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Passamaquoddy Language Reclamation TFL Report Page
2 April 16, 2001 Introductions
A year ago almost to the day I came here for the first time to do a workshop just like this except on issues of language loss. Gail and Vera used the insights from the workshop and other work they are doing on the issue and put in a proposal into the Rockefeller Foundation for a three year process, partly using the THEATRE FOR LIVING work, to look at issues of language reclamation. I am scheduled to be here three or four times in the three years. The journey is an interesting one. Last year we focussed on "language loss". This led to very strong plays, one of which, understandably and validly, looked at historical issues of mission schools. This year we have agreed to move forward and change the focus to "language reclamation". We all think that this will root the exploration more in the present this time and also focus more on actions that will move the work on the issue forward. Six of the sixteen people in the group (there is one man) are participants from last year. This means that both on an issue level and people level there is an interesting continuity. The group also ranges from a 9 year old to women in their 60's or 70's. There were some surprises for me: I thought we had agreed to a seven day process with performances on the sixth and seventh nights. This was changed to performances on nights five and six. I also assumed, wrongly, that we had seven hour days, but in order to deal with the difficulty of people's schedules, they were told we were working 9 -- 3, which, with an hour for lunch, is 5 hours of work time. I have asked to extend the day by one hour, being concerned that we just don't have enough time -- the group agreed today. We had a great day. Engagement was high -- Vera and Gail did a good organizing job. There is strong commitment in the room and a hunger. Evidently, some of the participants work in family violence counseling and they want to take the techniques into that work. This is great. We have discussed (I am finding this is happening more and more) staying away from the language of "oppressor" and "oppressed". The feeling is that this polarizes the issues. I am going to play around with language and ask the participants to offer moments about "being blocked" -- a moment in your life where you encountered a blockage, either from something inside you or outside you, that stopped you in your desire to reclaim the language. The issue of the language used in the workshop is of special interest in this project about language. One of the reasons for the request, I think, is that here in North America the word "oppressed" has a different meaning than it does in Brazil, where this work originates. When people hear "oppressed" here, they think "victim". Theatre of the Victim. In Brazil, Theatre of the Oppressed is about Theatre of the Resistance. Fighting back. The educational process of changing the definition of the word is just too great, though, and so more and more I am trying to find other language that fits the circumstance of the moment. We made it half way through the groups in the Groups of 4 exercise and have had very deep Image work already. One of them affected the room very strongly: an Image of a woman (an elder? a child?) on the floor, cross-legged, holding her hands over her ears.above her is a woman pointing and accusing/blaming/yelling at her and off to the side is a man (who made the image) dismissing or judging her. I asked if anyone in the group could make an "Ideal Image" from this image. Someone did -- an image where both people came to the woman on the floor and listened and tried to help. On activation of the image, though, when I asked them to be true to their characters, the woman on the floor didn't stay on the floor and the two others, instead of going to her, turned and both went off in different directions, leaving her alone. Many in the room had tears in their eyes. In conversation they mentioned how this simple moment IS the community. Everyone knows the problems, knows that help is needed, even WHAT is neededbut people just walk the other way, feeling too tired, too alienated, that it is all too late.. We left this up in the air at the end of the day. I want to finish the other two groups tomorrow.
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