Dakota original opera film “My Spirit Sings” debuts in Minneapolis Friday

MINNEAPOLIS -- An original opera film performed by an all-Indigenous team is premiering in Minneapolis Friday.

The film is called "Mináǧi kiŋ dowáŋ: a Zitkála-Šá opera," which translates to "My Spirit Sings" in Dakota. 

The film honors the life of Dakota activist and artist Zitkála-Šá, who was born in 1876 on the Yankton Reservation in South Dakota.

"Not widely known today, Zitkála-Šá was highly influential during her lifetime as a prolific artist and activist who was a published writer, performed in the Oval Office in 1900, premiered an opera in 1913, and co-founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926, and is actually buried not far from JFK," the production's release said.

The film was created by An Opera Theatre. Sequoia Hauck is the director and artistic producer.

"The question always is why this project, why now? We created this, and we picked Zitkála-Šá because people knew who she was; I didn't even know who she was before this; if they knew her, they knew her as the first Native person to write an opera, full stop," Hauck said. "Defining her by this one artistic act is short-sighted. Not acknowledging that Native people are still here, will always be here, and will continue to be here. We just hope to celebrate Indigenous people and indigeneity from now until the end of time."

The film debuts at Water Works Park in Minneapolis at 7:30 p.m. Three screenings will be held at the Indigenous Roots Cultural Center in St. Paul next weekend.

More information on the film can be found here.