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Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre to perform at The Momentary during KaniniFest

Two 58-passenger buses will transport Osage Nation members and community members from Osage Casino in Tulsa to Bentonville, Ark., for the performance on Friday, Oct. 11.

If you haven’t seen the Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre in action, now is your chance.

On Friday, Oct. 11, in collaboration with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, two 58-passenger charter buses will transport individuals to Bentonville, Ark., for the Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre’s performance of “Sky E.ko Tells Stories of Way Back.” The play is being performed at the KaniniFest, which takes place that weekend at The Momentary.

Buses will depart from the Osage Casino Tulsa parking lot at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, and return by 10 p.m. To reserve a spot, contact Welana Queton at (505) 377-6222 (call/text) or email osagepaperdoll@yahoo.com. Space is limited, first come, first served.

Private parking signs will indicate where to park your vehicles in the parking lot closest to 36th Street at the casino. (Please see the map)

Private parking signs will indicate where to park. Riders may park in the large highlighted area. Overflow parking will be the smaller highlighted area if needed. Osage Casino Security will be on site. Courtesy Photo

The family-friendly festival is FREE, open to the public and there will be food trucks on site.

KaniniFest, Oct. 11-13, is a three-day festival consisting of one-act plays by BIPOC playwrights that hail from the Northwest Arkansas region. Created by the visionary actors and artists Christopher Alexander Chukwueke and Tenisi Davis, who currently serve as artists-in-residence at the Momentary under the banner of Moja Productions. The festival showcases five exceptional BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) playwrights, each presenting their unique one-act plays.

“We have been working with Chris and Tenisi since July, building a friendly and professional relationship,” Queton said. “They have graciously offered their sound and lighting team’s professional services to us, where we have been working with each of them to upgrade our sound and video for this performance and to have for future performances.”  

Queton is excited for the community to attend the performance at The Momentary, an extension of Crystal Bridges in Bentonville. She encourages those able to take advantage of the buses provided for the Oct. 11 performance. For those attending KaniniFest independently, the Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre will perform at 6 p.m.

The Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre first performed in 2022 at the Osage Nation Sesquicentennial. SHANNON SHAW DUTY/Osage News

About the Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre

Created in 2022 and based in Pawhuska, Okla., the Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre is driven by the vision of Welana Queton (Osage, Cherokee, Muscogee Creek), who serves as the Artistic Director and Theatrical Producer. Welana brought together a talented team, including Playwright Candice Byrd-Boney (Osage, Cherokee, Quapaw) and Stage Director Russ Tallchief (Osage).

With the support of the Osage Nation Museum, they led a collaborative community-focused process that involved Osage artists, musicians, and performers. Together, they created larger-than-life puppets and a remarkable performance that vividly conveys the Osage worldview and values.

Through puppetry and storytelling, the Wahzhazhe Puppet Theatre not only empowers their community and keeps the culturally rooted stories of their Osage ancestors alive but also educates the broader public on Osage culture. This educational aspect adds a significant cultural value to the performance.

To reserve a spot, contact Welana Queton at (505) 377-6222 (call/text) or email osagepaperdoll@yahoo.com. Space is limited, first come, first served.

Author

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Shannon Shaw Duty
Shannon Shaw Dutyhttps://osagenews.org

Title: Editor
Email: sshaw20@gmail.com
Twitter: @dutyshaw
Topic Expertise: Columnist, Culture, Community
Languages spoken: English, Osage (intermediate), Spanish (beginner)

Shannon Shaw Duty, Osage from the Grayhorse District, is the editor of the award-winning Osage News, the official independent media of the Osage Nation. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a master’s degree in Legal Studies with an emphasis in Indigenous Peoples Law. She currently sits on the Freedom of Information Committee for the Society of Professional Journalists. She has served as a board member for LION Publishers, as Vice President for the Pawhuska Public Schools Board of Education, on the Board of Directors for the Native American Journalists Association (now Indigenous Journalists Association) and served as a board member and Chairwoman for the Pawhuska Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee. She is a Chips Quinn Scholar, a former instructor for the Freedom Forum’s Native American Journalism Career Conference and the Freedom Forum’s American Indian Journalism Institute. She is a former reporter for The Santa Fe New Mexican. She is a 2012 recipient of the Native American 40 Under 40 from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. In 2014 she helped lead the Osage News to receive NAJA's Elias Boudinot Free Press Award. The Osage News won Best Newspaper from the SPJ-Oklahoma Chapter in their division 2018-2022. Her award-winning work has been published in Indian Country Today, The Washington Post, the Center for Public Integrity, NPR, the Associated Press, Tulsa World and others. She currently resides in Pawhuska, Okla., with her husband and together they share six children, two dogs and two cats.

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