Snd Q- Intro2Life

! Enter movers
! Enter Sedna Solo- frantic into heart beat (2nd wave)
! Enter narrators after release of low drone, and start of whale call

“!e Pa" to Sedna # all "at y% can follow,

She # & one "at will make lo' hope hollow.”

Birth:
Torngasak: (heartbeat -> snow -> tone -> inhale breath) On a frozen night in the far

reaches of the northern sea...Sedna was born.!

Pinga: As her mother inhaled her last frigid breath, new life was traded for old.

Torngasak: (hear “sedna!”) The infant Sedna immediately faced the challenge of
survival in the harsh and wearing environment.

! --- Sedna and Shaman stabilize

end Intro2Life
! --- Sednaʼs melody ---> enter Anguta

Father:
Torngasak: Sedna was raised by her father Anguta, whose name in Inuit, means
“man with something to cut.”!
Pinga: Anguta was a great hunter and spent most of his days out on the hunt
to provide meat for Sedna and the village. (settling) While at home, he would
play his drum and sing songs to Sedna in the warmth of their hut. Sedna
would sit at his legs while he hummed and carved wooden spirit creatures.

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Torngasak: (standing) When Anguta was away hunting, Sedna would play with
these animals that she carried in a leather satchel lined with rabbit fur. They
reminded Sedna of her father and kept her company through the many dark days
and even darker nights of the Arctic seasons.

Story Knife:
Pinga: Sedna was given a special gift from her grandmother. It was a knife
that contained within it the mystic powers of story telling...
Torngasak: ...while also teaching what the earth wants in return for its bounty.!
Pinga: The story knife carries messages and wisdom from the ancestors; of
their wrong doings, and also of lessons learned...
Torngasak: ...especially the importance of showing respect for all life in its many
forms through oneʼs actions.
Pinga: She learned rituals for a successful hunt and traditions for sacrifice.

Snd Q- FatherDrum

Torngasak: She could foresee her fatherʼs impending arrival, and was shown
rituals in which he partook to honor the animalʼs souls, paying gratitude to the
land for the availability of the hunt.!
Pinga: When Anguta returned home, he sang songs for her of the hunt while
beating on his drum. (Anguta exit)

end FatherDrum

! --- Continue with Sednaʼs theme on different instrument

! --- Sedna refusal of suitors ---

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Suitors:
Torngasak: Sedna became a beautiful woman and the bond between her and
Anguta grew deeper. She cared for her father, always giving him the largest portion
of food.
Pinga: When it came time for her to marry she refused to leave. She turned
away suitor after suitor until her father begged her to take a husband.
Torngasak: Anguta begged so that someone else could take the place of being the
hunter, for he was getting old.

“See my beautiful daughter...(e combs luck %t of her flowing hair.

Beware %r luck...beautiful Sedna combs luck from her flowing hair.”

high note suspended -> start Snd Q- TuuLuu

! --- Sedna downstage left, alone ---

Introduction to Tuuluuwaq:
Pinga: One morning when Anguta was away hunting, Sedna stood at the
edge of the ocean, watching the morning mist stir above the iced sea. A few
nights prior, Sedna had heard a message in her dreams, a call that came out
of the frozen layer of mist.
Torngasak: Pondering the dream, she gazed deeply into the vast aquatic
landscape. Suddenly, the figure of a man appeared from within the mist, accented
by flashes of dark blue and crimson black.
Pinga: (wind beat) Sedna felt unfamiliar chills run through her body as she
watch the figure come toward her. She was reminded of the message and
knew that the man and this sudden arrival were somehow intertwined.
Torngasak: (2nd wind beat with entrance of Bird Flock) When he proposed to
Sedna, the wind, sky and clouds seemed unnatural.

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New Home:
Torngasak: Listening to the message of her dream, Sedna made the choice
to leave her father and her homeland, to trust the enchanting man who
promised warmth, shelter and food.
Pinga: She brought nothing but her satchel and her story knife.
//
Torngasak: (*Form*) Traveling together over the ocean, Sednaʼs mysterious
suitor paused and rose his arms to the sky.
Pinga: As she watched, his arms transformed and became wings.
Torngasak: He revealed himself as a Tuuluuwaq, a bird-spirit.
Pinga: She was startled by his transformation and horrified that she could not
escape.
Torngasak: (high sound *Form*) They continued the journey with Sedna spread upon
his back.
//
Pinga: (breath) When Sedna and Tuuluuwaq finally arrived on land, he took her
to his nest, settled high in the trees. (TuuLuu exit)
Torngasak: (breath) Sedna found her new home built of wretched fish skins, full of
holes. She had no soft furs to sleep on, nothing but a hard hide.
Pinga: The nest was rather large and could accommodate the weights and
sizes of Sedna...
Torngasak: ...and even of Tuuluuwaq when he was in human form.
Pinga: But the nest was not a home; there was no warm hut surrounding a
small crackling fire. (breath ending)
! --- [FROZEN ISOLATION]
end TuuLuu
! --- Sedna alone in nest - stillness - begin to move ---movers “tightly-lightly”

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Disappointment:
Pinga: Although Tuuluuwaq was kind to her and provided for her, she was
lonely. She missed her fatherʼs songs and the warmth of a fire. The nest did
not protect her from the frigid winds and she grew tired of eating frozen fish
with no company to keep.

! --- enter mover 1, 2, and 3 by curtains ---

Torngasak: Her father also missed her. He hoped that Sedna had found
happiness and that one day she would return to care for him in his elderly
years. Every day he listened to the wind, hoping for a message from Sedna.

Snd Q- Rescue

Call for Rescue:

Pinga: (sudden vox) One morning many moons later, Sedna stood in her nest,
holding her knife to the sky, and called out for the protection of her father. (call)
Torngasak: This message was received by Anguta in his dreams. He was shown a
vast stretch of water, a high mountain, and before it, a cluster of tall trees.
Pinga: Then, a call came to his ears -- a call just as Sedna had described a
few nights before she disappeared. (hear inuit call)
Torngasak: (hmm vox -> hear water) That very morning, Anguta left in his kayak for the
land across the sea.

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The Rescue:
Pinga: (note) Sedna saw her fatherʼs kayak from far away. The light was
slowly disappearing and Sedna knew that Tuuluuwaq soon would be coming
home.
Torngasak: She maneuvered her way out of the nest, clinging to the bare trunk of
the branchless tree to go greet her father. (rejoice drumbeat)
Pinga: The two of them rejoiced, knowing it was their bond that had brought
them together again.
! --- rejoice Anguta and Sedna --- exit ---forecasting darkness sounds ---
end Rescue
! Musical Transition
Snd Q- Climax

Torngasak: (blung-blung & hmm hmm) They slipped into the kayak and were partly
across the frigid sea before Tuuluuwaq discovered Sednaʼs absence. (ahmm ahmm)
He called out to his bird community to search for her, and they swarmed the sea
looking. (anh-anh-anh) Tuuluuwaq found them (inhale) and asked Sedna to return.
Pinga: (high irritating note) She refused!

The Fear:
Torngasak: Tuuluuwaq was deeply angered and called for his birds to flap their
wings, (anh-anh) thus causing a great rise of waves in the ocean.
Pinga: The waves got bigger and began rocking the boat violently.
Torngasak: Tuuluuwaq swooped down upon the boat, and Anguta tried to protect
Sedna from being taken away. (swoop and struggle)
Pinga: However, the bird people were relentless. (TuuLuu and Anguta duet) As
they furiously flapped their wings, Angutaʼs fear greatened as the waves grew
higher and higher, lurching the small kayak dangerously in the swells.(duet end)

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! --- see movers struggle --- duet end = defeat -> Anguta looks at TuuLuu
! ---movers still -> important lines -> throw Sedna (grab and throw --> clinging)
! --- * stillness and silence with movement and narration ---
Big Change! Thud!

Torngasak: Anguta, fearing for his life, did the unthinkable --

Pinga: he threw his daughter...
Torngasak: ...his most beloved...
Pinga: ...overboard into the freezing water.

! --- Angutaʼs back to audience --- Sedna center stage, scramble to Anguta downstage
! // music changes --- 1 note heard lingering
! --- duet between Anguta and Sedna --- movers frozen

The Betrayal:
Pinga: (hear “sedna!”) Sedna clung.
Torngasak: Anguta grabbed a nearby knife and hacked off the tips of her fingers.
Pinga: She fell from the kayak and returned. (hear “sedna!...seeddnnnaaa”)
Torngasak: Anguta, in panic cut off the next row of knuckles.
Pinga: Still... Sedna...Clung....
Torngasak: Taking his final blow, Anguta cut off the remaining bits of her fingers.
Pinga: Now, she could no longer...hold on.
Torngasak: (whispered “sedna” -> wood tremble -> water) As her fingertips bobbed in the
water, Sednaʼs warm blood painted streams of color on the canvas of the open blue.

! --- movers become alive as sea beasts with each ʻdongʼ

Pinga: From her severed fingertips came the warm-blooded animals of the sea.
Torngasak: (dong) From each of Angutaʼs blows came the seals, the walruses, and
the whales. (dong and dolphin and dong)

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The Death:
Torngasak: Even though she lost her grip completely, Sedna did not drown.
Pinga: In lieu of death, she became the mother of the ocean, where she now
watches over the children of her hands... (plung plung)

end Climax

Those who Remained:

Torngasak: Anguta and Tuuluuwaq stood in the kayak side by side and watched
Sedna disappear from view, slowly sinking to the bottom of the ocean...
Pinga: ...and to her new home Adlivun...
Torngasak: ...guided by a processional of sea beasts.

! --- Sedna and SeaBeasts to upstage right --- Anguta and TuuLuu holding a pose

Pinga: Deeply regretful for their actions...

Torngasak: ...derived from anger and fear...
Pinga: ...that ultimately caused them to lose what they held most dear.
(TuuLuu and Anguta brief duo) Saddened, they went their separate ways.(exit)

Torngasak: (Anguta downstage-left solo) Anguta returned to his homeland in dismay,

grieving over his loss. After three moons, he confessed his murderous betrayal.
Torngasak: Through the story of Anguta, the village people learned a vital lesson:
to take great care not to upset the souls of the beasts.
Pinga: Over time, this became imperative to their survival.

! --- movers leave Sedna and become village people move downstage left
! --- Sedna curtaining upstage right
! --- Group sans Shaman start ritual circle

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The Rebirth:
Torngasak: Sedna controls all the animals of the sea, and when the hunt fails, it is
due to Sednaʼs anger caused by peopleʼs selfish behavior.
Pinga: All of the broken taboos and evil deeds against nature...
Torngasak: ...and all of the filth of those who live in the world above...
Pinga:...collect as leaden muck in Sednaʼs hair.
Torngasak: When the accumulation is too great, Sedna sobs in sorrow and her
hands begin to ache and her children gather around to comfort her.
Pinga: At the bottom of the ocean, they elude the huntersʻ nets.

Meaning of Sedna:
Torngasak: A hunter must thank Sedna for his kill by placing fresh water into the
animals mouth.
Pinga: For three days after their death, the souls of Sednaʼs animals remain
with their bodies. (movers spin out and go to Sedna) The souls return to Sedna
bearing information about the conduct of the people. Should any laws be
broken, she punishes the people with sickness, starvation and storms.

! --- still circle ritual ---

Torngasak: Only if a shaman visits her in Adlivun and assuages her pain will she
consider releasing her bounty once again.

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Snd Q- start Shaman

Shamanʼs Journey:
Pinga: (--- chant --- hear “sedna”---wait for heartbeat) A Shaman must journey into
the depths of the ocean to meet with Sedna. (enter Shaman)

Torngasak: A ceremony is held in the utter darkness of a hut, as the Shaman asks
his helping spirits to clear a way down through the sea to Adlivun.
Pinga: The people of the village gather around the Shaman and send their
prayers out to Sedna.

! --- Anguta small solo ---

Torngasak: (low sound) The men, honoring Anguta, do a dance in remorse for the
repentance of ill acts done by the people to the Earth and to the Ocean.

//

Pinga: (post heartbeat -> hear Prayer) As the Shamanʼs voice becomes distant,
the people of the village know he is close to the gates of Sednaʼs dwelling.

! --- Shaman moves with breath up/inhale and the fall back onto group, hold form
! --- Shaman goes to Sedna and they begin duet ---
! --- Sedna down -> hair -> stand -> walk backwards downstage right)

Shamanʼs Actions:
Torngasak: (breath) Upon arrival the Shaman sees Sedna sitting with her back
to the light, her hair tangled with the dirt and grime of human wrong doings.

! --- Shaman and Sedna to downstage --- Group moves upstage, hold form ---

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Pinga: Gently, the Shaman takes a comb and draws it through her hair...
for without fingers see, she cannot do it herself. (backwards walking)

! --- duet of Shaman and Sedna --- see early Shaman motives

Torngasak: (why why wh wh wh why) This soothes Sednaʼs anger and she realizes the
people are starving.
Pinga: Sedna recounts the specific offenses that have upset her.
Torngasak: She hears the prayers of the people, their promises to change their
personal stories, and to be respectful of the Earthʼs bounty.
Pinga: Moved, Sedna sends a prayer to the Creator asking forgiveness for all
of the ways the people have fallen out of balance.

! --- resolution ---

Torngasak: After Sedna has been comforted, the sounds of her sobbing are no
longer heard in the waves or in the winds, and she lets each animal leave its vigil...
Pinga: ...returning to the open sea, one by one. (movers become alive --> people)
Torngasak: (snow) The Shaman can then return to the warm hut and body.

! --- end duet --- Shaman joins circle --- Shaman morph exchange ---
! --- Sedna curtaining on the side ---

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People Change:
Torngasak: An outpouring of confessions ensues as the people of the village admit
their responsibility for what they have done.
! --- movers connecting ---
Snd Q- start Rejoice

Pinga: (wait for drum beat to establish)Their declarations are followed by joy and
relief, for now that the source of Sednaʼs anger has been exposed, balance
can be restored...
Torngasak: ...and finally, good hunting will return.
//
Pinga: The Mother of Oceans has forgiven her people.
Torngasak: The seals will again seek the hunter, and the people will no longer
starve.
! --- group rejoice combo --- gradual exit --- Sedna last one to go ---

As & animals leave

and & food # rare,

"ere’s only one way to release one’s despair.

!e Pa" to Sedna

# all "at y% can follow,

She # & one "at will make

Lo'... Hop*.. Hollow...

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