Hollywood has recently made strides in diversifying its creators: producers, writers, and directors. For quite some time, only one perspective had a voice; even today, varied perspectives are still lacking. But it is these strides and victories in diverse creators in Hollywood I want to inspect further. This week, I want to explore the Native American creators behind two recent television series: Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs.
Who Created Rutherford Falls?
Sierra Teller Ornelas created Rutherford Falls alongside The Office producer Michael Schur. Teller Ornelas, a writer and member of the Navajo Nation herself, really wanted to make a TV show that “represents Indigenous people as, you know, people.” She had initially designed the show around two sisters working at a trading post on the Navajo Nation but had been shut down by people who thought it would never be made. Well the show Rutherford Falls has quickly become a hit and has a writers table helmed by five Native Americans.
“But I remember asking Mike – he was like, how many writers do you want to have in the room? And I said, I want to have 10. And he said, well, five should be Native. And I was very surprised by that, I will say, initially. That’s what was so exciting about this – is whether it was the casting process or the staffing process, what I’d been told 10 years ago was not true.”
Sierra Teller Ornelas for NPR
What Inspired Sierra Teller Ornelas to Create a TV Show with Native Representation?
Representation on TV and film is so impactful. Teller Ornelas recalled watching a Native character on the 90s show Northern Exposure as a child, but that the character was gone after a line or two. So she took it upon herself to bring more Native representation to television, drawing upon her own experiences and those of the Native women in her life.
Sierra Teller Ornelas grew up a sixth-generation Navajo tapestry weaver, and attended many gallery openings and Native art markets. In her family, turquoise was considered more valuable than diamonds, but she kept witnessing the stone being used to evoke tackiness or low societal placement on TV. On Rutherford Falls, Teller Ornelas hired two talented beadwork artists, one of whom was eventually cast as Reagan Wells, the co-lead of the show. As the show’s Native actors and writers pitched their favorite Native designers, she felt overcome with emotion.
“I could feel a visceral sense of Native Joy when Native audiences finally got to see themselves as we actually are on our show. And I felt it too as a viewer, months later, when I got to watch Sterlin Harjo’s insanely stylish ‘Reservation Dogs.’ ”
Sierra Teller Ornelas for Variety.com
Who Created Reservation Dogs?
Reservation Dogs, created by Seminole/Muscogee filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, tells the story of four teenagers in a small community on the Muscogee Nation Reservation. It takes place just south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the creator Harjo grew up. The show is groundbreaking for Indigenous representation:
“The series features an all-Indigenous cast and creative team. The series, shot primarily in Okmulgee, isn’t an outsider’s stereotypical depiction of Natives. ‘Reservation Dogs’ follows four youths on the modern-day rez and provides a look at Indigenous life that should ring familiar to many Oklahomans, especially those raised in small towns.”
Jimmie Tramel for Tulsa World
How Sterlin Harjo Drew On His Experiences for Reservation Dogs
Harjo was honored as a Tulsan of the Year and has made incredible breakthroughs for the representation of Native people on television. He has focused much of his work on local stories about Native families and communities and brought the work right to his home of Oklahoma. He has also witnessed firsthand the impact of the Indigenous representation seen on Reservation Dogs:
“I saw a young Native girl online dressed up as (‘Rez Dogs’) actress Paulina Alexis at the Emmys,” Harjo says. “She wasn’t even dressed up as the character (Willie Jack) but dressed as the actress when she was at the Emmys. That blew me away because we all know how Halloween is tricky for Native people when you get all the people dressed up in fake buckskin and stuff. Not only did we see characters, but to see a young girl dressed as one of the actors from the show when they were at the Emmys — that really blew me away and made me very proud.”
Sterlin Harjo for Tulsa People
How These Creators Share Their Truth
Both Sierra Teller Ornelas and Sterlin Harjo brought Native stories to television and have poured parts of themselves into them. These creators drew on their backgrounds and experiences for these series; that was something I also noticed in Mindy Kaling’s – writer and creator featured in last week’s article – work in television. While the saying “write what you know” may apply here, I think it has more to do with these creators wanting to see people like themselves featured on the big screen. They draw on their own experiences to make their characters realistic while avoiding stereotypical portrayals and storylines. And in doing so, these creators get to write their narratives and share their truths with the world.
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