Gowongo Mohawk

Last updated

Gowongo Mohawk
Gowongo Mohawk.jpg
Born(1859-08-11)August 11, 1859
DiedFebruary 7, 1924(1924-02-07) (aged 64)
Known forActor, playwright
Notable workWep-ton-no-mah, the Indian Mail Carrier

Gowongo Mohawk (Go-Won-Go/Go-Wan-Go; August 11, 1859 [1] [a] - February 7, 1924) was a Seneca playwright and actor. Unsatisfied with the roles being offered to her as a Native American woman, she wrote her own, highly successful play and cast herself as the heroic male lead.

Contents

Personal life

She was born in Gowanda, New York, [2] to father Ga-Na-Gua, [2] also known as Dr. Alan Mohawk, [3] a chief medicine man of the Seneca Nation, and mother Lydia, who was known as "The Angle" on the Cattaraugus Reservation. [2] Her English birth name was Carrie A. Mohawk, [2] [b] but she later permanently adopted her Indigenous name Gowongo, [1] which translates to "I fear no one." [3] In an interview with the Liverpool Weekly Courier, she gave an English translation of her name as 'Majestic Palm', along with a signed photograph of herself. [4]

Her parents both died when she was a minor: her father when she was about 10 and her mother when she was about 15. [1] As a child she attended boarding school in Ohio, which she did not enjoy, and later attended university at the University of Ohio. [5] [6] Before writing her first play, she acted with Louise Pomeroy and at the Windsor Theatre. [6]

She briefly married James Rider, a white Civil War veteran, but left due to abuse. [1] She married her second husband Charles W. Charles, an actor and former army captain who served with General Custer, in 1888. [3] [1]

She died in 1924 at the age of 64 and is buried in Edgewater Cemetery, New Jersey, with her second husband. [3]

Career

Beginning her performing career in America, Gowongo's prestige as an actor and playwright translated to Canada and then across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom where she toured her work.

The first performances of Wep-ton-no-mah were in 1889, on the American vaudeville circuit. She then took the play to Canada and then England. She toured England for nine years, from 1893 to 1897 and then 1903 to 1908. [1]

Besides Wep-ton-no-mah, The Indian Mail Carrier, her best known work, in 1900, she starred in a Broadway melodrama, Lincoln J. Carter's “The Flaming Arrow,” again playing a Native American man. Gowongo also wrote one other play, An Indian Romance: A Forest Tragedy, but it was not produced and no copy survives. [1]

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle described her thus: “She acts with intelligence and has the repose of an expert," though it also referred to her as a "presumed Indian woman" and added "If Mohawk is Indian, she is oddly light in color," and otherwise seemed doubtful of her racial identity. [7] [1]

She was sometimes billed as the “only living Indian actress” or the "first Indian actress”, though Professor Bethany Hughes thinks this was more of a marketing tactic and not strictly accurate. [1]

Wep-ton-no-mah, The Indian Mail Carrier

Gowongo's most famed work as a playwright, Wep-ton-no-Mah, The Indian Mail Carrier, sparked the interest of audiences and the general public across America and Britain. [8] Playing the role of Wep-ton-no-Mah, a Native American man, Gowongo troubled stereotypes of Indigeneity, race, gender, and sexuality while engaging in the contemporary urge to reimagine the frontier, as seen in the popular Buffalo Bill Wild West Shows, which she also performed in. [8] Wep-ton-no-mah, The Indian Mail Carrier was first performed in the UK in Liverpool in April 1893, and quickly became incredibly popular. [9] A copy of the script survives at the Library of Congress and has been digitized. [10]

Characters

Wep-ton-no-mah

The protagonist and eponymous 'mail carrier'. He is the son of Chief Ga-ne-gua, and described as the "noblest, bravest, most gentlemanly" of men. [11] Played by Gowongo Mohawk herself.

Chief Ga-ne-gua

Wep-ton-no-mah's father and chief of his tribe. Portrayed as a very wise and kindly man. Named after Gowongo's father. Played by the real life Chief Ga-ne-gua.

Colonel Stockton

A rich man and local landowner who earned his wealth through a career in the army. He has a good relationship with the local Native American tribe, and with his servants. Played by Gowongo Mohawks husband, Charles W. Charles.

Nellie Stockton

Colonel Stockton's daughter, and implied romantic interest to Wep-ton-no-mah.

Captain Franklin

The nephew of Colonel Stockton. A Captain in the army, he is continuously in need of money to fund his youthful exploits, and also because he's being blackmailed.

Spanish Joe

The villain of the story. A murderer, extortionist, and thief. He is introduced as a friend of Captain Franklin, regardless of what disguise he is wearing, but isn't a very good one. Played by George De Laclaire in the British tour

Sam, Matilda, and Garry

Servants of Colonel Stockton and Nellie. Sam and Matilda are played always by black actors, and speak in a form of AAVE. All three play comedic roles.

Wongy and Buckskin

Wep-ton-no-mah's beloved horses. The true heroes of the story. The two horses used in performances were trained by Gowongo Mohawk herself. [12]

Plot

The play begins with Captain Franklin and Spanish Joe arriving at Colonel Stockton's estate. Captain Franklin needs to ask his uncle for more money as he has run out and is being blackmailed because he did something bad that his superior cannot find out about. He also intends to introduce Joe, his friend, to his uncle and his family. Colonel Stockton refuses to give his nephew any more money at the suggestion of his servants, but quickly resolves to give him some the next time he asks

During a stampede. Wep-ton-no-mah saves Nellie Stockton's life, and is thus offered the job of mail carrier by Colonel Stockton.

Spanish Joe plots with Captain Franklin to kidnap Nellie, and marry her, but he is thwarted by Wep-ton-no-mah. Nellie has already professed that she is in love with him at this point, and jealousy makes Joe mad enough to plan to kill Wep-ton-no-mah. He shoots his gun, thinking it is aimed at Wep-ton-no-mah, but actually hits his father, Chief Ga-ne-gua, who dies in his stead. Wep-ton-no-mah swears vengeance on the man who killed his father, and Spanish Joe flees.

Several years later, Wep-ton-no-mah returns from chasing down bandits, and agrees - reluctantly - to finally take the job he was offered by Colonel Stockton. Around the same time, Spanish Joe returns, still planning to kill Wep-ton-no-mah. Before this however, he enters Colonel Stockton's house, disguised as another friend of Captain Franklin's, and attempts to steal some money from his desk. Wep-ton-no-mah stops him, but Spanish Joe is able to escape.

Wep-ton-no-mah has been given an important mail carrying assignment, and Spanish Joe's newest plan is to waylay him - taking advantage of Wep-ton-no-mah's trusting nature by poisoning his drink - steal the mail, and kill Wep-ton-no-mah. To begin with, this plan goes well. Wep-ton-no-mah is poisoned, and he gives the mail to his horse, Wongy, for safekeeping. Spanish Joe's accomplice has, however, switched sides, and so Garry and Sam (two of Colonel Stockton's servants) discover that Wep-ton-no-mah is in trouble and go to find him. Wongy fights off Spanish Joe who briefly runs away before he can be discovered, and Sam and Garry help Wep-ton-no-mah home. Later that evening, there is a final stand-off between Wep-ton-no-mah and Spanish Joe, featuring a fire on stage, multiple explosions and a knife fight at the end of which Spanish Joe is defeated. [13]

Author's Reasons for Writing the Play

Gowongo wrote Wep-ton-no-mah so that she could play the type of assertive, action-heavy role she wanted. She told The Des Moines Register and Leader, "I grew tired of being cast in uncongenial roles". She decided to cast herself as the male lead because "I said to myself that I must have something free and wild that would fit with my own nature, I wanted to ride and wrestle, and I thought, 'Well, I can't do that as a woman, I must act a man, or better, a boy.'" [1]

Notes

  1. Records vary on exact birthdate
  2. or sometimes Carolina [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Brant</span> Mohawk leader (1742–1807)

Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York and, later, Brantford, in what is today Ontario, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. Perhaps the best known Native American of his generation, he met many of the most significant American and British people of the age, including both United States President George Washington and King George III of Great Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kateri Tekakwitha</span> Mohawk/Algonquin Roman Catholic saint (1656–1680)

Kateri Tekakwitha, given the name Tekakwitha, baptized as Catherine, and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks, is a Mohawk/Algonquin Catholic saint and virgin. Born in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon, in present-day New York, she contracted smallpox in an epidemic; her family died and her face was scarred. She converted to Catholicism at age 19. She took a vow of perpetual virginity, left her village, and moved for the remaining five years of her life to the Jesuit mission village of Kahnawake, just south of Montreal. She was beatified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica on 21 October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. Pauline Johnson</span> Canadian First Nations poet and performer

Emily Pauline Johnson, also known by her Mohawk stage name Tekahionwake, was a Canadian poet, author, and performer who was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her father was a hereditary Mohawk chief, and her mother was an English immigrant.

Jump Start is a daily comic strip drawn by cartoonist Robb Armstrong. It portrays the trials and tribulations of a young African American couple as they try to balance the demands of work and raising their young children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Wyoming</span> Part of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Wyoming, also known as the Wyoming Massacre, was a military engagement during the American Revolutionary War between Patriot militia and a force of Loyalist soldiers and Iroquois warriors. The battle took place in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania on July 3, 1778 in what is now Luzerne County. The result was an overwhelming defeat for the Americans. The battle is often referred to as the "Wyoming Massacre" because of the roughly 300 Patriot casualties, many of whom were killed by the Iroquois as they fled the battlefield or after they had been taken prisoner.

HMS <i>Mohawk</i> (F31) British Tribal-class destroyer

HMS Mohawk was one of 16 Tribal-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy shortly before the beginning of Second World War in 1939. Completed in 1938 the ship was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet. She was briefly involved enforcing the arms blockade on the combatants in the Spanish Civil War in early 1939. Mohawk returned home shortly after the start of the Second World War and was assigned convoy escort duties, during which she was damaged by German bombers. She played an active role in the Norwegian Campaign of April–May 1940, escorting convoys to and from Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inés Suárez</span> Spanish conquistadora

Inés Suárez, was a Spanish conquistadora who participated in the Conquest of Chile with Pedro de Valdivia, successfully defending the newly conquered Santiago against an attack in 1541 by the indigenous Mapuche.

USS <i>Princeton</i> (1843) American warship

USS Princeton was a screw steam warship of the United States Navy. Commanded by Captain Robert F. Stockton, Princeton was launched on September 5, 1843.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellie Ellis</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Nellie Ellis is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Elizabeth Kelly. Nellie is introduced as the interfering relative of Pauline Fowler in 1993 and appears regularly until 1998. She makes a further appearance in 2000 for the funeral of Ethel Skinner. She moves in with the Fowlers in early 1994, and appears to be extremely annoying and interfering. However, she proves useful in getting Michelle Fowler's money back from Frank Butcher, who had unwittingly sold Michelle a stolen Austin Metro, which was subsequently apprehended by the police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Cleveland</span> Canadian-American actor (1885–1957)

Grover "George" Alan Cleveland was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1930 and 1954.

<i>Dreamkeeper</i> 2003 television film directed by Steve Barron

Dreamkeeper is a 2003 film written by John Fusco and directed by Steve Barron. The main plot of the film is the conflict between a Lakota elder and storyteller named Pete Chasing Horse and his Lakota grandson, Shane Chasing Horse.

PS <i>Eliza Anderson</i> American paddle steamer

The PS Eliza Anderson operated from 1858 to 1898 mainly on Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia, and the Fraser River but also for short periods in Alaska. She was generally known as the Old Anderson and was considered slow and underpowered even for the time. Even so, it was said of her that "no steamboat ever went slower and made money faster." She played a role in the Underground Railroad and had a desperate last voyage to Alaska as part of the Klondike Gold Rush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selmer Jackson</span> American actor (1888–1971)

Selmer Adolf Jackson was an American stage film and television actor. He appeared in nearly 400 films between 1921 and 1963. His name was sometimes spelled Selmar Jackson.

Canaqueese was a Mohawk war leader and diplomat who lived in the 17th century in the Mohawk Valley in what is now New York State. He was of mixed heritage with a Mohawk mother and a Dutch father, but was raised and identified as Mohawk. He became an important intermediary between the French, the Dutch and the Mohawk during the intermittent conflicts known as the Beaver Wars which arose over control of the fur trade. Canaqueese participated in several attempts to reach a peace agreement between the Mohawk and New France but always acted to protect the interests of the Mohawk.

<i>Elmer, the Great</i> 1933 film

Elmer, the Great is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Joe E. Brown and Patricia Ellis.

<i>Carrier Dove</i> (schooner) 4-masted schooner in the West coast lumber trade and in fishing

Carrier Dove was a four-masted schooner built by the Hall Brothers in Port Blakely in 1890. She worked in the West coast lumber trade and in fishing.

Early Native American culture was rich with ceremonies, rituals and storytelling. The stories that inspire Native American theatre have been around for hundreds of years, but did not gain formal recognition by colonial America. This lack of recognition lasted until the 1930s when Lynn Riggs, a playwright of Cherokee descent, brought Native Theatre into the spotlight through the Six Nations Reserve Forest Theatre in Ontario. Through these events, Native Theatre has been introduced to mainstream society and contemporary Native American Theater was born. Indigenous American cultures have been a major aspect of Chicano drama.

<i>Friend</i> (pilot boat) Sandy Hook Pilot boat

The Friend was a 19th-century pilot boat built by Daniel D. Kelley & Holmes East Boston shipyard in 1848 for Boston pilots. She helped transport Boston maritime pilots between inbound or outbound ships coming into the Boston Harbor. The Friend was one of the last of the low sided, straight sheared schooners built in the 1840s for Boston pilots. The second Boston pilot boat Friend was built in 1887. Her name came from the older Friend that was in the service in the late 1840s. Captain Thomas Cooper sold the Friend to New York pilots in 1893. Cooper replaced the Friend with the pilot-boat Columbia in 1894.

Adrienne Roy-Vilandré was a soprano and folklorist from Quebec. She gave hundreds of performances in the province, frequently participated in radio broadcasts, and, using the pen name Francine, contributed articles to French-language newspapers and magazines. In addition to French-Canadian folk songs, her performances often included works in Mohawk and other Native Indian languages.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Goodman, Elyssa (November 11, 2024). "Overlooked No More: Go-won-go Mohawk, Trailblazing Indigenous Actress". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Otis, Melissa (2017). "From Iroquoia to Broadway: The Careers of Carrie A. Mohawk and Esther Deer". Iroquoia. 3: 43.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hall, Douglas E. (2005). Edgewater. Edgewater Cultural & Historical Committee. Charleston SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 119. ISBN   073853725X. OCLC   62781919 . Retrieved March 10, 2020 via Google Books.
  4. "Miss Go-Won-Go Mohawk - Interviewed by a 'Courier' Commissioner". Liverpool Weekly Courier. April 15, 1893. p. 5.
  5. "The Stage". Manchester Times. May 12, 1893. p. 5.
  6. 1 2 "Miss Majestic Palm; Her Play, Her Ponies, and Her Apache Bulldogs". Evening News. March 10, 1894. p. 1.
  7. "The Play". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 26, 1889. p. 4.
  8. 1 2 Rebhorn, Matthew (January 25, 2012). Pioneer performances: staging the frontier. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 6. ISBN   9780199751303. OCLC   722451355 . Retrieved March 10, 2020 via Google Books.
  9. "The Theatres". The Liverpool Echo. April 11, 1893. p. 3.
  10. "Wep-ton-no-mah : the Indian mail carrier: 1892" . Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  11. Mohawk, Gowongo (1893). Wep-ton-no-mah, The Indian Mail Carrier. p. 7.
  12. "The Queen's Theatre". Birmingham Daily Post. January 29, 1895. p. 8.
  13. Mohawk, Gowongo (1893). Wep-ton-no-mah, The Indian Mail Carrier. pp. 90–91.