ROOM IN OUR HOUSE

While the United States celebrated 250 years of independence with Trumpian patriotism last weekend, the creators of Room in Our House reached back another 150 years into North American history. In the early 17th century, Dutch ships sailed to Turtle Island, where they concluded an oral friendship treaty with the Haudenosaunee—before the colonization that led to Nieuw-Nederland, Nieuw-Amsterdam, and, eventually, New York. The Haudenosaunee generously made room for the uninvited visitors in their homeland.

In this austere trio, choreographer Nicole Beutler and co-director Michelle Schenandoah (a specialist in the Indigenous philosophy of Rematriation) reference this early act of diplomacy. After an extensive welcome ritual led by Mohawk elder Montana Adams, a tentative, friendly duet—with an outstretched hand—unfolds within the sand-marked circle between Oneida dancer Montana Summers and Dutch-German Rob Polmann (who begins the performance in wooden clogs). They “dance the silence their bodies carry.”

Much of the symbolism only becomes clear during the post-performance discussion, such as the meaning of the two purple parallel lines on a white band (the Two Row Wampum). Yet, the respectful ritual makes it evident how the creators draw hope from this never-broken, oral peace treaty.

The audience is gathered on all four sides, watching the action on a stage that is initially almost empty. The performers first step forward one by one, and after a brief introduction, storyteller Montana Adams begins to scatter a circle of sand, within which Room in Our House will unfold.

With the tagline A danced manifesto for peace, this performance is the result of a lasting collaboration between choreographer Nicole Beutler and Michelle Schenandoah, a specialist of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of nations in the northeastern United States, who is closely involved in the project.

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