Long ago the white man come with bibles…

This is a quote from the play The Ecstasy of Rita Joe by George Ryga.

Quote by George Ryga, “My uncle was Dan Joe…He was dyin’ and he said to me, ‘Long ago the white man come with Bibles to talk to my people, who had the land. They talk for hundred years…then we had all the Bibles, an’ the white man had our land…’ “

Have you read this play? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below!

If you’re interested, you can read an excerpt from the book here.

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe – Summary

Here is the play summary from StoryGraph:

Rita Joe is a Native girl who leaves the reservation for the city, only to die on skid row as a victim of white men’s violence and paternalistic attitudes towards First Nations peoples. As perhaps the best-known contemporary Canadian play and a poetic drama of enormous theatrical power, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe had a major influence in awakening consciousness to the “Indian problem” both in whites and Natives themselves.

Cast of five women and 15 men. With a preface by Chief Dan George.

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe premiered November 23, 1967 at the Vancouver Playhouse.

Copyright © 1970 by George Ryga.

You can find more details here on Goodreads and on StoryGraph.

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