What is

Native American representation in film and TV used to be confined to Westerns and storylines of defeat. Today, a new wave of Native American comedies, written and created by Native peoples, are taking back their narratives. Shows like Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls challenge stereotypes and address big political movements like #LandBack.

Join our special guests, Rutherford Falls writer, Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire, and associate professor and author of “Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960s”, Liza Black, to trace the history of Native American representation and tell us how Hollywood has progressed from grotesque stereotypes to nuanced characters.

Resources:
KQED. Land Back: The Indigenous Fight to Reclaim Stolen Lands
https://www.kqed.org/education/535779...

University of Nebraska Press. 2020. Picturing Indians; Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960.
https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/neb...

IllumiNative. A nonprofit initiative created to increase visibility of Native Nations.
https://illuminatives.org/

Reclaiming Native Truth. A project to dispel American myth and misconceptions.
https://rnt.firstnations.org/

Native Land Digital. Learn about the Indigenous history of the land you live on.
https://native-land.ca/

Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian. Frequently Asked Questions about American Indians.
https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/f...


Credits:
Director: Dolly Li
Producer: Tien Nguyen
Consulting Producer: Danielle Bainbridge
Associate Producer: Mia Faske
On-camera appearances by: Liza Black, Taietsarón:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire
Written by: Dolly Li and Tien Nguyen
Voiceover by: Kiana Taylor
Director of Photography: Brian Inocencio
Online Editor & Motion Graphics: Travis Hatfield
Assistant Editor: Josaen Ronquillo
Additional Motion Graphics: Jonathan Gil
Research Assistant: Kiana Taylor
Makeup Artist: Dawn Coleman
Set Designer: Tori Laxalt
Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy

Post-production services & facilities provided by: Flash Cuts
Executive Producer for Flash Cuts: Eurie Chung
Executive Producers for CAAM: Stephen Gong, Donald Young
Supervising Producer for CAAM: Sapana Sakya
Coordinating Producer for CAAM: Czarina Garcia
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing

Special Thanks: Illuminatives

This program is a production of Plum Studios and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).