hill.
He made it pretty big and was in TV shows after a while. He made it to the Johnny Carson Show and had his own TV special called Indian Time. It was all about Indian skits. He was also in The Bionic Woman, a spinoff of the Six Million Dollar Man. We were friends a long time ago when he was just a struggling actor.
I would tell some jokes and make him laugh and he made me laugh. We all used to tell each other jokes and use sarcasm and all kinds of crazy stuff. We became really good friends but I lost contact with him after I moved to Ganienkeh. This was in ‘74 so I didn’t keep in contact with him. I haven’t seen Charlie in years.
He lived in Santa Monica, California. My sister met him, he knows her. He had a hat on that he got from Oneida Wisconsin which is where he’s from. We’re the same clan as Charlie. He’s a turtle and I’m a turtle so he gave that hat to my sister.
When I seen my sister, she had it on and I said, “HEY! Let me have that hat, that’s Charlie’s hat!”
You know, it was special. And it’s still special.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Erenhkó:wa Wéhton Broadway
A family photo of Mitch and his siblings, staring from smallest to tallest with Mitch at the bottom, Lily who received Charlie’s hat, George, John, and Joey. (Courtesy: Mitch Deer)
Mitch Deer ROKÁ:RATON
Ahsén:nen ne tsá:ta niwáhsen shiiohserò:ten's kénhne’ kí:ken. Thontáserast skanèn:ra Onkwehón:we erenhkó:wa wéhton Broadway tethontierónnions tsi nón:we tksanonhsó:ton ne ken' nikanonhsá:sa tsi teiontieronniónhkhwa’ tánon tsi iekawhehtsherahnekihrà:tha’.
Eh iahà:ke’ tsi nón:we kí:ken Onkwehón:we thonterakén:rie's. Skanónhsa kaié:ri na’teionónhsane rotinonhsó:tahkwe’ tánon' akwé:kon eh thati’terón:tahkwe’. Ákta’ tewáhsen tsi niió:re’ áhsen niwáhsen nihatíhne’. Ísi’ na’karonhkwè:nati, kwah sénha é:so rá:ti Onkwehón:we thonné:tahkwe’. Í:non tsi na’ohatátie’ ne Houston Street ne Village nonkwá:ti ne kí:ken. Kwah nia’teionkwehonwehserakéhne’. Ótia’ke' Pueblo nahatiia’to’ténhne’, ótia’ke’ Apache.
Iah é:so teiakhiienteríhne’ Onkwehón:we ne Kanón:no. Ì:’i’ tánon' akhtsì:’a’ iakhirihwahrón:ken tánon' nek ia’tionkenirihwaién:ta’se’ ohserón:ni aiakwaterakén:rie’. Tho shos ieniákene’ tánon' eniakhiiatahónhsatate’ ase'kén ótia’ke’ ka’nahkowá:nen enhonterennó:ten'.
Native American Theatre Ensemble ronwatí:iatskwe’. Oklahoma nithawenónhne’ ne ohén:ton rá:tahkwe’, Hanay Geiogomash ronwá:iatskwe’.
Tsik nón:we ne Village nonkwá:ti shos tenhontierónnion' Onkwehonwehnéha atieronniónhtshera’. Akwé:kon shos kasto’serí:io's ronátston tánon' wanonhwaro’tsheré:son's tánon' katsiserahòn:tsi's atkahráhnha’ tánon' rati’nahkwáia’ks. Ákta’ énska tewen’niáwe nihá:ti shos enhontia’tarò:roke’ tsik nón:we tenhontieronniòn:ra’. Kwah tsi niwá:ken, erenhkó:wa wéhton Broadway ne kí:ken. Iah thiehoné:non tsi nón:we kaia’takwe’ní:io's tsi teiontieronniónhkhwa’ ne kaná:takon.
Né: tho shikahá:wi's, iah ónhka othé:nen teierihwaienteríhne' ne Onkwehón:we raotirihwa’shòn:’a. Iah teionkwaia’taken’tòn:ne’ raotihén:ton. Ken'k nihá:ti shos Onkwehón:we enhonterohrókha’, tóka’ ken ronaterièn:tarahkwe’. Tekonrenié'sne shos tenhatirénhsaron nà:kon nonkwá:ti ne iorì:wase’ ioterihwahtentionhátie’ ne kátke’ tehontierónnions. Akwé:kon shos skátne eniakwaterakén:rie’. Kwah í:ken tsi ion’wesénhne’.
Shaià:ta onkwehón:we ì:reskwe’ néne eh thaià:tarahkwe’ ne tho nikanenhrò:ten. Wahahsa’ánion' kí:ken atieronnionhtshera’shòn:’a néne Onkwehón:we raotirihwa’shòn:’a wathró:ri. Né: ò:ni’ rate’niénthahkwe’ ne’ iakosteristahtsherón:ni ahá:ton', nè:’e’ nénska tsi ní:kon thaská:neskwe’ tsi rónhnhe’. Charlie Hill ronwá:iatskwe’.
Kwah í:ken wahahsennowáhnha’ tánon' wa’thatieronnionhá:ton' tká:ra’s nonkwá:ti kwah ken’ nikarì:wes. Johnny Carson Show iehawenónhne’ tánon' roién:tahkwe’ raónha raotieronniónhtshera' ne Indian Time konwá:iatskwe’. Onkwehonwehnéha atieronniónhtshera’ karihontahkwénhne’. Bionic Woman ò:ni’ thaià:tarahkwe’, Six Million Dollar Man tiotkwe’tarákwen. Kwah í:ken tsi iontiatenróhne’ wahón:nise’ tsi náhe’ sha’tehotatiénhton tsi tehatierónnions.
Enhisteristahtsherón:ni’ shos sok enshaksteristahserón:ni’. Akwé:kon shos teniakwatatsteristahtsherón:ni’ tánon' eniákwatste’ tsik nikanenneri’tò:ten's. Iohní:ron tsi wa’tiatiatén:ro’ne’ nek tsi iah teshiwennahrón:ken shia’kátien' Kanièn:ke nonkwá:ti. Tsá:ta niwáhsen kaié:ri shiiohsero'ténhne' kí:ken tánon' nè:’e wa’karihón:ni’ iah teshiwennahrón:ken. É:so iohserá:ke iah teshí:ken Charlie. Santa Monica, California then’terón:tahkwe’. Akhtsì:’a wahonwaientéhrha’ne’, shakoienté:ri ki’. Sewanonhwarò:tshera rotstòn:ne' ne Oneida Wisconsin nithoháhne’, eh nón:we nithawé:non. Sha’teionkeni’tarò:ten ne Charlie. Tetsá:ron ionkeniniáhton tánon' akhtsì:’a wahshakó:ion' raonòn:warore’. Sha’tiatiatátken' nakhtsì:’a, iakotstòn:ne' thí:ken tánon' wa’kì:ron', “HÁNIO! Táskon thí:ken anòn:warore', Charlie raonòn:warore’ thí:ken!"
Kanó:ronhkwe’ se’ wáhi. Tánon' shé:kon nòn:wa kanó:ron.
Edited by: Melissa Stacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translation by: Karonhí:io Delaronde