General George Armstrong Custer has been crossing my path a lot lately.  I was channel-surfing one evening and I ran across and watched the American Experience documentary “Custer” on PBS, a very balanced reporting of the events leading up to the death of this man we made into an American hero.  Next I was pleased to attend an incredible performance of the play “Custer” by Robert Ingham, which delved into the relationship of the lead characters in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

George Armstrong Custer

I grew up in what was originally known as the Dakota Territory, and the Sioux Indians were a large part of that heritage.  In grade school we learned about the heroic feats of one George Armstrong Custer, and his defeat of the  Indian “savages.”  The textbooks relayed the story of the slaughter of 15 million buffalo as part of our great wartime tactics against the “hostiles,” since bison were the major source of sustenance to the Native Americans.  I listened to the teachers, and I read the books, yet even as a little girl I intuitively knew there must be something more to this story.  Yet as a child, I did not challenge what a teacher said or what was written.

And so another version of the history of my homeland was offered as I watched the play “Custer.” It was an outstanding performance by the St. Bonaventure High School Drama Department, under the care and direction of Patricia Strickland. The playbill described the play as “We explore the story of Custer to understand the history of the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn from the perspective of those who lived it, and to draw our own conclusions.  We invite you to join us.”

And so as the cast went on an exploration, the audience joined in.  The sets and the lighting were impeccably executed.  Each member of the production gave a heartfelt and credible performance.  It was clear that these actors had studied in-depth the characters and the history of the material.  Nick Perry gave us a particularity insightful look into the dark, brooding and alcoholic Major Marcus Reno, and Tayler Drew embodied Libby, Custer’s wife and most adoring fan.

Custer was depicted in this production in a very different light from how we typically see him in the action movies.  Arrogant, cunning and narcissistic are a few characteristics that came to my mind.  The dialogue available to Custer in the play was significantly less than that of his rival Benteen, so Charlie Strickland undertook the job of painting a picture of Custer by displaying his physicality, mannerisms and gestures. He succeeded, for when he was center stage, Strickland was not just playing Custer, he was inhabiting him.

Paul Defresne gave what I can only describe as one of the most commanding performances by a high school student that I have ever witnessed, through his intimate and honest portrayal of Captain Fred Benteen.  I was unaware of the nature of the relationship of Custer and Benteen until I saw this play, and I was mesmerized to watch it unfold. I became intrigued by the Benteen character, and was subsequently drawn to read his biography. I have no way of knowing if Defresne’s interpretation of this character is absolutely true to form or not, yet if I were Benteen, I think I would be pleased with his portrayal.

If you ever get a chance to see a performance of this play, please do so, as it is both thought-provoking and relevant.  Patricia Strickland sums us the production beautifully in her director’s note:

“There are contemporary parallels to be drawn from CUSTER, both culturally and personally.  We still follow leaders into “battle.” Leaders who have foible and who are all too human.  There is a shared philosophy of ‘We will stay the course no matter what reality is placed before us, both culturally and individually.’  Often we have an inability to step back and see from another perspective.  And like the Little Bighorn, our resulting actions can have resonating consequences.”

In the mid-1990s I had the honor to meet Billy Mills, the second Native American to ever win an Olympic Gold medal and the subject of the 1984 film Running Brave.  This United States Marine told of us his struggle to achieve his goals, and the types of prejudice he encountered along the way.  His story affected me so much that I choose to honor him in a way that others thought was a radical decision. Actually, it did not seem at all outrageous to me – it made perfect sense.

Billy Mills

One of the projects Billy Mills was involved in was the removal of offensive Native American mascots from the athletic departments of universities in the United States. His plea deeply touched me. The mascot of the university where I graduated was a caricature of a member of an Indian tribe, including a politically insensitive tag-line. Many Native Americans found this offensive, and they had waged battles against the school to have the mascot retired. They always lost.

When I returned to my office after Billy’s presentation, I wrote to the President of the school I graduated from and asked to have my name taken off of any school records. I advised him that I would reinstate my name after the mascot was changed.

I saw Billy again that week, and I told him what I had done.  I still cherish the autographed copy of ”Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding“ that he gave me that day, and I will never forget the tears that welled up in his eyes as he signed his book.

I got a nice letter back from my university, stating that they were sorry I felt the way I did, but that the name was steeped in tradition and it was going to be retained. I am under no false illusions that my actions had any impact on my school’s position.  On the other hand, it was important for me to take a stance about an issue of which I felt strongly.

I would hope that each of us would do that at least once in our life.

To Makata Taka Hela – one of my heroes!