Smart Lit Summary

 PROLOGUE Aboriginal music plays in the background and Simon says that he is an urban Indian, unlike the stereotypical Indian, who is expected to shapeshift and understand animal sounds. He recalls the performance as a tale of survival. He lives in Coyote Lake Reservation Number Four. The coyotes scared the missionaries who came to the lake, but after taking over the land, the coyotes have mysteriously disappeared. Scene 1: Genesis Simon‟s mother Tina is single and pregnant. She is supported by her mother-in- law Kye7e Josie who encourages her to be brave. Tina wants to name her son as Robert but the white officers name him Simon Doughlas. Tom, Simon‟s father visits them after three years and leaves them shortly. The family is converted to Christianity and baptised. Scene 2: Coyote Lake Simon introduces his friends Nick and Daniel. Simon‟s mother Tina is working at a restaurant. A seemingly progressive man named Alistair falls for Tina. He persuades Tina and Simon to move from the ...

Darrell Dennis is an Indigenous Canadian actor, screenwriter and radio personality from the Secwepemc Nation of British Columbia. Tales of an Urban Indian by Darrell Dennis is a one person play that unwinds the childhood and adolescence of the protagonist, Simon Douglas. The play begins in 1972 and spans 22 years. It takes place in Lake Coyote Reservation Number Four and Vancouver. The playwright questions the stereotypes of indigenous people and uses the same to justify that the indigenous people cannot behave otherwise because of the pollution of their culture. The play has a variety of human and non-human characters, all enacted by Simon Douglas. Darrell Dennis describes Simon’s childhood friendships and their endings, his experiences with racism, and his battle with alcoholism and drug addiction. The playwright presents Simon with all his flaws but he manages to gain the sympathy of the audience. The play is divided into nineteen scenes, each with a title. The play has a prologue a...