The Keepers’ Voice
By Rick Balian
The year is 1862, and The United States of America is experiencing a time of many divisions. Battles—both ideological and literal—rage on against the backdrop of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln struggles to hold together a government that is still in its infancy, and slavery and women’s suffrage are two of the most highly contested issues of the day.
Prominent scholar, suffragist, and abolitionist Matilda Gage is leading the charge in the fight for Civil Rights in Upstate New York. Your students will be asked to act as representatives of the Haudenosaunee, with whom she lived and learned.
Using their knowledge of the original Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, the fourth grade ambassadors will help Matilda argue for equality for all people. She will need their expert knowledge to educate an eager young reporter and a pedantic professor about the importance of Haudenosaunee traditions, and their value in building a better America in the future to come.
In addition to covering Haudenosaunee culture, the performance will also address different voting styles, the right to vote, and civic responsibility. The Keepers’ Voice poses several important questions: Is “the way things are” the best we can do? Or is one voice truly enough to be a catalyst for change?