The Rez Sisters

A play by Aboriginal Canadian writer Tomson Highway, "The Rez Sisters", was first performed on November 26, 1986. "The Rez Sisters" was produced by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts. "The Rez Sisters" is partially inspired by Michel Tremblay’s play "Les Belles-soeurs", as it focuses on the hopes and dreams of a group of seven woman on the Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve comparable to actual people found in the playwright's home community. Unlike Tremblay’s mocking treatment of his characters, Highway presents his characters in a gentler light. "The Rez Sisters" is the first of a cycle of seven plays the playwright refers to as his “Rez Septology,” which also includes the follow up to "The Rez Sisters," 1989’s "Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing", originally entitled "The Rez Brothers".

"The Rez Sisters" features an ensemble cast of seven women dreaming of winning (and working toward raising enough money to attend) “The Biggest Bingo in the World,” and one male actor/dancer in the role of Nanabush (originally played by the playwright’s brother René Highway). The play melds the sometimes dark realities of life on an Indian Reservation with humour and elements of Aboriginal spirituality.

Characters

Notes

Zhaboonigan Peterson and Helen Betty Osborne

In the play, the details of Zhaboonigan's sexual assault - including her being abducted and attacked with a screwdriver - closely parallel the details of the real-life murder of Helen Betty Osborne of Norway House Indian Reserve (Manitoba), who was killed in 1971. Despite overwhelming physical evidence (blood, hair and clothing fragments were found in one of the suspects car’s) it was not until 1987 (a year after Rez Sisters opened) that two out of the three suspects in Osbourne’s murder were charged. Highway’s deeply sympathetic character, Zhaboonigan, can be seen as a statement against the injustice inflicted upon Osbourne.

Emily Dictionary - Queer characters in the 1980's

At the time that this play was written, being openly gay was an extremely risky endeavour. Though Highway subtly veils it, it can be understood that Emily Dictionary’s love of the biker-women, and her “butch” leanings and subtle aversion to the male characters of the play point to her implicit lesbianism.

Awards

* Won 1986-87 Dora Mavor Moore Award for best new play.
* Runner-up for the Floyd Chalmers Award for the outstanding Canadian play of 1986
* Nominated for the Governor General's Award.