Our Time Press (Nov 13-19, 2014) — see page 6
"...In a sense, 'Purchase of Manhattan' is responding to Lenape ancestral calls for justice echoing through time–from the Marble congregation’s reaction to the price of the ticket at $24, which benefits the establishment of the 'bricks and mortar' Lenape Cultural Center in Manhattan where, Mr. [Joe] Baker says, 'young Lenape people can come to their ancestral homeland. Such a point of reference does not exist now. Now, these many years later, we are back in contact again. As Lenape people, we look beyond boundaries as a way to envision and secure our relevance in a changing world. I have always felt we can best understand our present realities if we understand our history.' So from this production, a new Lenape village center will grow on Manhattan island. 'And that return to our ancestral island takes shape in the form of this platform, this center, for the Lenape today,' Baker said..." (Lenape's Griot Voices: Of Truth They Sing," Our Time Press, p6).
Our Time Press (Nov 6-12, 2014) — see page 6
The Libretto!
Audio and video documentation may become available after the performances, depending on the availability of recordings taken at the time of each performance. Till then, feel free to check out the printed Libretto as a viewable PDF, above. If you would like a PDF version to print for your own personal use, or wish a commercial license to reprint the Libretto, or perhaps have some other question about the "Purchase of Manhattan," please submit your request to the composer and/or the Lenape Center, thanks.
