Debut of operatic film ‘Minági kiŋ dowáŋ: a Zitkála-Šá opera’ this week

“Minági kiŋ dowáŋ: a Zitkála-Šá opera,” (“My Spirit Sings” in Dakota) is an original film written, composed and sung by an all-Indigenous team. The premiere took place at Water Works Park in Minneapolis on Oct. 14, 2022, and is followed by three screenings at Indigenous Roots Cultural Center in St. Paul.  On Oct. 21 and 22, 7 p.m., there will be a community festival with food and art vendors,  music and artist roundtables, and an 8 p.m. screening. On Oct. 23, there is a 4 p.m. community festival, and 5 p.m. screening (*ASL interpreted). There are 75 pay-as-able tickets available per show. Performances presented in English and Dakota with closed captioning and translations.

The mission behind the film is to honor the life and legacy of Zitkála-Šá, a Dakota woman born in 1876 on the Yankton Reservation in South Dakota. Not widely known today, Zitkála-Šá (pronounced: Zeet-KA-la-sha) was highly influential during her lifetime as a prolific artist and activist who was a published writer, performed in the Oval Office in 1900, premiered an opera in 1913, and co-founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926, and is actually buried not far from JFK.

In addition to the opera, a documentary series is also being created to share what decolonizing the process about the film of eurocentric art can look like. Episode one can be found at https://vimeo.com/680314285/88a9d0f0ba