Chris Beach's powerful play Kigeet made it's stage debut during the "Live Life Alive" banquet at the Four Arrows Regional Health Authority's Mind, Body and Spirit Healing the Healer Conference. Beach's play, which opens with a young Aboriginal man's suicide attempt and proceeds to delve into many of the issues that led to the suicide attempt, falls directly in line with the conference theme of suicide prevention.

According to Aboriginal oral history, suicide among Aboriginal peoples prior to European contact was a rare occurrence, generally committed by the aged or sick as an act of self-sacrifice to release the family from the burden of caring for them. Today, however, suicide is the greatest single cause of injury deaths for Aboriginal people and, contrary to pre-European ancestors, it is now most commonly an act of the young. The current rate of Aboriginal suicide is roughly three times that of the general Canadian population, placing it as one of the highest suicide rates in the world today.

There are several race specific factors that contribute the the soaring Aboriginal suicide rate in Canada including loss and control of land which drastically impacts their cultural identity as "protectors of Mother Earth". An anti-litter campaign once aired a commercial depicting an Aboriginal man weeping as he watched passing motorists toss litter from the car window. This example, though commercial, is a vivid illustration of the devastating impact that modern Euro-centric industrialization has had on the indigenous people of Canada who have preserved the natural elements of their environment, their home, for millenia. Discrimination and negative attitudes from the dominant White society in Canada have also contributed immeasurably to the growing dilemma of Aboriginal suicide.

"For well over a century, Canada's Aboriginal peoples have been severely affected by policies and procedures forced upon them by governmental, educational, medical and religious institutions. These disruptive experiences have resulted in the breakdown of cultural values and a loss of identity. Research done with other indigenous peoples around the world confirms that cultural disruption and suicide rates appear to be related. Feeling Isolated from both the dominant and traditional cultures, some Aboriginal youth report feeling that they are 'caught between two cultures' and have difficulty relating to either of them. These feelings of alienation may contribute to thoughts about suicide." - Centre for Suicide Prevention.

Other contributing factors, though not race specific, also have a staggering impact on the climbing suicide rate among Aboriginal peoples. Childhood separation or loss of care givers, a family history of mental health problems - including parents' depression, drug abuse or alcoholism, poverty, unemployment, lack of adequate housing, deficiencies in sanitation and water quality, and conflict with the law. Though none of these factors can be considered exclusively Aboriginal, they all have an enormous impact on many Aboriginal people. Alhough these contributing factors are prevalent in many Aboriginal homes and communities, and may appear daunting, if not completely overwhelming, there are several protective factors for Aboriginal youth as well. Some common protective factors include support from family and friends, a community that is active in preserving and promoting their culture and has strong cultural ties, good physical and mental health, strong spiritual and religious faith, positive self-esteem, a sense of belonging, an optimistic outlook and a sense of humour.

"The daily realities faced by Aboriginal youth can be challenging. However, Aboriginal people across the country have continued to show remarkable resiliency in their ability to survive, and thrive. The negative living conditions and stressors faced by Aboriginal youth represent starting points for making change. Through the development of locally-driven initiatives that aim to lessen the impact of suicide risk factors while enhancing those factors that are known to protect against suicide, we can make a difference. Many Aboriginal communities have already taken up the challenge and have applied a number of innovative and culturally sensitive suicide prevention initiatives." - Centre for Suicide Prevention.

Chris Beach highlights many of the above mentioned risk factors in his play. Although the experiences of his main character, Pishiki Joe, are a composite based on testimonials given to him by various foster children in his care throughout the years, the character himself is based on one particular foster child named Joseph. Sadly, tragically, this child took his own life when he reached early adulthood, so it was with bittersweet mixed feelings that Chris watched the play take life on the stage.

"It was great to see Kigeet come alive," said Chris immediately following the play. "Ryan (Black) did a wonderful job portraying the Joe's emotions, but it also reminded me so much of Joseph. He was a great kid. This play is like a tribute to him. It makes him more than just a statistic." Although prior to the play Ryan Black modestly claimed that he would be capable of little more than giving the script a public reading, he gave a tour de force performance as Pishiki Joe, displaying anguish so genuine and real that it made skin tingle and throats lump. At times he even ad-libbed lines in order to keep the timing flowing smoothly throughout the play as he acted opposite the pre-filmed performances of his fellow cast. Adam Beach, though unable to attend the Kigeet stage debut because he was filming an L.A. Law episode in New York at the time, nonetheless had a commanding presence on screen. Adam delivered pre and post play monologues and played the role of Energy (The Creator). His complaisant and benevolent demeanor in the face of Pishiki Joe's tirade was both regal and demur, a simply outstanding portrayal of a wise and judicious Creator.

Directed by accomplished film maker Derek Quill, Kigeet opens with Pishiki Joe attempting to converse with a young Aboriginal man who has hung himself. Joe, who doesn't realize that the suspended figure is himself, is at first put off by the hanging young man's failure to respond to his questions, then becomes resigned as being ignored and pushed to one side is something that his life in foster care has accustomed him to. His mind drifts back to a time when he saw another young man, his former friend Thomas (Grant Swan), hanging by the neck, under the bridge that was then his home. Following a brief discussion with a kindly police officer (Chris Sutherland) who was at the scene of Thomas' suicide, Joe's reverie comes to an end and he realizes that the figure hanging from a dog leash before him is, in actuality, himself. What ensues is an ethereal voyage of self discovery during which Joe meets his Grandparents (played by Don Burnstick and Rose Marsden), confronts his parents (played by Justin Kehlar and Sharon Roulette), his dead friend Thomas, and ultimately comes face to face with the Creator (Adam Beach).

A brilliant sequel to an earlier manuscript also written by Chris Beach, entitled Pishiki Joe Blow, Kigeet commences where the first play left off. While Pishiki Joe Blow details the heart rending trials and tribulations of Joe's young life, Kigeet explores how Joe feels about them. Combined, the two manuscripts make a poignant, compelling and thought provoking psychological drama that delves authoritatively into the mind set of a young Aboriginal man who has been driven by society to a despair so deep and relentless that suicide seemed his only option. Chris Beach has cut a riveting swath through societies conventions and spares no one as he openly and vividly displays the ugliness of a world as seen through the eyes of one lost and forlorn child caught in a system that was not his doing but nearly became his undoing. There is no one from any walk of life that would not dearly benefit from seeing these plays. A greater candidate for a full length motion picture could not be imagined.