The Arrow Maker is a play

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

 by Mary Hunter Austin

Mary Hunter Austin

Mary Hunter Austin was an American writer. One of the early nature writers of the American Southwest, her classic The Land of Little Rain describes the fauna, flora and people – as well as evoking the mysticism and spirituality – of the region between the High Sierra and the Mojave Desert of...

 meant to reflect American Indian life, especially of the Paiutes, in the Sierra Nevada mountains of the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Motivation and history

It was first presented at the New Theatre

Century Theatre

The Century Theatre, originally the New Theatre, was a theater located at 62nd Street and Central Park West in New York City. Opened on November 6, 1909, it was noted for its fine architecture but due to poor acoustics and an inconvenient location it was financially unsuccessful...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 under the management of Winthrop Ames

Winthrop Ames

Winthrop Ames was an American theatre director and producer, playwright and screenwriter.For three decades at the beginning of the 20th century, Ames was an important force on Broadway, whose repertoire included directing and producing Shakespeare and classic plays, new plays, and revivals of...

, in February 1911, certain concessions had to be made, so the author confessed, “to what was thought to be the demand for a drama of Indian life which should present the Indian more nearly as he is popularly conceived.” But, even in the presentation, care was taken that the music be reminiscent of Indian themes, that the chants be played from phonograph records of Indian ceremonials, that the dances be taught by one Chief Red Eagle, and that the costumes and properties have the authenticity of the American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...

. When the play was revised and issued definitely in 1915 (Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

), its notes and glossary revealed Austin's desire to make of The Arrow Maker an archaeologically

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 correct representation of the Native American as known to her.

Plot

The central character in the drama, The Chisera, is a Medicine Woman of the Paiutes — who, in commune with the gods, is supposed to be as one removed from human passion. Those who come to her regard her as an intermediary, with the power of influencing the Great One. They all work her “to their best advantage.” But The Chisera tires of lonely commune and gives her love to Simwa, the Arrow Maker. In the tribal matters that follow this complication the drama is a tragic revelation of Indian plotting and deceit. The Chisera is deserted by Simwa for the chief's daughter, and though this Medicine Woman has not been taught the potent exercise of hate, she ceases to exercise her power of intercession with the gods. And this brings misfortune to the tribe and grief to those involved in the way of Simwa and of one Padahoon, both rivals for tribal leadership. The final curtain falls on the death of The Chisera, mortally wounded by one of her own enchanted arrows.

Genre

Apart from its archaeological faithfulness, The Arrow Maker is a dignified attempt to write an American Indian drama. It is the latest in a long line of Indian dramas the first of which, Robert Roger's Ponteach, was written in 1767.