A performance of the concert opera in Syracuse, New York, in 2013. Photo from The Purchase of Manhattan
In 1626, Dutch explorer Peter Minuit acquired the island of Manhattan from the Lenape people for $24 worth of beads. Or so the legend goes. The inaccurate story prompted a group of Native composers, writers and actors to create The Purchase of Manhattan. The concert opera offers a Native perspective on a deal that eventually pushed the Lenape, or Delaware, people out of their own territory. “This opera in many ways is our homecoming,” Joe Baker, the executive director of The Lenape Center, told The New York Times. “We really are retelling the early beginnings of New York City.” The opera will be staged for one night only in Manhattan on Thursday. The ticket price? Only $24 -- proceeds will go towards finding a permanent home for The Lenape Center. Get the Story:
The Sale of Manhattan, Retold From a Native American Viewpoint (The New York Times 11/19)
Join the Conversation
