Cheyenne Again
Story by Eve Bunting
Adapted by Patti Embry
CHARACTER LIST
THE TAKING MAN
MOTHER
FATHER
BENJAMIN
YOUNG BULL
BARBER
MR. GRIDER
TRACKER
MISS BRANDYWINE
SCENE ONE
The scene opens in an Indian village.
An Indian family, consisting of a man,
woman, and boy, are standing near a
large teepee talking with a man (The
Taking Man) in a gray suit.
THE TAKING MAN: Good morning
(shaking Indian man’s hand). I am from
the U. S. government. We’ve heard that
your son here is ten-years-old. (Man
looks at boy and Indian man shakes his
head yes.) The government says it’s
time for him to go to school. This paper
here says that he has to go with me. He
must be trained in our ways. It’s what is
best for him. (Smiling) We’ll take real
good care of him.
MOTHER: (visibly upset, bends down
to whisper in child’s ear) Run! Run!
Run fast! You must hide.
FATHER: (Placing hand on mother’s
shoulder and speaking sternly) No,
Young Bull must leave. Now is White
Man’s world. He must learn the White
Man’s ways. Corn is drying out. There
will be food in this school. Young Bull
must go.
(The mother hangs her head and begins
to cry while young boy looks up at the
Taking Man.)
SCENE TWO
The next scene opens onto a dormitorystyle room. There are twenty narrow
cots lined up in two rows. The Taking
Man and Young Bull are standing at the
entrance looking in.
THE TAKING MAN: This is the
sleeping room. You will sleep here
every night. You must never leave - for
any reason. You must wake up before
sunrise and do your chores before
school. You must never speak
Cheyenne again – only English. This is
very important. (Pointing to another
Indian boy standing nearby.) This is
Benjamin. He will show you where to go
and what to do. Just follow the rules
and you will be fine.
(Benjamin is a boy with short, black hair
and dressed in a blue, wool suit with
long pants and a jacket with a collar and
gold buttons. He is also wearing leather
shoes.
BENJAMIN: (Grinning) I’m Benjamin.
It is very nice to meet you (holding out
hand to shake). My name used to be
Blue Feather, but now I am Benjamin
just like a true White Man.
YOUNG BULL: (Staring at boy, he
does not take his hand). I can’t stay
here. This room is empty. I miss my
brothers who keep me warm in the
night. I miss the smell of smoke. I’ll be
very lonely here.
BENJAMIN: You have to stay here. If
you leave, they will find you. You must
become a White Man now.
YOUNG BULL: But I don’t want to be a
white man.
BENJAMIN: That doesn’t matter. You
have to. See the way I’m dressed – this
is the way white men dress. Hear the
way I talk – this is the way white men
talk. You will learn many things here. It
will take time, but you will get used to it.
YOUNG BULL: But what about my
family?
BENJAMIN: I haven’t seen my family in
two years. But when I do go back to my
village, I will no longer be a savage like
them. I must try to teach them the white
men’s ways as well.
(Young Bull stands quietly and thinks.)
BENJAMIN: Come now, it is time for
you to change how you look. You look
like a savage, but soon you will look like
a White Man.
SCENE THREE
(Benjamin leads Young Bull to a small
room where a barber is cutting the hair
of an Indian boy. He is cutting off his
braids and the young boy is crying
softly.)
YOUNG BULL: I do not want my braids
cut off.
(Young Bull sits in the chair and shuts
his eyes. The barber roughly pulls his
braids and cuts them off with large
scissors. He then cuts the rest of his
hair very close. After his hair is cut, the
man strips him of his buckskins, his
shirt, and his moccasins. The man
throws these in a heap on the floor.
Before his buckskins are removed.)
YOUNG BULL: Those are my deerskin
moccasins. My mother made them for
me. Please can I keep them.
(The barber ignores Young Bull’s
request and begins pulling clothing out
of a large chest. He roughly begins to
dress Young Bull in a gray wool suit with
buttons to the neck. He finishes by
pushing a pair of black leather shoes
into the boy’s hands.)
BENJAMIN: (Seeing that Young Bull is
upset) Young Bull, now you have to
wear the White Man’s clothes. Look at
me, I no longer wear buckskins or
moccasins.
YOUNG BULL: These clothes are
scratchy, and they are the color of the
ashen sky. I cannot wear this.
BENJAMIN: You can and you will. No
more Cheyenne. You have lost nothing
of value. You will be like us.
SCENE FOUR
BENJAMIN: It doesn’t matter – it has to
be done.
(The scene opens in a classroom with
twenty small desks and chairs. At each
desk sits an Indian boy, all dressed
alike. Young Bull is sitting close to the
front. A large sign on the wall reads
“Anyone caught speaking in savage
tongue will receive thirty lashes. English
only.”
MR. GRIDER: (Rapping a ruler on the
wooden desk) Attention, attention.
Today we will learn about United States
history. You will learn how America
drove out the savages and became the
great nation it is. I will begin with the
story of General Custer. General Custer
was a brave man who did a great deal
for his country. He defeated many
savages in his battles . . .
YOUNG BULL: (Waving his hand high
in the air) But, but, but . . . Mr. Grider
that’s not the way it happened. At the
Victory of Greasy Grass, General Custer
and his men attacked our brave
Cheyenne and Sioux. We defeated
them and left the dead asleep by the
river.
(Mr. Grider grows red and angry. He
quickly walks to the corner and picks up
a long cane pole. He strides to Young
Bull’s desk and stands beside it.)
MR. GRIDER: (Shaking with anger)
Hold out your hand, you heathen.
(Young Bull slowly holds his hand out
toward Mr. Grider. Mr. Grider gives him
fifteen hard slaps across the hand with
his pole. With each loud slap, Young
Bull grows paler but remains silent.)
MR. GRIDER: (Somewhat calmer)
Now let that be your lesson. You are to
never speak of your savage life again.
Too many white men have lost their life
because of you savages. Now attend to
your lessons. Do you want to be a
dumb Indian all your life?
(Young Bull sits with his head down,
tears sliding down his face.)
SCENE FIVE
(The scene opens onto a dirt path
leading to a large wooden church.
Around fifty Indian boys are marching in
two straight lines toward the church. Mr.
Grider is leading them.)
MR. GRIDER: March, march, march,
march. 1, 2, 3, 4. March, march, march,
march. Everyone stay in line – just like
soldiers. (Sneering) This will keep you
out of mischief. We are marching to
church. This is where you will learn of
God’s love. You must be forgiven for
being a savage. You must be quiet
during services and pray with your eyes
closed and hands clasped. Now march,
march, march, march.
YOUNG BULL: (Leaning towards
Benjamin and whispering to him) Why
do we never speak of the Great Spirit,
the One who raised us in this land.
BENJAMIN: (Speaking quickly and
quietly) Shush, you must never say
anything like that again. You will get
lashings for sure talking about those
things. You must forget the Great Spirit
and follow the White Man’s God. It is
the only way.
YOUNG BULL: (still whispering but
speaking angrily) They say the Indian in
us must disappear and it must be
tamed, but it will not be tamed – it
cannot be tamed. (Under his breath) I
know what I’ll do – I’ll run away. It is the
time of the cold moon – I will run away
and no one will ever find me.
TRACKER: (Grabbing Young Bull by
the back of the neck) There you are
boy. We’ve been lookin’ for you. Whoowee, I’m gonna get five dollars cash
money for you. Come on, pick up your
dirty engine feet. (He drags Young Bull
back to the barracks. Young Bull hangs
and allows the man to lead him away.)
SCENE SEVEN
SCENE SIX
The scene opens back in the classroom
with the children seated at their desks.
They are watching the front of the room
with wide eyes. Miss Brandywine, the
teacher, is standing quietly in the corner.
Mr. Grider and Young Bull are standing
at the front of the class.
Scene opens onto a field covered in
deep, drifting snow. The wind is blowing
sharply. Young Bull is pushing against
the wind with a blanket wrapped around
him. He is stumbling in the snow and
can run no farther. In the distance dogs
are barking.
MR. GRIDER: (Leaning down by the
desk, towards Young Bull) This will
teach you to run away. I’m putting this
ball and chain around your ankle to
teach you that you are a white boy now
– no more Cheyenne. You will never be
Cheyenne again.
YOUNG BULL: (To himself) I must
run, I must return to my village. I miss
my mother and my father and my
brothers. (Falling and unable to get up
again) I miss Cheyenne.
(Young Bull looks up defiantly and
stares into Mr. Grider’s eyes.)
(Just then a tracker stumbles upon
Young Bull. He is carrying a gun and
has a dog tied with a rope.)
MR. GRIDER: (Looking at the class)
See boys, this is what happens if you try
to run away. You are all White Men
now. No more Cheyenne. (Smugly)
Now Miss Brandywine may continue
with her lesson. (He leaves the
classroom)
(Young Bull makes his way slowly to his
desk dragging the ball and chain behind
him. He is trying not to cry.)
MISS BRANDYWINE: (Sharply)
Everyone, back to their studies. Come
Young Bull, come sit down at your desk.
(Squatting down next to Young Bull’s
desk and whispering) Young Bull, our
world is changing fast. We all must
change. I think you will be glad
someday of what you’ve learned, though
it was hard. Come to me before
bedtime, and I will put salve on your
ankle.
YOUNG BULL: (Looking up hopefully
into Miss Brandywine’s face) Thank
you.
MISS BRANDYWINE: (Standing and
taking Young Bull by the chin) Never
forget that you are Indian inside. Don’t
let us take your memories.
SCENE EIGHT
(The scene opens in a room holding
only a child’s school desk with a paper
and pencil on it. The walls are covered
with large posters made to look like
lined notebook paper. The paper is
covered with drawings of Indians in
headdress, Indians on horses, painted
ponies, teepees, and other Indian
scenes.)
MR. GRIDER: (Standing in front of
Young Bull) You have been here for a
year now. It is time for you to receive
your White Man’s name. From now on
your Christian name will be Nathaniel.
(He then exits the room, leaving Young
Bull alone sitting at his desk)
YOUNG BULL: (Sitting at the desk,
picks up pencil and says to the
audience) I draw on paper that is lined,
torn from my ledger book. Across the
page two warriors ride on painted
ponies. One wears a bonnet with full
tail. His yellow leggings have a bright
green fringe. His breechclout’s red.
The other has a shield with yellow
bands. I saw them once like this against
a Cheyenne sky. The lines across the
page are thin and straight as fencing.
(Young Bull stands) I snip the wire and
thrust through. And in my mind the
warriors and I ride side by side across
the golden plain. (Raising his fist to the
sky, he shouts) Cheyenne again!
COSTUME
DESIGNS
Mother
Young Bull
Father
Miss Brandywine
The Taking Man
Tracker
Barber
Mr. Grider
Benjamin &
Young Bull