Tales of an Urban Indian by Darrell Dennis- Summary

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 and an epilogue too. Dennis explores the different ways

in which aboriginal people suffer in the society in this semi-autobiographical play. He

portrays the stigmatised stereotypes of alcohol and drug abuse and the challenges with

unemployment and lack of proper education. He presents the life of Simon from the

age of seven.

Simon lives with his mother Tina and grandmother Kye7e Josie in Lake Coyote

Reservation Number Four, Canada. He has two friends: Nick and Daniel. Simon’s

mother Tina gives birth to him at a very young age. His father is not around and Tina

later falls in love with Alistair, a German. Simon wonders if he should accompany his

mother. So Josie says, “Choice is the only thing you never lose”. Simon wants his

father Tom to rescue him, but he fails to express fatherly love and does not turn up.

Simon is dejected and Kye7e gives him a small container full of soil stating, “Inside

this can is a piece of land. Your home”. Later, Alistair takes Tina and Simon to

Vancouver. He expects her to be an exotic aboriginal, while she tries adapting in the

white community. As Alistair is unhappy about her adaptation, Tina leaves him and

they come back to the reserve to Simon’s grandmother. As Simon returns to the

reservation, all the children are excited to learn about city life. Simon’s sexuality is

questioned at a time and he struggles hard to wipe off the rumour. One of his best

friends, Daniel, is gay and commits suicide because of the indifference of the people

in the reserve. He leaves a note stating, “. . . I didn’t ask to be born this way”.

Simon loses his identity in the white community. He fails to connect with the

other students as they do not want to be friends with him. He tries to assimilate into

the society but miserably fails due to racism. Meanwhile he starts acting in plays, but

is a failure. His agent Rhonda finds him contracts and he receives stereotyped crude

and rustic Indian roles. Still, he likes this new identity as a theatre artist. As time

passes, Simon gradually descends into alcoholism and drug use in the company of

Walter and Edna.

Simon lives in unhygienic conditions and is robbed off what is left with him.

He is in relationship on and off for sexual favours and is with Brenda, a white woman,

for a while. She leaves him because he does not have a proper job. Later, Simon

witnesses the brutal murder of Walter and Edna by a stranger during drug abuse. He

flees the place in fear. His friend Nick also passes away due to drug abuse.

Simon tries to get support from the community welfare and meets a very

beautiful and efficient aboriginal officer named Stephanie. She does not believe the

lies of Simon but calls him “handsome”. This encourages Simon to pursue the woman

in a romantic affair and he keeps visiting the office. He later gains her trust but does

not come out of his addiction. She tries to bring out the good in him but he never

realises that.

Later, Stephanie takes him to a rehabilitation Native Treatment Centre with his

mother Tina. Stephanie and Tina’s disappointment in him disturbs Simon. He has a

brief encounter with God and retrospects his condition and realises that he has a

second chance at life. His mother reminds him of his grandmother’s saying about

choice. Eventually, Simon accepts the truth in her statement. He then wishes for

education, employment and the freedom of choice for all future generations. He also

scatters the soil given by Kye7e that he had been carrying all this while,

acknowledging his aboriginal bond with Mother Nature.