Dani Gagnon
A&E Editor
We’ve only been back for three weeks and already the Department of Theatre and Dance is gearing up for their first performance, a staged reading of “Cards and Letters from the Dakota War.” Although it may feel very early in the semester, this has been a long time coming for Professor Dale Seeds of the Theatre and Dance Department, the playwright who spent his year-long research leave crafting the script.
On Sept. 19, Seeds will present a lecture as a part of the Faculty at Large Lecture Series to act as a precursor to his staged reading that will be presented Sept. 27 and 28 in the Shoolroy Theatre at 8:15 p.m. “Cards and Letters from the Dakota War” deals directly with arguably the shortest, most violent and least commonly known conflict, the U.S. and Dakota War of 1862. Seeds describes that the play is “set against the backdrop of the U.S.-Dakota War and follows a young Dakota woman, who discovers broken fragments of her past through an unlikely combination of cyberspace, her grandmother’s memories and an encounter with a white researcher.” Seeds’ lecture aims to provide additional background information to situate the viewer within a historical context and discuss the challenges of writing about the war and tensions that have been passed through generations.
Over his research leave, Seeds delved into the historical narratives of the U.S. and Dakota War. The War of 1862 was the inevitable result of U.S. expansions led by Andrew Jackson and the broken promises of the U.S. government, both of which left the Dakota without resources to survive.
In August 1862, the killing of a white family by four Dakota men sparked the five-week war. Approximately 600 white civilian settlers were killed, 38 Dakota warriors were hung in the largest mass execution in U.S. history, and nearly 1,700 Dakotas were marched to St. Paul, Minn. where they were interned in the stockade at Fort Snelling. After devoting hours to research, Seeds came to the realization that no fact is undisputed about the war between the distinctly different White and Dakota narratives.
On his initial trip to Minnesota, Seeds visited the physical landmarks of the war and its aftermath. He visited Fort Snelling, the site of the internment camp where the Dakota people were exiled, Mankato, Minn. where the 38 Dakota were executed and he even attended a memorial pow wow. A tremendous influence and primary resource for Seeds came from recently translated letters that were sent to missionaries from the imprisoned Dakota people asking for help.
Seeds struggled with the challenge of how to tell the story without appropriating the Dakota voice. However, in finding that there are two intervening narratives of white and Dakota, Seeds hoped there might be a dialogue with both voices, which could serve as some kind of reconciliation.
Seeds and guest director Thomas Riccio aim for the lecture and reading to provide some reconciliation and awareness of a part of U.S. history. So often in U.S. history classes we look at the American Revolution and the Federalist papers — the best moments of our country’s history. We’ve even come to terms with our country’s role in slavery, so far as to teach it in public education, yet there is this gap, a blind eye turned to what happened in our nation. However, through the medium of text and theater, Seeds hopes to shed some light on a moment in history and the effects that are still felt today.
Seating for the staged reading will be limited; please call 330-263-2241 for reservations.