"Braves Aid in Indian Opera at Utah Presentation ... A Full-Blooded Sioux Co-Author." (1) So runs part of the Musical America headline reporting the premiere of an opera on a Native American subject, created in part by a Native American woman. Built around a religious practice that was still banned by the federal government, the production featured the participation of members of the Ute Nation living on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation, a short way across the rolling sagebrush plateau from the performance venue. (2) The date was February 1913, and the place was Orpheus Hall in Vernal, Utah. The Sun Dance Opera was enthusiastically received at its premiere, filling the hall ...