Pawâkan Macbeth, adapted by Reneltta Arluk, and inspired by the youth of Frog Lake First Nation in northern Alberta, is Shakespeare not only taken over but transformed.
Arluk’s adaptation of Macbeth, which toured various NWT communities in October, bridges timelines and casts light on the importance of love in times of challenge — a rousing rebel cries meant not to divide, but unify.
“I was hired to go to the Frog Lake community to adapt the tempest” says Arluk. “And I went like, ‘OK, I’ll do that, but I think it’s slightly problematic because Caliban is not the best character, and I don’t know how we could do that. So I started prepping anyways, but then I got an email from the drama teacher and he was like, ‘Well, we don’t really identify with The Tempest’ and I was like, ‘Oh that’s good.’
‘But we do identify with Macbeth because we want to explore the Cannibal Spirit, Wihtiko, as Macbeth, to talk about greed,’ the drama teacher said, and then I went, ‘OK!’
“But, you know, there is so much connotation to Macbeth and so much connotation to the Cannibal Spirit, I just went, ‘Well, that’s just a lot of energy for a three week residency.’ So, I thought, ‘Let’s meet with the Elders.’ So I invited Elders to meet with the students, and they’re working with Grade 6 to Grade 12 — and just to meet with them and to share stories that they know about the Cannibal Spirit. And there were two reasons for that: it was to let the Elders know what we were doing, in a non-direct way, and to see if that was something they wanted to do, to talk about the Cannibal Spirit? Because, you know, in some areas it feels like it’s something in the past, or that’s mythical, but in Treaty 6 territory, especially in Frog Lake, it’s a very real energy.
“And so is it something in the past if it’s something that still feels present?”
Asking and stating at the same time, Arluk pauses for a split second.
“There’s parts, what I learned spending time there, there’s a Wihtiko Lake that’s people still don’t really camp there, and stuff like that. So I just wanted to be sure we were being respectful of the spirit, being respectful of the students, and really wanting to share knowledge.”
“So, the Elders came and they had no problem — they were like, ‘Oh yes, sure, no problem, I’ll tell you all the stories.’”
We both laugh out loud, knowing the wisdom and strength of Elders often overshadowing the hype, fear or superstition of youth, “and they just started doing it, and it was beautiful, it was a story exchange between the Elders and the students. And the students were sharing stories with the Elders that they knew, and what you got out of it was this really powerful cosmology like, the students know their community and know their history and their culture.”
Shakespeare and Arluk’s visions place a beautiful, powerful lens on the dangers of grief, greed, loss, hunger, pain, and the need in times of turmoil, as much as ever, for loving, courageous leadership.