"A Native Lad" by Sarah Hurst This abridged version is dedicated to Tatitlek Community School students Kristopher Kompkoff, Tracy Totemoff, Cynna Evanoff and George Vlasoff, and their teacher Debbe Lancaster, who took on the responsibility of the world premiere.

Written with a grant from the Humanities Forum Approximate running time: 100 minutes

Second verse of the Alaska flag song copyright 1985, the University of Alaska Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Licensed for use in this play.

2009

Sarah Hurst 260 Deerfield Drive Anchorage, AK 99515 (907) 248-1150 Email: [email protected] PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE: THIS PLAY IS INTENDED PRIMARILY FOR USE IN ALASKA SCHOOLS, SO SCENES MAY BE TAKEN OUT AND PERFORMED SEPARATELY. IF THE ENTIRE PLAY IS PERFORMED, SOME ACTORS WOULD PLAY MULTIPLE PARTS. THERE IS A TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ GUIDE THAT GOES WITH THE SCRIPT, AVAILABLE ON REQUEST FROM SARAH HURST. LIST OF CHARACTERS AND THEIR APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF LINES, NOT INCLUDING THE SONG AT THE END SUNG BY THE WHOLE CAST

Benny Benson - 228 lines - 142 lines Charlie Edwardsen, Jr. - 95 lines Abigail - 85 lines - 66 lines - 60 lines Winton C. Arnold - 56 lines - 43 lines Edna Ferber - 40 lines Tom Marshall - 40 lines Emil Notti - 38 lines Lyman Knapp - 34 lines Edward R. Murrow - 34 lines Mary Winchell - 34 lines Phil Holdsworth - 33 lines - 29 lines - 28 lines Eduard de Stoeckl - 28 lines Charles Sumner - 27 lines William Paul, Sr. - 26 lines Elizabeth Robins - 26 lines Younger Benny Benson - 25 lines Willoughby Clark - 25 lines George Malone - 23 lines Dwight D. Eisenhower - 22 lines Irene Jones - 22 lines Mrs. Bergstrand - 21 lines Anthony E. Karnes - 20 lines Frank Peratrovich - 20 lines Sam Rayburn - 20 lines Margaret Chase Smith - 18 lines Bill Egan - 18 lines George Kousty - 17 lines Mrs. McKay - 15 lines Government employee - 13 lines Jim Hagerty - 13 lines Paul - 12 lines L. V. Ray - 12 lines Lyndon Johnson - 11 lines Elwood Bruner - 10 lines 2.

Mildred Hermann - 10 lines Mr. McKay - 10 lines R. Rolland Armstrong - 10 lines John Butrovich - 9 lines Cannery man - 9 lines George Grames - 9 lines Nettie Jones - 9 lines Server - 9 lines William Seward - 9 lines Carlie Benson - 8 lines Donawak - 8 lines John Frame - 8 lines Dancer 2 - 7 lines Dancer 1 - 6 lines Walter J. Hickel - 6 lines Mr. Lancaster - 6 lines Mrs. Lancaster - 6 lines Arthur Miller - 6 lines Leo Rogge - 6 lines Seaborn Buckalew - 5 lines Charles Ingersoll - 5 lines Old woman - 5 lines Dancer 3 - 4 lines John Marin - 4 lines Justin W. Harding - 3 lines Man - 3 lines Norman "Doc" Walker - 3 lines Servant - 2 lines Danish man (voice) - 1 line Reporter - 1 line 3.

ACT I SCENE 1 (13-year-old BENNY BENSON and his 11- year-old brother CARLIE BENSON are walking across the stage slowly, wearing 1920s-style clothes. BENNY is carrying a basketball and bouncing it occasionally. It is night time.) Optional information for the person playing the role of Benny Benson: Olive Smith, the matron at the boys' dormitory, wrote, "Such a sturdy little man he is. Whistles through his teeth when he talks, and he uses good, almost classical English which he has learned, apparently, of Dr. Newhall and Miss Winchell." CARLIE I miss Unalaska, Benny. Seward is too big for me. BENNY I know what you mean. CARLIE Can we go back to Unalaska? BENNY No, little brother, we can't. The Jesse Lee Home is here now and we have to get used to it. But, hey, look up in the sky. Carlie looks up. CARLIE OK, I'm looking.

BENNY You see those stars over there, in a long line, with a curve at the end? CARLIE Uh - yes, I see them. BENNY They're called the Big Dipper, see, because they look like a giant ladle. CARLIE Wow! Yes, they do. 4.

BENNY And you see the brighter star over to the right? CARLIE Yes. BENNY That's the North Star, watching over us. Remember, mom used to tell us it was there to guide fishermen like dad home. The Big Dipper and the North Star are the same stars we could see in Chignik and in Unalaska. Wherever we are in Alaska, we can feel safe with those stars above us. CARLIE Have they been there for a long time, Benny? BENNY They've been there for millions of years. Maybe billions of years. They're the same stars that our Aleut ancestors lived under. [If preferred, Benny can add, "and the other Alaska Natives like the Tlingit/Haida/Inupiat/Yupik" - insert local group's name.] (A group of people in traditional Aleut [or local group's] clothing enters, dancing and drumming. BENNY and CARLIE watch them.) DANCER 1 The hunters are safe back from the sea! DANCER 2 And they bring meat and furs for the winter! DANCER 1 The spirits have been kind to us! DANCER 2 Txin qagatada! (http://www.apiai.com/word_of_the_week.asp?ID=119) [or equivalent in local language] ALL DANCERS Txin qagatada! CARLIE What are they saying? BENNY They are saying, be joyful! ALL DANCERS Txin qagatada! 5.

BENNY Txin qagatada! CARLIE Txin qagatada! (The dancers gesture to BENNY and CARLIE to join them. BENNY puts the basketball down on the stage and the two boys start to dance. Gradually the dancers and the boys make their way off the stage, leaving behind only the basketball. A teenage girl in modern clothes enters, talking on a cell phone. She is ABIGAIL.) ABIGAIL (on phone) Did you get your PFD? It's huge! I can't wait to buy some new clothes. Why do they give it to us, anyway? I love this state. Who's gonna complain about free money? (ABIGAIL almost trips over the basketball. She picks it up and looks at it.) ABIGAIL (on phone) Some dork left their basketball lying around and I nearly tripped on it. Oh - maybe it's that kid over there. Hey, I gotta go, see ya. (ABIGAIL puts her phone in her pocket. BENNY wanders back on stage.) BENNY Excuse me - that's my ball. Could I have it back, please? ABIGAIL Come and take it from me, dude. (ABIGAIL dribbles the basketball skillfully. BENNY tries to take the ball from her, but he can't.) BENNY You're not bad. ABIGAIL School captain. BENNY I overheard you talking about the Permanent Fund Dividend. 6.

ABIGAIL Yeah, isn't it awesome? BENNY It sure is. If you give me my ball back, I'll tell you all about why Alaskans get a PFD check every year. ABIGAIL And how do you know so much about it? BENNY You won't believe this, but I'm from another time. I saw how Alaska became the 49th state, and I was part of that, in a way. Now I've got here somehow - maybe to meet you. ABIGAIL Another time? Yeah, right. Sounds like you're into drugs. BENNY Well, let me show you a few things, Abigail, then you might be convinced. ABIGAIL You know my name? BENNY There you go, you're impressed already. Now, I can explain about the PFD, but it's a long story. Just watch. (The dancers return to the stage, not dancing this time, but walking in single file, shoulders slumped, subdued. They sit down in a circle.) ABIGAIL Wow, who are those dudes? DANCER 1 The people who call themselves Russians have made us sick. DANCER 2 Too many of us have died from their strange diseases. DANCER 3 They want our furs and our women. DANCER 2 Soon it will be hard to tell our children apart from them. BENNY My grandfather was Russian. My mother was part Aleut and part Russian. Her name was Tatiana. She died when I was three years old. 7.

That's why my dad sent me and my brother Carlie to boarding school. He couldn't work as a fisherman and take care of us at the same time. ABIGAIL When did you go to boarding school? BENNY That was back in 1917. But we're jumping ahead. I haven't finished telling the story of the Russians. DANCER 1 The people who call themselves Americans are here! DANCER 2 Do you think life will be better now? DANCER 3 Only if they see this place is too cold for them and they leave. BENNY The Americans gave our land the Aleut name Alaska. Before they bought it in 1867, they called it . 8.

SCENE 2 (BENNY is sitting at a desk off to the side of the stage, sketching on a large white piece of paper. He is using pencils, crayons and watercolor paints. From time to time he scratches his head, frowns or smiles. He continues doing this in all the other scenes before he starts speaking. ABIGAIL is sitting next to BENNY, watching what he's doing and occasionally chatting on her cell phone. When the action in the scenes begins, BENNY stops drawing and watches what's happening, and ABIGAIL also pays attention. Secretary of State WILLIAM SEWARD, aged 65, is sitting at a card table at his home in in March, 1867 with cards dealt as if he and three other people are in the middle of a game. There is an open bottle of French wine on the table and several glasses with different amounts of wine in them, one or two empty. SEWARD is smoking a cigar.) Optional information for the person playing the role of Seward: His face was scarred from an attack by an assassin who was part of the plot that killed Abraham Lincoln. He was described as "a slouching slender figure" with "a head like a wise macaw; a beaked nose; shaggy eyebrows; unorderly hair and clothes; hoarse voice; offhand manner; free talk, and perpetual cigar." Also, "he had a distinctive upper lip, an abundant head of hair, a passionate nature for causes, and a fierce determination." (SEWARD leans back in his seat and puffs on his cigar. A servant's voice can be heard off stage.) SERVANT (O.S.) The Russian minister has arrived! 9.

(Even before the servant has finished announcing him, EDUARD DE STOECKL, aged 63, enters the room, banging the door behind him, flustered and excited, holding a telegram in his hand.) Optional information for the person playing the role of Stoeckl: He had a bushy moustache and sideburns. He may have had a strange mixed European accent, having been born in Istanbul to an Austrian father and mother of another nationality. He was tall and imposing, handsome and cultured. He was limping slightly from a recent leg injury that had occurred on board a ship. (SEWARD sits up in surprise.) SEWARD An unexpected guest. Good evening. (STOECKL bows graciously.) STOECKL I apologize for bursting in on you in such a manner. I have exciting news! SEWARD About the treaty for the purchase of Russian America, I hope. STOECKL I have a dispatch, Mr. Seward, from my government by cable. The emperor gives his consent. Tomorrow, if you like, I will come to the State Department, and we can make the treaty. (STOECKL hands the telegram to SEWARD, who reads it with a smile, raises his eyebrows and nods approvingly.) SEWARD Why wait until tomorrow, Mr. Stoeckl? Let us do it tonight. STOECKL But your department is closed. You have no clerks, and my secretaries are scattered about the town. SEWARD Never mind that. If you can muster your staff before midnight, you will find me awaiting you at the department. 10.

STOECKL You Americans have such a go-ahead approach to matters, I greatly admire it. SEWARD Indeed, that is how we made this great union of 37 states and held it together through a terrible catastrophe. I shall leave now for the State Department, but please have a glass of wine here before you go. (SEWARD gets up to leave, pours STOECKL a glass of wine and hands it to him before he can object.) STOECKL Thank you so much, Mr. Seward. (SEWARD exits and STOECKL sits down to drink the wine. The servant's voice is heard off stage.) SERVANT Senator Charles Sumner has arrived! (SUMNER, aged 56, tall, with slightly curly dark hair, white sideburns and downturned lips that make him look determined and slightly angry, enters the room in a dignified manner. STOECKL stands up and bows.) SUMNER Mr. Seward wrote to me earlier and asked me to come here to discuss an urgent matter, but his servant informs me that he has already left. STOECKL I am afraid you are correct, he went to the State Department. It would be a shame if your journey were wasted. Would you allow me to explain our intentions regarding Russian America? SUMNER Certainly. The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee must be fully informed. Most members of the Congress know very little about that remote part of the world. (STOECKL starts to rearrange the wine glasses on the table.) STOECKL Well, you see, here is the far eastern tip of the Russian mainland - 11.

(STOECKL places a wine glass near the top edge of the table closest to stage left.) STOECKL Here are Bering's Straits - (STOECKL runs his index finger down the table next to the glass he just placed.) STOECKL And here is the nearest point in Russian America across the Straits. (STOECKL places a wine glass a few inches to the right of the first one.) STOECKL Down here are the last islands in the Aleutian chain, and the settlement that we named Dutch Harbor, because a Dutch vessel was the first European ship to arrive there. (STOECKL places a wine glass near the bottom edge of the table closest to stage left.) STOECKL The Russian American Company has been very successful in the fur trade here. (SUMNER nods thoughtfully.) STOECKL And over here is our capital, Sitka. (STOECKL places a wine glass near the bottom edge of the table closest to stage right.) STOECKL We have a fort at Sitka, and several hundred colonists, who constantly complain about the rain. SUMNER There is a great deal here to consider. STOECKL We are on the brink of an historic moment tonight after years of hard work. I pray that the Congress will ratify the treaty. You will not fail us? 12.

SUMNER Good evening to you, Mr. Stoeckl. I must go home, it has been a long day. (SUMNER exits. STOECKL drains his glass of wine.) STOECKL Onward to the State Department! (STOECKL exits.) ABIGAIL I don't know where you found those guys, but they were totally cool. BENNY There's more. The treaty was signed at the State Department at four o'clock in the morning. The Native people were ignored, of course, except in a reference to "uncivilized tribes". The tsar of Russia told Stoeckl to accept no less than five million dollars, but Stoeckl persuaded Seward to pay seven million, two hundred thousand dollars for our land. Congress ratified the purchase after a speech by Charles Sumner, who had begun to understand how much natural resource wealth we had. He also chose the name Alaska. (SUMNER enters. He is giving a speech to Congress, gesticulating to emphasize his points.) SUMNER As these extensive possessions pass from the imperial government of Russia they will naturally receive a new name. How shall they be called? The name should come from the country itself. It should be indigenous, aboriginal. According to Captain Cook, the Native people used the word for "great land" when speaking of the American continent in general. It only remains that, following these Natives, we, too, should call this great land Alaska. BENNY Some newspapers came up with other names, like "Seward's icebox" and "Walrussia". (SUMNER walks over to Benny and Abigail and talks to them in a pompous tone, as if he is lecturing them.) 13.

SUMNER The New York Tribune joked about Alaska that "the climate is delicious, and quite warm in winter, yet the ice fields are inexhaustible, and in the burning heat of the Arctic summer the Eskimos take refuge in their shade." But many other newspapers agreed with William Seward and myself that Alaska could be valuable in the future. ABIGAIL Wow, that dude from history is, like, talking to us! SUMNER The New York World recalled that when Benjamin Franklin was asked the use of some new discovery in science, his reply was, "What is the use of a newborn infant? It may become a man." ABIGAIL Did they know about the gold and the oil here? SUMNER Seal oil? Whale oil? BENNY They didn't know about the oil yet, and they didn't need oil, because no one drove cars. But they knew about the gold. Our other important resource was the fish, of course. Especially the salmon. 14.

SCENE 3 (GOVERNOR LYMAN KNAPP is holding a council in July, 1891 with the Chilkat Tlingit. They are outside, the Tlingit are sitting on the ground or standing and the governor is sitting in a comfortable chair. KNAPP is 53 years old and has a bushy, dark beard and broad shoulders. He is wearing a dark jacket, buttoned up, and a tie. Any number of Tlingit in traditional dress can be present in this scene - there were about 250 in reality - and several white fishermen if people are available for these roles, but the Tlingit should outnumber the whites.) KNAPP Good afternoon. We are here, as you know, to resolve the dispute between the white fishermen and the Indians over fishing rights in the Chilkat River. As governor of the I intend to adjudicate this matter fairly, and I would like to hear the opinions of everyone who wishes to speak. First, the Indians. Yes, you over there, with that very strange creature on your head. (GEORGE KOUSTY, a Chilkat chief, stands up to speak. He is wearing an elaborate hat with a raven's head on it.) KOUSTY I want to speak loud so all may hear. When a man has a child and leaves it with another to take care of, if that child is not treated well, he will complain. We consider ourselves the children of a father and you are our father. I now ask you to settle our troubles for us. We want a mark set to keep fishing boats from going above a line drawn across the inlet at Little Harbor. We want to know what our rights are. Whether the whites intend to give us any fishing grounds that we can call our own. KNAPP Well said. Thank you. KOUSTY I am not finished, Great Father. The fishing boats are fishing night and day, going up into our river above our village. They spread their nets across the inlet, which prevents the fish from entering the stream. (An agitated white CANNERY MAN stands up and shakes his fist at KOUSTY.) 15.

CANNERY MAN We have a right to go to the head of tide water! KOUSTY Do you want to go to the village and take every last one of our fish? CANNERY MAN We want to go as far as tide water. We work like dogs to make a pittance. This is our living. We have only a short season in Alaska to make enough for our families back home. Leave us alone, there are plenty of fish left for you Indians. KOUSTY No, you are starving us. You cannot go to tide water. You can fish below Little Harbor. (The Tlingit at the meeting shout and stamp their feet in support of KOUSTY.) KNAPP Sit down, sit down, both of you. (KOUSTY and the cannery man glare at each other and sit down.) KNAPP Who is next? You with the - what in heaven's name is that? - the ring in your nose, proceed. (DONAWAK, chief of the Chilkoots, stands up.) DONAWAK Great Father, I want to talk to you alone. When I was a young man, I worked for myself. Before the canneries were built here, I was consulted and was glad. I was told that presents would be given me for the privilege of building canneries in my country. I am sorry to say that the promises were not fulfilled. I am an old man now and I want peace. I ask you that some mark be put near the mouth of the river which will stop fishermen from preventing our salmon from going up the river. KNAPP Thank you for your contribution. Next - I believe we have an employee of the government present. Sir? (A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE stands up. He is wearing a suit and tie and glasses. He is rather nervous, as he is only a minor clerk and isn't used to public speaking. His hands are shaking. He is holding a crumpled sheet of paper.) 16.

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE Governor, if I could beg your permission to intervene for one moment. I - I have here a report from the Treasury Department that I have been sent here from Washington to read. KNAPP Please do. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE It says the following. It is an oft-repeated assertion by some of the Alaska Natives that the salmon-packing business has been injurious to them, in that salmon streams to which they lay proprietary claim have been taken from them and that their food supply has been diminished or destroyed. To this delusion on their part is traceable their complaints and grievances. There has never been a case where coast Natives have been deprived of a sufficient food supply if they care to exercise a reasonable degree of diligence in making provisions for themselves. (KNAPP nods in agreement.) KNAPP That was very informative, thank you. I cannot help recalling that last year I was obliged to send the Marines to assist the Baranoff Packing Company, which owns a cannery near Sitka. The Indians there prevented the company's boat from catching salmon in Sitka Bay. When the Marines arrived, the Indians threatened them with shotguns. It took some time to persuade the Indians that it was in their best interests to surrender. I cannot tolerate such violent incidents. Now, who else will speak? You, sir, are you a representative of the canneries? (WILLOUGHBY CLARK stands up. He is also wearing a suit and tie, but he speaks very confidently.) CLARK No, Governor Knapp, I am an attorney, and I have been employed by Chief Shakes and the Wrangell Indians. KNAPP I see. And what would you like to say on behalf of Chief - Snakes, is it? (KNAPP chuckles.) CLARK Chief Shakes. Governor, may I read you a brief quotation from a letter I wrote to President Harrison approximately 18 months ago, on January 21st, 1890? I have not received a reply, but perhaps you will give some thought to the problems I described. 17.

KNAPP Of course. (CLARK takes a letter out of his pocket.) CLARK I wrote to the president: Your Excellency is no doubt aware that the network of channels, or arms of the sea that distinguishes the southeastern coast of Alaska empty in innumerable freshwater streams, most of which are frequented annually by large quantities of salmon. Each family has the exclusive control of one or other of these streams. The salmon caught in these streams have for centuries constituted their staple winter's food. They now complain that the streams are being fenced by white men so as to prevent the fish from ascending to their spawning grounds. They think that if they are prevented from fishing these streams, they should be compensated. (The CANNERY MAN stands up.) CANNERY MAN The canneries barely make enough profit to pay us workers! Who can afford to compensate the Indians? KNAPP That is a valid point. CLARK If it is true, then the government may be able to provide some compensation. As I told the president, the Indians of southeast Alaska are self-supporting, thrifty and intelligent, and Chief Shakes is perhaps the most reliable one from whom to obtain information. KNAPP I am afraid that if the president did not reply to your letter, I can hardly be expected to usurp his authority. CLARK Possibly you could remind the president about our request? KNAPP Possibly, if such an opportunity arises. In the meantime, I have impartially listened to all the points of view, and I have determined that the white fishermen have the same rights to fish as the Indians. Therefore the white fishermen may fish wherever they please. This council is at an end. (The white fishermen applaud and the Tlingit shout angrily. KNAPP stands up and moves towards people to shake their hands. 18.

He shakes hands with the CANNERY MAN, the GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE, white fishermen and CLARK, whose expression is disappointed. He extends his hand to KOUSTY, then DONAWAK, but neither will shake his hand.) CANNERY MAN Shame on you! Shake your Great Father's hand, how dare you insult him! (KOUSTY and DONAWAK reluctantly shake KNAPP's hand. The two chiefs march out, followed by the other Tlingit and CLARK, and KNAPP exits in the other direction, followed by the CANNERY MAN and the other whites.) ABIGAIL That doesn't seem very fair. BENNY In territorial days, Alaska's governors were appointed by the president in Washington, and we were treated like a colony. The canneries, owned by rich people from a long way away like the Guggenheim family, set fixed fish traps with huge nets that could catch tens of thousands of salmon at one time. The battle for our resources heated up even more when thousands of people poured in for the . 19.

SCENE 4 (MRS. MCKAY is lying in bed in the evening in Nome in June 1900, tossing and turning because there is a loud commotion outside her window, with people shouting and scuffling, and there is a sound of loud footsteps tramping down stairs.) Optional information for the person playing the role of Mrs. McKay: She was a southern woman, described on this night as "fat, shapeless, with her big foolish face turning red and redder", with "short hair, waddling gait and general flabby incompetency". Also, "she has great outstanding ears which fact her short hair emphasizes." MRS. MCKAY Husband! What in the tarnation is going on out there? Hold on, I'm comin' to the rescue! (MRS. MCKAY struggles to heave her bulk out of the bed, throws a mother hubbard [loose-fitting gown with long sleeves and a high neck] over her nightgown, puts on a pair of boots and grabs a six- shooter, which she waves around in her hand. As she is going out the door of her room, she bumps into ELIZABETH ROBINS, aged 37, who is fully dressed. Robins is tall, slim and elegant, an American with a hint of an English accent. ROBINS jumps back nervously as MRS. MCKAY waves the gun under her nose.)

ROBINS Mrs. McKay! Would you please be careful with that. (ROBINS gently pushes the gun away and MRS. MCKAY lowers the gun to her side.) MRS. MCKAY If there's a ruckus, I ain't missin' out on it! ROBINS All right, all right, but I beg you not to shoot anyone you don't mean to shoot. 20.

MRS. MCKAY I sure hope I don't have to waste no bullets on someone who ain't worth it. You come on down there with me, Liz, there'll be somethin' for that diary of yours, I can guarantee you. (MRS. MCKAY goes outside and ROBINS follows. The noise of the commotion gets louder as they approach a small tent. MR. MCKAY, a Canadian Scot, is shaking the tent and kicking it. Other people form an angry crowd around the tent, if more actors are available. ROBINS pulls out a notebook and writes in it as events transpire.) MR. MCKAY Get on out here and negotiate, you cowardly rascal! MRS. MCKAY Husband! Whose lot is this? MR. MCKAY It's our cook's, Mrs. Bergstrand's. A Dane has pitched his tent on it, and ought to be evicted. MRS. MCKAY She'll be madder than a wet hen about this. I'll go fetch her. (MRS. MCKAY exits. MR. MCKAY tries to pull out the tent poles.) ROBINS Hadn't you better wait until Mrs. Bergstrand comes? Let's hear her opinion. MR. MCKAY I'm sick of these rotten Scandahoovians barging into Nome as if they own the place, ignoring all our clearly laid-out rules of ownership. ROBINS But isn't Mrs. Bergstrand also a Scanda-, I mean, isn't she Danish too? MR. MCKAY Hmm… well, so she is. But she's one of the good ones. She's the legitimate owner of this lot and no scoundrel's jumping it as long as I'm around. (ROBINS scribbles in her notebook. MRS. MCKAY enters with MRS. BERGSTRAND, who is a middle-aged Danish belle with wild hair. 21.

They approach the tent, MRS. MCKAY points to it with her gun and MRS. BERGSTRAND stands in front of it, talking animatedly.) MRS. BERGSTRAND Uh-huh, this is my lot, and I want this tent taken down! Move it, you thief! (MRS. BERGSTRAND grabs a tent pole and shakes it. A man's voice yelps from within the tent. MRS. MCKAY fires her gun in the air, startling and silencing everyone, then shouts towards the tent flaps.) MRS. MCKAY Did ya hear that, mister? The owner's here and she's fixin' to kill ya if you don't hop it now! DANISH MAN'S VOICE FROM TENT OK, I'm comin' out, don't hurt me! (ROBINS scribbles in her notebook.) MRS. MCKAY Say, Liz, you goin' to publish any of your writings when you git home to little ol' England? ROBINS I certainly hope so. There is a gold mine of material here for a writer, even if the actual gold is thin on the ground. MR. MCKAY I'm glad you find us all so amusing. MRS. MCKAY Shut up, husband, this little lady is going to make us famous! We're goin' down in history. I love it! (MRS. BERGSTRAND kneels down and looks inside the tent.) MRS. BERGSTRAND You nitwits, he's crawled away while you were jabbering on. MRS. MCKAY I'll go after him. I'll find him! (MRS. MCKAY exits, brandishing her gun.) MR. MCKAY Don't do anything crazy, wifey! Wait up! 22.

(MR. MCKAY rushes out in the direction that MRS. MCKAY went.) ROBINS Don't any of you crave law and order sometimes? MRS. BERGSTRAND We have our ways of dealing with things. They say a judge is coming here soon, but good luck to him cleaning up this mess of a place in a courtroom. A six-shooter is usually more effective. (ROBINS scribbles in her notebook.) ROBINS What laws will he enforce? MRS. BERGSTRAND Well, there's the Organic Act, passed back in 1884. That made us the District of Alaska. It doesn't say much, but it gives us the laws of Oregon, if anybody can be bothered to look them up. (ROBINS and MRS. BERGSTRAND start walking across the stage, looking around.) ROBINS Nome can be a chilling place, even in the middle of the summer. In the few weeks I've been here, at least two men have been shot dead, one at random and another in a fight with a mining company over a property. Plus several suicides. MRS. BERGSTRAND The cheechakos don't always last very long, they come here so unprepared for the far north. Some even bring useless garden spades with them to dig for gold on Nome's beaches. They waste so much energy using them, they collapse from exhaustion. We call those spades "fool killers". ROBINS Why is that tent over there by itself, the one with the yellow flag flying over it? Someone's found a nice empty space for himself. MRS. BERGSTRAND Not so nice, the flag means smallpox. ROBINS Dear heavens, it's no wonder then that he has no neighbors. MRS. BERGSTRAND What brought you all the way here from England? I hear you're a famous actress over there. 23.

ROBINS Two of my brothers are in Alaska, I wanted to see how they were doing. And I knew I would find some stories to tell. Writing is more profitable for me than acting, as it turns out. MRS. BERGSTRAND This isn't the worst it's been. One winter the food supply got so low, people boiled up old scraps of leather to make soup for their dogs. ROBINS I've seen such misery, though, so many men who have found nothing, lost all hope, their dreams shattered. If there are lost souls on the earth, I have seen them wandering the beach at Nome. (ROBINS and MRS. BERGSTRAND slowly walk off the stage.) ABIGAIL What a nightmare. Did the judge arrive? Did he help them? BENNY The judge arrived later that summer of 1900, his name was Arthur Noyes, but he was alcoholic, incompetent, and ran a criminal scheme too! Noyes was removed in 1901 and Judge James Wickersham came to Nome, a man who would become an enormous figure in Alaska history. Wickersham did make a difference in Nome and also in Washington, D.C. as Alaska's delegate to Congress. He couldn't vote there, but he persuaded Congress to pass a Second Organic Act creating an elected legislature for Alaska. 24.

SCENE 5

(Representative CHARLES INGERSOLL is giving a speech to a joint session of Alaska's first legislature in Juneau in March 1913, with a large U.S. flag with 48 stars on it hanging on the wall behind them. Senator L.V. RAY is presiding. Delegate to Congress JAMES WICKERSHAM, aged 55, fairly plump, with a roundish face, balding head and neatly-trimmed moustache, is listening. The legislators are sitting at desks.) INGERSOLL I ask you, where are the privileges we had hoped our first Alaska legislature would receive? If we have no real power to make laws, what in the world are we here for? (The legislators murmur and some tap their desks. WICKERSHAM stands up and glares at the legislators.) WICKERSHAM I'll tell you what you're here for, Representative Ingersoll! Your task now is to do all you can with the tools you have been given. INGERSOLL Do you intend to address us, Delegate Wickersham? WICKERSHAM Absolutely. Please grant me the floor. INGERSOLL We are all anxious to hear what you have to say. (INGERSOLL sits down.) WICKERSHAM Esteemed Alaska legislators. When you act within the terms of the Organic Law, your enactments are as valid and binding as the laws of Congress. In the 45 years that have passed since she was purchased in 1867, Alaska has been producing nearly ten million dollars per annum in profit from her gold and other minerals and sea and fur products. The Alaska Syndicate and the Alaska Fish Trust have been exploiting our wealth, monopolizing transportation, trade, fisheries, mines and government. Meanwhile, the United States government is attempting to control our land as a national landlord. 25.

Attacked both in the front and the rear, the people of the territory demanded the creation of a legislative body to be elected by the people, with powers similar to those given to the earlier territories of the west. A denunciation of this legislature, from so influential a source as the gentleman from Ketchikan, Representative Ingersoll, at such a moment is remarkable. (The legislators murmur more loudly than before and tap on their desks. Senator RAY bangs his gavel. Senator ELWOOD BRUNER stands up.) BRUNER Delegate Wickersham! We have not invited you here to lecture us or to hear one of our members criticized so severely. (The legislators become noisier, and RAY bangs his gavel three times before they quiet down.) WICKERSHAM I have only given a true assessment of the situation. BRUNER President Ray, the delegate has used improper language in his address. This cannot be permissible. RAY Senator Bruner, Delegate Wickersham is not a member of the legislature and therefore not subject to its discipline. The only question we may consider is the point of order, "Shall the delegate be allowed to proceed?" Let us now vote on that matter. First the Senate. All in favor please raise your hands. (Five senators, including RAY himself, raise their hands.)

RAY One, two, three, four, five. Those against? (Three senators, including BRUNER, raise their hands.) RAY One, two, three. The yeas have it. Now, the House. All in favor please raise your hands. (A majority of the representatives raise their hands, specifically 14 of them, including INGERSOLL.) 26.

RAY Chief clerk, how many? Fourteen? Those against? (One representative raises his hand.) RAY One. So the total is 19 yeas, four nays. I declare Senator Bruner's point of order lost. The delegate may proceed with his address. BRUNER There is no rule that forces me or anyone else to remain in the hall while the delegate is speaking. (BRUNER gets up from his seat and stalks out of the hall, muttering under his breath, followed by two senators and a representative [if there are actors available to play them].) BRUNER (O.S.) Utterly intolerable behavior! Wickersham has grown far too big for his boots and thinks he runs the territory and can say what he likes with impunity. Someone ought to cut him down to size. (Hearing this from inside the hall, WICKERSHAM chuckles to himself.) WICKERSHAM Well. Now that those difficulties have been resolved, I shall continue. Why do gentlemen now neglect their duty to enact laws needed in the development of the territory? Is it because the Alaska Fish Trust is afraid that some legislation may be enacted to protect the fishermen and fisheries of Alaska from long continued, unlimited and wicked exploitation?

(A fire alarm ringing outside the hall causes everyone in the room to get up and start filing outside. WICKERSHAM, shaking his head in frustration, follows. He sees JOHN FRAME, a newspaper editor, making notes, and approaches him.) WICKERSHAM Fire or false alarm? (FRAME points down the street.) 27.

FRAME Over there, an outhouse near Governor Clark's residence has caught fire. You can see the smoke. WICKERSHAM How very convenient. FRAME It started just after Senator Bruner came out here, if you catch my drift, Delegate Wickersham. WICKERSHAM I believe I do. FRAME I shall report this incident in The Commoner, my new weekly newspaper in Valdez. As it happens, a number of people in Valdez are acquainted with Senator Bruner. He has a record of doing things. WICKERSHAM That is useful to know, thank you, my friend. (The lights dim and WICKERSHAM sits down on a chair at a writing desk with a lamp lit next to him. He writes in his diary.) WICKERSHAM March 11th, 1913. My political opponents are furious at my speech of last night. Was invited tonight to attend a businessman's smoker at the Elks Hall - Henry Roden, my former partner - senator from my home district spoke - he declared he was a Guggenheim lawyer and agent - that they were a good influence in the territory, etc., and aimed a shot at me - in short he declared his alliances to the Guggenheims and expressed great pride in his infamy. His action is a betrayal of the people of the territory and a declaration of his loyalty to big business. (WICKERSHAM closes his diary, sits back and sighs.) ABIGAIL So this Wickersham dude talked to himself? BENNY He wrote a diary. For nearly 40 years, until he died in 1939. Thanks to it we can learn all kinds of interesting details about Alaska in territorial days. By the way, the first legislature did pass some useful laws, for example giving women the right to vote. Wickersham was also successful in obtaining federal government funding for the Alaska Railroad. 28.

And in 1916 Wickersham introduced a statehood bill in Congress, but he was ahead of his time. Alaskans weren't quite ready for statehood back then. ABIGAIL All this serious history stuff is wearing me out. I want to hear more about you. What was it like growing up without parents around? BENNY I wished I could see my dad more often, but I liked the Jesse Lee Home. I got along with the teachers and the other kids, and I did some neat things. 29.

SCENE 6

(YOUNGER BENNY BENSON, almost 10 years old in 1923, is cutting driftwood near a log cabin at Huntsville, a shallow cove about two miles from Unalaska. The YOUNGER BENNY takes what he has cut into the cabin and builds a fire on the old iron stove. Then he picks up a bucket, goes outside again, fills it with water from a spring, carries it inside with difficulty because it's so heavy, and carefully pours the water into a kettle, then puts the kettle on the stove. MARY WINCHELL, aged 45, one of Benny's teachers, enters the cabin. MARY WINCHELL is rather matronly, of medium build with a roundish, friendly face.) MISS WINCHELL Oh, Benny, I'm so glad we came here. I didn't want to leave the other children on a school day, but I'm already feeling rested. I've been so ill lately. (YOUNGER BENNY starts unpacking a box of provisions, including cans of condensed milk, cocoa and dried applesauce, eggs and a loaf of bread, and puts them away in a cupboard.) YOUNGER BENNY I wasn't sure if I should come either, I'm not even 10 years old yet. But Dr. Newhall said you needed my help. MISS WINCHELL Dr. Newhall really trusts you. I do, too, Benny. You're capable of much more than you think, you know. YOUNGER BENNY I'll catch fish for you and dig for clams, Miss Winchell. It's too early in the year for berries, but I might find some wild greens for us to have with our meals. MISS WINCHELL That would be marvelous. Why don't you go outside and enjoy the afternoon sun while I write a letter? YOUNGER BENNY OK - but if you need me, just call out or wave, and I'll come right back. 30.

(YOUNGER BENNY goes outside and strolls toward the dock. A MAN approaches him, carrying two large fish.) MAN Hello there, young man. I noticed smoke from the chimney. Can anyone use these two fish that jumped into my boat? YOUNGER BENNY There are two of us here. We will be glad to eat your fish if you don't want them. MAN You're welcome to them. (The MAN hands the fish to YOUNGER BENNY.) YOUNGER BENNY Thank you very much. These will be enough for two meals. (YOUNGER BENNY runs into the cabin. MISS WINCHELL is writing a letter.) YOUNGER BENNY Miss Winchell! MISS WINCHELL Benny! You really are amazing. You said you'd catch fish for me, but I didn't think you could do it so quickly - or catch such big ones! I'm going to tell Dr. Newhall all about how incredible you are. YOUNGER BENNY But I - (MISS WINCHELL takes the fish, puts them on the table and hugs YOUNGER BENNY.) YOUNGER BENNY It wasn't that difficult. MISS WINCHELL You're so modest! I'll cook one of these fish for our supper. Do you like biscuits? I'll make biscuits and we can have applesauce for dessert. YOUNGER BENNY That sounds delicious! (YOUNGER BENNY and MISS WINCHELL stand still as if frozen momentarily. It gets dark. 31.

MISS WINCHELL lights a lantern and now YOUNGER BENNY is lying on a bunk and one of the fish is gone. MISS WINCHELL sits in a chair next to the bunk and reads from a poetry book.) MISS WINCHELL Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night/Sailed off in a wooden shoe -/Sailed on a river of crystal light,/Into a sea of dew./"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"/The old moon asked the three./"We have come to fish for the herring fish/That live in this beautiful sea;/Nets of silver and gold have we!"/Said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. YOUNGER BENNY Who are Wynken, Blynken and Nod, Miss Winchell? MISS WINCHELL You'll find out at the end of the poem. YOUNGER BENNY I'm going to fall asleep. I had a busy day catching fish. MISS WINCHELL All right, then. Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes, and Nod is a little head. YOUNGER BENNY Ah! I thought as much. (YOUNGER BENNY closes his eyes.) MISS WINCHELL Good night, Benny, dear. (MISS WINCHELL closes her eyes. It gradually gets light. Now YOUNGER BENNY is sitting at the table drawing on a piece of paper and MISS WINCHELL is looking over his shoulder.) MISS WINCHELL What's that, Benny? YOUNGER BENNY I'm trying to draw a map of Unalaska Bay for my geography homework. How is it that I see everything around the bay nearly every day, but when I want to show where things are, I can't remember how it looks. MISS WINCHELL Save this one. Then take a good look at what you wanted to draw, when you get home. 32.

You will make a better map for your assignment because you found out ahead of time what you need to know. YOUNGER BENNY Two days here have gone by so quickly. Do we really have to leave already? MISS WINCHELL It's a pity, isn't it? But the boat will be here any minute. (PAUL, a teenage boy, enters and walks up to the cabin, shouting towards it.) PAUL Miss Winchell! (MISS WINCHELL opens the door.) MISS WINCHELL Paul's here already, Benny. PAUL Let's load your things into the boat quickly, Dr. Newhall is sure that a big storm is coming. MISS WINCHELL Oh dear, let's hurry. (YOUNGER BENNY quickly folds up his map and puts it in his pocket, and the three of them carry the bags outside and load them onto a motorboat. They get in and PAUL starts the engine.) PAUL Oh no! (PAUL shuts off the engine.)

PAUL Now do we stay here until the storm is over, or what? MISS WINCHELL What is the problem? (PAUL holds up the curved end of a cotter pin.) PAUL This snapped off. We don't have a spare. If that important little wheel drops off that shaft, we won't be going any place. 33.

YOUNGER BENNY Let me see it. (PAUL hands the end of the pin to YOUNGER BENNY.) YOUNGER BENNY Maybe if we had a safety pin the right size? PAUL Safety pin! Benny, what do you think we have on this boat? This isn't something you hold together with a safety pin! We don't have one and it's a silly idea to think it would help if we did have one. MISS WINCHELL I have one. Maybe Benny's idea would work. (MISS WINCHELL pulls a safety pin out of her pocket and hands it to PAUL.) MISS WINCHELL Try it, Paul. (PAUL sticks the safety pin into the motor and starts it.) PAUL It might work long enough to get us home. YOUNGER BENNY Look at those storm clouds! (They exit in the boat. ABIGAIL starts talking to the older BENNY.) ABIGAIL I guess you survived, then?

BENNY Yes, we got back to Jesse Lee Home about 10 minutes before the storm hit. Later I drew the map of the bay again, taking Miss Winchell's advice, and it turned out much better. I was really starting to enjoy drawing. In some ways I had it relatively easy at Jesse Lee home compared with other Alaska Natives. 34.

SCENE 7

(IRENE JONES, a 12-year-old girl who is part Alaska Native and part white, is skipping along happily towards her school in Ketchikan in September 1929, carrying a satchel. She is reciting a poem.) IRENE He ate and drank the precious words,/His spirit grew robust;/He knew no more that he was poor,/Nor that his frame was dust./He danced along the dingy days,/And this bequest of wings/Was but a book. What liberty/A loosened spirit brings! (IRENE arrives at the doors of the school, to find Superintendent ANTHONY E. KARNES, aged 41, waiting for her with his arms folded and a serious expression on his face. IRENE greets him enthusiastically.) IRENE Hello, Mr. Karnes! I'm learning a poem by Emily Dickinson. Would you like to hear it? KARNES No thank you, Irene. IRENE Well, I'd better go in or I'll be late for class. KARNES I'm afraid not, Irene. IRENE What do you mean, Mr. Karnes? KARNES You won't be attending this school any longer. We have discovered that you are ineligible. IRENE Ineligible? I don't know that word. Is it a disease? I don't have a disease, I promise you. Please let me in. I want to see my teacher and my new friends. KARNES The fact of the matter is, Irene, that you and all of your kind should go to the Indian school. That is the law and we all must abide by it. Now leave. Go away. 35.

IRENE What? (IRENE drops her satchel and bursts into tears.) KARNES Shoo! I'm busy, I have real students to take care of. We will get rid of all the other Native children, too! (IRENE runs off stage, leaving her satchel on the ground. KARNES kicks it away and walks into the building, also leaving the stage. WILLIAM PAUL, SR., age 44, enters, wearing a suit and tie and round-rimmed glasses. He is in his office. There is a knock on the door.) PAUL Come in! (IRENE and her mother, NETTIE JONES, enter. NETTIE JONES is also part Alaska Native and part white.) JONES Mr. William Paul? PAUL Yes I am, good day to you. How may I be of service? JONES My name is Nettie Jones, and this is my daughter, Irene. We live here in Ketchikan. Last week Superintendent Karnes told her she was excluded from the public school, although she had been accepted two days earlier. You are an Indian attorney who fights for our people, can you persuade the school board to reinstate her? IRENE Mr. Karnes doesn't like me. PAUL That is outrageous, of course. But typical. JONES I went to the school board myself, and they refused to take Irene back. The clerk told me that if she was admitted, they would have to admit all the rest of the Indian children. 36.

PAUL We must take this to court! Have a seat. We shall immediately draft a petition to the judge stating what occurred. Start at the beginning and tell me everything. (The lights dim briefly. When the lights go up, WILLIAM PAUL is in a courtroom with Judge JUSTIN W. HARDING, NETTIE JONES and IRENE are sitting at the plaintiffs' table and KARNES is on the witness stand.) PAUL Superintendent Karnes, is it not correct that on September 5th, 1929, you sent Irene Jones and three other Indian girls home from school, telling Irene that Indians were ineligible to attend? KARNES Not at all, the girl invented that story. Or she was confused. The real problem is that the Ketchikan public school is overcrowded and we had no room for the extra girls, sadly. IRENE He did say ineligible! He said ineligible! I looked it up in the dictionary. JUDGE HARDING Quiet, Miss Jones. Mr. Paul is representing you and he will give your side of the story. PAUL So the school is overcrowded? KARNES Horribly overcrowded. It's a shame. PAUL That is odd, because the teachers say that after you sent the Indian girls home, you removed seven seats from the sixth grade room taught by Miss Howe, which still left two vacant seats, and that there were also five vacant seats in the sixth grade room taught by Miss Nelson. Are the teachers also confused, Superintendent Karnes? Or just poor at counting? KARNES In general, the school is overcrowded. PAUL But three of the four Indian girls who were sent home are in the sixth grade, are they not? 37.

KARNES I believe so. PAUL In addition - although addition does not seem to be your strong point - there are four students in the sixth grade who live outside the city limits of Ketchikan. If the school were truly overcrowded, would not Irene Jones and the other Indian girls who live in Ketchikan have priority over the white children who live outside the city? KARNES The Indian girls can go to the Indian school, where they belong! PAUL Irene Jones and her parents are leading a civilized life, Superintendent Karnes. Your actions violate United States law. JUDGE HARDING Thank you, Mr. Paul. I will give you my ruling shortly. (The lights dim briefly. When the lights go up, IRENE is skipping to school again, reciting a poem.) IRENE Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul,/And sings the tune without the words,/And never stops at all,/And sweetest in the gale is heard;/And sore must be the storm/ That could abash the little bird/That kept so many warm./ I've heard it in the chillest land,/And on the strangest sea;/Yet, never, in extremity,/It asked a crumb of me.

(IRENE arrives at the doors of the school, to find KARNES waiting for her with his hands behind his back.) KARNES Hello, Irene. IRENE You can't stop me now, Mr. Karnes. The judge said so! KARNES I know, I'm not going to stop you. I have something you might need. (KARNES hands IRENE her satchel, which he was holding behind his back.) 38.

IRENE Thank you, Mr. Karnes! KARNES I can't say I approve of this, but the law's the law. Go on in and always be on your best behavior. (IRENE skips inside, leaving the stage, and KARNES follows her.) ABIGAIL A happy ending. BENNY That was really just a beginning for Alaska Native rights. There was still a very long way to go. William Paul was the first Tlingit lawyer and the first Alaska Native elected to the legislature. Until 1924, when a law made all Native Americans citizens, Alaska Natives had to prove that they led a "civilized life" to become American citizens. William Paul also campaigned for the Tlingits and Haidas to receive compensation for the lands they lost in the . ABIGAIL Did they get it? BENNY It took decades and a court awarded them $7.5 million in 1968, the amount the land was worth in 1902. They were denied any compensation for the salmon they had fished for on the land, because the court said that nobody could own migratory fish. ABIGAIL That sucks. BENNY Yes. But Alaska Natives did get more in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which I'll tell you about later. ABIGAIL What's next, then? BENNY I think there is someone who has been waiting impatiently to talk to us. 39.

SCENE 8

(GOVERNOR ERNEST GRUENING enters and stands alone in the middle of the stage. He is 58 years old, the age he was in 1945.) GRUENING Greetings, fellow Alaskans. My name is Ernest Gruening. I feel that I must tell this part of the story myself, because I am a journalist and author, you know. BENNY Yes, but I can tell a story too. GRUENING I'm sure you can, my boy. I have to admit to another motive - I like to be center stage. So please sit back and enjoy this short break from your duties, Benny. Besides, it appears you are very busy with something. BENNY That's true. (BENNY gets back to work on his drawing.) GRUENING To continue my introduction, I was appointed governor of Alaska by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. One of the many problems that concerned me was discrimination against the Native people. In 1940 I took a first small step towards ending that travesty. (GRUENING walks over to a counter in a restaurant and sits down on a stool, with an empty coffee cup in front of him.) GRUENING I had been to the Anchorage Grill on my first visit to Alaska and was disturbed by a sign, "We Do Not Cater to Native and Filipino Trade." When I returned as governor, the sign was still there. (A young woman SERVER approaches GRUENING, holding a pot of coffee.) SERVER Some coffee, sir? (The SERVER pours GRUENING a cup of coffee without waiting for a reply.) 40.

SERVER Golly, aren't you Governor Gruening? How exciting! Can I get you our special, it's steak and eggs. GRUENING Who's the boss around here? SERVER Oh no, did I say something wrong? Please don't report me, sir. I've lived in Alaska all my life and I love it here, but my parents think I should leave the territory and find a good job. If I lose this job, they'll make me go. GRUENING Don't worry, dear girl, I have a completely different matter to discuss with your boss. SERVER Thank goodness, you scared me for a moment. I'll go fetch him. His name is George. (The SERVER exits and GEORGE GRAMES, a big man in a white chef's cap and uniform, with a Greek accent, approaches Gruening, smiling.) GRUENING What's the idea of that sign, George? (GRUENING nods towards a sign just inside the door of the restaurant.) GRAMES Oh, we have to have that sign to keep the customers. GRUENING Here's one customer you won't keep if that sign stays up. (GRUENING points to himself.) GRAMES How's that? GRUENING Well, how would you like to go into another eating place down the street and see a sign, "We Do Not Cater to Greeks"? GRAMES Well, Greeks, you know, we are white people, just like you. (GRUENING sighs and addresses the audience.) 41.

GRUENING I gave George a pep talk about the meaning of America. (GRUENING turns back to GRAMES.) GRUENING George, I imagine you are a naturalized citizen, am I right? GRAMES A proud American now! GRUENING And when you were naturalized, you had to study the constitution and the history of our great nation. You understood that we believe in equal rights for all and that we fought a bitter civil war to abolish the scourge of slavery. GRAMES Yes, I know, Abraham Lincoln, a house divided against itself cannot stand! I learn many quotes. He was a great man. Like our Achilles! GRUENING Quite right. So, you see, although Alaska is not yet a full- fledged state, we live by the laws and ideals of the United States here and we do not discriminate against anyone, whether they be Native, Filipino, Greek or Jewish like myself. Do you know how the Jews, white people, as you noted, are being treated today in Germany? GRAMES I am sorry, I see what you mean. I take down the sign. It will never be up again. (GRAMES goes over to the sign, takes it down and exits the stage. GRUENING addresses the audience.)

GRUENING I dropped into the Anchorage Grill on various occasions thereafter, and the sign had not reappeared. And I saw Native families eating along with other patrons. No one seemed troubled by it. But I was not equally successful elsewhere. Across the Gastineau Channel from Juneau on Douglas Island, the Douglas Inn had the words "No Natives Allowed" painted over its entrance. The owner, John Marin, was an Italian by birth. (JOHN MARIN enters and approaches GRUENING. MARIN speaks with an Italian accent.) 42.

GRUENING You have a sign over your establishment that is very offensive to the Native people here. Won't you please paint it out and stop the practice that it indicates you follow? MARIN I can't have a lot of dirty, drunken Natives in my place. GRUENING You can't have, and needn't have, any people who are dirty or drunk. But why call them Natives? I've seen people stagger out of your place, and they weren't Natives. If any person, Native or white, is drunk, disorderly, or otherwise objectionable, you can exclude him - but as a person, not as a member of a race. MARIN Yes, that is very sensible policy. Thank you for your suggestion, governor. I will think it over. (GRUENING addresses the audience.) GRUENING Marin did not paint out his sign. After Pearl Harbor was bombed in December of 1941 and the United States entered the war, I spoke to him again. (GRUENING turns back to MARIN.) GRUENING John, we're at war now. Native boys are being drafted like white boys. Some of them will be killed. We're fighting a government which propagates the idea that one master race is superior to all others. The United States is opposed to that idea and all that goes with it. So I urge you to paint out that sign. MARIN Yes, yes, of course, governor. I promise that I will. (MARIN smiles and exits. GRUENING addresses the audience.) GRUENING He did not keep his promise. No doubt he took advice from others, who said, "Tell that Cheechako governor to go jump in the channel." The sign remained. I encouraged the Alaska legislature to pass a bill providing equal treatment in public places, but the bill failed. In 1944 I received a telegram from a 17-year-old half-white, half-Eskimo girl in Nome. Her name was Alberta Schenck. She described how she sat with an Army friend on the white side of the movie theater and was taken to jail for it. I decided to persuade Natives to run for the legislature, and three were elected. 43.

In 1945 an anti-discrimination bill finally passed. In the debate, two senators made racist remarks, but , a Tlingit, stood up in the gallery and made a speech that put them to shame. She finished by saying, "No law will eliminate crimes, but at least you as legislators can assert to the world that you recognize the evil of the present situation and speak your intent to help us overcome discrimination." ABIGAIL Governor Gruening, can I ask you a question? GRUENING Yes, you may. ABIGAIL You said there were lots of problems in Alaska when you arrived. What else were you worried about? GRUENING As I was about to mention, the issue of taxation was extremely important to me. There were very few taxes in Alaska to pay for all the services such as schools and roads that people were desperate for. The canneries had avoided tax increases thanks to their lobbyists, who would bribe legislators with a few bottles of whisky. The most powerful and influential lobbyist was Winton C. Arnold. People called him Judge Arnold, because he had once been a United States commissioner, or they simply called him Fish Arnold. One of his opponents in the legislature was Representative Frank Peratrovich, a Tlingit who was the brother of Elizabeth Peratrovich’s husband Roy. 44.

SCENE 9

(WINTON C. ARNOLD is speaking to the Alaska Territorial Senate in early 1945. He is about 42 years old. He has a broad face, a roundish nose, thick eyebrows and thinning black hair. He is wearing a dark suit and tie, and an air of confidence and power emanates from him. Representative FRANK PERATROVICH is sitting next to ARNOLD. He is 49 years old. He has a round face, round glasses, bushy dark eyebrows and black hair standing up slightly on a balding head, and a friendly smile. He is wearing a dark suit and a tie with a geometric pattern on it. He is half- Tlingit and half-Croat.) ARNOLD I would like to thank the Senate for so very kindly allowing me to speak on this question of a bill that would regulate and tax the use of fish traps in Alaska. After carefully reviewing the bill I have come to the conclusion that these tax provisions are confiscatory and discriminatory. They are aimed exclusively at the absentee owners of canned salmon businesses, because Alaskans do not use the fish traps. It is grossly unfair to single out absentee owners from our neighbor city of for taxation. They are all good Americans interested in the welfare of Alaska and its people. (Senator LEO ROGGE leans forward to speak, smiling benevolently at ARNOLD.) ROGGE We are always grateful for your words of wisdom, Senator Arnold - excuse me - Judge, I mean, Mr. Arnold.

ARNOLD Although I am not a member of this fine body, I hope that I have a useful contribution to make on occasion. ROGGE You clarify matters most succinctly. PERATROVICH The Native people of southeastern Alaska are living in poverty because the canneries' fish traps take everything that swims. The solution to the problem of the existing conditions is the elimination of fish traps. If they cannot be eliminated, a reasonable tax on them would at least provide some compensation to Alaskans for the loss of their precious resources. 45.

ARNOLD Representative Peratrovich, you are a successful merchant and a veteran of the World War. I respect your experience and I know we agree on many points. As you will admit, fish traps are the most efficient means of catching fish. They catch fish more cheaply, and in better quality, and preserve them in methods better adapted to the canning process than any other method. They are more adaptable to conservation, to the preservation of the salmon run than any other type of gear. PERATROVICH The fish traps are particularly harmful to the older people in our region. They have been fishermen all their lives since the salmon industry started its business here in 1890. ARNOLD I fully agree. At their stage of life, it's too late for them to change and to become employees or workers in the construction, operation or maintenance of fish traps. They're like blacksmiths or carriage makers when the automobile was introduced. The younger people can adapt more easily to changing times. It is true that people can no longer make enough to support themselves for a year in the four-week period of the salmon run, but that is because their needs are greater today. Mr. Peratrovich is a living example, these people have advanced. Their culture has advanced, and their living standard has been raised. Their daughters want high- heeled shoes, and so forth, and they're entitled to have those things, but the solution is some sort of balanced economy which will permit or encourage these people to get year-around employment. PERATROVICH The fish traps are located in strategic positions, and the Natives, who formerly were able to make a living before the traps came, now are practically excluded. ARNOLD The statistics will disprove that. Going back 30 years, more fish are taken by mobile gear now. PERATROVICH Your industry could withstand a modest tax. ARNOLD The tax as stipulated in the bill we are discussing would be ruinous to the canneries, but we can certainly contribute something more to the territorial coffers if there is an urgent need. ROGGE I move to amend the bill, to reduce the taxes. 46.

(ROGGE clears his throat, slightly embarrassed.) ROGGE I believe Mr. Arnold has the amendment. (ROGGE approaches ARNOLD, who pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to the senator.) ROGGE Much obliged, I now present this amendment for discussion. (Governor ERNEST GRUENING enters and addresses the room. He is 58 years old.) GRUENING Good afternoon. Senator Frank Gordon asked me to come here, to state my position once again. It is improper and undignified for the territory to put itself in the position of accepting as a gift a crumb which the canned salmon industry graciously offers from its sumptuous banquet table. The chief lobbyist for the canning industry, Mr. Arnold, comes to Alaska, surveys the situation and tells you how much or how little you as legislators may spend. This is a wholly unworthy and humiliating position for a great territory which aspires to be a sovereign state. (Senator NORMAN "DOC" WALKER stands up, looking angry. He has piercing eyes, a hook nose, a pock-marked face and thinning sandy hair combed straight back.) WALKER The governor wants to tax, tax, tax, with the idea that more bureaucrats can be supported who, in turn, will make more rules that hinder and harass industry. GRUENING In the Senate, eight votes were cast in favor of the fish traps tax bill and eight against. It was a tie and the bill was defeated. Arnold and the canned salmon lobby had won a tremendous victory. The Senate also defeated Representative Frank Peratrovich's bill calling for a referendum on the abolition of fish traps. (Everyone else in the room stands up and mills around, talking loudly, with PERATROVICH looking disappointed and ROGGE, WALKER and ARNOLD patting each other on the back, shaking hands and laughing. 47.

ARNOLD puts his arm around ROGGE's shoulder and turns him to face away from GRUENING.) ARNOLD Leo, you did an excellent job, we appreciate your vote. I hope you and your beautiful wife enjoy your trip to Seattle. Come to my office any time next week to pick up the tickets. (GRUENING looks at ARNOLD and ROGGE and shakes his head in disgust. He addresses the audience again, while everyone else who was at the Senate session exits.) GRUENING But that was in 1945. After that, the tide began to turn in my favor. Alaskans were realizing how an effectively organized minority in the legislatures had betrayed their interests and had left the territory in a deplorable state. The financial crisis was acute. I called a special session of the legislature two weeks before the regular session of 1949. My tax proposals finally passed. Of course, Winton Arnold was not happy. (ARNOLD strides in and approaches GRUENING.) GRUENING Sit down, judge. ARNOLD No, I'll stand. What I've got to say won't take long. I've come to serve notice on you that we're not going to pay those taxes. They're outrageous, they're confiscatory. We're going to take all of them to court and meanwhile we'll tie you up with injunctions so you won't be able to meet your payrolls. GRUENING That's very interesting, judge. But why tell it to me? Why not tell it to the legislators who are passing these tax bills? ARNOLD Because this is your legislature. GRUENING Do you mean the others have all been yours? (ARNOLD smiles wryly and exits the stage. GRUENING addresses the audience.) 48.

GRUENING The canned salmon industry did take all these tax measures to court. But with the exception of one minor aspect of the fish trap bill, every one of the measures was kept. ABIGAIL Didn't you say you introduced an income tax? We don't have to pay income taxes now, do we? GRUENING No, because after statehood Alaska took control of its resources and became very wealthy. ABIGAIL Hooray for statehood! GRUENING Quite right. But in those days statehood was just a dream. There were many battles yet to come. 49.

ACT II SCENE 1 (BOB ATWOOD is sitting outside the door to the White House's Oval Office in Washington, D.C. in spring 1954. He is 47 years old. He has dark hair combed back, a broad face and a wide grin. He is wearing a suit with a visitor's pass clipped to it, and carrying a briefcase and a copy of the . JIM HAGERTY, President Eisenhower's press secretary, comes out of the Oval Office. HAGERTY is 45 years old. He is a slim man with black hair and is wearing a white jacket, white shirt and thin, dark-colored tie and glasses. He looks tense and almost rat-like, ready to pounce the moment ATWOOD says anything inappropriate.) HAGERTY The president is ready for you now. Remember, you're here as editor of the Anchorage Times and not as chairman of the Alaska Statehood Committee. Please avoid controversial political issues. (HAGERTY shows ATWOOD into the Oval Office, where PRESIDENT DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER approaches to greet him. EISENHOWER is 63 years old. He shakes hands with ATWOOD and gestures to him to sit down. EISENHOWER sits down behind his desk. HAGERTY sits down next to ATWOOD, stiff as a ramrod.) EISENHOWER So, Robert B. Atwood of Alaska! Welcome to the White House. ATWOOD Thank you very much, Mr. President, for this opportunity to pay my respects as a visiting newspaper editor. I would like to present you with this copy of the Anchorage Times for your perusal. (ATWOOD hands the newspaper to EISENHOWER, who takes it, opens it and starts reading.) EISENHOWER Hmm… oh, a new movie at the Fourth Avenue Theatre… triplets born… man shot in a bar… uh-huh… interesting. 50.

(EISENHOWER puts the newspaper down and smiles.) EISENHOWER What a lot seems to be happening in Anchorage these days. Is that elegant nightclub where we had the banquet still there? ATWOOD The Aleutian Gardens. Oh, yes, sir, it's very much alive and kicking. EISENHOWER Has the city grown much since my visits? ATWOOD Yes, sir, it's expanding very rapidly with all the military families moving in, and people coming up the Alaska Highway in search of adventure. We desperately need more schools, more paved roads, more of the services that all American cities provide for their inhabitants, but we are hindered by Alaska's status as a territory. (HAGERTY looks very perturbed.) HAGERTY Mr. President, your next appointment is in five minutes. Perhaps we could wrap this up. I believe Mr. Atwood has completed his task of paying his respects. EISENHOWER Don't worry, Jim. I have a few questions about Alaska I'd like to ask. HAGERTY Of course, sir, it's just that - EISENHOWER Well, now, about statehood. I keep hearing people say that I am opposed to statehood, but I'm not. There is only one thing that bothers me about statehood for Alaska, and that is a military consideration. The federal government must have a free hand for military operations in the Arctic areas, which are vulnerable to attack from the Russians. ATWOOD Yes, I see your point, sir. EISENHOWER Jim, bring me that Alaska map I was looking at earlier. HAGERTY Yes, sir. 51.

(HAGERTY gets up, takes a large map of Alaska out of a drawer.) EISENHOWER Hold it up for me, would you. (HAGERTY gloomily holds up the map. EISENHOWER stands up and traces a line with his pen that cuts off the northern parts of Alaska from the rest of the territory.) EISENHOWER I would allow the state to make its land selections below this line. ATWOOD That seems reasonable, sir. The Arctic has few resources ready for development. EISENHOWER Indeed. ATWOOD I am glad you do not advocate partition of Alaska, leaving the north a territory, as Governor Heintzleman has suggested. That idea has virtually no following among Alaskans. HAGERTY Mr. President, weren't you the one who asked Governor Heintzleman to write - EISENHOWER Thank you for your assistance with the map, Jim, you may put it away. (HAGERTY looks dejected as he puts the map back in the drawer. As HAGERTY shows ATWOOD out of the Oval Office, on the other side of the stage BOB BARTLETT is standing talking to CONGRESSMAN ARTHUR MILLER of Nebraska. BARTLETT is 50 years old. MILLER is 62 years old with thin, graying hair, a large nose and glasses. MILLER puts his hand on BARTLETT's shoulder.) BARTLETT Why is the president still not supporting us? MILLER You understand, Bob, Governor Heintzleman's partition proposal was inspired by the White House out of a genuine concern for Alaska's defense. 52.

BARTLETT Ike is not fully informed on the subject. In any case, it might be wise if I and my Alaskan constituents were consulted about partition. We would reject it, you know. (MILLER becomes angry.) MILLER You must be ready to compromise! That is the trouble with you Alaskans. You always come here demanding. You should come hat in hand begging. You are only a territory! (BARTLETT and MILLER exit the stage in opposite directions. ABIGAIL taps BENNY on the shoulder and he looks up from his drawing work.) ABIGAIL Hold on a minute, I'm getting confused, who were all those dudes? BENNY Bob Bartlett had been Alaska's delegate to Congress since 1945. He was a Democrat. It was Congressman Arthur Miller from Nebraska who told him that Alaskans should come begging, but Bartlett ignored that and kept up the statehood fight for many years. Bob Atwood was one of the Alaska Republicans who tried to persuade President Eisenhower to support statehood in 1954. After his visit, a delegation of Alaskans led by Republicans Walter Hickel and Johnny Butrovich came to see the president. (In the Oval Office EISENHOWER is now sitting at his desk surrounded by a delegation of Alaskans, including WALTER HICKEL and JOHN BUTROVICH. HICKEL is 34 years old. BUTROVICH is 44 years old. HAGERTY is also present.)

HICKEL My name is Walter J. Hickel, sir. I am a businessman from Anchorage and Alaska's Republican national committeeman- elect. I'll get straight to the point. We need all of Alaska to become a state. We don't want it to be divided by an arbitrary line. Now I'll introduce the group's spokesman, Mr. John Butrovich from Fairbanks. EISENHOWER Please proceed. 53.

BUTROVICH We feel that you are a great American who led us to victory in the war, Mr. President, but we are shocked to come here and find a bill which concerns the rights of American citizens bottled up in a committee when you have the power to bring it out on the floor. (BUTROVICH bangs his fist on EISENHOWER's desk for emphasis. EISENHOWER turns red in the face. HAGERTY tugs on HICKEL's sleeve.) HAGERTY Hickel, shut him up! BUTROVICH And another thing, sir, a statehood bill that gives us only 3 million acres of land is no good to us. As Wally here has said many times, we need at least 100 million acres to make a go of it. HAGERTY Shut him up, or you won't get back in here again! (EISENHOWER sits back, folds his arms and takes a deep breath.) EISENHOWER Well, young man, at least I'm glad you think I'm an American. BENNY President Eisenhower eventually agreed that the whole of Alaska could become a state, as long as the federal government was allowed a free hand in the Arctic in case of emergency. Meanwhile, back in Alaska, the people of the territory had their own ideas about how to win statehood. 54.

SCENE 2 (ERNEST GRUENING enters and stands in the middle of the stage. He is 68 years old, the age he was in 1955. Sitting behind him are the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, and BOB BARTLETT, who is 51 years old.) GRUENING Now we come to the Constitutional Convention, held in the horribly cold winter of 1955 to 1956 on the campus of the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. I was present, of course, although with the election of Republican President Eisenhower in 1952, I had been replaced as governor after a marvelous 14 years in office. BENNY Excuse me, sir? GRUENING Yes, young man? BENNY I was at the Constitutional Convention too, as a special guest. May I describe it? GRUENING Why not? Do go ahead, I have to prepare for my speech in any case. (GRUENING goes and sits with the delegates to the Convention.) ABIGAIL Why were you a special guest, Benny? BENNY I'd made my own contribution to Alaska, Abigail. I'll tell you about that later. Now pay attention, there are some very important people here. Firstly, Mrs. Mildred Hermann. She has just been elected temporary chairman of the Convention. (MILDRED HERMANN, 64 years old, weighing over 300 pounds, wearing a dark-colored dress with a brooch on the front and large, squarish glasses, with dark, graying hair in a bun, steps forward to sit in the chairman's seat and picks up a gavel.) HERMANN I suppose I should make a little bang to express the symbol of my authority and my appreciation of the honor. 55.

At this time we have to hear from the delegate of Alaska on the subject Meeting the Challenge. Mr. Bartlett. (The delegates applaud. BARTLETT acknowledges the applause with a smile and a nod and steps forward.) BARTLETT There are those in Alaska and in the United States who have argued that Alaska is not yet ready for statehood because its people lack political maturity. One aspect of maturity is the ability to manage one's resources. This Convention can demonstrate to the Congress and the people of the United States at least this aspect of political maturity by giving notice that Alaska's resources will be administered, within the bounds of human limitations and shortcomings, for the benefit of all of the people. (The delegates applaud. BARTLETT acknowledges them again and sits down.) HERMANN Thank you, Mr. Bartlett, for your very fine address. We will now hear the honorable Ernest Gruening, former governor of Alaska. (The delegates applaud and give GRUENING a standing ovation as he moves forward to speak.) GRUENING Inherent in colonialism is an inferior political status. Inherent in colonialism is an inferior economic status. We Alaskans believe - passionately - that American citizenship is the most precious possession in the world. Hence we want it in full measure; full citizenship instead of half- citizenship; first class instead of second class citizenship. We demand equality with all other Americans, and the liberties, long denied us, that go with it. (The delegates applaud and give Gruening another standing ovation as he goes back to his seat.) BENNY The delegates then elected the president of the Convention, Bill Egan. (BILL EGAN, who is 41 years old, approaches the chairman's seat.) 56.

HERMANN Mr. Egan, I congratulate you upon your election to be president of the Alaska Constitutional Convention, hand to you this gavel, symbol of your authority. I commend you to act with courage and humility. (HERMANN hands EGAN the gavel and somewhat clumsily gets up from her seat and goes to sit with the other delegates. EGAN sits in the chairman's seat.) EGAN Madam chairman and delegates, I feel deeply humbled and proud of this honor you have bestowed upon me. BENNY Egan kept the peace for the 75 days of the Convention. When an argument got too heated, he sent the delegates outside to start their cars so the engines wouldn't freeze. The delegates had cooled down by the time they came back in! (EGAN bangs his gavel.) EGAN You may ask a question, Mr. Peratrovich. (FRANK PERATROVICH stands up to speak. He is 60 years old.) PERATROVICH It's the feeling of the committee that perhaps it is best not to single out any type of gear in respect to the fisheries? There was a suggestion made, could it not be spelled out in the form of an ordinance. Is it the feeling of the committee that it's best to leave this particular subject out of the constitution? EGAN Mr. Buckalew. (SEABORN BUCKALEW stands up to speak. He is 35 years old. He has dark hair in a crew cut and large glasses.) BUCKALEW If we provided it by ordinance, fish traps would be illegal the day Alaska was admitted to the union, and we wouldn't have to wait for the legislature to act. We could knock them out perhaps six months earlier. That would be the advantage of having an ordinance. 57.

BENNY By asking Alaskans to vote on an ordinance abolishing fish traps, which they cared about passionately, more people came out to vote on the constitution. It was a clever move. ABIGAIL OK. What else did they decide at the Convention? BENNY They adopted the Alaska-Tennessee Plan, which would send two elected senators and a representative to Congress to ask for recognition. They also took Bob Bartlett's advice and wrote a line in the constitution promising that Alaska's natural resources would be used for the maximum benefit of the people of the state. ABIGAIL Did they give us all a PFD check? BENNY Not yet. But the Permanent Fund Dividend idea that came later was a way of ensuring that Alaska's oil wealth would benefit all the people, not just the oil companies. ABIGAIL Were they happy with the constitution? BENNY Very happy. Lots of people think it's one of the best state constitutions there is. And they left a message for you. ABIGAIL For me? EGAN Reverend Armstrong. (R. ROLLAND ARMSTRONG stands up to speak. He is 45 years old. He has slightly graying dark hair combed back, a stubbly gray moustache and large glasses.) ARMSTRONG Mr. President, the committee you appointed a couple of days ago has tried to work in time to have some type of a charter for Alaska's children. The content of the final document would read something in this order: “You are Alaska's children. Take our constitution and study it, work with it in your classrooms, understand its meaning and the facts within it. Help others to love and appreciate it. You are Alaska's children. We bequeath to you the land, the mountains, the lakes, the skies. 58.

This is your land and we ask you to possess it.” 59.

SCENE 3 (EDNA FERBER is standing by the fireplace with a cocktail in her hand in the spacious log cabin home of EVANGELINE and BOB ATWOOD in Anchorage in late 1956. Furnishings of the cabin may include a large bear skin on the wall, an organ, plants, rugs on the floor and shelves full of books. FERBER is 71 years old. She has slightly curly white hair, a prominent nose and large white teeth. She is wearing an evening dress, high heels, earrings and a necklace. EVANGELINE enters, also dressed formally, carrying a tray of appetizers. She is 50 years old. Her dark, shiny hair is carefully styled.) EVANGELINE Crackers with smoked Alaska salmon, Miss Ferber. Please try one. FERBER Certainly. Do call me Edna. (FERBER takes a cracker. EVANGELINE puts the tray down on a small table.) EVANGELINE Of course. Sometimes I serve muktuk to our guests, Edna, but as you have just returned from Kotzebue, I thought you'd probably had enough of it. FERBER Quite so. I am very much enjoying my Alaskan adventures, but I must say it is lovely to be here in your cozy cabin in Anchorage. One does miss the comforts of civilization after a few weeks in the tundra. EVANGELINE It's so daring of you to make all those trips out to the bush. FERBER You mean at my age. EVANGELINE Oh dear, I hope I haven't offended you. 60.

FERBER Not in the least, I know my activities are a little eccentric. I have to thank my dear old friend Ernest Gruening for getting me into this. EVANGELINE We adore Ernest. He has been such a boon to the territory. I was very glad he asked us to introduce you to our local statehood advocates. FERBER If you don't mind my asking, aren't you and Bob Republicans? EVANGELINE Why, yes, but the statehood movement is a bipartisan effort. We were skeptical about Ernest at first, and it's true he's too liberal for us in some respects, but as soon as we met him we really hit it off. FERBER I loved his book about Mexico. When he suggested that I write a novel about Alaska, I wasn't sure at first what might be of interest in this vast, frozen land. My travels have set me straight. And with this statehood battle, I appear to have chosen a most opportune time. (BOB ATWOOD enters, wearing a hat and overcoat and carrying a briefcase. He is 49 years old.) BOB Good evening, ladies! I apologize for my lateness. I trust my wife has been the perfect hostess, as always. I was stuck at the office finishing my editorial. Trying to kick those congressmen in their you-know-whats to get them to budge on the statehood bill. (BOB takes off his hat and coat and hangs them up, and puts down his briefcase.) EVANGELINE You could do with a gin and tonic, dear. BOB You read my mind! (EVANGELINE exits.) BOB I'm Bob Atwood, as you probably gathered. So you are the famous author of Giant. How did you like poor James Dean in the film version? Did you meet him? 61.

It's a shame such a talented young actor had to die so young, only 24! I think he deserves an Oscar for his performance. FERBER You know, he took me on a hair-raising ride around the set in his Porsche. It was crazy fun. I had an inkling something terrible would happen to him. BOB Well, let's talk about something more cheerful. How do you like Alaska? FERBER I'm like a smitten young gel! It's so absolutely spectacular and enthralling. I'm learning all sorts of fascinating facts, I mean, of course you know these things, but to a newcomer it's wonderful to discover that the word Eskimo means man who eats sea animals. (EVANGELINE enters and hands a cocktail to BOB.) EVANGELINE Here you go, darling. BOB Miss Ferber was just telling me what she's been up to here. EVANGELINE Oh yes? FERBER In Fairbanks the women all seemed to be pretty and pregnant. What do they put in the water up there? BOB There isn't much to do on the cold, dark nights. EVANGELINE Bob, really! (They all laugh.) FERBER The babies and children were like walking flowers in the Arctic sun. EVANGELINE How poetic. You're such a talented writer. FERBER Thank you. I've found a host of characters here. I make notes about the people I meet and some of them will turn up in my book under different names, I expect. 62.

There was one gentleman in Fairbanks who was carrying a smart swagger-stick, like a small staff of ivory. I asked him about it and he explained to me what an oosik is! Golly, was I surprised. (They all laugh again.) EVANGELINE Does anyone object to appearing in your novels? FERBER There's always someone who claims direct identity with one of my characters, is secretly flattered by it, then threatens legal action. BOB I know all about those kinds of threats, editing the Anchorage Times. FERBER Now, about those taxes, do you think there will be a need for higher taxes if Alaska achieves statehood? BOB It has been proven that statehood will not add greatly to the financial burden of the territorial government when it becomes a state. But Alaskans have answered overwhelmingly over and over again that they are in favor of paying more taxes to get self-government and sovereignty if that's what is necessary. FERBER You believe it will be worth it? EVANGELINE As long as we remain a territory we will lack that feeling of loyalty and pride which comes from possessing something over which we have complete control. We want to do something about that, and basically we believe a change in political status is fundamental. BOB The statehood opponents come up with all kinds of excuses to keep us out. It has been said that our economy has not been developed enough, and we say that is like a father telling his son that he cannot marry his girlfriend yet because they have no children. FERBER What an apt way of putting it! (The doorbell rings. EVANGELINE moves in the direction of the front door.) 63.

EVANGELINE This must be the Crittendens. You'll like them, Edna, Ed is an architect who wants to make Anchorage a really modern American city, and Kit is very active on the theatrical scene, the Girl Scout movement and the statehood cause. BOB Well, stop babbling and show them in! (The lights go down on the Atwoods' cabin and ABIGAIL taps BENNY on the shoulder, as he's engrossed in his drawing.) BENNY Huh? ABIGAIL Did she write a book about Alaska, Benny? BENNY Oh, sorry - yes, it was called Ice Palace, and it was a bestseller that was also made into a movie. After reading it, people from all over the country wrote pro-statehood letters to Congress. Suddenly Alaska caught the attention of Americans and seemed to be in the news constantly. 64.

SCENE 4 (On March 2, 1958, an episode of EDWARD R. MURROW's "See it Now" is airing on CBS. If cast members are available, a family can be sitting in their living room watching the broadcast. MURROW is 49 years old, with receding dark hair, and wearing a jacket and tie with a pattern on it. He is sitting in the studio.) MURROW Good evening, this is See it Now, produced by Friendly and Murrow. The subject: statehood for Alaska and Hawaii. Senator George Malone, Republican of Nevada said: (MURROW turns to look at Senator GEORGE MALONE, who is standing at the side of the stage, giving a speech in Congress. He is 67 years old, with a wide forehead, roundish face and thinning hair. He is wearing a dark jacket and dark tie.) MALONE They have no direct knowledge of life in the United States, and are different from us. Not even one percent of the inhabitants would even visit the United States, and the United States has never granted statehood to a non-contiguous territory. MURROW The students of the Anchorage High School in Alaska like to point out that the senator was wrong: that California was admitted when the nearest other state was almost a thousand miles away, and the senator's own state of Nevada was admitted when it was only contiguous to California and Oregon, which in turn, touched only the Pacific Ocean. As with other territories which became states, it is the homesteaders, rather than the military or the transient workers, who will give Alaska its real strength. (MURROW turns to look at a REPORTER, who is standing outside talking to a homesteading couple in farming clothes, MR. and MRS. LANCASTER.) REPORTER On the question of statehood, do you folks feel that you'll benefit under it? 65.

MRS. LANCASTER What I feel is that the people especially in the eastern states, the people are totally ignorant, they still think of Alaska as an igloo sitting on top of the world. They don't realize the actual potentialities, that we raise wonderful potatoes, carrots, cabbage, lettuce. In fact, our vegetables have more food value than your vegetables raised outside. MR. LANCASTER I can't see any reason why we shouldn't have statehood. Let's put it this way, how would you like to be sitting right in the middle of Illinois, having Illinois a territory, and have to have Washington tell you what to do all the time? It's not that we're particularly complaining about Washington, but we're Americans, we would like to control our own affairs. MURROW Critics of statehood claim that the military, which spends about 200 million dollars annually, is Alaska's principal source of business, that Alaska just can't afford statehood. The salmon catch has been way off in recent years, and observers like Robert Atwood, editor of the Anchorage Times, blame the big Seattle interests who dominate the Alaskan fisheries. (MURROW turns to BOB ATWOOD, who is sitting in the studio. ATWOOD is 50 years old.) ATWOOD Well, statehood has had only one opponent who has gone on record opposed to statehood, and who is organized and spends money opposing statehood, and that's the Alaska salmon industry, which has headquarters in Seattle. They have consistently and persistently opposed statehood because it affects their profits. Alaskans will control their fishery when we become a state, and they will eliminate fish traps. MURROW What other reasons do Alaskans have for wanting statehood? ATWOOD We have nobody in Washington who is responsible to us, who will listen to us, who has any power. We are limited to a delegate in Congress who has no vote, all his powers are to introduce bills and make speeches, and otherwise he is a glorified lobbyist, an errand-boy, serving us doing the best he can, and he has to depend on friendships and a begging operation to get help for our problems. MURROW Winton Arnold is a Seattle attorney, and a registered Washington lobbyist for the Seattle-owned canneries. He is for statehood, but not now. 66.

It has been said that the fish traps in use by the companies including those which your organization represents, have depleted the salmon pack. What is your view of this? (MURROW turns to WINTON C. ARNOLD, who is sitting in the studio. ARNOLD is now 55 years old.) ARNOLD It's true that there has been a marked decrease in the take of salmon in Alaskan waters during the last several years, but there's no evidence or indication that I know of that this decrease is due in any way to the use of fish traps. I assume that over-fishing is a contributing factor, and also heavy inroads during the last years made by the Japanese high seas fishing fleets. MURROW This is United States Senator George Malone, Republican, of Nevada, who is against statehood. Why? (MURROW turns to MALONE, who is now sitting in the studio.) MALONE One hundred and eighty years, Ed, everybody's been opposed to statehood for any noncontiguous area. We've never taken one. Once you've taken a non-contiguous area as a state, then there's nothing to prevent eight or 10 non-contiguous areas from coming in, including island areas. So you get two senators from Alaska, then you get two from Hawaii, then comes in, no excuse then. Six. You take Formosa, why not? Take the Philippines; first thing you know you got 10 or 15, even number, 16 senators, on that Senate floor. So what you have then, you just go off the deep end, and you'll all be one-worlders, free trade, and everything else. MURROW And you don't see any advantage that would accrue to us from Alaskan statehood? MALONE Could not possibly be any advantage. MURROW Not economically, not militarily? MALONE No. How would it be an economic advantage, when they can ship their stuff here, there's no tariff, no nothing, just like between our states. They have all the advantages. 67.

MURROW Well, senator, in 1860, when Nevada became a state, I believe there were only about 9,000 people living there then, is that right? MALONE It could have been, we produced about a billion dollars of gold and silver and I guess Mr. Lincoln needed it pretty bad, and they took it in as a state. But you know, you can get out and in from Nevada, you cross Nevada to go someplace. MURROW Thank you very much, Senator Malone. These have been some of the reasons for and against statehood for Alaska. 68.

SCENE 5 (Alaska's delegate to Congress, BOB BARTLETT, is walking down a corridor in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. in the spring of 1958. BARTLETT is 54 years old. He is holding a rose behind his back. He approaches SENATOR MARGARET CHASE SMITH of Maine, who is coming towards him from the opposite direction. CHASE SMITH is 60 years old. She has mainly white hair styled with neat waves, dark lipstick and a string of pearls around her neck. She has a largish nose and chin. She smiles when she sees BARTLETT.) CHASE SMITH Hello, Bob! BARTLETT Senator Chase Smith, how delightful it always is to see you. The most beautiful Republican I know. CHASE SMITH Oh my, Bob, you're such a charmer. (BARTLETT pulls out the rose from behind his back and presents it to her.) BARTLETT I just happened to be carrying this with me and what do you know, I've found the perfect person to give it to. It's from my garden here in Washington. (CHASE SMITH takes the rose graciously and smells it.)

CHASE SMITH What a lovely rose. I'm sure it was pure coincidence that we bumped into each other and you weren't waiting for me to come past to my weekly committee meeting. BARTLETT Pure coincidence, of course. CHASE SMITH Bob, you are such a wonderful man, a few words from you and anyone would go crazy for the cause of Alaska statehood. If only Ernest Gruening could be as diplomatic as you. Ever since those Tennessee Plan delegates arrived, your job has become harder instead of easier. 69.

All those friendships you've made across the aisle, Gruening undermines that by running around giving stern lectures and antagonizing anyone who disagrees with him. The other day he practically accosted me with a speech and I had to dash to the women's restrooms to escape him. BARTLETT Alaskans voted to send two senators and a congressman to fight for statehood in Washington and we must respect the wishes of the people. But between you and me, Margaret, I know exactly what you mean. I've been working on statehood bills here for 13 years. It's a very sensitive process. Gruening has some cockeyed ideas and a ridiculously overblown sense of his own superiority. Bill Egan and Ralph Rivers don't do much at all, which may be a good thing. CHASE SMITH They don't know their way around, as you do. BARTLETT Well, let's hope they all get lost! I'm confident that we're on the verge of a great victory. In fact, I'm off to a meeting with Sam Rayburn this very minute and I have high hopes. CHASE SMITH You absolutely must win over the speaker of the House. I don't know why he resists you. BARTLETT He won't for much longer, my dear. (BARTLETT pats CHASE SMITH's arm affectionately and they part ways. CHASE SMITH exits. BARTLETT knocks on the door of SAM RAYBURN's office.) RAYBURN Come in! (BARTLETT enters the office, to see RAYBURN sitting in an armchair. RAYBURN gestures to BARTLETT to sit in another armchair. RAYBURN is 76 years old. He is bald with a large forehead and intent eyes that he narrows when he is listening carefully. He is wearing a dark jacket and a dark tie with stripes or polka dots. He has a Texan accent.) BARTLETT Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. 70.

RAYBURN Hello, Bob. Help yourself to a bourbon. BARTLETT No, no, thank you. You said that you had something to tell me. RAYBURN Can't wait to hear it, eh, my old friend? BARTLETT That's about right. RAYBURN Well, I won't make you wait any longer. I'm going to give Alaska its day in court. BARTLETT Oh! Mr. Speaker, you've changed your mind! You'll bring the statehood bill to the floor of the House this session? RAYBURN Yes, Bob, that's what I'm saying. BARTLETT I - I - I'm almost speechless. I think I will have that bourbon, after all. (BARTLETT gets up and pours himself a drink, then sits down and takes a large swig of it.) RAYBURN Alaska is part of the mainland, a part of the North American continent. I don't have any feelings against Alaska. The reason I've been against Alaska is because if Alaska is admitted to the Union inevitably Hawaii will be too, and I'm very strongly against Hawaii because it offends my sense of what is right that a group of islands removed by over 2,000 miles from our western coast should be permitted in the Union. Despite all that, I have decided to help Alaska. BARTLETT If you'll permit me to ask, Mr. Speaker, did the discovery of oil on the Kenai Peninsula last year assist you in coming to this conclusion? I mean to say, now that we may have a chance of supporting ourselves as a state. RAYBURN You mean now that the Texan oil companies may have a chance of making a killing. (RAYBURN laughs.) 71.

BARTLETT No, I - RAYBURN No offense taken, Bob. You want to know why I changed my mind, I'll tell you. It's because you kept at me for so long! I surrender! (RAYBURN throws up his hands in mock surrender.) BARTLETT What about the chairman of the Rules Committee? He's promised never to let the statehood bill make any progress to the House floor. He thinks the statehood bill is the greatest giveaway of natural resources in the history of our country. RAYBURN Don't you worry about ol' Howard Smith. There's a procedure whereby we can bypass him altogether. (The lights dim on BARTLETT and RAYBURN. BENNY nudges ABIGAIL.) BENNY You haven't fallen asleep, have you? ABIGAIL No way, I want to find out how Alaska became a state. BENNY Sam Rayburn's clever tactic brought the statehood bill to the House floor for a debate, and then a vote on May 26th, 1958. The bill passed by 210 votes to 166. ABIGAIL Hooray! Then there was a big celebration, right? BENNY Hold on, you've forgotten about the Senate. The leader of the Senate, Lyndon Johnson, was like a son to Rayburn, and they were both Texans, but Johnson couldn't always do what Rayburn wanted. Johnson had his own problems with Democratic senators from the South, which was segregated and against civil rights. They were afraid that senators from a new state of Alaska would vote for civil rights, so they were against Alaska statehood. Johnson didn't want to lose their support, but he was moving towards civil rights because he had presidential ambitions and needed to win over the rest of the country. ABIGAIL Come on, then, what happened? 72.

BENNY This. (The lights go up and RAYBURN has left the stage. BARTLETT is sitting in the office of LYNDON JOHNSON, who is sitting behind his desk. JOHNSON is 49 years old. BARTLETT looks agitated and JOHNSON is frowning.) BARTLETT But senator, you told me that the bill would come to the floor and the southerners wouldn't filibuster it. JOHNSON I know that, Bob, but things have changed. I have received a great deal of mail from Alaska that is opposed to statehood. Maybe I could bring the bill to the Senate floor, but I might have to vote against it. BARTLETT Senator, this is very upsetting news to me. I assure you, most Alaskans are for statehood, as they showed when they voted for it by a three to two margin in the 1946 referendum. Over 80 percent of the country is in favor of statehood for Alaska, according to a Gallup poll. You know all that. JOHNSON I'm sorry, Bob, Alaska will not gain statehood in 1958. (BARTLETT takes a gold nugget out of his pocket and rubs it.) JOHNSON What's that you've got there? BARTLETT Oh, I take it out sometimes without even knowing I'm doing it. It's a gold nugget from my father's mine in the Circle district, the mine I worked for three years after he died. I was one of the few people to make a success of mining. I didn't make any money, but I did pay back my loans. I've carried this nugget around with me since 1939, hoping it would bring me luck. JOHNSON My father had a hard life as a farmer, too, you know. Texans and Alaskans aren't that different in some ways. There'll always be the rivalry, of course. BARTLETT You're afraid Texas will look small if Alaska becomes a state? Senator, I have no vote in Congress, but I do have something I can offer you. 73.

JOHNSON What might that be? BARTLETT I can pledge allegiance to you in your bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. I've always thought you would make a good president because you are such a good majority leader. JOHNSON Now, that's an interesting thing. I'm listening. BENNY On June 30th, 1958, the Alaska statehood bill passed the Senate, 64 votes to 24. Lyndon Johnson was absent that day. The Alaskans watching in the gallery erupted in applause. ABIGAIL And then everyone celebrated. BENNY And then they celebrated. In Anchorage there was a huge bonfire on the Park Strip and Fur Rendezvous queen Rita Martin climbed the ladder on a fire truck to pin the 49th star to an American flag. Alaska officially joined the Union on January 3rd, 1959. Bob Bartlett and Ernest Gruening were elected as Alaska's first senators, Ralph Rivers was elected congressman and Bill Egan was elected governor. ABIGAIL And we all started getting our PFD checks. BENNY No checks yet! The new state was desperate for money to pay for all the services that the federal government had provided to the territory. Alaskans needed a miracle. 74.

SCENE 6 (TOM MARSHALL, a 39-year-old petroleum geologist of slight build with short, dark hair and thick glasses, wearing jeans and a checked shirt, is digging in the garden of 52-year-old PHIL HOLDSWORTH's homestead in Knik in summer 1963. HOLDSWORTH, Alaska's commissioner of natural resources, is planting seeds. HOLDSWORTH is tall, of medium build and balding with short, dark hair, and has a beaming smile. They both continue working in the garden as they talk.) HOLDSWORTH Thanks a lot for helping me out, Tom. I can always use an extra hand. MARSHALL Oh, it's no problem at all. Doesn't make any difference whether I'm working on my homestead or yours, I enjoy it just as much. HOLDSWORTH Two old soldiers on the land together in Alaska. Your injury's not playing up, is it? MARSHALL It isn't bothering me today, thank you. HOLDSWORTH I'm sure glad that German sniper didn't finish you off. MARSHALL Not as glad as I am! (They both laugh.) MARSHALL Could I bend your ear about something, Phil? HOLDSWORTH By all means. You know I always value your opinion. MARSHALL My proposed land selection along the Beaufort Sea coast - have you thought any more about it? HOLDSWORTH Not recently, I'm afraid. Governor Egan wants us to go slow on the state land selections, so we don't bite off more than we can chew. 75.

The state can't afford to lose any more federal highway matching funds. And the oil companies don't seem interested in that area. They've got their hearts set on a chunk 80 miles further south. MARSHALL Yes, I understand. But Phil, I really think there could be something big up there. Something elephant-sized. HOLDSWORTH I'm just a mining guy, Tom. You're my petroleum genius. Explain again why you're so certain about the North Slope. MARSHALL Well, you see, the Barrow-Canning River arch rollover is probably over 100 miles long. These are very thick sedimentary rocks. It reminds me of the Madison formation that I used to be very familiar with in Wyoming. There could be 30 or 40 years of reserves on the North Slope, Phil. When I was up there the National Parks people said they might extend ANWR to include the coast. I'm worried the feds could close it off to drilling. HOLDSWORTH I don't know, Tom, the oil companies are very keen on Umiat. MARSHALL What they're seeing at Umiat are small wrinkles in the Cretaceous rocks. Those are thin sandstones. They'll get gushers at first, but then they'll find there's nothing left but paraffin. They're a short-term bet. And if we're going to build a pipeline to bring oil down from the North Slope, we'll need an elephant to make it economic. HOLDSWORTH That's true. MARSHALL When Roscoe Bell hired me in the Division of Lands he said, remember, Tom, these land selections are for the long range. I said, gee, yeah, for 100 years, and he said, no, for eternity. HOLDSWORTH OK, I'll raise the issue with the governor again. He's not a geologist, he might not be convinced by your oil argument. We could pitch it to him as being vital for solving the Arctic coastal plain boundary problem. MARSHALL I don't think you'll regret it, Phil. 76.

(The lights dim briefly and MARSHALL goes over to the side of the stage to sit in his office, working at his desk, with a map of Alaska on the wall next to him and a diagonally-placed colored strip of paper over the Prudhoe Bay area. When the lights come up, HOLDSWORTH is sitting in the office of Governor BILL EGAN, who is 49 years old. EGAN is sitting behind a desk.) EGAN Phil, everyone is telling me this is worthless tundra. I've got people demanding that we select land in the Copper River Basin for agriculture. What do I tell them? HOLDSWORTH You could tell them there's permafrost in the Copper River Basin and they'd be lucky to grow dandelions there, let alone potatoes and cabbages, governor. EGAN What's so important about the North Slope? Are the oil companies pressuring you? I won't have those outside interests putting the screws on my natural resources commissioner. That's exactly what we were trying to avoid when we fought for statehood. HOLDSWORTH Quite the opposite, they're only starting to get excited about it now that we've done some geophysical surveys. But there's another benefit. We could eliminate the problem of having the feds survey the area along the coastline to determine the boundaries between state and federal land. The BLM says it would take 100 years to survey the land up there. EGAN How big an area are we talking about?

HOLDSWORTH About 1.5 million acres - give or take. EGAN That's a lot of land. HOLDSWORTH We've got to select 103 million acres. At this rate, how many years is it going to take us? EGAN I'm not entirely convinced, but I'll take your advice. I'll write to the interior secretary and inform him that we're going to select the land for the state. 77.

(The lights dim on EGAN and HOLDSWORTH and they exit. MARSHALL stands up and looks at the map next to his desk.) MARSHALL What's that someone's written on there? Ha, ha, Marshall's Folly! We'll see about that. BENNY Tom Marshall had to wait a few more years from the time when Governor Egan selected the Prudhoe Bay area, January 1964, until the next governor, Walter Hickel, sold oil and gas leases enabling Atlantic Richfield to drill at Prudhoe Bay. They had almost given up on finding anything on the North Slope when they decided to drill one more well and made their big discovery in 1967. Now all the world's biggest oil companies wanted a piece of the Alaska action. The state held another lease sale in Anchorage on September 10th, 1969. MARSHALL I was behind a curtain in the auditorium and my job was to make up a map showing the price per acre so we could see if there were any big anomalies, let's say a huge price here, very low next to it, we may want to reject that bid. ABIGAIL Why were you behind a curtain? MARSHALL I don't know if it was my scruffy appearance or what, but that's where they put me during the sale. (CHARLIE "ETOK" EDWARDSEN, aged 26, an Inupiat Eskimo with a large, oval face, round cheeks, a slight moustache and a thick crop of hair brushed over his forehead, marches in holding a placard that reads, "$2,000,000,000 NATIVE LAND ROBBERY". He speaks with a slight stutter.) EDWARDSEN If the pigs want to use our land, then the pigs must pay the rent! ABIGAIL Who's he? BENNY His name is Charlie Edwardsen, or Etok. He is an Inupiat Eskimo who led a protest outside the oil lease sale. 78.

(EDWARDSEN stands still in the middle of the stage and addresses the audience.) EDWARDSEN We propose that today's sale of leases allow and require the imposition of a constructive trust of all the receipts on behalf of the real and true owners of the land. This would illustrate well the miserable smallness of the settlement proposed by the Great White Father in Washington. BENNY The state seemed to have forgotten that Native land claims were unresolved. The Constitutional Convention had postponed the question, promising that the state would not select land that the Natives might have title to. But Natives had traditionally used land all over Alaska. Maybe they owned all of it. EDWARDSEN We did! ABIGAIL Hey, you're right. First Russia sold Alaska to the United States without talking to the Natives about it, then the state of Alaska selected land and sold oil leases without talking to the Natives about it. That's not fair. MARSHALL The first bid was a staggering $97 million from Gulf Oil and BP. We were too shocked to cheer or yell or do anything. I was relieved that the state wasn't going to lose money on my land selections. BENNY By the end of the sale the total paid to the state was more than $900 million. Nine times what the state's annual budget had been before then.

EDWARDSEN We were once again being cheated and robbed of our lands. ABIGAIL I agree. BENNY Lots of people did. Alaska Natives decided they had to do something to win back what had always been theirs. 79.

SCENE 7 (CHARLIE EDWARDSEN stands in the middle of the stage and addresses the audience. He is disheveled and he stutters. He is wearing jeans and an old shirt and is carrying a scruffy backpack. He is 27 years old.) EDWARDSEN I was always an angry young man, ever since they sent me away from my Inupiat people to a boarding school run by whites who thought they were better than us. When I came back home to Barrow, I didn't know what to do with myself. I drank. I was desperate. I went out to the wilderness to think. Suddenly I understood my purpose in life - to fight for our land. I set up the Arctic Slope Native Association and filed a land claim for 96 million acres. In those days the people fighting for Alaska Native rights were mostly young, like me, Emil Notti, Byron Mallott and Willie Hensley. Some of us had known each other at boarding school. I flew between Alaska and Washington, D.C. constantly. One time in the airport in Seattle an old Eskimo woman came up to me. (An OLD INUPIAT WOMAN walks up to EDWARDSEN and grabs his arm. Her eyes are wild and burning. She looks crazy. Her voice is intense.) OLD WOMAN You are Charlie Edwardsen, Junior. EDWARDSEN Who are you? I've never seen you before in my life. I've got to catch my plane. (EDWARDSEN tries to shake off the OLD WOMAN's hand, but she keeps a firm grip on him.) OLD WOMAN You are Charlie Edwardsen, Junior, and I have heard of you. I am your great-aunt from another town. (The OLD WOMAN's voice becomes a hiss.) OLD WOMAN Sing your song. Sing your song. EDWARDSEN What are you talking about? I don't have a song. I don't know how to sing my song. 80.

(The OLD WOMAN stares intently at EDWARDSEN.) OLD WOMAN You know how. Make your own song. You know. You know how. (The OLD WOMAN shuffles off the stage and EDWARDSEN watches her go with a puzzled expression on his face, then turns back to the audience.) EDWARDSEN She was right. Talking was hard for me, but I found my voice. I needed the kind of encouragement that old woman gave me on the days when I was down, when I thought everyone was against me. And on the nights, especially the nights. Like the night of October 19th, 1970, when I was sharing a hotel room in Anchorage with Emil Notti, who had just left his job as president of the Alaska Federation of Natives. (EMIL NOTTI enters and paces up and down. NOTTI is 37 years old. He is half Italian and half Athabascan, and is short, slim and handsome with neatly combed-back dark hair. EDWARDSEN is in a rage.) NOTTI Etok, I know we're having setbacks, Governor Miller is against us, but violence isn't the answer. That would lead to disaster. EDWARDSEN We've been talking for years and it hasn't worked! If we take action, they'll have to listen to us. Then they'll know we're serious. The government uses our land in the Arctic for its DEW line to spy on the Russians. We'll hit them where it hurts. We'll capture a DEW line station, take hostages, and broadcast our message to the world. NOTTI Now, come on, that's suicidal. EDWARDSEN No, it isn't, it makes sense, can't you see? We know the territory. A few Inupiat sharpshooters could sneak in at night. I'll be their leader. We'll radio the United Nations, announce we want independence and recognition for a free Eskimo nation. We'll call on the Eskimos of Greenland, Canada and Siberia to rise up and join us. It'll be a circumpolar nation! Forget Alaska! NOTTI The military would crush you. 81.

EDWARDSEN The whole world would be watching on TV. They wouldn't dare risk the hostages' lives. We can live off the land, we'd hold out for months. I tell you, what we need is action, no more useless words! NOTTI I get depressed sometimes too, but I really believe we'll work something out with the state and with Congress. We might have to compromise - EDWARDSEN There will be no compromise. No, no! (EDWARDSEN swings his arm over his head and brings his fist crashing down on the table.) EDWARDSEN The only power that we have to exercise is the power of saying no! This has been the strongest right that the Native community has always had. NOTTI OK. OK. No compromise. But not the violence, please, Etok. Don't jeopardize everything we've achieved. (EDWARDSEN grabs NOTTI by the shirt collar and pulls NOTTI's face up to his own.) EDWARDSEN You're a coward, Emil! A lousy coward! You know why? It's because you're a pathetic half-breed, half Indian and half white, you don't know anything about the Inupiat spirit! I'd like to smash that little white face of yours the way my dad taught me to. (EDWARDSEN makes a fist and swings his arm in readiness to punch NOTTI in the face.) NOTTI Wait, Etok, wait! Please! I care about our land claims as much as you do, I swear. So does William Paul, he's half Indian and half white too, remember? He's been fighting for us about as long as both our lives put together. And he doesn't use violence, he uses the law. Even if he bends it sometimes. (EDWARDSEN lowers his arm.) EDWARDSEN OK. That's true. 82.

NOTTI There you go. EDWARDSEN William Paul is a good friend of mine. I went to see him in Wrangell when I was a teenager. He let me read his books and files about the Tlingit-Haida land claims. He told me that he wrote to Barrow about land rights in 1940, but he never got a reply. So I answered his letter in 1966 and asked him to be our lawyer when I decided to file our Arctic Slope claim. NOTTI You see, Indians and Eskimos can work together sometimes. That's why the Alaska Federation of Natives is such a great achievement. After thousands of years of hostility, we brought everyone together for one cause. Let's use that. Let's be united. EDWARDSEN The AFN wants to settle for 10 million acres! Ten million out of 365 million! The AFN has lost sight of the principles upon which the entire settlement is premised. That is, this is a land claims settlement, not a federal welfare program or another antipoverty law. You don't even believe in the AFN any more, you gave up being president because they'd whittled away your powers to nothing. NOTTI I do believe in it, Etok. If Congress sees our divisions they'll wash their hands of us forever. EDWARDSEN Let them! Look what they're doing to us. All the white man thinks about is oil. It was the Eskimo who showed the white man oil seeps in 1923, and after that the Navy set aside an oil reserve. The white man makes a killing, and then he leaves. When one Eskimo lady went up to her summer fishing camp on the North Slope last summer, she found that Sinclair Oil had taken over her shack and was using her home for storage. Sinclair had built an air strip nearby, which of course will scare away all the game. How long must we sit by while creeping wolves sneak away our territory? NOTTI But because of us they can't build their pipeline. They have to settle our claims. Because of us Stewart Udall announced the freeze on state land selections. Because of us, when Walter Hickel was appointed secretary of the interior he was forced to change his mind and keep Udall's freeze in place. Even the oil companies know they have to work with us. Bill Egan is running for governor again and we've won him over, too. He realizes now that all Alaskans will be better off if less land is owned by the federal government and more by the people, the Native people. Things are going to turn our way. 83.

EDWARDSEN I don't believe it. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Tomorrow when the National Congress of American Indians' convention opens, I'm going to pull the Arctic Slope Native Association out of the AFN. The press will be there, and the Indian leaders from all over the country will be in Anchorage to read about it. NOTTI Please don't do that, Etok. Stay with us. EDWARDSEN You prefer me to take over a DEW line station? (NOTTI laughs.) NOTTI OK, no, I'll admit, leaving the AFN is less drastic than that. But I still think it's a bad mistake. EDWARDSEN You and I are different, Emil. I have my strategy, and I have my goals, and I'll stick with them even if I have to go it alone. People always question my methods, they say I'm too aggressive and too rude for an Inupiat, but when I get my way, they thank me. NOTTI It's six in the morning. We should get some sleep. EDWARDSEN You go to bed, I can't sleep. I have to draft my statement. (NOTTI and EDWARDSEN exit.) ABIGAIL Wait a minute, they can't leave like that. What happened next?

BENNY By withdrawing from the AFN, Etok made the organization drop its support for a weak compromise bill and change its demands to 40 million acres of land plus financial compensation. The Arctic Slope Native Association came back to the AFN and there was a truce - for a while. ABIGAIL What about William Paul - was that really the same William Paul who helped Irene Jones win her case against segregation back in 1929? 84.

BENNY Yes, when he was 80 years old he went back to fighting for land claims and asked his son, Fred, to be the chief lawyer for the Eskimos. But William and Fred couldn't agree on tactics. Fred wanted a land claims settlement act in Congress, and William wanted to sue the oil companies and the government to win aboriginal title to Prudhoe Bay itself. ABIGAIL Yeah, way to go! BENNY But Fred won out because he was the chief lawyer, after all. And on December 16th, 1971, President Richard Nixon told the delegates gathered at an AFN convention in Anchorage that he had just signed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act into law, giving the Natives 44 million acres and nearly a billion dollars. All the Native associations from around the state voted to approve the act - except the Arctic Slope. ABIGAIL What? Why not? BENNY Etok still thought the Natives were getting a raw deal. ABIGAIL Were they? BENNY There are lots of different opinions on that. ANCSA called for Natives to form corporations and operate in the world of business, because Alaska Natives didn't want to get stuck with a failed system of reservations like the Indians have in the Lower 48. But that was also another big step further away from traditional culture. Anyway, the oil pipeline was built and in 1980 Governor signed the bill that created the Permanent Fund Dividend, so that all Alaskans could benefit from the state's natural resources, just as the authors of the constitution had wanted. And that's the story of why you have that check in your hand today. ABIGAIL Phew! (ABIGAIL takes the check out of her purse and looks at it.) ABIGAIL I'm not so sure I deserve it. I've only lived here for a couple of years. I haven't done anything to make Alaska a better place. 85.

BENNY Maybe you will some day. 86.

SCENE 8 ABIGAIL These stories have been amazing, Benny, but I wish there were more women in them. Alaska needs me to make a difference! BENNY Well, there has been one very famous woman governor of Alaska. (SARAH PALIN enters. She is 45 years old. She smiles and waves to the audience.) PALIN This is just overwhelming. Thank you. Oh, I am so glad to get to be here. Thank you for being here, thank you for letting me be here. Oh, this is beautiful. Thank you. (ABIGAIL looks bemused at PALIN's excessive reaction.) ABIGAIL OK - no problem. PALIN Hiya Benny! Hiya Abigail! ABIGAIL Hi, Sarah. Hey, tell me something, was it hard being a woman in Alaska politics? PALIN You know, I was raised in a family where gender wasn't going to be an issue. The girls did what the boys did. You're out there hunting and fishing. My parents were coaches, so I was involved in sports all my life. So I knew that as a woman I could do whatever the men were doing. Also that's just part of Alaskan life. ABIGAIL Yeah, exactly! Can I ask you something else, I heard you didn't want to protect the polar bears that are drowning because of global warming. Is that right? What do you think about polar bears? PALIN They are cute. They're magnificent, really. I am committed to ensuring that our polar bears are conserved. But, you know, I will tell you, Abigail, if extreme environmentalists have their way - and we do believe that what they would like to see, some of them, is oil and gas development shut down on Alaska's North Slope - then the economic impact to our nation would really be catastrophic there. 87.

ABIGAIL Oh. I see. I guess there's always been a lot of arguing about development. But I think if I get to be governor one day, I'm going to save the polar bears. You could have all the money in the world, but what kind of a world would it be without polar bears and whales and moose and caribou? PALIN This is a pretty cool job here as governor of Alaska - the wealthiest state in the union in consideration of the natural resources that we have. Again, and we being in a position ready, willing and able to tap these resources, flow them into hungry markets across the U.S. to lead towards a more secure nation, to lead towards a more peaceful nation also and energy independence. ABIGAIL Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you quit the job. PALIN A problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and go with the flow. Nah, only dead fish go with the flow. No. Productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time... to build up. So, see ya! (PALIN smiles, waves and exits.) ABIGAIL I've been doing a project at school about geothermal energy, Benny. People in Alaska are always talking about building a gas pipeline, but I think we should be getting geothermal energy from our volcanoes like Mount Spurr, because it's so clean. That's what they do in Iceland. No greenhouse gases! I'm really starting to have some ideas about how we could change Alaska in the future. BENNY You wouldn't even have to get elected governor. You could start now, volunteer on an environmental project or a wildlife project. Even a school kid can have an influence. Like I did. Look, I've finished my drawing. (BENNY holds up the piece of paper he has been working on and shows it to ABIGAIL, but not the audience.) ABIGAIL Of course! I knew I'd heard of you. (BENNY stands up and holds the drawing up so the audience can see it. It is his design for the Alaska flag.) 88.

BENNY I drew this in 1926 when I was 13 years old. It won the competition for an Alaska flag design. I wrote underneath: "The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly of the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear - symbolizing strength." ABIGAIL Way back then you thought Alaska would be a state one day. BENNY I had ideas about the future, like you do. ABIGAIL That's why you were invited to the Constitutional Convention. How old were you then? BENNY I was 42. But I hadn't been forgotten. When I arrived at the convention the roar was like thunder. The noise was so loud I couldn't hear a thing. People whistled and hollered and stamped. I thought, finally, I could sit down, but this old miner came up and wanted his picture taken with me, so I stood a little longer. And by the way, talking of women, two women wrote the verses to the Alaska flag song. One was Marie Drake, an employee of the Alaska Department of Education. She wrote the first verse. (All the other cast members enter, one of them carrying an Alaska flag. They sing.) WHOLE CAST Eight stars of gold on a field of blue/Alaska's flag may it mean to you,/the blue of the sea, the evening sky,/the mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby,/the gold of the early sourdough's dreams,/the precious gold of the hills and streams,/the brilliant stars in the northern sky,/the "Bear" - the "Dipper" - and, shining high,/the great North Star with its steady light,/over land and sea a beacon bright,/Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear,/the simple flag of a last frontier. BENNY The first verse was adopted by the territorial legislature as Alaska's official song in 1955. The second verse was written by Carol Beery Davis, an Alaskan poet laureate. It has been proposed twice as an official addition to the song, but the bill didn't pass the legislature. WHOLE CAST A Native lad chose the Dipper's stars/For Alaska's flag that there be no bars/Among our culture. 89.

Let it be known/Through years the Native's past has grown/To share life's treasures, hand in hand,/To keep Alaska our Great-Land;/We love the northern midnight sky,/The mountains, lakes and streams nearby./The great North Star with its steady light/Will guide all cultures, clear and bright,/With nature's flag to Alaskans dear,/The simple flag of the last frontier. CURTAIN