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God and the Indian
While panhandling outside a coffee shop, Johnny, a Cree woman who lives on the streets, is shocked to recognize a face from her childhood, which was spent in a First Nations residential school. Desperate to hear the man acknowledge the terrible abuse he inflicted on her and other children at the school, Johnny follows Anglican bishop George King to his office to confront him. Inside King’s office, Johnny’s memories are fluid, shifting, and her voice cracks with raw emotion. Is the bishop actually guilty of what she claims, or has her ability to recollect been altered by poverty, abuse, and starvation experienced on the streets? Can her memories be trusted? Who is responsible for what? At its core, God and the Indian, by celebrated Aboriginal playwright Drew Hayden Taylor, explores the complex process of healing through dialogue. Loosely based on Death and the Maiden by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman, the play identifies the ambiguities that frame past traumatic events. Against the backdrop of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which has facilitated the recent outpouring of stories from First Nations residential school survivors across the country, the play explores what is possible when the abused meets the abuser and is given a free forum for expression. Cast of 1 woman and 1 man.
- GenresPlaysDramaIndigenous
96 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Drew Hayden Taylor
58 books298 followersDuring 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 5, 2016
I need to see this live, the actors have some good stuff to work with.
May 6, 2022
Johnny, a Cree woman, follows the bishop who she believes abused her at a residential school forty years ago and confronts him. Their conversation is heartbreaking, fraught with the bluriness of time, and even at times (appropriately) comedic.
Grim and powerful in its ambiguity, God and the Indian is an unflinching look at the repercussions of childhood trauma and the travesty of residential schools in Canada.
Grim and powerful in its ambiguity, God and the Indian is an unflinching look at the repercussions of childhood trauma and the travesty of residential schools in Canada.
January 3, 2019
"God and the Indian" is a play that is absolutely riveting to read (and the preface is also not to be missed!) It captures the essence of the travesty (and legacy) of Indian residential schools in Canada. As I read, I could easily envision all of the scenes and interactions - I would still love to see this play performed on stage! Well worth reading!
September 20, 2017
Wish I could see this on stage.
such a powerful story - loved the simplicity and complexity of it.
such a powerful story - loved the simplicity and complexity of it.
May 17, 2020
It doesn't give any easy answers, and that's enough reason to respect it.
October 23, 2025
The five star system sucks: 6.5/10
January 24, 2022
Amazing play! It was a great comedic take on the Indigenous reality. Taylor really showcased the horrors and implications of the Indigenous Residential Schools like no other.
December 21, 2015
Plays are supposed to be seen and heard not just read so it is difficult to get the full effect of God and the Indian from a single reading. On the other hand, the subject matter of this play, the horrifying experience of those who faced abuse at residential schools, is a topic that would be extremely difficult to watch, especially when well acted so reading the play does give us a bit of a chance to think as well as feel.
When Johnny Indian recognizes Assistant Archbishop George King, she follows him back to his office and confronts him as her abuser at the residential school she attended 40 years before. It is soon apparent that King was in fact at the school but he vociferously denies any allegation of wrong doing.
And so begins the drama and the attempt at some resolution to the abuse that so many First Nations people suffered while at residential schools. And Drew Hayden Taylor doesn't make the telling of the story easy.
There is no question that Johnny Indian suffered. There is no question that she was abused. There is no question that her experiences at the school had a profoundly negative impact on her from the loss of her brother, the alienation of her parents, her alcoholism and ultimately the loss of a child to fetal alcoholism. We can only feel sympathy even pity for her circumstances and we would want nothing more than for her story to be believed and understood.
However, Taylor's characterization of George gives us no satisfaction as we are completely unsure of his guilt. He seems like a decent family man. He admits to the many faults of the church at the time. He wishes he had done more to make things better and he genuinely shows concern for Johnny. But he adamantly denies any wrongdoing. And while Johnny is certain that she has the right man, even she admits that the past 40 years have been an alcoholic haze.
While we do sympathize with Johnny, it was very difficult to feel anything for George. We couldn't hate him as we weren't convinced of his guilt yet we couldn't sympathize with him as we weren't convinced of his innocence.
Residential schools were a huge stain on our collective history and Taylor has shown us just how difficult the effects have been.
When Johnny Indian recognizes Assistant Archbishop George King, she follows him back to his office and confronts him as her abuser at the residential school she attended 40 years before. It is soon apparent that King was in fact at the school but he vociferously denies any allegation of wrong doing.
And so begins the drama and the attempt at some resolution to the abuse that so many First Nations people suffered while at residential schools. And Drew Hayden Taylor doesn't make the telling of the story easy.
There is no question that Johnny Indian suffered. There is no question that she was abused. There is no question that her experiences at the school had a profoundly negative impact on her from the loss of her brother, the alienation of her parents, her alcoholism and ultimately the loss of a child to fetal alcoholism. We can only feel sympathy even pity for her circumstances and we would want nothing more than for her story to be believed and understood.
However, Taylor's characterization of George gives us no satisfaction as we are completely unsure of his guilt. He seems like a decent family man. He admits to the many faults of the church at the time. He wishes he had done more to make things better and he genuinely shows concern for Johnny. But he adamantly denies any wrongdoing. And while Johnny is certain that she has the right man, even she admits that the past 40 years have been an alcoholic haze.
While we do sympathize with Johnny, it was very difficult to feel anything for George. We couldn't hate him as we weren't convinced of his guilt yet we couldn't sympathize with him as we weren't convinced of his innocence.
Residential schools were a huge stain on our collective history and Taylor has shown us just how difficult the effects have been.
July 22, 2020
This is a stellar play. It has the postcolonial gravitas of something like Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman and the gripping ambiguity of something like Shanley's Doubt with a subtle humor that perfectly balances the seriousness of the subject.
The play is about a Cree woman, who gives her name as Johnny Indian, who confronts a priest (now assistant bishop) who she believes had sexually abused her about forty years earlier in a residential school. The entire play is set in his office, as she tries to get this man to acknowledge what he did to her. He openly admits the terrible mistake that was the residential schools--which, for those not familiar, were schools in Canada that took young First Nations children away from their homes and families to essentially erase their indigenous heritage; many of the children were physically, sexually, mentally, and culturally abused. But this priest refuses to acknowledge that he personally abused any child, including Johnny. His self-assurance, career success, and happy family contrasts starkly with her illness, poverty, homelessness, and history of alcoholism (she only gave up drinking because her liver is shot). It is a portrait of the differences between privileged white Canadians, especially men with power and positions, and the damage they cause(d) through the erasure of indigenous cultures.
https://youtu.be/f72X1gyOFkk
The play is about a Cree woman, who gives her name as Johnny Indian, who confronts a priest (now assistant bishop) who she believes had sexually abused her about forty years earlier in a residential school. The entire play is set in his office, as she tries to get this man to acknowledge what he did to her. He openly admits the terrible mistake that was the residential schools--which, for those not familiar, were schools in Canada that took young First Nations children away from their homes and families to essentially erase their indigenous heritage; many of the children were physically, sexually, mentally, and culturally abused. But this priest refuses to acknowledge that he personally abused any child, including Johnny. His self-assurance, career success, and happy family contrasts starkly with her illness, poverty, homelessness, and history of alcoholism (she only gave up drinking because her liver is shot). It is a portrait of the differences between privileged white Canadians, especially men with power and positions, and the damage they cause(d) through the erasure of indigenous cultures.
https://youtu.be/f72X1gyOFkk
July 30, 2017
I read this for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2015. Challenge: 9. A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture.
I really did not care for the writing style. The story is also confusing to me. I know it is a short story, but I wish it were longer.
I really did not care for the writing style. The story is also confusing to me. I know it is a short story, but I wish it were longer.
January 16, 2017
A powerful play that doesn't shy away from telling the truth through the victim's voice . A very powerful narrative that seeks to find healing through dialogue in terms of trauma, residential schools, abuse, and more. A very important story of trauma and trying to heal.
May 5, 2015
A very powerful read - short, simple and to the point. I would very much like to see this performed.
June 4, 2016
I did not enjoy reading this because the topic of the residential schools is so grim, however I would like to see it performed.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews