Marta Lu Clifford will present a traditional Native story only told in the winter months during Columbia Center for the Art’s “An Evening of Native Voices” on March 19. Tickets are free, but reservations are required due to limited seating.
HOOD RIVER — Columbia Center for the Arts (CCA) will host visiting illioo Native Theatre in an Evening of Native Voices on Saturday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the CCA Theater, 215 Cascade Ave., Hood River. This is event is free to the public; due to limited seating, reserving tickets is required.
Marta Lu Clifford will present a traditional Native story only told in the winter months during Columbia Center for the Art’s “An Evening of Native Voices” on March 19. Tickets are free, but reservations are required due to limited seating.
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The program includes a one-act staged play-reading of “The Woman Who Was a Red Deer Dressed for the Deer Dance” by Diane Glancy (Cherokee), along with a traditional story — only told during the winter months — by Marta Lu Clifford (Chinook/Cree/Grand Ronde), and an original contemporary story by Lori Tapahonso (Diné/Acoma Pueblo).
The hour-long performance is presented in conjunction with CCA exhibit “Contemporary Native Voices: Prints from Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts” and will be followed by a discussion with the audience about Native theater, representation, and the role of storytelling in regional indigenous cultures. The event is suitable for ages 10 and up.
“Woman Who Was a Red Deer” is the story of a grandmother and her grand-daughter who live in “different worlds” — the grandmother holds on to her cultural practices during a time of reservation termination; the granddaughter must navigate a contemporary world, said a press release. “In this play, we witness their struggles as indigenous women to honor tradition and culture in the contemporary world,” said the press release. “Each must reach across a generational divide to (re)connect to one another and the meaning of heritage in the present day.”
Illioo, which means “joyful” in the language of the Kalapuya people of Willamette Valley, is a new consortium of indigenous theater artists, storytellers, and allies dedicated to producing Indigenous theatrical productions, concert readings, and educational workshops for Indigenous and wider audiences. “We honor traditional performance forms, including storytelling, dance, and song, and collaborate with community members in developing new works that tell stories that need to be told,” said a press release. Illioo also provides workshops in contemporary theater skills for Indigenous communities.
Event sponsors for the Contemporary Native Voices Show and Red Deer Dress Performance are Best Western Plus Hood River Inn, Columbia Gorge Community College, Columbia River Insurance, Copper West Real Estate, Hood River Hobbies, Solstice, Tokki Art Supply, and Visit Hood River Chamber of Commerce.
Due to the COVID-19 guidelines, the theater will be requiring all visitors for proof of vaccination during the performance and to wear masks, and requests that visitors maintain 6-feet social distancing. The gallery will also be requiring all visitors to wear masks and requests that visitors maintain 6-feet social distancing. CCA provides free masks and hand sanitizer at the entrance door.
For more information, visit the CCA website at columbiaarts.org.
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