Dead White Writer on the Floor

by Drew Hayden Taylor

Dead White Writer on the Floor uses two literary conventions—theatre of the absurd and mystery novels—to create one of the funniest and thought-provoking plays ever about identity politics. In Act One, six “savages”; noble, innocent, ignorant, fearless, wise and gay, respectively; find themselves in a locked room with the body of a white writer, which they stash in a closet. None of them can figure out how he died or which of them might have killed him. They realize as they point fingers at each other, however, that they are all profoundly unhappy with their lives as they’ve been constructed over the past four hundred years: Old Lodge Skins wants to know what it feels like to be a young man; Billy Jack wonders what spreading healing rather than pain would feel like; Injun Joe is desperate for an education; Kills Many Enemies is exhausted by his deadly seriousness and yearns for a sense of humour; Pocahontas seeks to feel respected as a woman rather than lusted after as a child sex object; and Tonto wants to “come out of the canyon” and be the one wearing the mask for a change. Gradually, they figure out that the latest iteration of Gutenberg’s invention buzzing like a beehive on the dead writer’s desk is actually a dream-catcher, which they can use to rewrite their lives in the image of their own inner beings.

Imagine their surprise when they reappear in the same locked room in Act Two as Mike, Jim, Bill, John, Sally and Fred—attending an A.A. meeting and bickering among themselves about reserve politics, unmanageable family relationships and whether Bingo has a place in their new air-conditioned casino—and realize the white writer must still be very much alive in their community; his body in the closet is still warm!

Genres: Plays, Fiction, Indigenous, School, Drama, Mystery, Canada

112 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2011

About the author

During the last thirty years of his life, Drew Hayden Taylor has done many things, most of which he is proud of. An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, he has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being Artistic Director of Canada's premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He has been an award-winning playwright (with over 70 productions of his work), a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers and magazines), short-story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter, and has worked on over 17 documentaries exploring the Native experience. Most notably, he wrote and directed REDSKINS, TRICKSTERS AND PUPPY STEW, a documentary on Native humour for the National Film Board of Canada.

He has traveled to sixteen countries around the world, spreading the gospel of Native literature to the world. Through many of his books, most notably the four volume set of the FUNNY, YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ONE series, he has tried to educate and inform the world about issues that reflect, celebrate, and interfere in the lives of Canada's First Nations.

Self described as a contemporary story teller in what ever form, last summer saw the production of the third season of MIXED BLESSINGS, a television comedy series he co-created and is the head writer for. This fall, a made-for-tv movie he wrote, based on his Governor General's nominated play was nominated for three Gemini Awards, including Best Movie. Originally it aired on APTN and opened the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, and the Dreamspeakers Film Festival in Edmonton.

The last few years has seen him proudly serve as the Writer-In-Residence at the University of Michigan and the University of Western Ontario. In 2007, Annick Press published his first Novel, THE NIGHT WANDERER: A Native Gothic Novel, a teen novel about an Ojibway vampire. Two years ago, his non-fiction book exploring the world of Native sexuality, called ME SEXY, was published by Douglas & McIntyre. It is a follow up to his highly successful book on Native humour, ME FUNNY.

The author of 20 books in total, he is eagerly awaiting the publication of his new novel in February by Random House as "One of the new faces of fiction for 2010", titled MOTORCYCLES AND SWEETGRASS. In January, his new play, DEAD WHITE WRITER ON THE FLOOR, opens at Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay. Currently, he is working on a new play titled CREES IN THE CARRIBEAN, and a collection of essays called POSTCARDS FROM THE FOUR DIRECTIONS. More importantly, he is desperately trying to find the time to do his laundry.

Oddly enough, the thing his mother is most proud of is his ability to make spaghetti from scratch.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book to close out my reading year! This short play, a clear labor of love, took Taylor fourteen years to complete, enduring many rewrites along the way, as he searched for how best to convey his thoughts on indigenous identity, not only in literature and art, but in everyday life.  


As I’ve dug into indigenous history to find out more about my ancestry and not-so-distant past, I’ve come across quite a bit of, shall we say, iffy writing by white writers. And I don’t mean ‘iffy’ with regards to specific verbiage or anything politically incorrect. More just concerning a seemingly continuous need to lessen the blow or justify or explain-away the nation’s horrid history. It’s not blatant. It’s kind of…subtlety done. Kind of like: 


“yea but there were multiple imperial powers, including native tribes”

“yea but they committed atrocities towards whites too”

“yea but all lands are gained by conquering, and so the ‘indians’ were conquered”

“yea but it was inevitable. you can’t stop the tide of progress” 


But I’m making this way more political than it needs to be. In a short, succinct, funny yet amorphous way, this play addressed that concern or tendency. I say amorphous because none of what Taylor’s trying to say is laid on thick, so you have to take what meaning you can from the play. I’m sure everyone will take away something different after reading this. 


The first act is a good look at the caricatures of native people by white writers in the past. I’m reading Little Big Man on the side, and the cringey parts abound. And to my surprise, Old Lodge Skins, a character in this old book I’m reading, is one of the six native characters in the play.


But the stand out part for me is the second act, where each of those 6 indigenous characters is supposedly freed from their caricatures and allowed to be who they want to be, transplanted into our modern present-day society. As just one example, we see Pocahontas struggling to survive as a single mother on welfare… a poignant look at who she would likely be today in our country. The feeling each of them have…that something isn’t quite right, is maybe something that most indigenous people feel today in the present-day North, Central and South America. Here you are, a free man and woman, yet speaking English or Spanish. We’re wearing jeans and t-shirts and the latest fly kicks. But something isn’t quite right. This isn’t how it should be. Something was stolen. And its repercussion is in each of our daily lived-in experiences. … Powerful. 

[Kalyn✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead White Writer on the Floor made me realize that I don't particularly enjoy reading plays, mainly because I'm not that good at it. I also didn't know the characters (aside from Pocahontas) and while I did a quick Google search for the non-OCs, I think the book would be better enjoyed by people who know all of nuances of the characters and stereotypes used in their original story. (Although it's more than possible to read this book without knowing them, so don't let that turn you off from it.)

Since I now know I don't like plays, which isn't the book's fault, I'll rate it more generously. The idea is great. The pacing was good, the plot was intriguing— just wonderful, really, and it makes you angry at how Indigenous peoples are portrayed in media while offering some humour. The switch at the end was a bit confusing, but I got through it.

I wish I could see the play preformed in person because I'm positive I'd enjoy it more then.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely brilliant play about the difficulties of representation for Indigenous North Americans. Taking inspiration from Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, Taylor's play is an amazing postmodern exploration of identity, representation, and self-determination. The first act features either specific Indigenous characters (like Pocahontas, Injun Joe, Tonto, or Billy Jack) or Indigenous character types (like the savage warrior Kills Many Enemies or the elder Old Lodge Skins). They find themselves locked in the room of a dead white writer who was working on a set of short stories about these characters. After their initial confusion about being in this unfamiliar locale, the characters begin to realize--mostly through Billy Jack's familiarity with the Pocahontas story and with Tom Sawyer--that they are literary figures or tropes. They also slowly come to recognize how much they resent the simplistic and often insulting depictions of Indigenous peoples in white people's writing, and they resolve to rewrite the ends of their stories to do things they've always aspired to but have never had the chance to in their constricted story worlds.

However, in the second act they've actually gotten the stories they sought, and they've each found how unfulfilled they remain. In act one, each character identified an aspiration at odds with their character traits, but they find that the traits they had sought are equally problematic. For instance, Tonto had wanted to be a leader in charge of things for once, but in his modern avatar as Jim, he is the corrupt leader of the reservation about to go to prison for various crimes. Pocahontas wanted to be an adult/mother rather than being an sexualized child figure (pointing out that the historical Pocahontas was twelve when the thirty three year old John Smith showed up), and in her incarnation as Sally she has eleven children and is trying to support them on social security and bingo. Interestingly, it's Fred--Injun Joe's modern self who was traumatized by his experience in Residential Schools--who correctly identifies that for all the changes they've undergone they've fundamentally failed to move toward genuinely rewarding lives because they remain prisoners of storylines, even if they've written them in a new way.
https://youtu.be/ld4DAQfRo3A

[Shannon (That's So Poe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This surprised me by how funny it was! I really liked the discussion that it has about the portrayals of Indigenous people in fiction written by White writers, as well as the modern issues that Indigenous communities face. It got a little confusing at times for me, but I bet it would be even better seeing it performed live. Very much worth picking up!

[ECH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this. I wasn't necessarily expecting to since I struggle with satire when I can't hear the live delivery. Then a second act change that I initially expected to dislike kicked the emotional resonance up. At the same time all the thematic work started landing. I finished the play feeling the kind of freaked out that I like to be with theater. I want to see this performed

[Annge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need a little more time to dissect this ☝️🤓

[aditi :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of this (not really) but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made for a great English ISU

[Kylie]

Read this as a text for EFP 11.

Really enjoyed the concept! Hoping to find a filmed production online as I think this is a play that does better when seen.

[abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is such a good written work about Indigenous peoples. it shows how some people look at them, just as stereotypes on paper or on screen. i love it.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six First Nations Stereotypes in Search of an Author. Drew Haden Taylor's take on Pirandello features six stereotypical characters -- Billy Jack, Pocahontas, Injun Joe, the tribal warrior, the elder and Tonto--trying to break free of their limited representation. The piece plays better than it reads. When they create their own reality, the names change, and with the five men, you have to keep referring back to the cast list to see the connections. It's worth the effort, though, as the play deals intelligently, movingly and sometimes humorously with First Nations issues today as well as past stereotypes.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY funny, but also quite sad? I'd love to see this performed some day!

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was funny and cringey and insightful and provocative and I loved it!! I’ve not really read any plays like this before but I will moving forward.

[betty · Rating 1 out of 5]

absolutely not

[Mashal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting very much from this book, but it turned out to be surprisingly funny.

A short and humourous read! 4/5

[annika burman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this more than I was expecting to.

Dead White Writer on the Floor follows six Indigenous characters who find themselves locked in a room with a dead white writer in the closet. While at first they try to figure out who killed him, they later start to question who they are, why they are stuck there, and who the white writer actually is. In act II, they try to rewrite their lives, only to find that the tracks for Indigenous people run deeper than they realized.

Although I wasn't familiar with most of the characters before reading this play, they were written with such clarity that the messages were accessible and impactful regardless. It was thought-provoking, emotional, sometimes funny, and concise. I would definitely recommend this if you don't mind reading plays. (To be honest, I usually don't enjoy plays, but this one I liked.) Of course, it would probably still be better live, especially because it would be easier to keep track of the characters in act II.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, what a poignant play. All the touchstone First Nations issues packed into two acts. The transition between Act 1 and 2 is brilliant. The echoes of Six Characters in Search of an Author is also a beautiful salute to the themes and issues of Pirandello's original. I will be interested to see how this play ages. It is great reading, especially for Canadian audiences who are more deeply connected to what they've put First Nations people through. A tough sell for all theatres, with the exception of maybe urban centres and towns with an active affiliation with First Nations artistic communities. To be offended by the stereotypes used in this play is likely the product of not understanding the author is Ojibway and that education is not always pretty. As a script, four stars. As far as potential fare for most community theatres, two stars.

[fizza · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
i actually really liked this. act 1 was definitely funnier and more enjoyable than the second one. i appreciated the writer not trying to spoon-feed us a straightforward conclusion and leaving it up to us to interpret the actual essence of the play and why it ended the way it did.
-----

i originally rated this 3.5 stars and didn't think much of it but as i'm writing my essay i'm noticing drew hayden taylor's subtle genius in the parallels between the aspirations of the characters and the experiences of their contemporary counterparts. the two that particularly struck me are pocahontas/sally and injun joe/fred.

with pocahontas her intersectionality as an Indigenous woman plays significantly into how her struggles differ from the rest of the characters. as pocahontas, a teenage girl sexualized to appease an audience that want to fetishize her identity, she wants to bear children rather than be one because she believes it will grant her more autonomy over her own body. this starkly contrasts with sally, a struggling mother of 11 children living off of welfare cheques and still not being able to gain absolute agency over her life.

all injun joe wants is to receive proper education "like the whites", but when we consider fred we see a man reeling from the trauma of his time at a residential school. he got access to education (particularly an education that strived to indoctrinate Indigenous children into becoming more "like the whites" hayden taylor you genius....) but that education came with its consequences.

the depiction of them wanting to escape their realities and wishing for better lives and all their desires coming true but with their own modern-day repercussions was so well done; thought-provoking but hilarious in its delivery. 4.5 stars.

[Thomas Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Experimental/postmodern play in which a group of Native American archetypes - Injun Joe, Pocahontas, Tonto and others - find themselves in a white writer's study. Having to reckon with their fictions, their lack of agency and the lives they could have had, the characters set about changing their stories...only to find themselves thrust into new archetypal roles. It's funny and thoughtful, and I really liked the way the humour of the first act morphs into the existential dread of the second. Good stuff.

[Elle]

I enjoyed this, but would prefer to see it live. The thematic content regarding colonialisms proximity through fiction and real life was well done, and I would have liked to have seen more acts with different iterations of the characters as they changed what they wanted.
I didn’t have familiarity with many of the characters which I think would have heightened my overall enjoyment of the play.

For those confused by the second act, here is a guide to the character name changes:

Bill = Kills Many Enemies
Fred = Injun Joe
Sally = Pocahontas
Jim = Tonto
John = Old Lodge Skins
Mike = Billy Jack

[taylor :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4/5) i accidentally finished this in one period while everyone else is supposed to finish act 2 tomorrow but oh well.

this was kinda fun and wacky. i liked that all the characters represented traditional indigenous stereotypes and the author got that point across in a way that didn’t take itself too seriously. and i love what drew hayden taylor did with pocahontas’s character because that rage coming out of her was so well deserved!

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first act was good, but in the second act I lost my bearing due to the name changes. This could be remedied by a live viewing though.

Also the twist was predictable, and I didn’t feel that the implications were explored in great enough depth.

Overall, a solid first act, with a second that throws you for a loop but loses you in the process.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye-opening and sad how native american roles and lives are still greatly affected by the consequences of colonialism. It's hard for me to read plays, I think I'd have enjoyed it better if I had seen it live.

[toes · Rating 1 out of 5]

racist ahh title like bro we did not need to know that he's white like the beef with the white people you have is kinda crazy and why is their child sex in this book...like bro do you have paraphilia or something?? its giving pedophile

[Hayley Bahnemann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely think reading this play did not have as powerful an effect as watching it would have, I think I lost a lot of the nuances because I was reading it over the span of several days rather than watching it live.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this playwright.
this is another essential read in this year of "Canada 150"

[Juanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd love to see this on the stage!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six characters in search of the murderer of the white writer.

[Zeenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

[Diwali L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully abstract.

[David Trudell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept. Not his best execution.