An emerging development in the entertainment industry is the shift toward telling more stories focused on certain Indigenous communities. Although there is still plenty of history that needs to be told about Native Americans, there have been recent films and television shows that have done an exceptional job displaying these stories.
In 2023, masterclass director Martin Scorsese released “Killers of the Flower Moon” which was an adaptation of David Grann’s book of the same name. The movie takes place in 1920s Oklahoma and is about how many members of the Osage Nation were murdered after oil was discovered on their tribal land.
The film stars Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart, Robert De Niro as William Hale and Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart. Under his uncle William’s orders, Ernest is told to marry Mollie and help wipe out her bloodline so he could inherit her wealth.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is a fascinating film about a truly sinister and tragic series of events that led to many innocent Osage members being forgotten. Due to Grann’s intensive research, he was able to gather the full story with the names of those who were unjustly killed.
From a film perspective, Scorsese also made sure the film did not gloss over any important aspects of the lives of the Osage community. There are many wonderful details that, by another director, probably wouldn’t have been in the final cut.
In January 2024, Marvel Studios released the “Echo” miniseries on Disney+. “Echo” follows the story of Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox, and her battle against Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, while also trying to reconnect to her family and become more in touch with her Native American roots.
“Echo” is interesting because it is one of few projects featuring a female superhero as the protagonist. Cox is also deaf in the series and real life, so the incorporation of her disability for her character is a nice inclusion.
The show focuses on Maya and her family and has no appearances from other Marvel superheroes besides one fight scene with Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. Many fans have also found seeing Maya’s ancestry on-screen refreshing and could inspire other films and TV shows about Indigenous characters.
“Dark Winds” (2022–) is one show that has gained a lot of attention. The plot revolves around Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, played by Zahn McClarnon, and Deputy Jim Chee, played by Kiowa Gordon, as they try to solve a pattern of murders and other related crimes on their reservation in the 1970s. The show was adapted from Tony Hillerman’s “Leaphorn & Chee” novel series.
“Dark Winds” is a show that does not have big enough names to promote it into higher fandom. “Killers of the Flower Moon,” for one, is a Scorsese directed-film and it has some of Hollywood’s biggest actors in De Niro and DiCaprio. “Echo” also has actors like D’Onofrio, but its recognition is increased by being from Marvel — even if a lot of people aren’t interested in watching it.
“Dark Winds” exists on its own without needing A-list actors for its name to be known solely based on its production company. With only two seasons, it has generated a quiet fan base among both regular television watchers and critics alike.
All three of these examples are samples of many other notable films and television that tell the stories of Indigenous People. By watching each project, viewers see a side of human history not deeply explored. The shows increase media representation of Indigenous cultures outside for blatant stereotypes.
