DARK MISSION
An Opera in Two Acts
By John D. Nugent
Libretto by Charles Deemer
CAST (in order of appearance):
Cayuse Chorus
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
Five Crows
Missionary Chorus
Marcus Whitman
Narcissa Whitman
Lorinda Bewley
Medicine Chief
Timothy
Joe Lewis
Father Blanchet
SETTING: Whitman Mission, Walla Walla Valley in eastern Washington, 1836-1847.
INSTRUMENTATION AND VOICES:
1 Piccolo
2 Flutes (1 doubles wood flute)
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets (doubling various tunings)
1 Bass Clarinet in Bb
2 Bassoons
1 Contra-Bassoon
4 Horns in F
3 Trumpets
3 Trombones
1 Tuba
Percussion 1 (Bass Drum, Snare)
Percussion 2 (Cymbals, perhaps a high tom)
Percussion 3 (Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Chimes, Vibraphone, Tambourine)
Timpani
Harp
I Violins
II Violins
Violas
Violoncelli
Basses
VOCAL RANGES
Tiloukaikt (Baritone)
Tomahas (Tenor)
Five Crows (Tenor)
Marcus Whitman (Tenor)
Narcissa Whitman (Soprano)
Lorinda Bewley (Soprano)
Medicine Chief (Baritone)
Timothy (Tenor)
Joe Lewis (Bass)
Father Blanchet (Bass)
SCENES:
1/ THE CAYUSE
Cayuse Chorus
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
Five Crows
2/ THE MISSIONARIES
Missionary Chorus
Marcus Whitman
Narcissa Whitman
3/ WHO ARE THESE GHOSTS?
Cayuse Chorus
Marcus
Narcissa
4/ TO PLANT A GARDEN
Marcus
Narcissa
Lorinda
Tiloukaikt
Five Crows
Choruses
5/ THE CHILDREN ARE SICK
Tiloukaikt
Medicine Chief
Marcus
6/ NARCISSA'S DREAM
Narcissa
7/ TIMOTHY'S SEARCH
Timothy
8/ A SLEEPLESS NIGHT
Marcus
Narcissa
9/ TIMOTHY'S CONVERSION
Marcus
Timothy
Missionary Chorus
10/ TROUBLE
Joe Lewis
Timothy
Father Blanchet
Marcus
Narcissa
Missionary Chorus
11. / THE CHILDREN ARE SICK AGAIN
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
Joe Lewis
12. / A STRANGE FOREBODING
Narcissa
Marcus
13. NOW IS THE TIME
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
Five Crows
14. THE MEDICINE MAN MUST PAY
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
Cayuse Chorus
Narcissa
Marcus
Missionary Chorus
Lorinda
Five Crows
15. A STRANGE COURTSHIP
Lorinda
Five Crows
Missionary chorus
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
16. NOT GUILTY!
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
Lorinda
17. MARCUS AND NARCISSA IN HEAVEN
Marcus
Narcissa
Missionary Chorus
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
18. CODA: DARK MISSION
Tiloukaikt
Tomahas
Cayuse Chorus
Five Crows
Medicine Man
1/ THE CAYUSE
CAYUSE CHORUS:
We are the Waiilatpuan
Sometimes called Cayuse
Who ride our strong ponies
From the Blue Mountains
To the Walla Walla Valley
The place of rye grass
TILOUKAIKT:
I am Tiloukaikt
A strong and brave chief
Feared by Shishones
I fear no man
I steal their ponies
Now called Cayuse
TOMAHAS:
I am Tomahas
A strong and brave chief
Feared by the Snake
I fear no man
I drive them away
From salmon-filled rivers
CAYUSE CHORUS:
We are the Waiilatpuan
Named after hard stone
Called the imperial tribe
Whose name means Superior People
A people of great strength
And filled with much pride
FIVE CROWS:
I am Five Crows
A strong and brave chief
I fear no man
I hate no man
I am Five Crows
A strong and brave chief
CAYUSE CHORUS:
This is our land
From Blue Mountains to Walla Walla
The land of the Waiilatpuan
Land of the Cayuse
Who ride our swift ponies
In the place of rye grass
2/ THE MISSIONARIES
MUSIC suggests wind, dust. MISSIONARIES enter,
leaning into the wind, led by MARCUS WHITMAN.)
MISSIONARY CHORUS:
Step by step
One thousand miles
One thousand behind
One thousand to go
VOICE:
The wind too strong
I must give up
VOICE:
The dust too thick
I must give up
MARCUS:
Forward, you can make it!
Onward, you can make it!
Westward, you can make it!
MISSIONARY CHORUS:
Step by step
One thousand miles
One thousand behind
One thousand to go
NARCISSA:
Husband, I am weak
The trail too long
Too many bones
Along its stretch
The failure of those
Who passed before
The wind too strong
The dust too thick
My body frail
I am so weak
MARCUS:
Narcissa, dear wife
Strong in spirit
Where it counts
Don't you see
How God tests us?
This strength of wind
Thick clouds of dust
These tests of faith
So He might see
If we are chosen
MISSIONARY CHORUS:
Step by step
One thousand miles
One thousand behind
One thousand to go
VOICE:
Such a monotony, these long plains
VOICE:
Such an obstacle, these towering peaks
MARCUS:
Onward, across the plains!
Westward, over the mountains!
Never give up!
You can make it!
MARCUS (tune, missionary refrain):
These obstacles by God revealed
Are tests to judge our faith in Him, our
Strength to bring the word of God
Into a heathen land
MISSIONARY CHORUS:
These obstacles by God revealed
Are tests to judge our faith in Him, our
Strength to bring the word of God
Into a heathen land
Step by step
One thousand miles
Two thousand behind
And few to go
NARCISSA:
Marcus, look!
This beautiful valley
The long clear river
The sweep of rye grass
It looks like Eden
MARCUS:
Narcissa, yes!
I see it, too.
Might this be what
We are looking for?
It looks like Eden
MARCUS AND NARCISSA:
Step by step
The wind so strong
The dust so thick
And now at last
Our journey's end
(tune, missionary refrain):
This sacred spot by God revealed
Here we begin our holy work, and
Build a mission, Christ to rise
Into this heathen land
MISSIONARY CHORUS:
This sacred spot by God revealed
Here we begin our holy work, and
Build a mission, Christ to rise
Into this heathen land
3/ WHO ARE THESE GHOSTS?
CAYUSE CHORUS
Why come these hordes of covered wagons?
Pulled by oxen
In long procession
Across the rye grass
Scattering our game
Disturbing our harmony
Paying no respect
Who are these hordes of ghostly strangers
Pale as smoke
With odd behavior
Who blow their noses
Into white cloth
Putting cloth in a pocket
To save their snot
Who are these ghosts, the ones who stay?
At Waiilatpu
Making their camp
Not moving on
Building strange teepees
Singing strange songs
Looking so happy
(Marcus alone, brooding. Narcissa enters.)
NARCISSA:
Husband, why so sad this morning?
You should be proud
The mission built
Our task so clear
Already Cayuse
Come and stare
Ever curious
MARCUS:
The burden of our task has hit me.
These savages
Don't even farm
Forever roam
Call no place home
They have no concept
Of the land
NARCISSA:
You can't expect too much so soon.
Take small steps
And they will learn.
MARCUS:
I hope you're right.
NARCISSA:
I think I am.
Teach them farming.
They will learn.
MARCUS:
What would I do without you, dear?
You bring the sun
Into my soul
Pray with me
My lovely wife
NARCISSA:
Then let us pray
MARCUS:
Let us pray
MARCUS & NARCISSA:
Thanks to Mighty God
Our long journey is done
Another now begins
May God be with us still
Jesus Christ, our Savior
In your Holy name
We dedicate this mission
To save the savage soul
4/ TO PLANT A GARDEN
(MARCUS, NARCISSA, LORINDA, TILOUKAIKT, FIVE CROWS, CHORUS … teaching the Indians to plant a garden.)
MARCUS
Make a hill
Push in the seed
Water the hill
Pull the weeds
(Repeated by Narcissa, Lorinda, and all together)
TILOUKAIKT:
This makes no sense
If I want squash
I can trade for
It
(repeated by Five Crows and chorus)
MARCUS
Make a hill
TILOUKAIKT:
This makes no sense
LORINDA
Push in the seed
FIVE CROWS
If I want squash
NARCISSA
Water the hill
TILOUKAIKT:
I can trade for it
CHORUS
Pull the weeds
LORINDA
Will you try?
FIVE CROWS
Skin like clouds
LORINDA
Push the seed in
FIVE CROWS
Hair like rye grass
LORINDA
God's own garden
FIVE CROWS
Voice like a river
LORINDA
Work builds the spirit
FIVE CROWS
A great chief's wife
MISSIONARY CHORUS
Make a hill
Push in the seed
CAYUSE CHORUS
This makes no sense
If I want squash
MISSIONARY CHORUS
Water the hill
Pull the weeds
CAYUSE CHORUS
I can trade for
It
TILOUKAIKT:
You don't have to treat me like a child
Others of you preached to the Nez Perce
Who told me all about your mighty God
I know about your Heaven and your Hell
CAYUSE CHORUS
You don't have to trust us like a child
We know about your Heaven and your Hell
And we have Father Sky and Mother Earth
Spirits in the river and the wind
TILOUKAIKT:
We don't need your God, we have our own
We don't understand your Jesus Christ
Who died for all our sins. What does this mean?
We have Mother Earth and Father Sky
CAYUSE CHORUS
So you will keep your God and we'll keep ours
You keep Hell, we spirits in the wind
We don't ask that you believe as we do
And you don't make us believe in Jesus Christ
5/ THE CHILDREN ARE SICK
TILOUKAIKT
The children have been sick
Now several have died
My son among the sick
And how his mother weeps
The Cayuse have a law
When medicine is bad
The chief must pay the price
And join the sick who die
Bring me the Medicine Chief
His medicine is bad
The children still are sick
How many more must die?
MEDICINE CHIEF
My brother, my heart breaks
To know your son is dead
TILOUKAIKT
Your medicine is bad
MEDICINE CHIEF
I did the best I could
TILOUKAIKT
You know the Cayuse law
MEDICINE CHIEF
I am prepared to die
TILOUKAIKT
My brother, you are brave
But you will not be killed
Your fate is banishment
To wander off alone
You cannot take your wife
Your children stay with us
MEDICINE CHIEF
A banishment worse than death!
TILOUKAIKT
For you, but not for me
Go, my brother, now
And never come again
(MEDICINE CHIEF exits.)
(MARCUS enters.)
MARCUS
I'M told there are sick children here
TILOUKAIKT
My son is dead
MARCUS
I have training in medicine
TILOUKAIKT
My son is dead
MARCUS
Perhaps if I could see the sick
I'd see the way to make them well
TILOUKAIKT
To make them well?
MARCUS
I'd like to try
TILOUKAIKT
A Medicine Man?
MARCUS
A doctor, yes
TILOUKAIKT
Good medicine?
MARCUS
I'd like to try
TILOUKAIKT
Come with me
(They exit.)
(MEDICINE CHIEF enters.)
MEDICINE CHIEF
Banished.
Banished.
Banished to a life of wandering.
Aimlessly. Wandering.
Banished.
Banished.
Banished. Nevermore to see my son.
Nevermore to see my wife.
Or my tribe.
Banished from this place I call my home.
Sent away.
Banished.
(repeat)
Banished.
Banished.
Banished is a fate that's worse than death.
Kill me first. Let me die.
Banished.
Banished.
Banished. Where am I supposed to go?
What am I supposed to do?
How to live?
Banished from this place I call my home.
Sent away.
Banished.
(next melodic sequence)
Now I leave
I am brave and so I go
To my fate
A Cayuse warrior accepts his fate
Banished
Banished
My fate
This, the Cayuse way
Banished
My fate
(end of A)
(begin B)
Now I am the wolf
Now I am the buffalo
Now I live with them
My home is with the beasts
Greet me with my new name
Speak it loud
Speak it proud
My name
Call me Lives With Beasts
My name
My new name in this life
Lives With Beasts
(end)
(TILOUKAIKT returns with MARCUS)
TILOUKAIKT
This white man brings medicine!
Our children will live!
MARCUS
I did what I could
This was enough
TILOUKAIKT
Our children will live
To grow into warriors
To grow into mothers
And serve our proud race
MARCUS
My God was with me
The one sole God
He saved the children
His medicine through me
Don't thank me
Thank the sole God
Whose son was crucified
Who died for your sins
TILOUKAIKT
This God saved our children?
MARCUS
The one sole God
TILOUKAIKT
The God of medicine?
MARCUS
The God of all things
TILOUKAIKT
We have many Gods
MARCUS
The one sole God
Whose son was crucified
Who died for your sins
6/ NARCISSA'S DREAM
(Narcissa alone)
NARCISSA
Today I awoke
With a dream in my mind
Of Boston
I saw mother's whine linen,
Fine china and silver,
And many guests
Such lively discussion
In front of the fire
Of art and of books
There is no art here
And no time to read
So much rain, so much dirt
How I miss Boston
And mother's white linen
My fine party dresses
How I miss Boston
The lively discussions
In front of the fire
Away from wilderness
Far from these heathens
How I miss Boston
7/ TIMOTHY'S SEARCH
(Timothy, a Cayuse, comes forth)
TIMOTHY
Tell me of One God
Who saved all our children
Who had a son who
Died for our sins
What is this sin
You say he died for?
Do I have this sin?
I don't understand
But I am impressed
By a God who saves children
I want to know more
So I might understand
Tell me of One God
Who saved all our children
Who had a son who
Died for our sins
8/ A SLEEPLESS NIGHT
(Marcus interrupts Narcissa)
MARCUS
So here you are
I couldn't find you
Are you all right?
NARCISSA
I was getting some air
MARCUS
Would you like me to read
The Bible to you
Till you fall asleep
NARCISSA
No, I will be fine
MARCUS
I think we are close
To having a convert
A Cayuse named Timothy
NARCISSA
It's about time
MARCUS
But what is time
In the larger picture
Of souls getting saved?
NARCISSA
Of course, you are right
MARCUS
Narcissa, I'm worried
You don't seem yourself
Is something the matter?
NARCISSA
Of course not, my husband
MARCUS
Timothy asked to learn
About One God
As He is known by
Among the Cayuse
NARCISSA
You've worked so hard
And waited so long
To find the first convert
I'M happy for you
MARCUS
Happy for us
We're in this together
Our mutual calling
To save these poor souls
NARCISSA
I'm ready for bed now
MARCUS
Come then, my good wife
NARCISSA
I love you, my husband
MARCUS
I love you, my wife
9/ TIMOTHY'S CONVERSION
Marcus and Timothy
Lessons from the New England Primer
MARCUS: Who was the first man?
TIMOTHY: Adam.
MARCUS:
Who was the first woman?
TIMOTHY:
Eve.
MARCUS:
Who was the first murderer?
TIMOTHY:
Cain.
MARCUS:
Who was the first martyr?
TIMOTHY:
Abel.
MARCUS:
Who saves lost men?
TIMOTHY:
Jesus Christ.
MARCUS:
Who is Jesus Christ?
TIMOTHY:
The son of God.
Missionaries come forward … what follows has the structure of a round.
MARCUS:
A
TIMOTHY and chorus:
In Adam's fall / We sinned all.
MARCUS:
B
TIMOTHY & C:
Heaven to find; / The Bible Mind.
MARCUS:
C
TIMOTHY & C:
Christ crucify'd / For sinners dy'd.
MARCUS:
D
TIMOTHY & C:
The Deluge drown'd / The Earth around.
Repeat etc.
MARCUS:
Romans 3:23
TIMOTHY:
For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.
MARCUS:
John 1:8
TIMOTHY:
If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.
MARCUS:
Romans 5:12.
TIMOTHY:
When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
MISSIONARY CHORUS
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Repeats
10. / TROUBLE
Joe Lewis, the half-breed.
JOE LEWIS:
Beware, my Cayuse friends,
Of false prophets.
There are many things
You do not know
Because Dr. Whitman
Will not tell you.
Timothy comes forward.
TIMOTHY:
What are these things?
JOE LEWIS:
Do you have a chief
More powerful than all
Other chiefs?
TIMOTHY:
Of course.
JOE LEWIS:
So, too, the Church.
This chief is called
The Pope.
The Pope more than any man
Can speak the Word of God.
And yet Dr. Whitman
Does not heed the Pope—
Indeed, would say he
Himself is a more Godlike
And this is blasphemy.
TIMOTHY:
I do not understand.
JOE LEWIS:
Priests have come
To tell Cayuse the truth
For the first time.
Father Blanchet comes forward.
TIMOTHY:
I want to hear these priests.
FATHER BLANCHET:
The Bible is God's word.
TIMOTHY:
Yes, Dr. Whitman says it is.
FATHER BLANCHET:
We all are sinners,
sinners from birth.
TIMOTHY:
As Dr. Whitman told me so.
FATHER BLANCHET:
God conceived Jesus in Mary's womb,
without the help of mortal man,
a virgin birth.
TIMOTHY:
This is new to me.
FATHER BLANCHET:
God requires a price be paid for sin.
So Jesus paid the price for all mankind.
TIMOTHY:
Dr. Whitman said as much.
FATHER BLANCHET:
Do you believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting?
TIMOTHY:
Some of this I remember from Dr. Whitman.
FATHER BLANCHET:
The Holy Catholic Church …
TIMOTHY:
This is new to me.
FATHER BLANCHET:
The Holy Catholic Church …
TIMOTHY: The Holy Catholic Church …
MISSIONARY CHORUS
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
And the Holy Catholic Church
Marcus and Narcissa come forward.
MARCUS:
The Catholics come to spread their lies.
Now our task is harder still.
NARCISSA:
Don't falter, husband, God's at your side.
MARCUS:
They will claim the Pope prevails.
MARCUS & NARCISSA:
God, give us strength
To meet this challenge
To keep the faith
And teach Thy Word
The One True Word
And save these poor
Heathen Cayuse
From Catholic lies
Amen, amen
The One True Word
Amen, amen
From Catholic lies
11/ THE CHILDREN ARE SICK AGAIN
(measles again)
TILOUKAIKT
The children are sick.
TOMAHAS
Once again the children are dying.
TILOUKAIKT
And now the white medicine does nothing.
TOMAHAS
The white medicine is only good for white children.
TILOUKAIKT
Where is the medicine for the Cayuse children?
DUET
Life is a circle
Sometimes good
Sometimes bad
What has come before
Always comes again
And now the children
Are dying
We trusted Whitman
His white medicine
To save our children
But the Cayuse children die
While the white children live
This medicine
Is bad
The medicine doctor
With bad medicine
Pays a price
If our children die
Someone has to pay
This is the Cayuse
Way
JOE LEWIS
Whitman is
To blame for this
Don't you see?
His medicine is bad
Religion full of lies
He is the one
To pay
ALL
Religious lies
Bad medicine
Is Whitman's way
The Cayuse way prevails
Justice will win out
Let us seek
Him out
The Cayuse way prevails
Justice will win out
Let us seek
Him out
12/ A STRANGE FOREBODING
NARCISSA
Husband, you look weary
You look sad and troubled
MARCUS
Measles.—
NARCISSA
--What about them?
MARCUS
Cayuse children are dying
I don't know what to do
Our children take the cure
But their children do not
NARCISSA
Our children know Christ
MARCUS
I think it's more than that
NARCISSA
Marcus, you can't be sure
God's mysterious ways
Can surprise even you
MARCUS
I'M sure that you are right
And yet this is so strange
Our children take the cure
Cayuse children do not
Of course they now blame me
As if this were my plan
A great conspiracy
To wipe their children out
And thus wipe out their race
To Christianize this place
NARCISSA
Surely they don't believe
Such a scandalous thing
MARCUS
The half-breed Joe Lewis
Eagerly cheers them on
Spreading lies about me
NARCISSA
Let Timothy stand up
And tell his chiefs the truth
MARCUS
Timothy has doubts
And knows not what to believe
Catholics have talked to him
And now confuse his mind
NARCISSA
A curse to all the priests
MARCUS
Right now I'M more concerned
About their children, dying,
Unable to take the cure
Though our children get well
NARCISSA
This message may be God's
MARCUS
The Cayuse believe it's mine
(change)
NARCISSA
Marcus, do not blame yourself
MARCUS
Narcissa, this is how I feel
NARCISSA
God's mysterious ways take time
Before the mind of man may know
The meaning to be soon revealed
MARCUS
The meaning to be soon revealed
NARCISSA
The meaning to be soon revealed
Together
God's mysterious ways take time
Before the mind of man may know
The meaning to be soon revealed
The meaning to be soon revealed
13. NOW IS THE TIME
Five Crows comes forward.
FIVE CROWS
The chiefs are angry.
The warriors are angry.
They speak of bad medicine
And the white doctor who brought it
Bad medicine killing our children
Why would the white doctor do this?
He is a plain man, an ignorant man,
But I don't think he murders children
I think he is just stupid to believe
The white medicine works for Cayuse
I think a lot about the white man
I think a lot about the white woman
Especially the young white woman
With hair like a raven
With skin like the snow
With eyes like the sky
I don't know her name
Though one day I will name her
The wife of Five Crows
TILOUKAIKT
Five Crows! It is time
TOMAHAS
It is time
TILOUKAIKT
The white doctor must pay
For the bad white medicine
TOMAHAS
It is time
FIVE CROWS
No, to rush without thought
To act on impulse
Is to insult time
It is time that heals
It is time that shines light
On what today seems dark
TILOUKAIKT
It is time
FIVE CROWS
Time to wait
Time for patience
TOMAHAS
It is time
TILOUKAIKT
It is time
The white doctor must pay
For the bad white medicine
TOMAHAS
The white doctor must pay
FIVE CROWS
Listen to me
Let the sun set on this anger
Let the moon rise to fill the dark sky
With light that hides the stars
Let time be the healer
New light by which to see new things
TILOUKAIKT
It is too late for this
TOMAHAS
It is time
TILOUKAIKT
It is time!
They leave
FIVE CROWS
I feel great foreboding
Anger begets anger
Where is the young white woman
Who would be my wife?
She is in danger
She is in danger!
14. THE MEDICINE MAN MUST PAY
TILOUKAIKT, TOMAHAS, and Cayuse chorus
TILOUKAIKT
Whitman!
TOMAHAS
Whitman!
TILOUKAIKT
Dr. Whitman!
TOMAHAS
Whitman!
TILOUKAIKT
We come because
Our children are dying
TOMAHAS
We come because
You use bad medicine
TILOUKAIKT
Whitman!
TOMAHAS
Dr. Whitman!
TILOUKAIKT
Come and face
Your fate
TOMAHAS
Come and face
What you yourself
Have caused
TILOUKAIKT
Whitman!
TOMAHAS
Whitman!
NARCISSA
No! You cannot
Enter this house
The doctor is busy
You must go away
TILOUKAIKT
Whitman!
NARCISSA
He'll come to you later
When you are more calm
TOMAHAS
Dr. Whitman!
NARCISSA
Later you can talk
And resolve this trouble
A misunderstanding, I'm sure
[ominous music, later punctuated by sharp sudden beats of hatchets falling]
MARCUS
Dear God!
Forgive them!
For they know not
What they do ... Narcissa!
NARCISSA
Marcus!
MARCUS & NARCISSA
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ...
(They are dead.)
Lorinda comes forward.
LORINDA
I was upstairs in bed
Sick with fever
I thought I was dreaming
A horrid nightmare
There were screams and shouts
Narcissa's voice in terror
A sudden cry from Dr. Whitman
Piercing and horrible
Cries and shouts
A terrible horror downstairs
TILOUKAIKT, TOMAHAS, CAYUSE CHORUS
The deed is done
The Cayuse way
Let no one doubt
The word of chiefs
Bad medicine
Has a price
Let all who hear
Our words know this
The deed is done
The Cayuse way
Let no one doubt
The word of chiefs
FIVE CROWS
My chiefs
Look what you've done
TILOUKAIKT
He must pay for bad medicine
TOMAHAS
This is the Cayuse way
CAYUSE CHORUS
Let no one doubt
The word of chiefs
All but FIVE CROWS, LORINDA leave.
FIVE CROWS
Where is the fair girl
Who will be my bride?
LORINDA
I struggled out of bed
And came downstairs
Still thinking it was a dream
To find Narcissa
Who would calm me down
FIVE CROWS
She comes down the stairs
LORINDA
But there was a chief there
And bodies and blood
And I screamed and I knew
This was my last breath
On this earth
FIVE CROWS
Don't be afraid
LORINDA
The chief came forward
I closed my eyes
Awaiting the deadly blow
From his tomahawk
FIVE CROWS
You will come with me
And become my bride
The wife of a chief
And treated with respect
15/ A STRANGE COURTSHIP
LORINDA, FIVE CROWS
LORINDA
I must have passed out
I opened my eyes
I was in a strange place
Wrapped in skin and fur
In a bed of the same
Spread across the ground
Of a savage teepee
And the savage chief
There beside me
Who spared my life
And now was smiling
FIVE CROWS
The wife of a great chief
Welcome to your new home
LORINDA
This is not my home
FIVE CROWS
It time it will be
This special land
Of rivers and fields
Golden in the sun
Salmon in the rivers
Where elk and deer
Come to drink
Mother Earth's great bounty
All waiting for you
The wife of a chief
Treated with respect
LORINDA
What do you want
From me?
FIVE CROWS
I need nothing from you
Only your smile
Your bright eyes
Your soft hair
Your white skin
So pale and soft
This is enough
LORINDA
No, I will not
I cannot ever be
Your wife
FIVE CROWS
Time will heal
This pain you feel
I did not want
This to happen
I tried to stop
This from happening
I know your pain
And feel it here
In my heart
Because this is what
Keeps you from me
LORINDA
I still say no
FIVE CROWS
Which is your right
And I plead with you
To change your mind
Which is my right
LORINDA
You will not force me?
FIVE CROWS
How can I force you?
You cannot love
What you choose
Not to love
LORINDA
I can never love you
FIVE CROWS
If this is true
My heart would break
LORINDA
I can never love you
FIVE CROWS
This is not
The time to say
After you sleep
When time heals
The memory
Of what hurts now
When you get a chance
To see this land
The way we see it
The great Cayuse
Who roam this land
And reap its bounty
You can belong
To this great people
The wife of a chief
Treated with respect
LORINDA
You say to sleep
I would like to
FIVE CROWS
Yes, sleep can heal
May you dream
Of your possibilities
Here with me
Good night, my bride
Five Crows leaves.
LORINDA
Of course, I said no
Again when I awoke
And again the next day
And the day after
When Five Crows
Let me go
With many presents
To show his love
The army was here
To bring justice
And revenge
Upon those who did
Such heinous deeds
(Enter Missionary Chorus)
SOLO 1
Hunt down the savages!
CHORUS
Guilty, guilty!
SOLO 1
The army is ready!
CHORUS
Guilty, guilty!
SOLO 1
No Cayuse is safe!
CHORUS
Guilty, guilty!
SOLO 1
Till Justice is served.
CHORUS
Guilty!
SOLO 2
So much a burden
These heathen tribes
Uncivilized ways
And blood on their hands
The butchery they did
Was bound to come
So much Evil
Can rule the land
CHORUS
The savages are caught!
The savages are caught!
SOLO 1
Tiloukaikt, how do you plea?
TILOUKAIKT
Not guilty!
SOLO 1
Tomahas, how do you plea?
TOMAHAS
Not guilty!
SOLO 1
Has the jury reached a verdict?
SOLO 2
We find
With no dissention
A unanimous judgment
Based on clear evidence
A righteous verdict
CHORUS
Guilty!
LORINDA
Guilty
And sentenced to hang.
Tiloukaikt to hang
CHORUS
Hang the heathens!
LORINDA
Tomahas to hang
CHORUS
Hang the heathens!
LORINA
So Christ serves justice
With righteous punishment
CHORUS
Hang the heathens!
Hang the heathens!
LORINDA
Tiloukaikt dead
And Tomahas too
And others who followed
Their wicked plan
Justice prevailed
As God insists
The heathens punished
Righteousness won
16/ NOT GUILTY!
TILOUKAIKT and TOMAHAS come forward.
TILOUKAIKT
Not guilty!
TOMAHAS
Not guilty!
TILOUKAIKT
When the medicine is bad
The medicine man must pay
This is the Cayuse way
TOMAHAS
The children kept on dying
What is a chief to do?
My people suffering so
TILOUKAIKT
We did the thing we must
As chiefs we lead the way
His medicine was bad
TOMAHAS
We did the thing we must
The children kept on dying
What is a chief to do?
TILOUKAIKT
Not guilty!
TOMAHAS
Not guilty!
They leave.
LORINDA
The verdict quick
All are guilty
Thus justice prevailed
As God insists
The heathens punished
Righteousness wins
I never forgot
The chief Five Crows
Who tried so hard
To marry me
He never forced
Himself on me
He never did
What I forbid
I truly believe
He loved me dear
In his strange way
Misguided, yes
But quite sincere
For a heathen
As he tried to make
Me his bride
Nothing was
The same again
The wars began
To claim the land
Once and for all
For Christian folks
The Cayuse chased
To other lands
Reservations
Where they must stay
No more to roam
Which was their way
Perhaps in heaven
Narcissa looks down
The doctor too
To see this land
Civil at last
With Christian ways
The heathens gone
The future bright
Perhaps they know
Their quest was good
Their victory clear
Though they aren't here
To see it done
17/ MARCUS AND NARCISSA IN HEAVEN
NARCISSA
Dear husband
MARCUS
Dear Narcissa
NARCISSA
It took so long
To make the land
A safe place for
Good Christian folk
MARCUS
It took so long
Despite our work
NARCISSA
We always did
The best we could
MARCUS
It took so long
And few converted
NARCISSA
We always did
The best we could
MARCUS
The heathens are
Today still heathens
NARCISSA
Husband, we
Could do no more
MARCUS
I could not show
Them the True Way
I could not let
Them see the Light
I could not make
Christ real to them
I could not make
Them understand
NARCISSA
Husband, do not
Blame yourself
We always did
The best we could
It was God's will
To bring us west
It was God's will
That led the way
MARCUS, NARCISSA
It took so long
To make the land
A safe place for
Good Christian folk
Who raise their children
In the Light
And walk with Christ
With every breath
MISSIONARY CHORUS
It was God's will
To bring us west
It was God's will
That led the way
To bring the Word
To heathen souls
And save these souls
From burning Hell
And save these souls
From burning Hell
TILOUKAIKT, TOMAHAS, Cayuse Chorus come forward
TILOUKAIKT
Not guilty!
TOMAHAS
Not guilty!
Transition to:
18/ CODA: DARK MISSION
TILOUKAIKT, TOMAHAS, CAYUSE CHORUS
When the medicine is bad
The medicine man must pay
This is the Cayuse way
The children kept on dying
What is a chief to do?
My people suffering so
We did the thing we must
As chiefs we lead the way
His medicine was bad
We did the thing we must
The children kept on dying
What is a chief to do?
TOMAHAS
They said they brought the Light
These whites who stole our land
And darkness soon prevailed
TILOUKAIKT
They said they brought us Christ
Who made our children sick
A sickness unto death
TOMAHAS
What did we do to them?
They come onto our lands
And take it as their own
TILOUKAIKT
What did we do to them?
They show us no respect
They spit upon our ways
CAYUSE CHORUS
Dark shadows cross the land
Winds wail for what is lost
The buffalo is gone
The Cayuse no more roam
They say their God is good
But only good for them
And nothing left for us
Cayuse who once were brave
FIVE CROWS
Time will heal
This pain you feel
I did not want
This to happen
I tried to stop
This from happening
I know your pain
And feel it here
In my heart
Because this is what
Keeps you from me
MEDICINE MAN from the beginning enters.
MED MAN
Banished.
Banished.
Banished. Where am I supposed to go?
What am I supposed to do?
How to live?
Banished from this place I call my home.
Sent away.
Banished.
Now I leave
I am brave and so I go
To my fate
A Cayuse warrior accepts his fate
Banished
Banished
My fate
This, the Cayuse way
Banished
My fate
Now I am the wolf
Now I am the buffalo
Now I live with them
My home is with the beasts
Greet me with my new name
Speak it loud
Speak it proud
My name
Call me Lives With Beasts
My name
My new name in this life
Lives With Beasts
CAYUSE CHORUS
Call us Lives With Beasts
Our name
Our new name in this life
Lives With Beasts
But the buffalo is gone
Slaughtered by their ways
Salmon, wolf and deer
Flee from their greedy march
Call us Lives With Beasts
Our name
As long as beasts remain
Lives With Beasts
Call us Lives With Beasts
Our name
As long as beasts remain
Lives With Beasts
END