Gesa Power House Theatre is humbled to welcome The Aunties to our stage on Saturday, May 9 at 7PM for a contemporary Indigenous storytelling experience. This programming is brought to you in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional support from the Washington Stories Fund grant at Humanities Washington, ArtWalla Art Builds Community Grant, the Betty Kinsman Fund at The Kinsman Foundation, The Roundhouse Foundation Small Grant, and a Spark Good Local Grant from Walmart #2492. This event is also sponsored by Friends of the Theatre.
The Aunties is an invitation to come together to honor the women that shape, heal, and uphold Indigenous communities through an evening of contemporary storytelling, shared live from the stage alongside familial and archival photographs and works of legacy. The Aunties project is shared at sites across the Blue Mountain region, featuring stories by Indigenous women who call the local area their home and who have dedicated their life’s work in service to their community. We come together to honor the contributions and enduring legacy of Native women, whose stories inspire new narratives and guide new generations of leaders. We join in community to reflect on our collective history to nurture hope for a brighter future.
Storytelling from the live performance will be preserved on film to become the heart of a narrative-driven documentary series that captures the artistic, cultural, and visual integrity of the places and people from which auntie stories emerge.
THE AUNTIES:
Ɨtísyawak, Mildred Quaempts, was born in 1953 and raised on the Umatilla Reservation by her maternal grandparents who were fluent Ičiškiin speakers of the Umatilla and Yakama dialects. Mildred was raised in the language and learned to speak English fluently by 3rd grade. She finished high school in 1972 then went on to raise five children who also carry language knowledge. Today, she is a grandmother to 11 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild with another on the way. Mildred has been an active MMIW/P/R (Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women/People/Relatives) advocate since 2009. Recently, Mildred has gotten back into dancing and has danced traditional style at multiple pow wows since 2025.
Acosia Red Elk is an enrolled member of the Umatilla Tribe from the northeastern Oregon territory and a 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient. She is a 10-time World Champion Jingle Dancer and world-renowned performing artist. She is also an international yoga instructor, snowboarder, glass artist, cultural teacher and wellness advocate. She is known for public speaking and storytelling, tribal dance performance, indigenizing fitness, teaching yoga through a tribal lens and instructing powwow dance to tribal youth across Turtle Island.
Personal Safety Consultant & Motivational Speaker, Kola Shippentower (Umatilla) works with individuals and organizations to amplify their communication, connection and confidence so they can advocate for their own personal safety & cultivate change in their communities. She mentors with passion, guiding her clients to effectively strengthen and elevate their safety knowledge, while building relationships & creating a fun interactive environment.
Reserved seating tickets starting at $30 ($10 for students) can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500. Ticket sales open on February 15th. Want early access to tickets starting February 8th? Click here to see how you can be a +Power Club member and gain early ticket access and other exclusive benefits!
