Deathsongs

The Euopean invasion that began in 1492 saw the genocide of millions of Native Americans. Nowhere is the pattern of this tragedy more clearly manifest than that of Columbus’ own story. This play takes a hard look at the truth behind Columbus and his dealing with the Taino Indians. Columbus is on his deathbed in Spain, driven mad by his ambitions for fame and fortune. In his fever, he has a retrospective vision of his exploits in the New World. In juxtaposition, we see Anacaona, female chieftain of the Taino, on the eve of her execution by the Spaniards. She sings her “deathsong”, and in a vision travels the path of her life’s amazing story. In Deathsongs, we learn who the real heroes of the first contact between Europeans and Americans actually were. Deathsongs has been extensively researched and is based or real events and characters. Most of Columbus’ surprising dialogue is in his own words, extracted from his journals.