ACT I
Stardust
Miss Chief discovers desire, kinship and the beauty of Turtle Island. The arrival of settlers brings a struggle over whose world, and whose version of history, will prevail.
Through Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, Kent Monkman's time-travelling, gender-fluid alter ego, Turtle Island comes alive with pleasure, kinship and extraordinary beings. When settlers threaten Indigenous lands and children, an act of violence costs Miss Chief her powers. Her journey from celestial being to sparrow to water carries the opera through grief toward collective renewal.
ACT II
mamahtâwîsiwin
Confronted with the theft of land, sacred belongings and children, Miss Chief loses her powers and is transformed into a sparrow, able only to bear witness.
ACT III
Water
Restored by other legendary beings, she returns with the buffalo, helps her people become water protectors, and transforms into water herself. The audience enters that final transformation.
A story in sound.
Dustin Peters' lyrical, neo-romantic score gives voice to Miss Chief's sensuality, wit and grief. The ambition is orchestral richness in conversation with Cree language, musical knowledge and storytelling, with the language's sound and rhythm helping shape how the story is sung.
