Copyright 2012 This play is dedicated to all Lenape, past and present, but to a few Lenape in particular whose contributions have formed the inspiration for this play: Chris Moore, Paula Pechonick, Ryan Pierce, Linda Poolaw, Harold Pruner, and Curtis Zunigha. Your survival today is a testament to the strength of your people. A very special thanks to the Delaware Nation and Delaware Tribe. Without your support, stories, inspiration, and encouragement, this play would never have been possible. Wanishi
Manahatta is also dedicated to Robert Owens Greygrass. As
the very first person to bring Robert Snake to life in the March 27, 2013 reading at the Public theater, we will always remember Robert with deep gratitude for all that he did to share not only this story, but all Native stories.
By: Mary Kathryn Nagle WME / Michael Finkle
[email protected] 212.903.1144 A Note on the Historical Accuracy of the Piece:
Although Manahatta is based on real events that took place, and was written following interviews with Lenape elders whose ancestors lived on Manahatta hundreds of years agoManahatta is a work of fiction, and the playwright is not to be mistaken for an expert on Lenape history or culture.
For instance, although Tamanend and Se-ket-tu-may-qua are both
significant historical Lenape leaders, neither were present at the time of the 1626 land sale to Peter Minuit and the Dutch. Tamanend was a leader of the Lenape when the Lenape signed their famous treaty with William Penn in 1683. Se-ket-tu-may-qua (Black Beaver) was a legendary leader of the Lenape in the mid-Nineteenth Century, when the Delaware Nation was removed from their reservation in Texas and placed where they are today, in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Black Beaver later participated in the Medicine Lodge treaty negotiations of 1867 and acted as a moderator in inter-tribal councils throughout the 1870s. Thus, although neither of these two men were present when some of the events of this play took place, the playwright found it appropriate to name the two male Lenape characters after these legendary leaders since an elder of the Delaware Nation specifically requested that they be named for these two men. To the Delaware Lenape today, both Tamanend and Black Beaver continue to serve as examples of the sort of intelligence, integrity, and bravery that comprise the character of the Lenape people.
To learn more about the Lenape, their history, and their culture, please visit:
Delaware Nation, in Anadarko, Oklahoma:
http://www.delawarenation.com
Delaware Tribe, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma:
http://www.delawaretribe.org/tribalsite/ Cast List Note: The cast consists of 7 actors total. Each actor must play the characters as they are outlined below: (the double/triple casting is not optional)
Tamanend / Robert
Le-le-wa-you / Jane
Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i / Debra
Se-ket-tu-may-qua / Soldier
Peter Minuit / Peter Stuyvesant / Dick
Assistant / Joe
Jonas Michaelius / Homeless Man
The Setting: Manahatta takes place in two places, in two time periods, simultaneously. One half of the play takes place in Manahatta, in both the 17th and 21st centuries. The other half of the play takes place in modern day Anadarko, Oklahoma.
All thats required for the set is that on the Oklahoma side of the stage, some sort of structure is created and used that resembles a quaint home with minimal furniture and possessions on a piece of Allotment land. By the conclusion of the play, this home will be emptied of everything it contains.
For the Manahatta side of the stage, there is a desk with a tulip. Additionally, there is a rock large that sits on the shoreline of lower, eastern Manahatta. This rock exists in modern day Manhattan as well. ACT ONE
2002. Manhattan. JOE sits behind his desk in
his office. JANE enters.
JOE Youre late.
JANE I was lost-
JOE Lost?
JANE Its my first time to visit Manhattan-
JOE Its an island, you know.
JANE Yes-
JOE Kinda hard to get lost on an island.
JANE I got on the subway going the wrong way-
JOE Thats why I never take the subway.
JANE Do you walk?
JOE I take my helicopter.
JANE Oh.
JOE You can sit down. Thats what the chairs for. 2.
JANE sits.
JOE So you want to work at an investment bank.
JANE Yes.
JOE But not a commercial bank?
JANE Commercial bankers make loans-
JOE Whats wrong with that?
JANE I want to underwrite securities. You know, work with stocks and bonds-
JOE Because you think thats sexy?
JANE I think its challenging-
JOE You want to be challenged?
JANE Yes.
JOE So go to law school.
JANE I dont like to argue-
JOE Youre arguing now-
JANE Im not arguing, Im explaining- 3.
JOE Be a teacher-
JANE That sounds boring.
JOE (looking at her resume) You studied math. At MIT. That sounds boring.
JANE What do you know about math?
JOE Enough to know I dont want to talk about it.
JANE I wrote my thesis on an option-theoretic valuation model for macro-economic patterns with stochastic conditions-
JOE Number one in your class at MIT, Stanford business school. I get it. Youre smart. But you love math. No one loves both business and math.
JANE I do.
JOE Why do you love math?
JANE I was good at it, you know, as a kid.
JOE And I was good at brushing my teeth. I never loved it.
JANE smiles nervously.
JOE You havent answered my question.
JANE When I was in fourth grade, my parents decided I was smart, and so they sent me to this special school, you know, a school for smart kids. A school that had money. Where they have teachers who show up for class, and air conditioning when it gets hot. 4.
We had so many projects, every day seemed like a class presentation. I remember this one kid came in for his science presentation, his parents bought him this thing that mimics lightning striking a tree. I brought in two two liter Diet Coke bottles that I used to make a tornado. So of course they made fun of me. For two years straight everyone called me Diet Twister. But then we got to math. There were no presentations in math. Just tests. And competitions. I remember the year we learned multiplication. Our teacher would hand out these cards with various equations on them, you know like 3 times 4, 5 times 8, 2 times 3 and so on. And the first to fill them out correctly won a prize. I stayed up all night the night before our first competition. I memorized every possible equation I could think of. And the next day I won first place by thirty seconds. And thats when I realized, I didnt need money to be good at math.
JOE Thanks. Well give you a call.
JANE Oh.
JOE If you make it to the final round. If you dont hear from us, you didnt make it. So, you know, check your phone.
JOE exits. JANE exits the Lehman Bros. office
and walks down the streets of Manhattan.
DEBRA enters the living room of ROBERTs
original allotment home in Anadarko, Oklahoma. She calls her sister JANE.
JANE Hi Dad.
DEBRA Its me.
JANE Oh hey.
DEBRA Howd the interview go?
JANE I have no idea! 5.
DEBRA Im sure you nailed it.
JANE It was so weird. I went in there thinking that I would need to talk about my thesis, or you know, something important from my resume. And instead I ended up talking about how much I loved math in fourth grade.
DEBRA Remember when you won first place in that competition? Mom was so proud.
JANE I just opened my mouth and it all came out. Sometimes I think I talk too much.
DEBRA Hey. Can you come home?
JANE I have to wait and see if they call me. If they call me, that means Ive made it to the final round. But I can come home after that. Hows Mom? Did they schedule her surgery?
Silence.
JANE Deb? Hows Mom?
JANE She died this morning.
JANE What?
DEBRA Her heart stopped.
JANE But the doctor said-
DEBRA He was wrong.
JANE He said she needed surgery. 6.
DEBRA She did-
JANE He said it was routine-
DEBRA Dad needs you here. I need you here.
JANE Im on my way.
JANE and DEBRA exit.
The next morning. ROBERT enters and sits on
his cushioned reclining chair in his home in Anadarko. He waives a postcard in his hand.
ROBERT I was hopin youd come back with photos. Not postcards. I never asked for no postcards.
JANE (from offstage) I ran out of time-
ROBERT Dont need to see photos of all this crazy stuff. The Umpire State Building. Or what is this (squints as he tries to read from the postcard) the Mama Museum? No, not for me. All I wanted was a photo of the helape chen kwaelas.
JANE enters.
JANE I cant find it.
ROBERT Yer mom always wanted to visit.
JANE Whered you last see it?
ROBERT I promised her wed go- 7.
JANE Dad-
ROBERT She wanted to see Pearl Street.
JANE I cant find your tie-
ROBERT I dont need a tie-
JANE You need a tie to go to church.
ROBERT Yer ancestors in Manahatta didnt say goodbye to their relations in a church.
JANE Were in Oklahoma, not Manahatta.
ROBERT When my parents died, we buried them the Indian way.
JANE Do you think its in your closet?
ROBERT No. I dont put clothes in my closet.
JANE Well thats obvious.
JANE exits in search of the tie.
ROBERT When I was a kid, our funerals useta be four days, not four minutes.
JANE (offstage) I dont see it anywhere-
DEBRA enters. 8.
DEBRA You ready to go?
ROBERT Almost.
DEBRA Almost? We need to leave now, and you dont even have your tie on.
ROBERT Janes lookin for it.
DEBRA Looking for it?
ROBERT I dunno where it is.
DEBRA Its in your closet.
ROBERT Howd it end up in my closet?
DEBRA Thats where I put it.
ROBERT Ya know I dont put things in my closet-
DEBRA Thats why I put it there.
ROBERT Indians dont use closets.
JANE enters, carrying a tie.
JANE Found it. It was in your closet. (hands tie to ROBERT)
DEBRA Were going to be late.
ROBERT stands up to put on his tie. He has no
idea how to tie it. 9.
JANE I was trying to help him-
DEBRA I knew this would happen.
JANE Hes been telling stories-
ROBERT About Manahatta! (as he fumbles with his tie)
JANE I couldnt find his tie-
DEBRA I told you that if I left to take the flowers to the church you would have to get Dad ready-
JANE I did the best I could. Its not my fault things are disorganized around here.
DEBRA It was in his closet.
JANE Thats the last place I thought to look-
DEBRA I guess they dont teach you to find ties in grad school.
ROBERT There ya go!
ROBERT releases his hand and the tie falls to the
ground.
DEBRA Give it to me.
JANEs cellphone rings. She answers, walking
off-stage to answer.
JANE Hello? 10.
DEBRA Jane, help me with this tie-
JANE Shhh!
DEBRA Dont shhh me!
JANE exits, on the phone.
JANE (offstage) Yes, this is she.
DEBRA works to put the tie on ROBERT.
DEBRA The one thing I asked her to do. I said Id handle the flowers and all she had to do was get this tie around your neck.
ROBERT Why the heck we gotta do this in a church anyways?
DEBRA Because thats what Mom wanted.
ROBERT She never told me that.
DEBRA Maybe you never listened.
ROBERT Debra! You tryin to choke me? Go easy now, I aint worn a tie in twenty-five years.
DEBRA loosens the tie.
JANE re-appears.
JANE I made it!
ROBERT What? 11.
JANE They asked me to come back for the final interview-
DEBRA Are you serious?
JANE Yes, they want me back on Friday.
ROBERT (to DEBRA) Shes goin back. Back to Manahatta.
JANE Its just an interview. I might not get it.
ROBERT What exactly ya hope to do there?
JANE Its complicated.
ROBERT Better be complicated. Ya had to go to school for six years to do it.
JANE Im interviewing with an investment bank.
DEBRA (loosens the tie a bit) They let Indians do that?
JANE Yes, Debra, they do.
DEBRA I bet youre the only Indian.
JANE I might be-
DEBRA Id hate to live in Manhattan.
JANE Good thing you dont have to. 12.
DEBRA Its all concrete and skyscrapers and theres no leaves, no trees, no sky-
JANE Theres sky in Manhattan-
DEBRA No grass-
JANE Youve never been there-
DEBRA Ive seen pictures.
DEBRA finishes the tie and exits.
JANE You have no idea what youre talking about.
ROBERT None a ya do. Thats the problem with yer generation. Ya dont know where yer from. And when ya dont know where yer from, ya dont know who ya are. Have ya forgotten everything yer mom ever told ya? Yer Lenape. You come from the turtle.
DEBRA and JANE exit as ROBERT continues
sharing his story.
ROBERT This was all water, ya know. At first, the whole earth was water. But there was a turtle. And this turtle came up outta the water and raised its back up high. And when it raised its round back up high, the water ran off. And there, where the earth was dry, there grew a tree. Right in the middle, on the turtles back. The root of this tree sent out a sprout, and there grew a man, the first man. This man was alone, and woulda been alone forever, but the tree bent over backward til its top touched the earth, and out came another sprout. From that sprout grew a woman.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I enters and sits on the
ground of 17th Century Manahatta, working hard to scrape off all of the excess skin and fat from the beaver pelts stretched out in front of her. 13.
ROBERT All of us come from this man and woman. We are all related.
LE-LE-WA-YOU enters and joins her. The
two sisters sit in the Lenape encampment just north of present day City Hall in Manhattan- where in 1626 there was a 60 foot deep pond fed by an underground spring, next to an adjacent meadow and marsh lands that almost bisected the entire island.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Where have you been?
LE-LE-WA-YOU I went for a walk.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I I told you, I need your help.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I did help.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I picks up the pelt LE-
LE-WA-YOU previously abandoned.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I This isnt finished-
LE-LE-WA-YOU I tried, but the pieces at the end, I cant seem to-
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I You have to scrape harder.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Thats as hard as I can scrape.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I You have to remove all of the excess fat and skin from the beaver. You cant leave any behind.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I did most of it. Can you scrape the rest? 14.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I No.
Defeated, LE-LE-WA-YOU joins her sister on
the ground next to the beaver pelt.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I dont understand why were doing this.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I So we can trade them at the market.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Have you ever worn a fur without the fat?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Of course not.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Right, because if you scrape away all the fat, its miserable. Its painful. Remember when I had that fur I loved?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I I tried to get you to take a new fur. But you wouldnt listen to me.
LE-LE-WA-YOU When all the fat wore away, it rubbed on my skin. Constantly.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I We had to rip it off of you.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I had these huge sores all over my entire body.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Theres a reason the Creator gave the beaver his fat. It protects our skin.
LE-LE-WA-YOU So why are we scraping away something that protects us?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I We scrape for the white women. They dont want fat. 15.
LE-LE-WA-YOU How do they protect their skin?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I They dont need to. White women dont live in the beaver like you and I do. They only wear the beaver for special occasions.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Like when they give birth?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I No. Like when they walk down a street. Or when they go to visit one another, you know, to eat something.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Eat what?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I I dont know. Something European.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Oh.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Scrape.
LE-LE-WA-YOU returns to scraping her
beaver pelt.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Did you learn that from going to the market?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I You learn a lot about whites at the market.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Next time you go, can I come with you?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I No.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Why? 16.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Its dangerous.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Dangerous? Whats dangerous about trading fur and wampum?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Its not safe.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters, carrying
several fresh beaver pelts.
ROBERT exits.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I How many?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Three in total.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Wanishi.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I accepts the beaver
pelts.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Le-le-wa-you, what a beautiful fur you have here.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Wanishi.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA stares at LE-LE-WA-
YOU.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I These will be ready by morning.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Good. Ill take them to market.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Can I come with you? 17.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Le-le-wa-you!
LE-LE-WA-YOU I want to see the market.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I hands LE-LE-WA-
YOU a bowl.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Water, please.
LE-LE-WA-YOU accepts the task and exits.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Will you join us tonight?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA For dinner?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I For council. My father would like to speak with you.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Ill be there. . . . Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Yes?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Your sister. She grew up.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Thats what little girls do, Se-ket-tu-may-qua. They become women.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I exits, carrying the new
furs with her.
ROBERT enters and sits at the kitchen table,
holding two cups of coffee and a cedar box.
JANE enters her fathers living room, suitcase in
hand, and sits. 18.
DEBRA sits on the front porch, smoking a
cigarette.
ROBERT You all packed?
JANE Yeah.
ROBERT Sorry the coffees not very strong.
JANE Its OK. I dont drink coffee.
ROBERT No coffee?
JANE I drink tea.
ROBERT Tea? Indians aint supposed to drink tea.
JANE Why not?
ROBERT If ya drink too much tea, youll drown in yer own tea pee. . . . Its a joke.
JANE I know.
Beat.
ROBERT Sorry, Im awful at goodbyes-
JANE Its just an interview-
ROBERT Ya, but if ya get it- 19.
JANE I probably wont-
ROBERT Theyd be stupid not to hire you.
JANE I gotta go Dad-
ROBERT Hold on now.
JANE Im gonna miss my flight-
ROBERT I got somethin to give ya.
ROBERT opens up the box and pulls out a
necklace of wampum.
ROBERT This was yer mothers-
JANE Dad-
ROBERT This here is real wampum, from the helape chen kwealas. From Manahatta to Pennsylvania, your great-great-great-great grandma carried this necklace. Someone in yer moms family carried this necklace the whole way down our Trail of Broken Treaties. From Pennsylvania to Ohio. And Ohio to Missouri. Missouri to Texas. And when we were forced to leave the Brazos Reserve and move here, yer great-grandma carried this necklace the whole way. Before yer great-grandma died, she gave it to yer grandma. Yer grandma gave it to yer mom, and well. After ya left for school, yer mom always said she was gonna give it to you. She just didnt get to.
ROBERT clasps the necklace around JANEs
neck.
JANE Wanishi.
She hugs her father.
20.
JANE, suitcase in hand, walks out onto the front
porch, closing the door behind her.
ROBERT exits.
JANE Oh-
DEBRA You on your way out?
JANE I didnt think youd be up this early.
DEBRA Been getting up at 5 every morning to go into the hospital. I cant sleep late even when I try.
JANE You shouldnt smoke Debra-
DEBRA Thanks.
JANE Commercial cigarettes will kill you-
DEBRA Not now Jane.
DEBRA puts out her cigarette.
DEBRA Come here, give me a hug.
DEBRA hugs JANE and discovers the necklace.
JANE Oh, the necklace-
DEBRA I know. 21.
JANE You should take it-
DEBRA No-
JANE Its not right for me to have it-
DEBRA She wanted you to carry it back.
JANE You know, this whole time, Ive been jealous of you.
DEBRA Jealous?
JANE I didnt get to say goodbye.
DEBRA You had your interview.
JANE I didnt think it would happen so fast.
DEBRA No one did.
JANE You said the surgery would fix the blockage-
DEBRA Thats what the doctor told me.
JANE I wish I didnt have to go. I want to stay here, with you and Dad.
DEBRA Just before she passed, when she knew she was about to take the journey, Mom asked where you were. I told her, I said mom, shes at her interview. Remember shes interviewing for a job in Manahatta? She was so proud. She just smiled and said . . . She said tell Jane . . . 22.
DEBRA starts to cry.
DEBRA (CONTD) Tell Jane I said Machi! Machi Manahatta!
JANE I dont know what that means.
DEBRA Go home. Go home to Manahatta.
JANE exits.
TAMANEND enters the Lenape encampment
and discovers SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA standing over ten or so fully scraped furs.
DEBRA exits.
ROBERT I got things in this house aint no one ever seen.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I got about ten here that are going to trade for an awful lot at the market.
TAMANEND Im suspending the fur trade.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA What?
TAMANEND We have no food.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I dont see what that has to do with fur-
TAMANEND For the last two years, weve lost all of our crops.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA But weve had plenty of rain- 23.
TAMANEND Its the hogs.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA The little animals the Dutch brought over?
TAMANEND They run loose all over Manahatta and trample our crops. For two years now, corn, squash, sunflower, its all gone. We havent been able to grow anything.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Its gotten that bad?
TAMANEND My daughters can no longer help you with your fur trade-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA They scrape all the fur that I trade-
TAMANEND They must hunt. Everyone must hunt. We need men like you to hunt for food, not fur.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Yes, but we can trade the fur-
TAMANEND For what? Guilders? Our people cant eat guilders. From now on we do not trade fur. We hunt for food.
DICK enters and sits with his feet propped up on
his Manhattan desk. Hes on the phone.
DICK Thats when you know theyre lying. When they say they wanna go short 600 mill, you know they got nothin.
JANE enters and stands awkwardly in front of
DICKs desk.
TAMANEND and SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA
exit. 24.
DICK Because theyre pond scum. Theyll take money from any low hanging dick they can find. Just watch em. Theyll fly to Japan, eat dick and such sushi and fly back and they call that a capital raise. Ha, Id like to see their tax write-off-
DICK sees JANE.
JANE Shirley said youre ready to see me-
DICK Ive obviously not-
JANE I can leave-
DICK No. (into phone) Scott, I gotta call you back.
DICK hangs up.
DICK So, you wanna work here?
JANE Yes.
DICK Why?
JANE I told Joe that-
DICK I dont want to hear what you told Joe. He already heard it. I want you to tell me why you think you deserve a spot at the worlds fourth largest investment bank.
JANE I graduated at the top of my class-
DICK Believe it or not, I can read. And I agree, your resume says that. We wouldnt have called you back if you didnt. But we interview a lot of people for this position. And most of them dont even want it. 25.
Like you, they graduate from a top school with some fancy schmancy ivy league degree and they have no idea what they want to do with their lives, and they see this as a place where they can go and make lots of money. But at the end of the day, loving money isnt enough. Everyone loves money. To succeed at this job, you need something else. Something more. Do you understand what Im saying?
JANE Yes.
DICK Im trying to figure out if you have what it takes.
JANE nervously places her hand on her
necklace. The necklace catches DICKs eye.
DICK What is that?
JANE Oh, my necklace.
DICK Ive never seen anything like it.
JANE Its real wampum.
DICK Real what?
JANE Wampum.
DICK Should I know what that is?
JANE Its the oldest form of currency in the Northeast. From you know, the 1600s. Its what the Indians used to trade.
DICK You mean Native Americans. 26.
JANE What?
DICK Youre supposed to say Native American. Indian isnt politically correct.
JANE nods.
JANE Wampum is what the Native Americans used to trade with one another before the Dutch arrived. The Dutch replaced wampum with guilders, which was the local currency until the tulip bubble burst and the Dutch Empire declined and the British took over.
DICK Guess you didnt just study math, now did you? Picked up some history along the way?
JANE Not at school. That I learned from my dad.
DICK All my dad ever taught me to do was drink. Where you from, Ms. (looks at her resume) Snake?
JANE Oklahoma.
DICK I think youre the first person from Oklahoma Ive ever met.
JANE There arent many of us here in Manhattan.
DICK signs a piece of paper and hands it to
JANE.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I enters and stands over
a miniscule amount of food that she works to prepare.
JANE Whats this?
DICK Your paperwork. Take this to my secretary. Shell take you to Joe, so he can introduce you to your managing director- 27.
JANE Does this mean-
DICK Im assigning you to the RMBS Group-
JANE Did you just hire me?!
DICK Ms. Snake, you work on Wall Street now. If you let others see you get this excited about your success, youll never have more of it. Remember, this isnt Oklahoma.
JANE Right.
DICK And let me tell you something about Manhattan. When youre not from here, when youre from somewhere else, this place can be hell. It will eat you up, chew you up, and spit you out. There will be days in Manhattan when you think the whole world is against you. But if you stick it out, if dont give up, youll see. Youll see that Manhattan has more to offer you than any other place in the world.
DICK exits.
TAMANEND enters.
TAMANEND Is that it?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Its all we have.
TAMANEND I called a Council.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I We wont be able to feed everyone.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters, carrying
venison.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i, Ive brought some to contribute. 28.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Wanishi.
TAMANEND This wont feed our people.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Its all I could find.
TAMANEND What is this, one deer?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I searched all up and down the Broad Way, to the great water in the east, and the great water in the east-
TAMANEND I sent every Lenape man I know off to hunt-
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I And theyve all come back with nothing.
TAMANEND (to Se-ket-tu-may-qua) I knew your father. And I know he taught you to hunt.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Theres nothing left to hunt. Look around you. The deer are gone. The Dutch killed them all.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Father, we have to trade fur.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA We can use the guilders to buy food.
TAMANEND Lenape do not buy food. We eat the food that Creator provides.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Whens the last time you saw a hunter come back with enough food to feed his family?
ASSISTANT enters carrying several items,
followed by PETER MINUIT.
All stop and stare.
29.
ASSISTANT Hello. My apologies for interrupting your supper.
TAMANEND (to SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA) What does this man say?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA So far, he has only greeted us. And apologized for interrupting our meal.
TAMANEND Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i, we must see what these white men want.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I exits.
PETER MINUIT Introduce me.
ASSISTANT Please, allow me to introduce Peter Minuit. Governor of the Dutch West India Company.
PETER MINUIT extends his hand to
TAMANEND.
TAMANEND (to SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA) What does he want from me?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA He wants to touch your hand.
TAMANEND I dont want to touch his.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA (to PETER MINUIT) Youll have to excuse us. Were not accustomed to touching hands.
PETER MINUIT (to ASSISTANT) Oh marvelous, you found one that can speak. Were so thankful you can speak.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA As am I.
PETER MINUIT Were not interrupting anything are we? 30.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA We were having a meal-
PETER MINUIT Oh how marvelous. Tell me, what is your name?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA My name?
PETER MINUIT How you are called?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Se-key-tu-may-qua.
PETER MINUIT Does that mean something?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Yes, its my name.
PETER MINUIT No, but Indians have names that mean something? Right?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Black Beaver. In your language, my name is Black Beaver.
ASSISTANT presents two wampum belts.
PETER MINUIT Black Beaver, these are for you. And your people.
TAMANEND (to SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA) These are authentic.
PETER MINUIT (to SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA) What did he say?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA These are real wampum.
PETER MINUIT Of course they are. 31.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA How did you get these?
PETER MINUIT By trading with your people. We give these to you now to show our thanks. If it had not been for the food that your people gave us during our first winter here, we would have starved to death. Tell me, have you had brandy before?
PETER MINUIT gestures to ASSISTANT, who
pulls out glasses and a bottle of brandy.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Im not sure that I have.
PETER MINUIT Well you absolutely must give it a try. This bottle is a fine, or rather, a great, indeed I think the greatest, spirit ever made.
TAMANEND (to SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA) What is he pouring?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Im not quite sure. Something made from their Great Spirit.
PETER MINUIT lifts his glass.
PETER MINUIT To the New World!
PETER MINUIT leads them in an awkward
toast, that SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA and TAMANEND do their best to emulate.
PETER MINUIT Well? What do you think?
They wince.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA (to TAMANEND) He would like to know what you think.
TAMANEND Its different. 32.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA (to PETER MINUIT) He finds it to be different.
PETER MINUIT I knew he would like it! Please, have more!
ASSISTANT pours more into their glasses.
PETER MINUIT Now, gentlemen, tell me. Do you own all of Manahatta?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Own?
PETER MINUIT Does this land belong to you?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA We live here yes.
PETER MINUIT Yes, but does Manahatta belong to you?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Manahatta?
PETER MINUIT Manahatta. Isnt that what you call this island?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Yes. I believe in your language that translates to island of many hills.
PETER MINUIT Funny name for an island that has hardly any hills.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA It did. Before the sea levels rose. Our people have been here for thousands of years, and Manahatta is the word our ancestors used to describe their home-
PETER MINUIT This place?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Yes, this place. This island. Manahatta. Our home. 33.
PETER MINUIT So you own Manahatta.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA If you say so.
PETER MINUIT Not me, you. You just said its your home.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I dont understand your word own.
PETER MINUIT Look, lets not overly complicate things. This is all very simple. The Dutch, my people, would like to trade with you and your people for Manahatta. You own Manahatta because it is your home.
TAMANEND What is he saying?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA (to TAMANEND) The Dutch wish to trade with us here on Manahatta. I know we stopped trading fur, but perhaps-
TAMANEND Ask him if he will trade for food. Not guilders. Food.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA (to PETER MINUIT) Will you trade for food?
PETER MINUIT nods to ASSISTANT, who
lays out a few of the items one by one. A gun. Some knives. An axe.
PETER MINUIT Think of it this way. If you agree to give us Manahatta, were prepared to give you six knives, three axes, twelve kettles, and six guns.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA And food?
PETER MINUIT Yes, of course. Well butcher a hog. 34.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA (to TAMANEND) Theyll trade with us for food.
TAMANEND Then I agree, we must do this trade.
TAMANEND turns and extends his hand to
PETER MINUIT.
PETER MINUIT quickly grabs his hand and
gives it a hearty shake.
PETER MINUIT (looks to ASSISTANT with shock and amazement) We own Manahatta.
ASSISTANT pulls out a large piece of paper.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Whats this?
PETER MINUIT A deed. You sign it. Like this.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I have to sign?
PETER MINUIT Yes. This is a permanent deal, so it is necessary that you sign.
PETER MINUIT dips his pen in ink and signs
his name. HE dips it in ink again and hands it to SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA.
PETER MINUIT Now its your turn.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA makes an X where
PETER MINUIT pointed. SE-KET-TU-MAY- QUA hands the pen to TAMANEND, who does the same. 35.
TAMANEND (to PETER MINUIT) Because we now consider you our brother, we invite you to call Manahatta your home. But anyone who calls Manahatta home must know this: the Creator gave us Manahatta. Here in the helape chen kwaelas, Manahatta is sacred.
PETER MINUIT (to ASSISTANT) What did he say?
ASSISTANT I have no idea.
PETER MINUIT hands ASSISTANT one of the
glasses and offers a toast.
PETER MINUIT To Manahatta!
ASSISTANT To Manahatta.
The men drink.
JANE, who has remained onstage working at her
desk throughout, picks up the phone and places a call.
ASSISTANT, PETER MINUIT,
TAMANEND, and SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA exit.
JANE Hello, yes thank you for taking my call. Im a trader here at our Structured Finance Desk, and I was hoping to speak with someone that works with your model. Questions for my investors, yes thank you. OK great, my first question is whats your assumed rate of default? (JANE writes) Oh, I see. And your maximum DTI? From our loan tapes? The loan tapes we send you? The underwriter. Alright fine. And for FICO, do you have a minimum? (JANE writes) I see. Now what kind of a variable does your model use to account for the scenario where home prices fall? No, nationally. You dont- what? What do you mean thats not a valid input? Are you serious? How do you rate CDOs if your model cant even compute what happens if- no, Im just- please. Dont. Hang. Up. On. Me.
JANE sets down her phone. She returns to the
stack of papers on her desk. 36.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters, carrying a load
of furs. He walks down the Broad Way. After a moment, ASSISTANT enters and approaches him.
ASSISTANT (sees SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA) Black Beaver?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA does not respond.
ASSISTANT Black Beaver, thats your name?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Oh, yes. Sorry, youre the only one who calls me that.
ASSISTANT Your family, what do they call you?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Se-ket-tu-may-qua.
ASSISTANT I dont think I can say that.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Probably not.
ASSISTANT Youve got quite a load there.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Forty guilders, for the whole load.
ASSISTANT Ive never seen one man carry so many furs.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Need to feed my family.
ASSISTANT I can understand that. I need to feed mine.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Do you miss them? 37.
ASSISTANT My family?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Yes, back in Amsterdam. Do you miss them?
ASSISTANT They came with me.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Oh. Do they miss their home?
ASSISTANT No. This is our home now.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA If someone took me away from my home, this home, the home of my ancestors, Id spend every waking second just trying to get back.
ASSISTANT We cant go back. If they send us back, if we have to get on that ship and make that awful trip back east, my wife wont make it.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Shes sick?
ASSISTANT She barely survived the trip here. We left Amsterdam on the 24th of January, and we were supposed to arrive in Manahatta by the first of March. But we encountered a tempest in the Bahamas and were trapped on that god-forsaken boat for seventy-five days. We ran out of food, and my wife, she nearly starved. If we have to turn around and go back-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA hands ASSISTANT a
pouch of cedar.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Here.
ASSISTANT Whats this?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Cedar. I prayed over this cedar. I give this to you now so that you can take it and smoke your wife. 38.
ASSISTANT Smoke my wife?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Burn this cedar by her bedside and pray. The smoke will carry your prayers up to the Creator. Cedar is sacred to our people. Your prayers will heal your wife.
ASSISTANT You have been so kind to me, I dont know how Ill ever repay you-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA You dont need to repay me. Im your brother.
ASSISTANT Were not related.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Manahatta is your home now. That makes us brothers.
ASSISTANT I dont understand.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Where youre standing now, this land, a long time, was all water. At first, the whole earth was water. But there was a turtle. From this turtle there grew a man, the first man. The tree bent over backward til its top touched the earth, and out came another sprout. From that sprout grew a woman. All of us come from this man and woman. We are all related. That makes you my brother.
ASSISTANT Thank you brother.
ASSISTANT and SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA
exit.
JOE enters and approaches JANE at her desk.
JOE Ms. Snake, how are you holding up?
JANE Im fine. 39.
JOE notices a large stack of papers on JANEs
desk.
JOE You keeping busy?
JANE Very.
JOE What are all these papers?
JANE Im reading loan files-
JOE Have you lost your mind?
JANE Have you ever looked at a loan file for one of our Triple A CDOs?
JOE No.
JANE I reviewed 600 loan files from over the last six years-
JOE Youre not an underwriter-
JANE Borrower credit has plummeted. Banks are handing out 700,000 dollar mortgages to taxi cab drivers in L.A. Youre not going to believe some of these FICO scores. LTVs over 100. DTIs well above 50. Were buying loans that banks made to folks with two, three, four mortgages.
JOE Whats your point?
JANE Our CDOs are stuffed with subprime-
JOE Have you made any sells yet Snake? 40.
JANE No.
JOE We hired you to sell-
JANE But no one knows how a CDO full of subprmie will perform. Theyre new vehicles. We should probably wait and see how they do before we commit to more-
JOE Wait? Wait for what?! Look at Wamu. Merrill. Bear Stearns for Christs sake. You dont see Bear standing around waiting to see whether these securities perform five years from now.
JANE But if interest rates rise, and homeowners cant pay them back-
JOE They can refinance.
JANE That only works if homes rise in value.
JOE Theyve been rising for sixty years-
JANE I called Moodys-
JOE Jesus Christ Snake-
JANE I asked them what happens in their model when you assume that home prices stop rising. They said they dont know. They cant even input that assumption into their model. And theyre the ones rating our CDOs Triple A!
JOE Snake, I know youre new to this. And I know you dont know what came before. What my generation, and the generations before you had to endure. So this may be hard for you to believe, but there was a time when most Americans didnt own a home. They couldnt. There was a time when banks couldnt afford to make loans to Tommy, Dick, Fred, and Bob-- because they couldnt afford the risk. They didnt have enough capital. 41.
But now, because of the capital we provide, banks can make loans to taxi cab drivers so that yes, even a taxi cab driver in L.A. can buy his own little piece of the American dream with a wife and kids a white picket fence. . .
JANE Their model is flawed-
JOE This isnt about Moodys model. Its about the entire system. Its about all of the Tommy, Dick, Fred, and Bobs who now have a home. No one gives a shit that you figured out their model. Look, this isnt school, Snake. It doesnt matter that youre smarter than everyone else. No one gives a shit that you graduated number one in your class at MIT or that you went to Stanford. Your only mark of success if how much you sell. And thats what I love about this place. Once you get in the door, once you work here, it doesnt matter where you came from, what school you went to, or who your parents were. Everyones on equal footing around here. So stop studying Snake. Youve got what you need. Now go out and sell.
JOE exits.
PETER MINUIT enters and sits at the desk with
a tulip.
ASSISTANT enters and shows PETER
MINUIT the fur he carries.
ASSISTANT The rest are being loaded onto the ship, but I wanted to show you the quality of what we are sending-
PETER MINUIT How many?
ASSISTANT In total, fifty.
PETER MINUIT Thats not enough.
ASSISTANT Ill trade more.
PETER MINUIT Much more. 42.
ASSISTANT How much do you think is enough?
PETER MINUIT Theres no such thing as enough in the New World.
ASSISTANT These are the finest furs on the island-
PETER MINUIT (gestures to tulip) Do you see this tulip? I didnt get this tulip because I traded more tulips, I got this tulip because I traded the most tulips. Futures contracts. Options. Just three years ago, when tulip prices were climbing sky-high, I set my price. And so when everyone else was paying 520, 550, 600, 800 guilders for their tulips, do you know how much I paid for my tulips?
ASSISTANT No, sir.
PETER MINUIT 500. I locked in my option to buy them at 500 guilders each. And then you know what I did with all of the money I made? (gestures to tulip) I bought this tulip.
ASSISTANT Its very beautiful.
PETER MINUIT When I bought this beauty she was the most expensive tulip in the world. Do you know how much I paid for this tulip?
ASSISTANT No, sir.
PETER MINUIT 1200.
ASSISTANT Thats an awful lot for one tulip, sir.
PETER MINUIT More than your salary, thats for sure. Of course now the Companys wealthiest investors are paying 1600, 1800, sometimes two thousand guilders, for a tulip. 43.
ASSISTANT They must be beautiful.
PETER MINUIT Those tulips are no different than my tulip. Trust me, the tulips arent changing. Only the price the market is willing to pay for them. Close your eyes.
ASSISTANT What?
PETER MINUIT I said close your eyes.
ASSISTANT closes his eyes.
PETER MINUIT Now picture the southern tip of Manahatta, full of boats. From all over the world. Sweden. Britain. Russia. France-- and here they have come because they want to trade furs. Picture us, the fur trade capital of the world. The price of fur is sky rocketing, and this is where the world comes to get it. And only we have it. Do you see it?
ASSISTANT I see it.
PETER MINUIT Good. Now if you cant get the job done, well send you back and find someone who can.
ASSISTANT opens his eyes.
ASSISTANT I cant go back-
PETER MINUIT Thats really not up to you-
ASSISTANT My wife is quite sick-
PETER MINUIT Well then, for your wifes sake, I hope you trade more furs.
JANE picks up the phone to place her first
phone call.
ASSISTANT and PETER MINUIT exit.
44.
JANE Hello, yes this is Jane Snake, Im calling for- yes good morning. Jane Snake. Uh yes, like the serpent. May I please speak with your portfolio manager? Im calling to inquire whether youd like to invest in the senior tranche of one of our synthetic CDOs- no, weve never met. I started three weeks ago, but I can assure you- oh no, please dont- wait, thank you for your time.
JANE looks at her phone before placing it back
on the reciver on her desk.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters, walking along
the Broad Way, carrying several furs. He stops when he reaches the southern tip of Manahatta.
JANE exits.
ASSISTANT approaches SE-KET-TU-MAY-
QUA, walking along the Broad Way.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Hello, brother.
ASSISTANT You look like youre on your way to the market.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I am.
ASSISTANT How many furs do you have?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA That depends. How many guilders do you have?
ASSISTANT Fifteen.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Well then, I have five furs.
ASSISTANT Do you have more?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Do you have more than fifteen guilders? 45.
ASSISTANT Look at you. A real trader!
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Isnt that how this works?
ASSISTANT In theory, yes.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA What does theory mean?
ASSISTANT Never mind. Ive been meaning to thank you, for the cedar-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA How is your wife?
ASSISTANT Much better. But shes still not quite well. And I have to increase my trade. If I dont increase my trade, the Company, theyve threatened to send me back. So somehow, Ive got to bring back more furs-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Here, take these.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA offers the five furs.
LE-LE-WA-YOU enters and sits in the Lenape
encampment, scraping fur.
ASSISTANT I only have fifteen guilders, but I can pay you more later-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Dont worry about it.
ASSISTANT Are you sure?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Were brothers. 46.
ASSISTANT Thank you brother.
ASSISTANT exits.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA approaches LE-LE-
WA-YOU. He watches her scrape the fur.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA That looks like hard work.
LE-LE-WA-YOU The tiny pieces at the end are the hardest.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Its beautiful.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Whats it like trading with the whites?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Just like it is when we trade with the Lenape.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Yes, but instead of trading with wampum, they trade with guilders.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA So thats once difference. But everything else is the same. When I trade with my Dutch brother, its just like trading with a Lenape. We both want whats best for the other. You know we arent looking to just walk away with something for ourselves.
LE-LE-WA-YOU What do white women look like?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Well, theyre white.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i says that white women only wear furs when they go to visit one another.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA That may be true.
LE-LE-WA-YOU What do you think they say to one another? 47.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I have no idea.
LE-LE-WA-YOU stands and places the beaver
pelt around her shoulders. She imitates what she imagines to be a white woman in a beaver fur.
She walks to SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Hello.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Hello.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Do you see my fur?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Yes, I do.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I purchased it at the market.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Its lovely.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I put it on so I could walk down a street and visit you.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA (laughs) Im glad you did.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I think this is the part where you offer me something to drink or eat because Im wearing fur.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Is that how this goes?
LE-LE-WA-YOU Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i said white women wear furs so they can drink and eat food with one another.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Is that what you want to do? 48.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I already wear fur.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA And now they wear it too.
LE-LE-WA-YOU What do you think made them suddenly want to wear what Ive always worn?
LE-LE-WA-YOU poses with the fur wrapped
around her shoulders.
LE-LE-WA-YOU What do you think they think? (she strikes a pose) Does the fur make a woman look wise? (she strikes another pose) Strong? (another) Beautiful?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA You always look beautiful.
They kiss.
Blushing, LE-LE-WA-YOU returns to her fur.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Ill have these ready by morning.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Ill take them.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Can I go with you?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Your father doesnt want you going to the market.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Forget my father.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA He just wants to protect you-
LE-LE-WA-YOU I dont need anyone to protect me.
LE-LE-WA-YOU stands to leave, fur in hand.
49.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA What are you doing?
LE-LE-WA-YOU Going to the market-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Le-le-wa-you-
LE-LE-WA-YOU You think I cant do this. But youre wrong.
LE-LE-WA-YOU exits.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA follows her.
PETER MINUIT enters and sits at his desk,
sipping his brandy.
JONAS MICHAELIUS enters Peter Minuits
office in 17th Century Manahatta.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Excuse me.
PETER MINUIT Yes?
JONAS MICHAELIUS I am looking for Peter Minuit, Director of the West India Company.
PETER MINUIT You found him.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Youre Peter Minuit?
PETER MINUIT Im fairly certain, yes.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Oh, wonderful.
PETER MINUIT And you are? 50.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Jonas Michaelius. The Company has sent me here to organize the first congregation.
PETER MINUIT So they tell me. They want us to send them our furs and our prayers.
JONAS MICHAELIUS We send our prayers to the Lord above, not to any group of people here on Earth.
PETER MINUIT It was a joke, Jonas. Youre going to have to lighten up, or you arent going to make it out here.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Oh I see. Yes, but theres a natural beauty, something in the air- I could feel it as soon as I stepped off the boat.
PETER MINUIT Dont let that fool you. Its a rough life here. When it comes to civilization, its just us. Everything else is savage.
JONAS MICHAELIUS There are Indians here?
PETER MINUIT We purchased the island from them.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Tell me, what does an Indian look like?
PETER MINUIT Like nothing youve ever seen. Beautiful creatures, really. But very few of them speak, and those that do have no grasp of concepts like capital, commerce, ownership, you know, the basics. They have no idea how an economy actually works.
JONAS MICHAELIUS I plan to reach out and share the Gospel with them.
PETER MINUIT Id rather you not.
JONAS MICHAELIUS The Company has asked me to. 51.
PETER MINUIT Oh.
JONAS MICHAELIUS They instructed me to welcome them to the Company Church. To share the Gospel with them.
PETER MINUIT Well I wish you the best in your endeavour, but Im afraid it will be an uphill battle. Indians have no concept of God or a Heavenly Father.
ASSISTANT enters, carrying a large amount of
furs.
PETER MINUIT Well done my boy!
ASSISTANT Five hundred furs, sir.
PETER MINUIT Good God!
ASSISTANT Ive already loaded some onto the ship-
PETER MINUIT Where in Gods name did you find all these furs?
ASSISTANT The Indians have a lot to trade-
PETER MINUIT We have to tax them.
ASSISTANT The Lenape?
PETER MINUIT For trading on our land.
JONAS MICHAELIUS You cant tax the Lenape- 52.
PETER MINUIT Did anyone ask you what you thought?
JONAS MICHAELIUS I have yet to even establish a relationship with them-
PETER MINUIT How about this Jonas, you can be in charge of the Indians relationship with God, and Ill be in charge of their relationship with the Company.
JONAS MICHAELIUS exits.
PETER MINUIT Two guilders a fur. Do you think thats enough?
JANE enters and sits at her desk. She picks up
the phone and attempts yet another sale.
PETER MINUIT and ASSISTANT exit.
JANE Yes, is this Mr. Friedenberg? Oh wonderful. Mr. Friedenberg, Ive got a whole senior tranche in one of our recently wrapped triple-A CDOs . . . RMBS, yes. Weve been getting excellent returns on these investments, and with the senior tranche, theres virtually no risk- Jane. Jane Snake. No, weve never spoken before. But I know this CDO really well- Ive been here three months. Wait please, I promise you- OK thank you for your time.
JANE hangs up the phone. She exits.
TAMANEND and SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA
enter the Lenape encampment.
TAMANEND Lets see what you have.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Three hogs.
TAMANEND That wont feed more than three families-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA He wouldnt give me anymore- 53.
TAMANEND You came back with five last time-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA They made me pay a tax.
TAMANEND I dont understand.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA For every fur we trade, we have to pay the Company two guilders-
TAMANEND Why would we want to give them more so we can receive less?
LE-LE-WA-YOU enters. She sits and scrapes.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA They say the tax is the price me we must pay to trade here-
TAMANEND Here?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA On Manahatta.
TAMANEND Manahatta is our home.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA They say we sold it.
TAMANEND Sold what? The air? The water?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA The land-
TAMANEND How do you sell land?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA The deed, that piece of paper we signed. It says that we sold the whole island. To the Dutch. 54.
TAMANEND You go back and you tell them we did no such thing. You tell them we refuse to pay their tax, and if that means no fur trade, then no fur trade.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA exits.
TAMANEND approaches LE-LE-WA-YOU.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Father, look at this fur Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i gave me to scrape. Isnt it beautiful?
TAMANEND Your uncle said he saw you at the market.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I traded three furs and brought back twenty guilders worth of food. Can you believe it? And it was my first time.
TAMANEND I told you not to go.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Se-ket-tu-may-qua said it was the most hes seen anyone trade for four furs-
TAMANEND (gestures to fur) You can put that away now.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Im almost finished with it-
TAMANEND The fur trade is over.
LE-LE-WA-YOU But Se-ket-tu-may-qua said-
TAMANEND Forget what Se-ket-tu-may-qua said. I had always hoped that my daughter would choose someone more . . . Traditional.
LE-LE-WA-YOU He honors all of our traditions. 55.
TAMANEND Hes young. And foolish. And that makes him dangerous. He has betrayed our people.
LE-LE-WA-YOU What did he do?
TAMANEND Because of him, weve suffered a great injustice. One that can never be undone.
TAMANEND exits.
JOE enters and sits at his desk.
DICK enters and slaps JOE on the back.
LE-LE-WA-YOU exits.
DICK 87 Joe, 87! Were at 87!
JOE Somebodys in a good mood today.
DICK We just keep climbing. Where are the quarterly earnings?
JOE Right here- (he hands DICK a report)
DICK Not enough.
JOE Were wrapping billions-
DICK We need to securitize more. You wanna sit on the sidelines and watch traders over at Bear eat your lunch? Look, if your underlings cant get the job done, fire them and find someone who can. (picks up sheet of paper from Joes desk) Whos this at the top of your low sales list?
JOE Jane Snake.
DICK I didnt realize we paid people to sit around and sell nothing- 56.
JOE Its my fault. I thought she had what it takes, and it turns out she doesnt.
DICK People can be deceiving, they present one side to you, and then as soon as you let them go, they do something entirely different. I hate firing folks Ive hired, but sometimes you just gotta do it . . . Whats wrong? You like this one?
JOE No. I mean, not like that-
DICK I told you never hire one you like-
JOE You hired her.
DICK Right. So let me do the talking.
OFFSTAGE WOMANS VOICE
Jane Snake here to see you.
DICK Send her in.
JANE enters.
DICK Hi Janet.
JOE Jane.
DICK Whatever.
JANE If this is about Alesco, I just cant find anyone who wants to buy the mezzanine-
DICK This isnt about Alesco.
JANE Oh. 57.
DICK Youre on the low-sales list.
JANE Im sorry?
JOE You need to sell just a bit more.
DICK A LOT more.
JOE And Im sure you have an explanation-
DICK But we dont care to hear it.
JOE What he means to say is that we want to help you do your best-
DICK Would you lay off the cool whip?
JOE Im just trying to explain-
DICK Go get me a cup of coffee.
JOE You want coffee?
DICK I want you to shut the fuck up and bring me some Starbucks.
JOE You dont drink Starbucks.
DICK I do now. Bring me back a Mocha latte venti frappe.
JOE They, thats not, they dont have that. 58.
DICK Fine. Call me when you get there and Ill tell you what I want.
JOE Why dont I just ask Shirley to make an espresso here-
DICK Because you need to take a walk. And I need to talk to Janet.
JOE exits.
DICK Alright Janet, you should know this low sales list is serious business.
JANE I can explain.
DICK Im sure you think you can, but theres really no explanation for this. We have minimum requirements around here, and youre not selling enough.
JANE Ill sell more.
DICK A lot more.
JANE How much do you think is enough?
DICK Theres no such thing as enough on Wall Street.
DICKs blackberry rings.
DICK Dick Fuld. . . . Are you serious? (pulls phone away) Fucking Goldman Sachs, trying to fuck us out of our own deal. I gotta take this.
DICK starts to exit.
DICK Oh, and if Joe calls, tell him I want something with caramel in it. Dont go anywhere.
DICK exits. 59.
DICK (as he exits, into the blackberry) What the fuck Jimmy?
JANE sits in JOEs office. Alone.
Joes phone rings. It rings some more.
JANE stares at the phone. It rings some more.
JANE walks to the door. No one is there.
The phone rings again. JANE picks up the
phone.
JANE No I dont want any coffee and Dick wants something with caramel in it and how you could leave me alone with him like that? . . . Oh, Im sorry. I thought you were Joe . . . Yes, I work with Joe, but Im sure Im not the person you want to speak with . . . Oh, I mean, yes. Sorry, I misunderstood you. Yes, Im, Im Vice-President of Structured Finance. I handle all of Joes top financial clients, but only the ones that qualify for our elite investment package. Do you know if youre in the top ten percent of total holdings? You are? Excellent. Well how can I help you? . . . Oh, I see. Yes, well, you really dont want to do that. Because thats the first tranche to go. Sure, its got the biggest returns right now, but the first defaults to come in the door flood out all of the equity holders. . . You want to buy the sweet spot. Its an algorithm. Algorithm, thats an equation, that I created, to measure risk. And returns. And I found the sweet spot, just below the mezzanine, but right above the equity. Its a hybrid-tranche, really. And most investors overlook it. And believe me, if you call JPMorgan, or Goldman, theyre not going to give you the sweet spot. They dont have this algorithm. No one has this . . . Look, if you invest in the sweet spot, if you diversify your risk, you can face anything. Defaults would have to go higher than theyve gone in the last sixty years to wipe out the sweet spot. Its virtually risk free. Just yesterday, when I was talking to Warren, he said - you want 300? OK, sure Ill tell Joe that. Thank you.
JANE hangs up.
JOE enters, carrying three coffees.
JOE OK, so I got a tall americano, a tall vanilla latte with two shots, no whip cream- wheres Dick? 60.
JANE I dont know, he had to take a call. Something about Goldman. And Mike called for you.
JOE Mike Shaw?
JANE He didnt say-
JOE Fuck me. Do you know who that is?
JANE Should I?
JOE No, of course not, because you dont know anything. Hes worth billions, were trying to get him to invest more with us but hes playing hard to get-
JANE He told me to tell you he wants 300.
JOE 300?
JANE I think that means he wants to buy 300 thousand dollars worth of RMBS notes-
JOE Million.
JANE What?
JOE Youre number one on the low sales list, but you just convinced Mike Shaw to buy 300 million. Ive been trying to do that for weeks.
JANE I mean, I can explain investment strategies to people. Thats easy. But how am I going to convince a bunch of New York millionaires to give the millions they want to invest to Jane Snake, a girl from Oklahoma?
JOE Mike Shaw just did. 61.
JANE I lied to him-
JOE You did what?
JANE I told him that Im your Vice President.
JOE Of what?
JANE Structured Finance.
JOE That position doesnt exist!
JANE He doesnt know that.
JOE Alright Snake, this is what Im gonna do-
JANE I know, I shouldnt have lied, Im really sorry but I knew that-
JOE Were creating a new position, Vice-President of Structured Finance. Thats you. And Im personally putting you in touch with my top investors. (into intercom) Shirley-
OFFSTAGE WOMANS VOICE
Yes?
JOE Shirley, gather the contact info for all of my top accounts, the top twenty, and give them to Snake. From now on, everything on these accounts goes to her. Shell be handling them.
JOE exits.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters. He walks
along the Broad Way.
JANE exits.
ASSISTANT enters. 62.
ASSISTANT Hello there.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA continues walking.
ASSISTANT Black Beaver!
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA does not stop.
ASSISTANT Black Beaver, do you have any furs youd like to trade?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA With you? No.
ASSISTANT Youve always had so many-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA And now I have none.
ASSISTANT So many of the Lenape have stopped trading, but Ive always thought to myself, Black Beaver wont. He wont let a petty disagreement about a tax prevent him from trading for the goods that his people need-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Were not paying your tax.
ASSISTANT Youre part of an economy now. Everyone pays the tax.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Not the Lenape. Manahatta is our home, and weve never paid a tax to trade here.
ASSISTANT That was before you sold it.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I never sold Manahatta.
ASSISTANT We have the paper to prove it. 63.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I thought we were brothers.
ASSISTANT We are.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Tell me, when you want to take something from your wife, do you make her sign a piece of paper?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA exits.
DEBRA enters and peels potatoes.
ASSISTANT exits.
JANE enters the house, suitcase in hand,
carrying a large sack of groceries in a Whole Foods bag.
DEBRA Look at you! You look like a real New Yorker.
JANE I missed you.
DEBRA I missed you more. How long you here for?
JANE I have to go back tomorrow.
DEBRA Dang, theyre really working you hard. At least they gave you Thanksgiving off.
JANE Are you making dinner?
DEBRA Dinner dont make itself.
JANE sets her bag of groceries down.
64.
DEBRA Whats this?
DEBRA pulls out a large green leafy item.
JANE Its kale.
DEBRA Kale?
JANE I thought I could help with dinner-
DEBRA By what, making your own?
JANE I thought maybe this year we could make kale instead.
DEBRA Instead of what?
JANE Fry bread.
DEBRA Are you serious?
JANE Kale has lots of vitamins and minerals, and it is very low in fat and calories. Its very nutritious.
DEBRA No way youre gonna get Dad to eat kale.
Beat.
JANE Are you making potatoes?
DEBRA Yes. Do you approve?
JANE Can I help? 65.
DEBRA Here. Pxa kho nek hopenisak (peel the potatoes).
JANE You know I dont speak Delaware.
DEBRA Peel the potatoes.
DEBRA hands her a potato and a peeler.
DEBRA I bought these at Half Foods.
The sisters peel.
They peel some more.
JANE You still dating that guy?
DEBRA Who, Jake?
JANE The Comanche guy you met in Lawton?
DEBRA God no.
JANE Oh, sorry.
DEBRA Dont be. Im not.
JANE Jennys dating a Kiowa, you know, Randys cousin-
DEBRA Everyone around here is dating a Kiowa. If we keep this up, pretty soon there wont be any Delaware Lenape. Well all be Kiowa.
JANE So date a Lenape. 66.
DEBRA Right. And where do you suggest I find one?
JANE Bartlesville.
DEBRA Sure, or I could just fly to Wisconsin.
JANE You could move to Canada.
The sisters share a smile.
DEBRA You met anyone in Manahatta yet?
JANE Oh, no. I mean, not yet. But Im sure I will, you know. Eventually.
DEBRA Im sure its hard to meet people when you work all the time.
JANE Yeah.
The sisters peel potatoes.
JANE Hey, did you ever hear back about the ANA grant?
DEBRA We didnt get it.
JANE Seriously?
DEBRA Yeah. So no language program. I mean its like whatever at this point. Weve lost all our speakers.
JANE reaches into her purse and pulls out an
envelope. She hands it to Debra.
DEBRA Whats this? 67.
JANE Enough to get you started.
DEBRA I cant do this-
JANE Of course you can. Youve been planning this for years. This will cover your costs until youre fully funded.
DEBRA No, I mean I cant run a language program without any speakers.
DEBRA returns the envelope to JANE.
JANE We have speakers.
DEBRA Who do you know that speaks?
JANE Harrys uncle-
DEBRA Dead.
JANE Grandma Lilly-
DEBRA Died two years ago. Youve been gone a long time.
JANE What about Dad? He speaks.
DEBRA Dad doesnt speak. He understands. If you speak to him in Delaware hell know what youre saying, but he cant answer you.
JANE Mom spoke.
DEBRA Like I said, weve lost all of our speakers. 68.
JANE You speak. Youve just convinced yourself that you dont.
JANE drops the envelope in Debras lap and
exits.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters and walks
along the Broad Way, this time with no furs to trade.
DEBRA exits, carrying the envelope with her.
JONAS MICHAELIUS enters.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Hello. I come in peace.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA What a relief.
JONAS MICHAELIUS I am Jonas Michaelius.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Well Jonas, what is it that you trade?
JONAS MICHAELIUS Ive come only to share.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Share what?
JONAS MICHAELIUS The Gospel. Do you know God?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA ?
JONAS MICHAELIUS I have good news.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA The Dutch suspended their fur tax? 69.
JONAS MICHAELIUS No. I have a very different sort of good news.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA And what is that?
JONAS MICHAELIUS You are forgiven. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has died for your sins.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA The doesnt sound like good news.
JONAS MICHAELIUS The Dutch West India Company sent me here to start the first church in New Amsterdam. We have service every Sunday. You should come.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I dont think your Company wants a bunch of Indians in its church.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Governor Minuit may not, but the Board of Directors in Amsterdam do. They want me to share the Gospel with everyone.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Your Governor told me I have to pay a tax just to trade in the market.
JONAS MICHAELIUS That may be, I do not engage in the business at the market-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Tell me, if we come to this church of yours, will we have to pay a tax?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA exits.
JANE enters the living room, carrying plates and
bowls of food, including a bowl of sauteed kale.
ROBERT enters.
ROBERT You girls really outdid yourselves.
JANE It was all Debra. 70.
ROBERT These look like excellent taters. (inspects the kale) Whats this?
JANE Kale.
ROBERT Huh. Kinda smells like horse poo.
JANE Its very good for you. Lots of vitamins and minerals.
ROBERT You must be learnin all sorts of new things out there.
DEBRA enters carrying a plate of fry bread.
ROBERT Debra, thank God ya made frybread-
DEBRA Of course-
ROBERT I was gettin a little worried when I didnt see it, like all we was gonna eat this year was stinky green stuff.
JANE Kale. Its called kale, and its very nutritious-
DEBRA My frybreads nothing compared to Moms-
ROBERT It dont need to be. Its a tradition and yer carryin it on. Shes proud of ya. So am I. nkntwakn.
They bow their heads in prayer.
ROBERT Blessings from the Creator. As we prepare to share this meal, we give thanks to the Creator. We thank the Creator for the fire used ta make the food before us, the fire of our ancestors. Nai-no-shulk-wa-le. 71.
DEBRA Mitsitm.
ROBERT AND JANE
Mitsitm.
They eat.
ROBERT Dang. This is some good fry bread Debra.
DEBRA Thank you.
ROBERT Real good.
They eat.
ROBERT Elections comin up soon.
JANE Whos running?
ROBERT No one new.
DEBRA Election Committee kicked Paula off the ballot.
JANE How come?
ROBERT She owes money to the tribe.
JANE That never stopped Dennis from running-
DEBRA Yeah well Paula doesnt have a sister that sits on the Election Committee. 72.
JANE (to DEBRA) Have you ever thought of running?
DEBRA For council?
JANE Yeah. You know so much, I think you would be great.
DEBRA Councils nothin but a bunch of Indians tryin to impeach one another. Pass the potatoes.
ROBERT passes the potatoes.
DEBRA Wanishi.
JANE Would anyone like to try some of the kale?
ROBERT Nah.
DEBRA No thanks.
ROBERT This venison stew, its-
DEBRA I used Moms recipe.
ROBERT Its real good.
They eat.
ROBERT Ya know why we celebrate Thanksgiving?
JANE Yes, Dad.
DEBRA We know. 73.
JANE Can you pass the corn?
DEBRA passes the corn.
ROBERT When the Dutch first got to Manahatta, they had no idea how to grow food or farm. That first winter, they had nothin to eat and-
JANE, DEBRA, AND ROBERT
They woulda starved to death-
DEBRA But our ancestors fed em.
JANE And so they survived.
PETER MINUIT enters and sits at the desk with
the tulip.
ROBERT I guess you girls heard this story before.
JANE A few times.
ROBERT Ya ever walk down to Pearl Street?
JANE Sure. You know, its not far from my office.
ROBERT Pearl Street is where we gathered to give thanks to the Creator. Its where we had our ceremony.
DEBRA Mom always told this story.
ROBERT The Dutch named the street Pearl after the huge mounds of shells we left there along the shore from our ceremony, you know for the summer solstice. 74.
JANE I dont remember her telling this story.
ROBERT Wanishi they said at the beginning of every ceremony. Wanishi for all that the Creator has given us.
DEBRA Its where we got our wampum.
ROBERT And your necklace.
JANE When did she tell you this story?
DEBRA When she was in the hospital.
ROBERT Those last few days . . .
DEBRA Pearl Street was all she wanted to talk about.
ROBERT And Broadway. You ever walk down Broadway?
JANE Sometimes.
ROBERT Yer mom wanted to, we just never got to. But yer ancestors did. Before the Dutch got there, it was our tradin trail. So many of our people walked up and down the path that it flattened the grass and the Dutch called it the Broad Way.
JONAS MICHAELIUS enters Peter Minuits
office.
ROBERT, DEBRA, and JANE continue eating
their meal.
PETER MINUIT Look who it is. 75.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Are you taxing the Lenape?
PETER MINUIT Its nice to see you too.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Answer my question.
PETER MINUIT This is our land. We purchased it, and if we want to tax those who conduct business on it, were entitled to do so.
JONAS MICHAELIUS They refuse to come to church because youre taxing them.
PETER MINUIT (laughs) Church.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Yes, the Church. The Company Church. Do you want me to tell the Company that your tax is preventing the Indians from coming to church?
PETER MINUIT Believe me, the Company is not going to give a guilder that Indians arent going to church.
PETER MINUIT exits.
DEBRA So what do they have you doing all day up there?
ROBERT And all night. You work such long hours.
JANE Im in RMBS-
DEBRA Which is?
JANE Residential mortgage backed securities. 76.
ROBERT Could ya translate that for me?
JANE I work with pools of loans.
ROBERT But you dont know how to swim.
DEBRA Dad.
JONAS MICHAELIUS exits.
ROBERT OK, so if I wanted to take out a loan, what would I do?
JANE Oh, I dont know-
ROBERT You dont know?
JANE We dont make the loans. We just buy them and re-sell them, you know, to investors.
ROBERT Deb, we got any more frybread?
DEBRA Sure do.
DEBRA leaves to retrieve the remaining pieces
of frybread.
ROBERT So if someone you knew wanted ta take out a loan, they couldnt get it from you?
JANE No. Another company makes the loans to a bunch of people, and then my bank comes along and buys them all, thousands at once, packages them into a bond, and then we turn around sells slices of the bond to investors.
ROBERT So you sell pieces of loans. 77.
JANE You could say that. I guess you could say we sell risk.
ROBERT Huh.
JANE Think of it this way. To make loans to average Americans, the Americans who want to take out a loan and buy a home, banks need capital. Our bank provides that capital. We get our capital from the investors who purchase notes, and we turn around and use that capital to buy more loans, and then the banks use the capital from the loans we purchase to turn around and lend to Suzy, Dick, Joe and Todd-- so they can all buy homes. We make it possible for Americans to buy homes.
ROBERT When ya got that scholarship, when ya went off to school, I thought you said ya wanted to work with math. You know, study numbers and be a mathematician.
JANE I did. And I do. Dad, mortgages are math.
ROBERT Never thought youd end up at a bank.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I enters the Lenape
encampment.
JONAS MICHAELIUS enters.
JANE and ROBERT exit.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Ta hech kta? (where are you going?)
JONAS MICHAELIUS Hello there.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Ke ku hech katatam? (what do you want?)
JONAS MICHAELIUS Do you like to sing? 78.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I decides JONAS
MICHAELIUS is friendly, and she smiles.
JONAS MICHAELIUS (a bit nervously) I found a Lenape to help me translate some of our hymns into your language, so that I could share them with you.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Ke ku heck kteluwensi? (what is your name?)
JONAS MICHAELIUS I have one here with me, its a simple hymn, really. But one of my favorites. I wrote it down here. (he pulls out a piece of paper) (singing) No-wa-tone, No-wa-tone, Hay-lay-loiema, gee-shay-loiema.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I laughs at his
pronunciation.
JONAS MICHAELIUS (singing) No-wa-tone,
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I (she corrects his pronunciation) No-wa-tone.
JONAS MICHAELIUS (tries to imitate Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i) No-wa-tone.
papers stretched out in front of him and a cup of coffee.
JONAS MICHAELIUS and TOOSK-KI-PA-
KWIS-I exit.
DEBRA enters.
DEBRA Dad?
ROBERT Dang Debra, you startled me.
DEBRA Its late.
ROBERT Ya scared me.
DEBRA Sorry.
DEBRA (sees the forms) Whats this?
ROBERT Oh, just some paperwork.
DEBRA They got janitors grading papers now?
ROBERT Im gettin a mortgage.
DEBRA On the house?
ROBERT Its this or bankruptcy.
DEBRA The bills are that high?
ROBERT returns to filling out the paperwork.
80.
DEBRA You should have said something, I offered to help-
ROBERT Its too much. I gotta take out a loan.
Half asleep, JANE enters.
JANE Whats going on out here?
ROBERT Nothin. Go back to bed.
JANE Why are you guys making so much noise in the middle of the night?
DEBRA Were not making noise.
ROBERT I was sittin here real quiet til Debra came along, startin in screamin about this and that.
DEBRA No ones been screaming.
ROBERT Go back to bed Jane.
JANE Are you going into work?
ROBERT No, I get Thanksgiving off.
JANE But youre still working the night shift.
ROBERT Jane, I aint gonna discuss that right now. Go back to bed.
JANE You told me you were going to switch to day.
ROBERT I like the night shift. 81.
DEBRA You do not.
JANE Youre senior enough by now they should give you the day shift-
ROBERT Whats the point of cleanin durin the day? As soon as you clean somethin, some kid comes along and you gotta clean it all over again. Then again, its Riverside. No matter how much you clean, therere some things you aint never gonna wipe away. . . . Yer mom ever tell ya they sent her to Riverside?
JANE No.
DEBRA She didnt like to talk about it.
ROBERT She was only six. They showed up at her house, the BIA. Walked right inside the front door and took yer mom. Course her parents didnt speak a word a English. Neither did yer mom, at the time. Said she had no idea where she was goin, why they were takin her, or if she would ever getta see her parents again. Took her a couple miles down river, to Riverside. Kept her there for eight years. Made her speak English. Always. Anyone caught speakin Lenape got a beatin.
ROBERT drinks his coffee.
ROBERT One day Grandma Bessie figured out where yer mom been sent. Grandma made her way down river to that school to find yer mom, the whole way carryin her basket of food. And when she got there, well somehow she got word inside to yer mom that she was waitin outside. Yer mom snuck outta that school, crawled under the barbed wire fence, and ran half a mile to meet Grandma out in a field somewhere. There the two of them shared the first meal theyd had together in years. When yer mom made her way back to school . . . they nearly beat her unconscious. They had to make an example of her, ya know, so that none of the other kids would try to escape and see their parents. But yer mom said she never regretted runnin away like that. Said it was worth every snap of that whip justa see her mom.
ROBERT finishes his coffee.
ROBERT No matter how much Indian ya had in you, they wanted to whip it out. 82.
DEBRA Ill get you some more coffee-
ROBERT Nah, Im fine.
JANE (gestures to papers on table) So whats all this?
DEBRA Dads taking out a loan-
ROBERT Dang it Debra-
DEBRA You werent going to tell her-
ROBERT Im gonna get a loan! (to DEBRA) There, ya happy? I said it.
DEBRA Because I said it.
JANE You dont need a loan for this home. You own it.
ROBERT Its not to pay for the home-
JANE Whats it for?
ROBERT I just need to get me some money. Thats all.
DEBRA To pay the medical bills.
JANE So thats why you were asking me all those questions? 83.
ROBERT I asked you and ya said you dont know nothin about makin or sellin the loans, you just buy them-
JANE I didnt know you were talking about this.
ROBERT I was.
JANE How much do you need?
DEBRA How much do you have?
JANE Enough to cover whats immediately due, Im sure-
ROBERT No.
JANE Im sure I can cover it-
ROBERT I said no.
JANE You wont have to fill out any of this paperwork if you just let me pay for it.
ROBERT And Im not gonna do that.
JANE Dad, I dont think you can afford to-
ROBERT You think I wont qualify?
JANE No-
ROBERT Earlier tonight ya said that thanks to banks like yours, every American can get a loan. I guess now yer sayin that dont apply to poor folks like me? 84.
JANE Thats not what I said.
ROBERT I may not be college educated, but I work and pay my bills.
ROBERT returns to his paperwork.
After being stuck for a few moments on a
particular line, he reluctantly looks up at JANE.
ROBERT What the heck is DTI?
JANE Debt to income. Its a ratio. To apply for a loan you have to tell the bank how much debt you have in comparison to your income.
ROBERT Thats easy. I got a lot of debt. Hardly no income. (pushes the stack of papers to JANE) How do I answer this?
JANE (takes the papers and starts to fill the papers out) You own this house, right?
ROBERT Own?
JANE Does this house belong to you?
ROBERT I live here yes.
JANE Is your name on the deed?
ROBERT What do ya mean deed?
JANE Look, lets not overly complicate things. In order to take out a loan on this house, we have to show the bank that you own the house. Your name is on the deed, right?
DEBRA It should be. 85.
ROBERT All I know is that this homes been my home, always, for as long as I remember. My mom, yer grandma, was born here. Her dad got this land in the Allotment and then built the whole home himself. Didnt get help from nobody. They moved in, and six weeks later, yer grandma was born. I was born here. And then I married your mom. Debra was born here. And then seven years later, the Creator blessed us with you. So for as long as I can remember, this house, this home, this is where we lived.
JANE Whats your FICO?
ROBERT My what?
JANE Your credit score.
ROBERT I dont got one. Will that be a problem?
JANE Well-
ROBERT The bank told me that they got this special type a loan, ya know, for folks that aint got a credit score.
JANE Right. But youll need someone to co-sign.
ROBERT Could you?
JANE Yes.
JANE signs. She hands the pen to ROBERT.
ROBERT signs.
ROBERT, JANE, and DEBRA exit.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters. He sits on the
rock. 86.
LE-LE-WA-YOU enters and discovers SE-
KET-TU-MAY-QUA on the rock.
LE-LE-WA-YOU There you are.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Did you follow me here?
LE-LE-WA-YOU No-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I need to be alone, Le-le-wa- you-
LE-LE-WA-YOU What did I do?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA This isnt about you.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Then why wont you see me?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Look, there are things about me, things that you dont know-
LE-LE-WA-YOU So tell me!
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA My name is on the deed.
LE-LE-WA-YOU That piece of paper the Dutch are waiving around?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Im the person who sold Manahatta.
LE-LE-WA-YOU You think I didnt know?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Ive been too ashamed to tell anyone- 87.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Father told me.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA What did he say?
LE-LE-WA-YOU What you said just now. That you signed a piece of paper and now the Dutch are saying we sold Manahatta.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Do you think I sold Manahatta?
LE-LE-WA-YOU No. You and I both know no one can sell what belongs to the Creator.
JOE and DICK enter.
LE-LE-WA-YOU and SE-KET-TU-MAY-
QUA exit.
DICK is looking at a sheet of paper.
DICK This is pretty impressive.
JOE Im telling you-
DICK This the same girl that was on the low hours list?
JOE The one and the same-
DICK Pretty impressive turnaround-
JOE She has what it takes-
DICK Did you sleep with her?
JOE No! 88.
DICK OK great, lets promote her.
JANE runs in.
JANE If its the Credit Suisse deal, I can explain.
JOE No-
JANE The CDO is doubly-synthetic.
JOE Snake-
JANE That means the CDO owns a swap referenced in the collateral, as opposed to the securities themselves-
DICK Good God. This has nothing to do with Credit Suisse.
JOE Youre being promoted.
JANE What?
DICK Do you know what this is? (waives a piece of paper)
JANE No.
DICK Its a printout. Of the last six months. And I see a list of names here. In the last six months, no one in the RMBS Group has done more deals than Jane Snake. Jane Snake, is that you?
JANE Yes.
DICK Congratulations, youve been promoted. Senior Vice-President of Capital Markets. 89.
JOE Youll be working with me.
DICK exits.
JOE hands JANE an envelope.
JANE Whats this?
JOE Your bonus. Welcome to the Management Team Snake.
PETER MINUIT enters, letter in hand. He
paces.
JOE exits.
JONAS MICHAELIUS enters.
JONAS MICHAELIUS You asked to see me?
PETER MINUIT What did you write?
JONAS MICHAELIUS What do you mean?
PETER MINUIT thrusts the letter towards
JONAS MICHAELIUS.
JANE exits.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Whats this?
PETER MINUIT A letter I received today. From the Board.
JONAS MICHAELIUS reads the letter. His
eyes widen in shock and amazement.
JONAS MICHAELIUS Theyre sending us both back? 90.
PETER MINUIT On the next ship. I need to know what you wrote.
JONAS MICHAELIUS I need to know what you wrote! (waives the letter) Apparently you also wrote to the Board-
PETER MINUIT The Board needed to know that its pastor was not acting in the best interests of the Company-
JONAS MICHAELIUS How can you say that?
PETER MINUIT You told the Indians to stop trading fur-
JONAS MICHAELIUS I did nothing of the sort-
PETER MINUIT You were upset about the tax-
JONAS MICHAELIUS I told them to come to church. Your tax has prevented them from coming to church-
PETER MINUIT My tax pays for your godforsaken church!
JONAS MICHAELIUS I pray for your soul.
PETER MINUIT I dont doubt that you do. Now tell me, what the hell did you write in your letter?
JONAS MICHAELIUS Matthew 6, verse 24.
PETER MINUIT I dont need you to quote scripture for me. I need you to tell me what you wrote to the Board-
JONAS MICHAELIUS That is what I wrote to the Board. Matthew 6, verse 24. Were here to do Gods work, and from what I can see here in New Amsterdam, you seem to have forgotten that. 91.
PETER MINUIT You can quote Jesus all you want Jonas, but at the end of the day, do you know who pays for your Church? Fur and tulips. Not Indians sitting in pews. Fur and tulips.
PETER MINUIT exits.
JANE enters and sits in her office. She calls the
house.
JONAS MICHAELIUS exits.
DEBRA enters the living room of the house and
answers the phone.
DEBRA Hello?
JANE Hey, its me.
DEBRA Hey. How are you?
JANE Im fine.
DEBRA Miss you around here. Just the other day Aunt Lily was over here askin about you. How are things in Manahatta? You still kicking butt at your bank?
JANE Dad missed a payment.
DEBRA What?
JANE On his mortgage. He missed a payment.
DEBRA How is that possible?
JANE I was hoping you could tell me. 92.
DEBRA Im sure its a mistake. Hes been paying his bills every month. Let me talk to him-
JANE Dad doesnt know I know.
DEBRA How do you know?
JANE The bank sent me a letter-
DEBRA You?
JANE I co-signed. My names on the loan-
DEBRA Let me tell him-
JANE No.
DEBRA What if it was a mistake? What if he actually paid and the bank miscalculated-
JANE You think he paid it?
DEBRA He might have-
JANE You and I both know he doesnt have the money to pay this. Dont tell him, Deb. Im gonna pay for it.
ASSISTANT enters and arranges things in
anticipation of Peter Stuyvesants arrival in the New World.
JANE hangs up and remains at her desk.
93.
PETER STUYVESANT enters. He inspects his
new office, including the desk with the tulip.
DEBRA exits.
ASSISTANT Welcome to New Amsterdam.
PETER STUYVESANT This is my office?
ASSISTANT It is indeed.
PETER STUYVESANT I thought it would be bigger.
ASSISTANT Everyone has preconceived notions about what theyll find in New World. This used to be Peter Minuits office.
PETER STUYVESANT Well, I suppose if it was good enough for Peter Minuit its good enough for Peter Stuyvesant.
ASSISTANT (points to a bottle of brandy) This was his favorite brandy.
PETER STUYVESANT I dont doubt it-
ASSISTANT This was his tulip-
PETER STUYVESANT Worthless now.
ASSISTANT This rug-
PETER STUYVESANT You can take that.
ASSISTANT Would you like a new one? 94.
PETER STUYVESANT Yes. Something less ostentatious.
ASSISTANT Certainly.
PETER STUYVESANT Tell me, what is the situation with the Indians?
ASSISTANT The Lenape?
PETER STUYVESANT The Company directed me to leave Aruba immediately to come here and deal with the Indian problem-
ASSISTANT They refuse to pay the Companys tax and so now theyre refusing to trade fur-
PETER STUYVESANT Well need to remove them.
ASSISTANT How would we remove them?
PETER STUYVESANT I recommend using a militia that is capable of shooting them. Theyll leave if you shoot them.
ASSISTANT You realize we have a very small militia-
PETER STUYVESANT How small?
ASSISTANT Less than a hundred men at this point.
PETER STUYVESANT Alright, make an announcement, to the colonists. For every redskin that a colonist brings back to us, the Companyll pay an award
ASSISTANT With what? The Company has no capital. All we have is debt. 95.
PETER STUYVESANT Well pay in wampum. You think ten fathoms is enough?
DEBRA enters from the porch, carrying a stack
of mail. She shuffles through the mail until she finds a letter from the bank. Nervously she opens the letter to read its contents.
ASSISTANT and PETER STUYVESANT exit.
ROBERT enters.
ROBERT Oh good, ya got the mail.
DEBRA hands ROBERT an opened letter from
the bank.
DEBRA You got a letter from the bank.
ROBERT I asked ya to get my mail. Not read it.
DEBRA Jane called. The bank sent her a letter, just like this one, saying you missed a payment-
ROBERT One payment.
DEBRA This says youve missed two.
ROBERT So Im behind.
DEBRA Why didnt you tell me?
ROBERT exits.
DEBRA exits.
JOE enters and sits at his desk.
JANE approaches JOE.
96.
JOE How much?
JANE 244 million-
JOE Thats-
JANE 41 cents a share.
JOE Damn Snake.
JANE Pretty good, huh?
JOE Incredible, really. Its your second year as a Senior VP and your groups quarterly earnings are at the very top.
JANE nods.
JOE Whats wrong?
JANE Nothing.
JOE I know you know how to sell, but that was not a sell. . . Its cool, you dont have to tell me.
JANE Its just, you know, family.
JOE Snake, this job can be very alienating. Its harder than hell, thats why so few people can do it. And it takes an intense dedication that very few understand. The kind of commitment that most think only happens when you join the army. But its incredibly rewarding. I mean, just show your folks your paycheck and theyll understand.
JANE nods. 97.
JOE Whatd your folks say when you showed them your new paycheck?
JANE I didnt.
JOE You didnt tell them about your raise?
JANE Theyve never asked. . . . Last year my dad took out a mortgage. I helped him, I co- signed. It was, you know, to help him pay some medical bills. But now hes not making his payments, so I started paying them. The bank sends me a letter, and I just mail back a check.
JOE Youre a saint. I bought my parents a yacht one year for Christmas, but Id never offer to pay their mortgage.
JANE My dads mad at me. He called last night and told me to stop making the payments.
JOE Seems like he should be grateful.
JANE He told me to stop acting like I was white.
JOE ?
JANE We have traditions, you know. To my dad theyre very important. And there are traditional ways of giving gifts, and what I did, well it wasnt very traditional.
JOE Is it traditional to lose your home because you cant make the payments?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters and sits on the
rock along the shoreline.
JANE exits.
JOE exits. 98.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Le-le-wa-you, come on. Its safe.
LE-LE-WA-YOU (offstage) We cant keep coming here.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Where else would we go?
LE-LE-WA-YOU cautiously enters and joins
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA on the rock.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I dont know.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA No ones been shot here. All of the shootings have been along the broad way, on the trail. Were safe here.
They sit on the rock near the shoreline of the
river that runs along the eastern side of Manahatta. The darkness of a dawn just before sunrise envelopes them.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I can still remember when we used to come here for ceremony. You never knew this, but even then, when we were kids, I was watching you.
LE-LE-WA-YOU That was a long time ago-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA You were so beautiful. And stubborn. If your father said sit, you stood. If he said walk, you ran. I remember your sister was trying to gather shells, you know wampum, so she could make a necklace. And your sister had to constantly watch you because when she didnt, you would pick up all of the shells shed collected and throw them back in the water. When I asked you why you kept doing that, you looked at me with those big dark eyes and you said you were putting them back where they belong.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I cant believe you still remember that. 99.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I remember this is where we asked the Creator to watch over us.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Se-ket-tu-may-qua.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I remember this is where we left our mounds of shells, this is where we made our wampum-
LE-LE-WA-YOU Se-ket-tu-may-qua.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA What?
LE-LE-WA-YOU Give me your hand.
She places his hand on her belly.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Hes kicking!
LE-LE-WA-YOU Shes kicking. Shes got quite the kick.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA How can you be so sure were having a girl?
LE-LE-WA-YOU There are things only a mother knows.
The sun rises and for the first time streaks of
light reveal LE-LE-WA-YOU and SE-KET-TU- MAY-QUA sitting in an embrace on the rock.
ASSISTANT enters, carrying a gun. He stops
in his tracks and aims it directly at SE-KET-TU- MAY-QUA.
LE-LE-WA-YOU is the first to spot him and
screams. 100.
LE-LE-WA-YOU No!
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Its me! Black Beaver!
ASSISTANT lowers his gun.
ASSISTANT Black Beaver!
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Its me-
ASSISTANT What are you doing here?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA We were out for a walk-
ASSISTANT You know you cant be here-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Yes, but-
ASSISTANT Im serious. (looks to make sure no one else is around, and then in a rather hushed tone) Take your family and get out of here. Now. Im under strict orders from the Governor to kill every Lenape I see. And he has promised any colonist who brings him a Lenape scalp ten fathoms of wampum. So take your family and get out.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA stares at him.
ASSISTANT Im serious! Now! Before someone sees us together and shoots us both!
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA and LE-LE-WA-
YOU exit.
FROM OFFSTAGE You see any over that way?
ASSISTANT No. No Indians here. 101.
FROM OFFSTAGE OK. Lets head over to the Broad Way.
ASSISTANT exits.
DICK enters and sits at the desk with the tulip.
He turns on his TV.
NEWS CAST VOICE-OVER
In the wake of Bears collapse, Lehman Brothers is scrambling to reassure investors about the impact of the mortgage crisis on its own assets. Shares of the firm under a great deal of pressure this morning. Dick Fuld, a 39 year old veteran of Lehman and the longest running CEO of a major investment bank on Wall Street, has pulled the firm back from the brink during other crises. But today, for the first time, investors are questioning his leadership.
DICK Fuck me.
DICK picks up his remote and clicks the TV off.
DICK JOE!
JOE (comes running in) This is gonna be a shitshow.
DICK Wheres Snake?
JOE Shes here-
DICK I need her, now.
JOE (calls offstage) SNAKE!
DICK No one saw this one coming-
JOE Were down 21%. 102.
DICK On paper I just lost 90 million dollars, personally.
JANE enters.
JANE I saw the news about Bear-
JOE Our stocks evaporating.
DICK What do our earnings look like?
JOE Our earnings are top notch this quarter-
JANE We beat every prediction-
DICK You see! Its the goddamn short-sellers! Short and distort, thats their game.
JANE Should we try for a capital raise?
DICK Capital raise? Are you kidding me? We just made our shareholders money. We dont need capital.
JOE Thats not what the market thinks.
JANE Our stock is falling fast-
JOE Everyone is looking to us for a solution-
DICK Why? Its not like we pointed a gun at anyones head and said buy a home.
JOE This is about perception. 103.
JANE Why dont we try Warren Buffett?
DICK (to JOE) Call Paulson. Tell him we need him to put in a call to an old friend.
JOE nods and exits. JANE follows.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I enters the Lenape
encampment. SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters, carrying his gun.
DICK exits.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Have you seen Tamanend?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I (eyeing his gun) There are no guns at Council.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA There should be. All of our men should carry a gun with them everywhere they go.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I You sound more and more like the white man every day.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Its for our protection.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I The Creator protects me. I dont need the white mans gun.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA You need the white mans gun to protect you from the white man.
TAMANEND enters with a now visibly
pregnant LE-LE-WA-YOU.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Theres been a massacre-
TAMANEND Another one? 104.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Just this morning, they killed thirty. Maybe more. Up the trail, near Kalch-hook. I tried to get there as fast as I could, with men and guns, but I got there too late. They ripped arms, legs, and heads from the bodies of our people. Theyre not just killing our people, theyre torturing them.
TAMANEND points to SE-KET-TU-MAY-
QUAs gun.
TAMANEND Do you have more of these?
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA Plenty.
TAMANEND Good. We need them.
TAMANEND picks up a gun.
TAMANEND Ive watched you for quite some time now, Se-ket-tu-may-qua. At first, I was disappointed in you. I watched you abandon our traditions. I watched you adopt the ways of the whites. I watched you abandon the ways of our ancestors. But then I watched as the whites take over our fields and fill them hogs, I watched as they took our market and made us pay a tax. And then I realized, our world has changed. We now face a force that our ancestors never knew. And although our traditions guide us, we must change, or we wont survive. You have done an honorable thing. You have fought for your people. You have fought for this land, the land of our ancestors. But what we do now, the battles that we now face, this isnt for the ancestors. This is for our grandchildren. So that they too may live in Manahatta, the home of their ancestors. And I want you to know, I am honored that you will be the father of my grandchild.
TAMANEND exits. TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I
follows.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Promise me we will never leave.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I have no plans to leave- 105.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Yes, but every day more and more Lenape go-
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I wont go. This is my home.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I want it to be the home of my children.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA I promise you, Le-le-wa-you. We will never leave Manahatta.
PETER STUYVESANT and ASSISTANT
enter.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA and LE-LE-WA-
YOU exit.
ASSISTANT Thats sixty more. Dead. Killed by Black Beaver.
PETER STUYVESANT I need you to tell me how this Indian managed to kill 60 of my men-
ASSISTANT He used the guns that we gave him.
PETER STUYVESANT You mean that Peter Minuit gave him-
ASSISTANT He used the guns Peter Minuit gave him when we purchased the island.
PETER STUYVESANT Enough is enough. I want the body of Black Beaver.
ASSISTANT His body?
PETER STUYVESANT Dead or alive, I dont care. Just bring him to me. And we need to build a wall. You know, to keep the Indians out. On the north side, where they usually attack.
ASSISTANT We dont have the resources to build a wall. 106.
PETER STUYVESANT Itll need to run east to west, starting at that street where they always dump their shells-
ASSISTANT We have no capital.
PETER STUYVESANT We have Negroes.
ASSISTANT I think this is a very bad idea.
PETER STUYVESANT You want to know why we lost in Aruba?
ASSISTANT doesnt respond.
PETER STUYVESANT The Company sent me there, to fight the Spanish. They wanted to take St. Martin, for the salt reserves. It was going to increase this companys profits enormously. We killed a lot of men down there, but we never killed their leader.
ASSISTANT So we lost.
PETER STUYVESANT And so we lost. We can wall the Lenape off, but if New Amsterdam is to survive, we have to remove their leader. (points to his wooden leg) When I was in St. Martin, an enemy cannonball crushed it. Doctor amputated it just below the knee. It was painful. But necessary. Sometimes you have to cut off a part to preserve the whole.
PETER STUYVESANT exits.
JANE enters the office. She paces anxiously.
She picks up her cellphone and calls the house.
DEBRA enters and answers the phone.
DEBRA Hello?
JANE You told Dad- 107.
DEBRA He needed to know-
JANE Now hes upset with me.
DEBRA Yeah, well hes upset with me too.
JANE I told you not to tell him-
DEBRA You didnt think hed figure it out?
JANE He wouldnt if you hadnt told him-
DEBRA This isnt a one payment problem Jane. You cant just throw money at this, blink, and then poof its gone away. I mean, easy enough for you to toss some money around, but Im the one who actually lives here-
JANE Why are you still living there?
DEBRA Because its our home.
JANE I thought you moved back home to help take care of Mom-
DEBRA I did-
JANE I never thought you would stay. You know, indefinitely. Mom died years ago.
DEBRA Whats wrong with staying?
JANE Nothing. I just thought one day youd leave.
DEBRA And go where? 108.
JANE I dont know, somewhere else.
DEBRA I dont need to go somewhere else to figure out who I am. I know who I am.
JANE Thats not what I meant. Look, this is a simple problem with a simple solution. Dad missed a couple of payments and I covered them-
DEBRA You think money solves everything?
JANE In this instance, yes.
DEBRA Have you forgotten who you are?
JANE Oh, right. I did forget. Youre more authentic than me.
DEBRA This isnt about me, Im talking about you-
JANE Because I work on Wall Street and live in Manhattan, and you live in Oklahoma and eat frybread.
DEBRA You know, honestly, it wouldnt kill you to eat a piece of fry bread at Thanksgiving.
JANE It killed Mom. She ate it all the time and it clogged her arteries and she couldnt lose weight and her diabetes got worse and she had a heart attack and it killed her. But you keep eating it. Why?
DEBRA Because its a tradition-
JANE Do you think if you eat enough fry bread it will bring her back? 109.
DEBRA When our people lost everything, everything theyd ever known- when soldiers with guns forced our people to walk thousands of miles to a strange new land, all the government gave us to eat was flour and lard. Flour and lard. And you know what our ancestors did? They made frybread. Its not a delicacy, and you wont find it at Whole Foods. But it represents whats best about our people. Our resilience. No matter how much the whites take away from us, we always make something out of nothing.
JANE Yeah sure, because you know, suicide is such a successful form of resilience.
DEBRA Well I guess we cant all wear wampum and work on Wall Street.
DEBRA hangs up. She exits.
DICK enters.
DICK Were you talking to someone?
JANE No . . I . . (she hands him a sheet of paper) Were down 48 percent.
DICK Short and distort, thats all they do-
JANE Weve got two banks that wont take our name.
DICK Who?
JANE HSBC and Deutsche.
DICK Fuck HSBC.
JANE We just lost 2.8 billion. Thats more than 5 dollars a share-
DICK I know. I just lost fifty million myself. 110.
JOE enters.
JANE Its the home price index. Its not falling. Its plummeting.
JOE Im going to announce my resignation.
JANE No!
JOE Yes.
DICK Shut the fuck up and go get me a cup of coffee.
JOE People are upset, Dick. Theyre scared. Heads have to roll. If they dont, the firm stands to lose even more.
DICK Sure, OK, someone has to go-
JOE And it cant be you.
DICK Thats not your call.
JOE So it has to be me.
DICK (turns to JANE) What do you think of all of this?
JANE I think something has to change, but-
DICK Does everyone feel this way?
JOE Its whats best for the firm. 111.
JANE I dont think you should leave.
JOE Not up to you, Snake.
DICK (grabs the report out of JANEs hands) Whats this?
JANE Our quarterly earnings.
JOE You wouldnt know this from reading the news right now, but we actually made our shareholders money this quarter-
DICK How much?
JANE 489 million.
DICK Thats-
JANE 81 cents a share.
DICK Great, we can announce this!
JOE Yes-
DICK And I want you to announce it-
JOE I just handed you my resignation-
DICK Damnit Joe, the earnings call is in five minutes. You cant do that-
JOE The worlds not going to see it as good news unless they think somethings about to change around here. And I mean really change. 112.
DICK We have liquidity-
JOE They dont care about liquidity. They want to see change.
DICK So if you dont announce our earnings who will?
JOE Snake.
JANE Me?
DICK Talk about change-
JOE She can do this call.
JANE No I cant.
JOE Shes ready.
JANE Im not.
JOE Shell signal change to the market.
DICK Shell signal something, thats for sure. Alright, Joe. (to JANE) Congratulations, Snake. Youve just been promoted. Youre our new CFO. Know what you need to say?
JANE No. What do I need to say?
DICK Whatever it takes to convince the world were not the next Bear Stearns.
DICK hands the report back to JANE.
113.
JOE Youre ready for this. Youre gonna do great.
JOE exits.
Meanwhile, SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA enters.
He carries his gun as shots are heard in the distance. Cautiously, he navigates the space, crouching or ducking when necessary to avoid bullets.
DICK (checks his cell and sees the time) Shit, Snake, pick up the phone. WERE ON!
JANE picks up the phone from the desk.
JANE Hello, and thank you for joining us for this call regarding the firms quarterly financial results. My name is Jane Snake, and I am the firms new . . .
DICK CFO.
JANE CFO. Its clear that in the last few days, we have witnessed unprecedented volatility, not only in our sector but also across the entire marketplace. And so thats why we are making a few changes around here. But whats not clear is why so many in the market feel the need to act from a place of fear.
DICK You got it.
Gunshots. SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA ducks.
JANE A simple review of the numbers reveals that theres no cause for concern.
Gunshots.
DICK Just give it to em straight. 114.
JANE Our quarterly earnings are at 489 million, or 81 cents a share. Thats higher than any of the analyst forecasts- and yet, its well-within the range of this firms past earnings.
More gunshots. SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA
crouches.
DICK (looks at a screen in his office) Our stocks climbing!
JANE You see, although everyone in the market is busy screaming fire-
Gunshots.
DICK Its coming back!
JANE The facts, the numbers themselves, demonstrate that this firm isnt nearly as leveraged as some would think.
SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA fires his gun in
response.
JANE Indeed, we have liquidity. This firms efforts to reduce leverage and increase liquidity have paid off, and our earnings show that.
Gunshots.
DICK (from offstage) Were blowing up!
JANE So thank you for joining us for todays quarterly earnings call-
Gunshots. SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA raises his
gun.
DICK Keep talking!
JANE And of course, we look forward to answering any questions you may have. 115.
Gunshots. SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA turns.
DICK Dont stop!
JANE Thank you.
A loud gunshot. SE-KET-TU-MAY-QUA
falls.
DICK Success Snake! Success!
ASSISTANT enters, gun in hand. He stands
over his friends body, and then carries SE-KET- TU-MAY-QUA offstage.
JANE And on a final note, it is with great sadness that we have received the announcement of Joe Gregorys resignation. Although our firm has lost a fierce financial warrior, we look forward to our future and continue to take pride in our position as a financial pillar on Wall Street. As always, you know how to reach us. Thank you.
JANE hangs up the phone.
DICK Shit Snake, were up fifty percent!
JANE Did I do alright?
DICK We just rose 14.74!
JANE I was worried I blew it-
DICK You nailed it!
JANE Im just thankful its over. 116.
DICK Over? I wish you never hung up! As long as you were on that call, our stock kept climbing!
JANE Oh.
DICK pours two glasses of brandy.
DICK Have you had brandy before?
JANE Im not sure that I have.
DICK hands JANE her drink.
DICK Well you absolutely must give it a try. This bottle is a fine, or rather, a great, indeed I think the greatest, spirit ever made.
They drink their brandy.
DICK This is all nonsense, if you ask me. Pure nonsense. All of a sudden its like you cant say the word derivative anymore, or Wolf Blitzer has a heart attack.
JANE Yeah, like its a dirty word. The D word.
DICK You know, derivatives are like guns. The problem isnt the tools. Its the people using them.
JANE Its the journalists, they dont understand them.
DICK pours more brandy into JANEs glass.
DICK Humans have been trading derivatives for centuries. Take the Dutch, for instance. In seventeenth century Holland, when tulip prices began to skyrocket, traders were buying and selling derivatives in tulip futures. Id like to hear what Anderson Cooper thinks of that. And Mesopotamia, did you know theyve found examples of futures and options contracts on clay tablets dating back to 1750 B.C.? 117.
These journalists want to act like were doing something dirty, but the truth is, humans have been trading derivatives for thousands of years. . . . You like this brandy?
JANE Its different.
DICK I knew youd like it. Keep this up Snake, youre really going places.
JANE You think so?
DICK Are you kidding me? I traded bonds my whole career, I mean, until I joined management. And I never saw a single woman trading mortgage bonds until 1986. Women didnt even enter this market at the lowest level until twenty years ago. And look where you are now.
JANE I never thought Id be here.
DICK What made you want to trade mortgage bonds?
JANE Math.
DICK Math?
JANE I loved math, and mortgages are math.
DICK I guess so-
JANE Think about it. Theyre just pools of statistics. You have this many borrowers with a certain credit score, a certain DTI, LTV--its all numbers. And calculations, you know, to figure out the rate of default, cash flows- in the end, you make some assumptions, but for the most part, its all numbers.
DICK Never thought of it like that. 118.
DICK refills JANEs glass.
JANE (becoming tipsy) I love math because its reliable. And predictable. It never changes. 3 times 3 is always 9. Did you know that all multiples of 3, when you add up their digits, you get a number thats divisible by three? Take 27 for example. What is 2 plus 7?
DICK 9.
JANE Right, and thats divisible by 3. So 27 is divisible by 3.
DICK Amazing.
JANE Math is just a bunch of patterns, and once youve spotted the pattern, you never have to guess whatll happen next because its already happened.
DICK You know, what makes this country great is that people like you can start with nothing, work hard, and look where you end up? I mean, you dont see any Native Americans running investment banks in London, now do you?
JANE No. I guess not.
DICK (raises his glass to toast Jane) To Manhattan!
JANE To Manhattan!
DICK exits.
ROBERT enters. He picks up his phone and
calls Jane.
JANE looks at her phone.
JANE You dont get it, do you? I dont want to talk to you. 119.
JANE silences her phone and exits.
ROBERT realizes he has been cut off and is
leaving a voicemail.
ROBERT Hey, uh Jane. Its your dad. Robert. Look, I know I got upset with ya the last time we spoke. And I said some things that I, uh, well I wish I hadnt. But I wanted to talk to ya cause these letters just keep comin in, and I dont know what Im gonna do. And you, well, I know you got ideas. And answers. I been callina lot. Im sure yer mad. But its been a couple months now. Ya think maybe ya could give me a call?
DICK returns to his office and switches on his
TV.
ROBERT hangs up his phone and exits.
NEWS CAST VOICE-OVER
Breaking news just coming in. Despite the move to nationalize Fannie and Freddie, the market is still in negative territory across the board. Investors now focusing their attention on Lehman Brothers amid fresh reports that the Nations fourth largest investment bank may be on the brink of bankruptcy.
DICK snaps off the TV.
DICK Snake!
JANE enters.
JANE Were at 3 dollars a share-
DICK Tell me something I dont already know-
JANE We need to sell the firm.
DICK Sell the firm?
JANE We got an offer from BofA. 120.
DICK Yeah for three dollars.
JANE Were at three dollars-
DICK Im not selling my firm for 3 dollars-
JANE Thats what its worth!
DICK Do you know where we were one year ago? 87. 87 dollars a share!
JANE And now were at 3.
DICK exits.
DEBRA enters, carrying a bag of groceries.
DEBRA Dad, I picked up a few things for you. You should have seen the line at the store. Took me twenty minutes just to get up to the register. And they were out of milk. I could drive to Chickasha and get some, but I think Ill just do that tomorrow because I left Travis at my place and were making dinner tonight. Do you want to join us? Wed love to have you.
ROBERT does not respond.
JANE exits.
DEBRA Dad?
ROBERT hands a letter to DEBRA.
She reads it.
DEBRA I knew this would happen.
ROBERT Theyre too much. 121.
DEBRA How long have you known about this?
ROBERT They just kept addin up-
DEBRA You told me that if you got a letter like this you would show me-
ROBERT Im showin ya now-
DEBRA Have they been calling? Theyre supposed to call when you miss this many payments-
ROBERT Its too late.
DEBRA (looks at the letter again) Theyre hosting the auction next week? When were you going to tell me?
ROBERT I been callin Jane-
DEBRA Does she know?
ROBERT She never answers-
DEBRA Did you leave her a message?
ROBERT Shes real busy-
DEBRA Theyre going to sell our house! Dad, theyre going to take your home.
ROBERT exits and comes back with a box.
ROBERT Will you help me pack? 122.
JANE enters and sits at Dicks desk.
ROBERT and DEBRA begin to pack up
ROBERTs home. They enter and exit, carrying items with them.
JANE is on the phone on DICKs desk.
JANE You tell Paulson to call me! Immediately!
DICK Where we at?
JANE (hangs up) We lost Barclays.
DICK I thought you said we had them-
JANE We did-
DICK What the hell happened?
JANE Their regulator. He wont approve the deal.
DICK Whatd he say?
JANE They wont import any more of our American cancer.
DICK Damn British.
ROBERT calls JANE.
JANEs phone rings.
DICK Is that Paulson? 123.
JANE (sees its ROBERT and silences the phone) No.
DICK Did you hear from BofA?
JANE No-
DICK Ken Lewis wont return my calls.
JANE Theyre buying Merrill.
DICK Merrill?! Did the Government just fuck with my deal?
JANE Im not sure how it happened, but theyre signing the papers now.
DICK So no one wants to buy Lehman.
JANE No one.
DICK Call Paulson.
JANE nods and exits.
ROBERT (leaves yet another voicemail) Jane, I been callin an awful lot for awhile now. Maybe ya didnt get my messages? This is, uh, Robert. Your father. Its really important. I know yer busy. I seen the news. But, please, give me a call when ya get the chance. I need yer help.
ROBERT hangs up the phone. He exits.
A very pregnant LE-LE-WA-YOU enters. She
sits on the rock.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I enters. 124.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Le-le-wa-you! (she calls) I found her!
TAMANEND enters.
TAMANEND What did I tell you about going off on your own?
LE-LE-WA-YOU has no response.
TAMANEND Every day another Lenape is shot, and you think its a good idea to go off walking down the trail by yourself?
LE-LE-WA-YOU has no response.
TAMANEND Get up. Were leaving.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Leaving?
TAMANEND We leave tomorrow, at sunrise-
LE-LE-WA-YOU To go where?
TAMANEND West.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Where well be safe.
LE-LE-WA-YOU Youre leaving too?
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I We all are.
LE-LE-WA-YOU I have to find him- 125.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Theyll kill you too-
LE-LE-WA-YOU That wouldnt be so bad.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I Le-le-wa-you!
LE-LE-WA-YOU I cant leave without him.
TAMANEND Youll carry him with you.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I We all will.
LE-LE-WA-YOU This is where I was born and this is where my baby will be born.
TAMANEND I remember when you were born. It was night, and it was raining. Raining real hard. A spring rain. The kind of warm rain when you know the earth is re-awakening. Your mother and I, we had gone for a walk. She wanted to see the shore. And then suddenly, the water started to rise. I could see there was going to be a flood, and so I said we should turn back, go back to our encampment, before the waters got too high. But she refused. She said you were coming, and there was no time. And she was right. She sat down on a rock, not too far from here, on the shoreline, and right then and there, amongst all of the rocks and the shells and the waves crashing on her thighs, you appeared. It was here, in the helape chen kwaelas, that your mother took her last breath. And it was here that you took your first.
LE-LE-WA-YOU (places her hand on her belly) I think shes a girl. I can feel her kicking.
TAMANEND places the wampum necklace
around LE-LE-WA-YOUs neck.
TAMANEND Your mother made this necklace, just before you were born. Made it from shells she collected right here, on this shoreline. I give it to you now, so that you can carry it with you. And someday, when your daughter is born, you will give it to her. And when she has a daughter, she will give it to her daughter. 126.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I hands JANE a pack of
belongings.
TOOSH-KI-PA-KWIS-I I packed this for you. For the journey.
TAMANEND Today we begin our walk west. Today we leave Manahatta. But we will always carry it with us.
TAMANEND extends his hand, and LE-LE-
WA-YOU accepts. Together with TOOSH-KI- PA-KWIS-I they exit. They begin to walk west.
DICK enters.
DICK SNAKE!
No Snake.
DICK SNAKE!
No Snake.
DICK Goddamnit SNAKE Im calling you!
JANE enters.
JANE Sorry-
DICK Where the hell have you been? Asia opens in 6. Ive got Paulson screaming down my neck-
JANE We should call Goldman-
DICK Its too late. Paulson says the markets will be in a panic if this isnt resolved by the time they open. 127.
JANE So what does he suggest?
DICK Bankruptcy.
ROBERT enters to take another load out.
JANE We have some liquidity problems-
DICK We have no liquidity.
JANE Dont you think-
DICK We have no choice.
JANE Maybe the government-
DICK This isnt AIG. We dont get a sweetheart deal.
JANE So we have to declare bankruptcy.
DICK I just did.
JANE takes out her phone from her pocket, its
vibrating with messages.
DICK You know everyone will blame me. Theyll say I shoulda tried harder. I shoulda fought til the end.
JANE listens to her voicemail.
DICK But I did. This is the end. (sees JANEs expression) Is that the press? Theyre already calling you? 128.
JANE I have to go home.
JANE exits.
DICK takes a long sip of his brandy and then
exits.
ROBERT is unpacking a box and setting items
down on the table. DEBRA enters. Together they pack.
JANE enters.
DEBRA Jane.
ROBERT Didnt expect to see you here.
JANE What are you doing?
ROBERT Whats it look like Im doing? Im packin.
JANE It looks like youre un-packing.
ROBERT Gotta figure out what I have before I can pack it.
DEBRA Where have you been? Weve been calling you-
ROBERT Lived my whole life in this house.
DEBRA Did you get our messages?
JANE Lehman went bankrupt. 129.
DEBRA I saw that.
ROBERT Got things in this house aint no one ever seen.
JANE Things have been crazy.
DEBRA They havent exactly been normal here-
JANE I know-
ROBERT I got a bible translated in Lenape, somewhere in here. (searches deeper in the box)
DEBRA Thats OK Dad-
ROBERT I thought you could use it, ya know, for yer language program. Its got verses in English and Lenape-
DEBRA We stopped the language program.
ROBERT But you were learnin Lenape.
DEBRA I couldnt do it.
ROBERT You mean ya gave up.
DEBRA Whats the point? Even if I learned Lenape, who would I speak it with?
ROBERT Yer kids. You could talk to yer kids. 130.
DEBRA Do I look like Im gonna have kids?
ROBERT Then yer sisters kids.
JANE Do I look like Im gonna have kids?
ROBERT Or anyones kids. Heck, just speak the language with kids. Talk to em. Thats the only way to keep it goin. My biggest regret was that I didnt speak Lenape with you girls. Yer mother couldnt. They beat it outta her. But aint no one ever beat me when I spoke Lenape. They just spit on me. Made fun of me. Called me Blanket. I was ashamed to speak it. So I just shut up. Back then, you learned not to speak. Every ounce of your being is spent just tryin to blend in. Be somethin you aint. And then one day you wake up to look at yourself in the mirror and you realize youve buried yer wife of forty years, and ya listen- and ya dont hear it no more. You realize aint no one speakin it. Thats cause you buried it. And now its six feet under.
JANE I bought the house.
DEBRA What?
JANE I went to the bank and wrote a check. I paid off the mortgage. The whole thing.
JANE places the deed on the table.
JANE Dad, this is your deed. You own your home.
HOMELESS MAN enters, pushing a cart. He
stands on the sidewalk in front of Lehmans building.
JANE, DEBRA, and ROBERT exit.
DICK enters, having just exited the building.
HOMELESS MAN I have good news. 131.
DICK Paulson decided to loan Lehman sixty billion?
HOMELESS MAN No. I have a very different sort of good news.
DICK And whats that?
HOMELESS MAN You are forgiven. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has died for your sins.
DICK That doesnt sound like good news.
DICK exits.
DEBRA enters and sits on the porch. Its late at
night, and she cant sleep. So she sings softly to herself. Whisps of the light from the moon fall on her face.
DEBRA I dont. Its a song Mom sang when she was in the hospital. . . .
The sisters sit.
JANE Dads mad at me.
DEBRA Hes not mad.
JANE He wont speak to me.
DEBRA He thinks you dont respect him.
JANE I respect Dad.
DEBRA To him, you went off to school, you learned how to be white, and youre good at it. In the white world, you succeed at everything. Hes very proud of you. Mom was too. But when you come back in the red world, well, its all about respect. And it looks like, to him, that you dont care. I mean, you didnt return any of his phone calls- 133.
JANE Lehman was going bankrupt-
DEBRA He called you for months-
JANE I didnt have time to sleep, let alone time to talk on the phone-
DEBRA Thats a white problem, not a Lenape problem.
JANE Fine. Im sorry I bought our home.
DEBRA Dont apologize to me-
JANE Im sorry I paid off the entire mortgage.
ROBERT enters and stands behind his daughters
on the porch. His stands silently, listening to their conversation.
DEBRA Whyd you do it? I mean, you must have thought about it. How did you get to the point where you were like Im gonna go buy our home.
Beat.
JANE Look. You can still see, if you look down the river just a bit, around the curve, there, you see just to the right of that rock and the tree? Right under the moon. Thats where you taught me to swim, when I was only three. I almost drowned the first time, but I figured it out. (points) And over there, just outside our front door, thats your foot. When Dad first poured the sidewalk you planted your foot it in and then we signed our initials. Dad wiped those away, he was so mad. But he didnt wipe away your footprint. . . . Grandma and Grandpa Snake are buried right over there. (points) And Mom, next to them. And someday, you know, thats where Dad will be. . . . No one should ever have to buy their home. But I couldnt stand back and watch someone else buy it.
ROBERT steps forward into the moonlight.
134.
ROBERT Sometimes, when Im awake late at night, I swear I hear yer mom on this porch. Out here on this porch, singin.
JANE and DEBRA are startled to see ROBERT.
JANE Dad, Im so sorry-
ROBERT Lemme see your necklace.
JANE remorsefully removes her necklace and
hands it to ROBERT.
ROBERT I wanna tell you something about this necklace. When your grandma, your great-great- great-however many greats grandma made this necklace, wampum meant something very special to our people. To the Dutch, it seemed as though it was a form of currency. But it was more than that. Wampum wasnt money because the Lenape never had money. Wampum was sacred, and it was a sign of respect. When one chief went to visit another tribe, he took with him a belt of wampum. And when we needed to make peace with neighboring nations, we exchanged wampum. We exchanged respect, not profits. And I think for our people, well I think its taken us a long time to realize that things have changed. That to survive in this world, we cant get by on respect no more. At least, not respect alone. But my dad never told me that. And I dont think his dad ever told him that. Ya see, for yer parents, and our parents, and our parents parents- we only ever lost. White man takes this. White man takes that. And we aint never been able to do nothin about it. You make a treaty, white man breaks the treaty. You cultivate the land. White man takes the land. You build a home. White man takes the home. But you, you got an education. No white man can ever take that from you. And finally, now for the first time, we got someone who can take back. When ya got that job and went off to work in Manahatta, yer mom was so proud of you. I can still remember what she said.
ROBERT places the necklace back around
JANEs neck.
DEBRA Machi. Machi Manahatta.
EPILOGUE. 135.
A few months later. SOLDIER enters JANEs
new Manhattan office.
After a few moments, JANE enters.
JANE Sorry Im late.
SOLDIER Its alright, I was lost-
JANE Lost?
SOLDIER I mean, I got here. But I walked around for a bit. This is my first time in Manhattan-
JANE Its an island, you know.
SOLDIER Yes-
JANE Kinda hard to get lost on an island.
SOLDIER I got on the subway going the wrong way-
JANE Thats why I never take the subway.
SOLDIER Do you walk?
JANE I take my helicopter.
SOLDIER Oh.
JANE That was a joke. I dont have a helicopter. You can sit down. Thats what the chairs for.
SOLDIER sits. 136.
JANE So you want to work at JP Morgan.
SOLDIER Yes.
JANE Because you want to work at an investment bank.
SOLDIER Yes.
JANE But not a commercial bank?
SOLDIER Commercial bankers make loans-
JANE Whats wrong with that?
SOLDIER I want to underwrite securities. You know, work with stocks and bonds-
JANE Because you think thats sexy?
SOLDIER I want to be challenged.
JANE So go to law school.
SOLDIER I joined the army. Thats about as challenging as it can get-
JANE I didnt realize, did you just get back?
SOLDIER Yeah. Afghanistan.
JANE (looks at his resume) Yes, I see that here. Thank you for your service- 137.
SOLDIER You dont have to thank me-
JANE Yes, I do. Everyone should thank you. Must have been hard, to be so far away from home so for long.
SOLDIER My father fought in Vietnam, and my grandfather fought in the first World War. And his grandfather fought on the side of the Union during the Civil War. And my grandfather said that his great-great-great grandfather fought on the side of the Americans during the Revolutionary War. His grandfather before him was a warrior, and his grandfather before him, and his father before him. You know, the Lenape have a long history of fighting for this country when they need us to. I come from that line of warriors. So its just something I do. Its in my blood.
JANE Youre Lenape?
SOLDIER Delaware Tribe.
JANE (points to herself) Delaware Nation.
SOLDIER I know.
JANE ?
SOLDIER I read about you. I mean, youre pretty famous. The first Indian to run a major investment bank-
JANE I didnt run Lehman-
SOLDIER Whatever you did, its pretty legendary. When I was in school, before I left to go overseas, I read about you. And I was like, Im going to get into Stanford. Im going to do what she did, because I know I can.
JANE And you did. 138.
SOLDIER Well, I did go to Stanford . . .
JANE And you did very well there.
SOLDIER I always wondered. Whats it like to live in Manahatta?
JANE is a bit taken back, but she opens up.
JANE My mom always wanted to visit, but she never got to.
SOLDIER My parents never talked about Manahatta, but my grandma did.
JANE My Dad loves to talk about this place, the way he goes on about it, youd think he was describing paradise.
SOLDIER (laughs) Or heaven.
JANE No one ever told me it was full of trash-
SOLDIER Garbage everywhere-
JANE Smoke-
SOLDIER Concrete so high you cant see the sky-
JANE All the traffic-
SOLDIER All you ever hear are car horns and diesel engines from delivery trucks-
JANE Ambulance sirens- 139.
SOLDIER You dont hardly hear any birds anymore-
JANE You cant walk down the street without someone screaming at you for pocket change-
SOLDIER Hard to understand why my grandma thought this place was so special.
JANE Sometimes when I get into the office really early, you know before 6, Im here for the sunrise. And my office faces east (she gestures out her window). And its those mornings, when I look out my window and watch the sun rise over the East River. Then I understand. Thats when I see it.
SOLDIER See what?
JANE The helape chen kwaelas.
SOLDIER My grandma always says that. What does that mean?
JANE The place where the sun is born.
THE END. A Brief History of the Delaware Nation
The Delaware Nation has a long and ancient history. They are the descendents of the Lenape people, who originally inhabited areas of what are now New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The traditional history of the Lenape people was recorded on notched sticks called the WALUM-OLUM. It dictates that by the time of European contact the Lenape were in the Eastern United States 76 generations. A probable explanation to why other tribes called them the Grandfathers.
The word Lenape means common people. The language belongs to the Eastern branch of Algonquian languages. The name Delaware is not an Indian word. It comes from the name of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr an Englishman who was one of the early governors of Virginia.
The Delaware were one of the first nations to have contact with the Europeans and the 1st to sign a peace treaty in 1778 with the United States. Because of the location of their homeland and its significant ports of entry, the Delaware were also among the first indigenous nations forced westward as Europeans settled along the Atlantic coast. Leaving their territory in the Eastern Woodlands, the Delaware people in their forced migration passed through western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, where they settled on the Brazos Reserve. In 1891, the tribe numbered only 90 when they were removed from Texas to settle in Oklahoma on the Wichita Reserve near Anadarko with the Wichita and Caddo Tribes.
Today the headquarters of the Delaware Nation are 2 miles North of Anadarko, Oklahoma on Highway 281. Completed in 1984, the Delaware Nation complex is built on a tract of land held jointly by the Wichita, Caddo, and Delaware Tribes. Until 1960 the Delaware Nation had no tribal lands, a once powerful tribe which controlled much of the land in the Eastern United States and had been recipients of two large Spanish land grants, and one United States Indian Reservation.
The Delaware Nation was formerly known as the Absentee Delaware and the Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma. They are not to be confused with the other Lenape entities present in the United States and Canada. There are four true entities: The Delaware Nation (Anadarko, OK), The Delaware Tribe of Indians (Bartlesville, OK), the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians (Bowler, WI), and the Delaware Nation (Canada). Con versationa l Mini-Dictionary
Leipe a KEY TO THE SOUNDS AND SPELLING OF LENAPE - The Lenape words are written using a f modified form of an alphabet developed in 1962 to write Lenape. Accent marks are M only to show vowel quality or sounds, and need not be used in normal writing once you Prepared for have learned the Lenape word. Lenape Language Classes of the Vowels Sounded Delaware Tribe of Indians Bartlesville Oklahoma a a in 'father' by a u in 'cup' Janifer Brown e a in 'fate' and Jim Rementer e e in 'met' e a in 'sofa' Copyright January 1999 i e in 'she' Revised September 2003 i i in 'fit' by The Delaware Tribe of Indians o o in 'nose' 6 o in 'north' u oo in 'fool' ii u in 'pull' C b Chart 2 Consonants "A" consonant as spelled h, m, n, w, y are pronounced as in English. "B" sound at beginning of word "C" sound when followed by a vowel or the 1 (L) One of two sounds can be indicated consonant -h- or -x- using the letter 'I'. The first is voiced as in "D" sound when followed by a consonant the English word 'lot' and the second is except -h- or -x- voiceless. (no equivalent sound in English. Create by putting your tongue in position to C D A B say the '1' in the word 'pill' but only blow air conso- beginning before before out) See chart 1 for when voiced and when nant of the vowel or h consonant not. word orx not h or x m b m+b m+ Chart 1 (for the consonant 'L') e.g. bed hempes hempsa [a dress] [dresses] beginning middle - middle- end of pronounced pronounced of the before before the 'hem-bes' 'hemp-sa' word vowel or h consonant word nch j orx but not e.g. jud e h or x n+k nk g voiced voiced voiceless voiceless e.g. go nt d n+d n+t ch, k, p, s, sh, t are pronounced as in e.g. dog English, unless they follow the letters - n- or -m- (see charts 2 and 3) e d Chart 3 Stress "A" consonant as spelled The stress normally falls on the next to last "B" sound at beginning of word syllable. If the stress is on any other "C" sound when found else where in the syllable, the vowel in that syllable is word underlined.
used under the vowel to denote stress
A B C when the stress is other than the consonant beginning of middle and rr next to last vowel the word end of the _word used to separate two consonant ns z n+s sounds which would otherwise be nsh z pronounced as one when they are n+sh e.g. azure together. e.g.; s'h 's' and 'h' are pronounced th t as in English 'top' (aspirated T) Do not separately, as if saying "kiss him." pronounce this as 'th' in 'this' Instructions in use In the 'English to Lenape' section you may find x No equivalent sound in English. This is multiple entries of Lenape words after one pronounced as 'chin the German word English word. 'doch'. It is a'rasping' sound produced at or One Lenape word may appear after many the back of the throat, as if lightly trying different English words. Refer to the 'Lenape to to clear the throat. English section for more exact translations. (ani.) = animate (inan.) = inanimate
