What is #LandBack? Inside New Native American TV Shows

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

University of Nebraska Press. 2020. Picturing Indians; Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960.

IllumiNative. A nonprofit initiative created to increase visibility of Native Nations.

Reclaiming Native Truth. A project to dispel American myth and misconceptions.

Native Land Digital. Learn about the Indigenous history of the land you live on.

Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian. Frequently Asked Questions about American Indians.

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).

[dewycocoa]

Let’s not forget the native fam below the US too, I see we’re left out of these convos bc our ppls are split by language and a colonial border. We got bad rep from “Emperors New Groove” and “Road to El Dorado”. Yalitza Aparicio’s debut is a win too.✨

[littlemaridee]

I love this. Back in the 90s, Nickelodeon, WB and UPN had tons of Black shows. It was a great experience to feel represented, as short as it was. I'm glad other cultures are finally getting their due.

[huitzilinf_art]

As an city native artist with a very revolutionary upbringing, I struggled for some time because I was always encouraged to make very indigenous artwork. I think it's a beautiful thing for indigenous people to make indigenous artwork, but I think my art will speak for itself. My artwork is inherently indigenous because I'm the one who's making it. Also, #LandBack

[PsalmoftheStars]

“Unfortunate genocide” and the look of horrified panic took me out. Keep up the good work 🤣🤣🤣

[BrandonJuhl]

Northern Exposure was literally the first TV show I'd ever seen with Native actors playing Native characters who were well-rounded, multi-faceted, three-dimensional people rather than just stereotypes or caricatures. Reservation Dogs is amazing. I look forward to checking out Rutherford Falls.

[shakyelarnold]

I'm here for this. The Natvie American eraser in history, pop culture, literature, media and music from the prospective of actual Natvie Americans has to end,

[laabitres]

im not Native American but I FULLY support #LandBack

[Kiraiko]

When I was growing up, we did learn about the uglier side of the history between indigenous Americans and European colonizers, I think we should have learned about more of it tho, and it stopped with the Trail of Tears. I remember feeling angry learning about how we made deals and treaties with the tribes that WE then violated or manipulated over and over. I honestly never really thought about Native Americans as like a current, living people because they kind of got taught to me like they were a part of history, not our present or our future. I wish we had learned about the Alcatraz takeover and land back movement.

[MukMn]

Cool, I love reservation dogs. I hadn't heard of Rutherford falls but I'm going to figure out how to watch that

[Lord.Kiltridge]

The most prominent First Nations people I grew up with were Chief Dan George, Pat John, and Buffy Ste. Marie, then came Tom Jackson, Tina Keeper, Graham Greene, Adam Beach, Susan Aglukark, and many more. For almost all of my 57 years, I have been a supporter of the First Nations peoples and I would be very interested in seeing much greater representation in Canadian culture.

[Moshington]

As a Southeast Asian American, I love seeing other poc finally get to tell THEIR stories.

[malcolmizm]

This looks super cool and educational. I don't know much about native American culture and will definitely check these out!

[AnonymousFreakYT]

8:30 - One thing about the "not having the subtitles" that annoys me in any movie that uses "not the main language of the movie" for sections is when the closed captioning says just "speaking other language" or similar. Give us the closed captioning *OF THE OTHER LANGUAGE*.

[Sunmoonandstars]

I LOVE Rez Dogs!! What an awesome show. Also Mohawk Girls on APTN.

[edwinacaparelli]

I love your series. Your brilliant. I am a white Canadian and am also a mother to a mix race child. I find your series so informative and valuable in rewiring my thinking and learning to understand the biased I've developed over my lifetime and how to confront them and change them. ❤️

[Euphoryaaa]

Please, if you’re native and a director or a creative, let us see your perspective. More of this please

[klu]

Terry's speech to that journalist is what I listen to when I need to get pumped for something important. I love new role models for myself and my children.

[erinmac]

This is a great series! I just have to throw in a rec for Patrick is a Navajo's channel. Some of the most hilarious and heartwarming stuff I've seen on YT, plus he's an amazing dancer! 💜✊

[florinadrian]

Seven Generations is such an alien idea to a world where every politician only worries about the next elections a every CEO focuses on the current trimester profits.
Thank you for teaching me this simple and powerful concept.

[tecpaocelotl]

I'm glad you're talking about this. The 21st century was the beginning of having accurate native voices in media. The first one was Smoke Signals.

I wanted to help California natives that when florida natives were getting their landback, I used my cash to go over there to see if i could get tips. By the time i got there, Arnold schwarzenegger put laws to prevent California natives to buy landback.

Reservation Dogs is a good show.

I think natives need to be front and center. In case you guys haven't figure it out about me that I'm for land acknowledge being doing before the national anthem.

One issue in this video is, what other media does, is ignore indigenous people south of the U.S. border as though we don't exist.