Ernest David Tsosie III, known to his friends as "Ernie," has only one role in "Dust Eaters."
He plays Bone, the half-blood illegitimate son of Uncle Enoch. Tsosie doesn't appear on stage until Act II.
In his first scene, right after intermission, Bone is in his 20s, just returned from the Korean War and carrying a lot of emotional baggage.
"Bone has a troubled past and present; he's a haunted person," said Tsosie during a break in rehearsals. "He's dealing with an alcohol problem and is suicidal. He's messed up emotionally and mentally, with lots of skeletons in his closet. There are also complicated issues between Bone and his biological father, Enoch."
Tsosie makes a brief appearance in the next scene when he's in his 40s, then in the show's seventh scene Bone is a tribal elder in his 60s. "By this time he has stopped drinking and has grown up, taking more responsibilities about his tribe. He is also dealing with whether or not to allow nuclear waste to be stored on his reservation.
The actor said that Bone is pretty much between a rock and a hard place — his great-grandmother has taught him to revere and take care of the land but his tribe also needs the income from the nuclear storage to survive.
On a more personal note, Tsosie commented that he's "a Navajo, not a Goshute, but these issues cross all boundaries. The land is sacred and should be protected by all tribes."
The character he's playing has to weigh these decisions. "There are losing battles on both sides," he said.
Tsosie and his comedy duo partner, James Junes, are both former drug abusers. They take their comedy routine into Native American wellness events and gatherings and schools, using humor as a vehicle to deliver a message about drugs and violence; for more information, see their Web site, www.jamesandernie.com.
"My passion is acting and comedy," he said, "and it's good to get away to do ('Dust Eaters') in Salt Lake."