Would you be a brave hero and resist if a foreign power came to your neighborhood and told you that they were now in charge, that you would have to move to a very small camp, change your language, your religion, you work, your music… every aspect of your way of life?
I am composing an opera entitled Qualchan based on the 1917 public domain book Kamiakin, The Last Hero of the Yakimas, by A.J. Splawn and my instrumental music CD entitled Qualchan. The epic story tells of the struggles by Qualchan, the “bravest of all the warriors” whose Uncle Kamiakin formed the Yakama Nation’s Confederation of Tribes which waged a three year war from 1850 to 1858 against the US Army’s takeover of the land and people of the Pacific Northwest.
This story is extremely relevant today because the United States continues to repeat the mistake of aggressively dominating indigenous cultures around the world.
By way of background, I have a degree in music from the Indiana University School of Music and have written five musicals and hundreds of other works relating to music. For more information about me please check out my website at EdwardsMusicSite.com.
I am seeking a theater company for a premiere of the Qualchan Opera next year. I would like to find a translator familiar with the Sahaptin language. Please contact me at gedward@roadrunner.com with any questions you may have or to assist me in this endeavor. We can only avoid future mistakes if we are accurately educated of past mistakes.