PERUSALCOPY-TheOwlandTheHorseshoe-4.5.1

MENAWA
My brothers, I have​ ​one final word. We are warriors of the mighty Creek Nation. We are brave and strong. We
will make our stand here on the banks of the Tallapoosa, the home of our Grandfathers. We will fight as long
as we have breath to fight.

[​SOUND: ​ the owl]

(​WARRIORS​ and ​WOMEN​ whoop and EXIT LEFT and RIGHT. F​ AMILY ​remains)

SOARING EAGLE
My brave son and daughter, the time has come for me and the other warriors to fight for you and our people.
Promise me you will continue to be brave and help your mother ​(pulling his children close).​ Do not ever forget
that you are a Hillabee of the Mighty Creek Nation.

RED FOX
(takes bow in hand)​ My Father, we are ready to fight too!

LITTLE DEER
(holds up her bag of arrows)​ I have many arrows that will hurt them if they come near me!

SOARING EAGLE
(Hugs them, fighting tears)​ If the white soldiers come close, fill them full of arrows and keep them away from your
mother.

(DRUMS are heard, ​Eagle​ hugs FAMILY)​

Be brave, my Flower. ​(turns to Sunflower Woman, still clinging to her husband)​ Take care of the children. Come Brave
Hunter, Brave Hawk.​ ​(he turns to each)​ ​My Little Flower, my Flower. My love for you is more than all the stars in
the sky.

(​LITTLE FLOWER ​wipes tears from her eyes as ​SOARING EAGLE​ EXITS. ​)

LITTLE DEER
My Mother, my Grandmother, please do not cry. Red Fox and I will protect you. Will we not, Brother?

RED FOX

We will protect the whole village!

SUNFLOWER WOMAN
(Also wiping tears, smiles, hugs CHILDREN)​ Oh, my grandchildren! You are the Hope that is in my heart!

LITTLE FLOWER
For ​(pauses, gesturing as to say, “this situation we must overcome”)... ​this ​and for what we must do​, ​ t​ he children are the
reason.

SUNFLOWER WOMAN
(extending the familiar sentiment to her own child)​ Yes, My Daughter, they are.

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LITTLE DEER
Mother, I am thirsty and we do not have water. May I go to the river and...

LITTLE FLOWER
No, Little Deer. Do not go near the river. It is too dangerous.​ (being explicitly clear in her directions)​ Go to the
place in the center of the village where the large pots of water are placed. Fill our bottles there. Do you
understand? Both of you will go. Do not become separated. Do not wander off.

LITTLE DEER / RED FOX
Yes, My Mother.

SUNFLOWER WOMAN
My Daughter, you and I must meet with the Beloved Women. (​ to CHILDREN)​ We will return to the huti soon.

(S​ UNFLOWER WOMAN​ and L​ ITTLE FLOWER​ EXIT)

LITTLE DEER
(disappointed)​ I do not want the water from those old pots. I saw a path the deer use, and I just know it leads to
the best water in the river! If we run fast, we will be there and back before Mother and Grandmother return!

RED FOX
(louder, as if he knows what is about to happen)​ Sister, I do not think it is wise to...

LITTLE DEER
If you can run as fast as a deer and catch me on the trail...

RED FOX

Sisterrrr...No….

LITTLE DEER

To the river! ​(laughs as she speeds off)

RED FOX

Little Deer...no! Grrrr! (​ runs after her).​

[ LIGHTS: ​Out ]​

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ACT 2 SCENE 7
The hill overlooking the barricade

[ LIGHTS: ​Up,​ o​ n​ ​JACKSON, Upstage Left​ ]

JACKSON
(​JACKSON, o​ n top of hill with spyglass, overlooking barricade, checks his pocket watch)​ 1​ 0 o’clock. Private,​ a​ re the cannons
in place and well-sighted upon the breastwork below? Do we have confirmation on General Coffee’s position to
the south of the village?

PRIVATE

Yes, General, on both accounts.

JACKSON
(​speaking to SOLDIER and AUDIENCE)​ ​ It is impossible to conceive a situation more eligible for defense than the
breastwork these Red Sticks have skillfully manifested; it is quite astonishing. Our troops approaching this
fortification will be exposed to a double fire, while their warriors lay entirely safe behind it. Even our cannons
may be disadvantaged and only rake the barricade. ​However, from this vantage point, I can surmise they have
created their own trap for themselves. With General Coffee’s troops and our allies in place across the river, the
Red Sticks will soon discover they are fully encircled, with no means of escape. ​(chuckles, amused by his thought)
Private​, ​they are a superstitious lot. Many of them believe Tecumseh stomped his foot and made the ground
quake. Soon, the whooping cries of their warriors will be drowned out by the thundering chant of our cannon
fire, and the ground below their feet will tremble in a far more real way than Tecumseh’s parlor tricks.

[ SPOTLIGHT: ​ NARRATOR​ ]

NARRATOR
The first volley of cannon fire landed short of the target, inflicting little damage to the log barricade and doing
no harm to the painted warriors behind it. The war whoops and chants of the Red Sticks were deafening. The
prophets ran from end to end of the breastwork, encouraging the warriors. As a show of defiance, an
occasional arrow would soar through the air. The arrows, though, would need to be saved. Warriors, armed
with flintlock muskets, also held their fire for when the soldiers would come within range. The Red Sticks knew
Sharp Knife Jackson had not come to play games.

[ SOUND:​ cannon fire and war whoops​ ]

From their position across the river from the village, General John Coffee’s troops could hear the blasts of
cannon fire and the war whoops of the Red Sticks. As they waited and watched for signs of activity on the
opposing shore, they sighted the canoes that had been hidden by the villagers. General Coffee then knew the
village was within his grasp. The sun was high in the sky. Still, they waited for the bugle to be sounded from
the barricade or from atop the distant hill where General Jackson stood in command. Was this wait to continue
or was a battle to be fought on this day? Unwilling to wait any longer, General Coffee prepared to attack the
village. Ahead of his soldiers, several Cherokee warriors slid into the cold, swift river and swam to the other
side…

[ SPOTLIGHT: O​ ut​ ]
[ ​LIGHTS:​ isolated on group, Downstage Right ]

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RED FOX
My Mother, the White Feathers are crossing the river!

LITTLE FLOWER
The White Feathers crossing...​(angry)​ ​ ​The river?​ Why were you near...did I not tell you, both…​(realizing LITTLE
DEER is not present)​ Your sister…​(thinking the worst)​ Red Fox, where is Little Deer?

RED FOX
We heard a splash, then saw many White Feathers swimming across the river. We hid in the bushes. Sister is
hiding but she is not hurt. She is watching the warriors swim the river.

SUNFLOWER WOMAN
Red Fox, the warriors, what did you see of them?

RED FOX
All I could see were their heads and the white feathers in their hair. (​ becomes worried) ​I should go back for Little
Deer. They may hurt her.

LITTLE FLOWER
No, you will stay here. I will get your sister. ​(to SUNFLOWER WOMAN)​ ​My Mother, go and tell the others the White
Stick warriors are moving to attack the village from the river. If we do not stop them, we will be trapped.

[ LIGHTS OUT ]
[ SOUND: ​Cannonfire, gunfire, shouting ​]
[ LIGHTS : t​ ight spot on ​LITTLE FLOWER​ ]​
[ SOUND: ​Paddles hitting water, water splashing over canoes​ ]

[ACTION NOTE: ​ L​ ITTLE DEER is still h​ iding in bushes, she sees her mother but before she can finish calling to her, a trio of W​ hite
Stick Warriors​ are seen crouching, as they make their way across the stage ​]

(LITTLE FLOWER a​ ppears on the scene but quickly hides when​ s​ he hears W​ ARRIORS​ shouting their plans to storm the
village)

LITTLE DEER

Mother! I am here!

(LITTLE FLOWER​ sees L​ ITTLE DEER​, she gives her the signal of silence ​)

WARRIORS
( adlib: “you...this, that way, etc” )

[ CHOREOGRAPHED STAGE DIRECTIONS ]
( LITTLE FLOWER moves cautiously forward, staying concealed behind the bushes, daring not to call out for Little Deer // The warriors and some of
the white soldiers who had crossed the river are making their advance toward the village // LITTLE FLOWER sees LITTLE DEER hidden behind a big
bush. She places a hand over her own mouth to avoid calling out // A WARRIOR with a white feather moves near to where LITTLE FLOWER is hiding
// Seeing the warrior, LITTLE DEER decides she should run // At the precise moment she steps from behind the bush, the WARRIOR, hearing her
movement, rushes to the other side, bumping into LITTLE DEER and knocking her to the ground // LITTLE FLOWER watches in horror as the two look
at each other. The warrior was surprised.

[SOUND: ​Gunfire and Cannon​]

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( LITTLE DEER’s scream goes unheard because of the surrounding noise // Looking around for signs of other warriors and soldiers,
WARRIOR suddenly makes the signal for silence // Making sure his actions were not being watched, he picks up LITTLE DEER and
slides her back under the bush // LITTLE DEER thanks him with a timid smile. WARRIOR joins GROUP OF WARRIORS as they
ENTER from the river, SL. ALL WARRIORS proceed across stage and EXIT )

LITTLE FLOWER
(quickly crawls to the hiding place of Little Deer)​ Oh my child, my brave child. We are in great danger. Follow me.
Move when I do. We must get back to the village.

(The two crawl underneath the cover of the bushes)

SOLDIER 1
Where you think you’re going, missy? That’s about far enough. Well, well, well, lookie what we got here.

[​LIGHTS:​ OUT]

[​SOUND:​ Gunshot, followed by cannon and multiple gunfire]

[ ​SPOTLIGHT​: JACKSON, SOLDIER ]

SOLDIER
(​Enters, running a battle report​)​ General Jackson, our cannon shots have breached the barricade. Smoke is also
rising over the Red Stick village.

JACKSON​ ,
(​using his spyglass, speaks in a dryly annoyed tone)​ ​ It appears General Coffee has taken it upon himself to not only
cross the river ahead of orders but also to set fire to the village. I suspect the smoke to be a sign to his
Commanding General that we should press forward. Very well. We shall take the advantage granted by
General Coffee’s rather unanticipated maneuvers. The Red Sticks are surrounded with no way to escape.

(to SOLDIER)​ S​ ound the call to advance on the breastwork. We must make short work of wearing down the Red
Stick munitions until their muskets fall silent. We will then see how well they fare with their primitive stone
hatchets.

Yes, General Jackson. SOLDIER

[L​ IGHTS​ dim, leaving JACKSON in a spotlight]

JACKSON
(confidently gloating, speaking to AUDIENCE as though they are Red Sticks)​ ​Soon you will meet the full force of my
troops, threefold yours in numbers. Again and again, I shall come at you. One by one you will fall. Then, like
common stock , you will be driven back and corralled in the burning remains of your village.

[SOUND:​ Bugle Call to advance troops]​
[LIGHTS OUT]

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>>EPIC MOMENT of BATTLE - A VISUAL PAINTING<<

[ ​DIRECTORIAL NOTE:​ The final battle should be choreographed and lit so as to evoke a “painting in motion.” Three to five staged
scenes of battle could include, for example, a Red Stick warrior killing a soldier, only to be shot by an incoming White Stick warrior with
a rifle or a Red Stick being shot before he reaches his target. Ultimately, the battle scenes should visually show the fierce bravery of the
Red Sticks under insurmountable odds ​]

[FX : ​Slow-motion, harsh light, smoke ​]

( SOARING EAGLE​ watches​ ​as one by one his friends go down ​)

SOARING EAGLE

Brother!

( BRAVE HAWK, falls at his feet​; a sword of a white soldier protrudes from his stomach.)

( SOARING EAGLE​ r​ eaches for the child but​ ​is hit on the head by the butt of a soldier’s musket. Feels the warm blood
running down his face. His last thought before sinking to the ground ...​ )

SOARING EAGLE
My Flower…

[ ​SOUND:​ ​OWLs wildly screeching, gunfire fades as the sound of heartbeats and rattles and a drum are heard​ ]

[ ​A Shape (Dancer), as T​ HE OWL,​ appears ]​

( The Owl​ hovers over ​SOARING EAGLE,​ R​ ED FOX )

[ ​BLACKOUT​ ]

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ACT 2 SCENE 8

[ SOUND : G​ unfire, hand-to-hand battle sounds, shouts​ ]
[ SPOTLIGHT : N​ ARRATOR​ ]
[ MUSIC : ​somber drum​ ]

NARRATOR
Cool winds blew over the battlefield that was intended as a fortress for one-thousand brave Red Stick warriors.
The fortress instead became a trap of death for nearly an entire nation of warriors. They had fought and died
as their grandfathers would have expected them to do, as Creek warriors had done for generations.

[ SOUND: wings fluttering, owl screeches ]

Narrow beams of light pierced through the smoke-filled canopy of trees, casting dark shadows over the
smoldering remains of the village.​ ​As the last rays of the setting sun filtered over the mangled bodies of the
warriors, the owls gathered. The cries that had been prophesies of death and destruction now marked the end
of a way of life for the Creek people.

Only the fortunate survived.​

[ LIGHTS:​ on vignette at Up Stage L​ ]

(MENAWA, ​injured but rises from behind two fallen W​ ARRIORS)

(NARRATOR m​ oves near​ MENAWA)​ ​After being left for dead, Menawa concealed himself underneath the bodies
of dead warriors. When the opportunity allowed, he slipped into a canoe and floated under cover of darkness
down the Tallapoosa River.

[ LIGHTS OUT: MENAWA ]

[ LIGHTS: v​ ignette of​ SOLDIERS ​and dead​ WARRIOR ]
(A​ s​ NARRATOR d​ escribes​, SOLDIER​s, with knives enacts cutting of nose and stripping of skin from a dead warrior)

By sunrise, the fighting had ended. For an accurate count, ​(particularly stresses the nickname)​ Sharp Knife
Jackson ordered the tip cut off the noses of 800 slain Red Sticks. In contempt, the soldiers stripped the skin
from the arms and legs of the warriors, as if they were only deer for trade.​ ​(pauses)​ These strips would be made
into souvenir belts and bridles.

(SOLDIER p​ rods a captive​ SURVIVOR t​ owards the group​)

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(​NARRATOR,​ cont’d)​ The stench of death filled the air. Soldiers prodded and corralled the survivors to the
center of the village ruins. Only the muffled cries of children and the sorrowful keening of the women broke the
silence.

[ LIGHTS:​ silhouetting​ WOMEN, CHILDREN​ and​ SOLDIERS ]
(CHILDREN, ​hungry and cold, are crying.​ WOMEN a​ re keening​)

They keened for the dead and for the end of the way of life they had always known. They wept, not only for
their own families, but for the entire Nation of the Creek people...of MY​ ​People ​ (long pause, finds strength…​ )
(NARRATOR, c​ ont’d, to audience) ​ After a time, the soldiers forced everyone to stand in a line.

(SOLDIERS ​prod​ SURVIVORS ​into line.​ NARRATOR ​crosses to position between​ SURVIVORS a​ nd​ MICCO)

The old Micco made no attempt to rise. ​ H​ e had sent his prayers to Keeper of Breath. He had prepared his
song and would die in the land of the Grandfathers.

( LITTLE FLOWER ​hands off ​LITTLE DEER​ to ​SUNFLOWER WOMAN​ and crosses to help M​ ICCO.​ As she holds his hand, M​ ICCO
gestures “no” and pats the ground. ​ LITTLE FLOWER​ looks to ​SUNFLOWER WOMAN t​ o repeat the “no.” ​SUNFLOWER WOMAN
understanding the situation, lowers her head and draws R​ ED FOX​ closer. ​LITTLE FLOWER​ holds ​MICCO’s​ hand to her face, rises
and returns to the line.​ LITTLE FLOWER​ and S​ UNFLOWER WOMAN​, taking the hand of each of the children, rejoin with survivors​)

( LITTLE DEER​ runs to​ MICCO​ and embraces him​ )
[ LIGHTS: LITTLE DEER, MICCO a​ nd above them,​ NARRATOR ]

It was the last (​ stresses)​ I saw of the old Micco.

(​SOLDIERS​ prod​ SURVIVORS​ to walk to Upstage Center​)

NARRATOR
When the soldiers ordered everyone to begin walking, I heard my Mother call...

LITTLE FLOWER and NARRATOR
...Little Deer...come, it is time to go.

( LITTLE DEER ​quickly moves to​ LITTLE FLOWER.​ They hold hands​. SUNFLOWER WOMAN ​holds​ RED FOX​ ​‘s hand​)

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NARRATOR
Where were we being taken? Would our council fire ever burn again? Our hearts were without a home. We
were a broken People...but on that day, we would not become shadows of the place of the Horseshoe. The
Creek had always been blessed with Hope, which even in the darkest of times brought Eternal Strength. And
so it was, we would begin our journey. The spirit of the Creek would not perish.

( SURVIVORS,​ flanked by​ SOLDIERS b​ egin to walk Up Stage towards CENTER)​

Prophecy had been fulfilled. The day of the owl had come.

[ LIGHTS: O​ ut on NARRATOR​ ]
( MICCO w​ atches​ SURVIVORS a​ s they begin their walk. His hand clutches his heart and he looks up in prayer​ )

[ MUSIC: ​Single beat of drum, solemn flute​ ]
[ ​Red L​ IGHTS​ / Silhouettes of the Dead and of​ MICCO. ​The​ OWL ​appears and looks over the scene.

[ SIMULTANEOUSLY choreographed actions, lights and music, as follows: ]
MOVEMENT 1:

Powerful striking of the drum. OWL extends its right wing towards SURVIVORS at SR.
[ MUSIC:​ Deer toe rattles, sharp flute trills erupt​ ]
MOVEMENT 2:

Powerful striking of the drum. OWL extends its right wing towards MICCO at CS.
[ MUSIC:​ Deer toe rattles, sharp flute trills erupt​ ].
MOVEMENT 3:

Powerful striking of the drum. OWL extends both wings outward, encompassing all looking upward.
[ MUSIC:​ Deer toe rattles, sharp flute trills erupt​ ]
MOVEMENT 4:

Powerful striking of the drum. OWL folds wings, lowers head as MICCO’s head and body slump over.
[ MUSIC: ​Deer toe rattles, sharp flute trills erupt​ ]
[BLACKOUT]
[ SOUND:​ mournful cry of the OWL​ ]

The End

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