{"id":39,"date":"2026-10-08T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/?p=39"},"modified":"2026-10-08T18:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T22:06:20","slug":"why-our-stories-belong-on-screen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/why-our-stories-belong-on-screen\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Representation: Why Our Stories Belong on Screen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Indigenous representation on screen is still rare. In 1,600 top films from 2007 to 2022, just 133 of more than 62,000 speaking characters, about 0.21%, were Native American.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Lily Gladstone stepped into the lead of <em>Killers of the Flower Moon<\/em> in 2023, the moment was celebrated as a breakthrough. Researchers at the University of Southern California had a blunter word for it. &#8220;Lily Gladstone&#8217;s role in <em>Killers of the Flower Moon<\/em> is quite literally an anomaly in Hollywood,&#8221; said Stacy L. Smith, whose USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative produced the research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith&#8217;s team had just finished counting. Their study of Native representation in film explains why one role could feel so rare, and it raises a question worth asking from a place like north-central Montana: who gets to tell Native stories, and where should that work begin?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How rare are Native characters in film?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Very rare: about two of every 1,000 speaking roles.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Annenberg researchers examined the 1,600 top-grossing films released from 2007 to 2022, more than 62,000 speaking or named characters in all. <a href=\"https:\/\/annenberg.usc.edu\/news\/research-and-impact\/native-american-characters-are-nearly-invisible-top-films\">Their findings<\/a> are hard to argue with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Just 133 characters, about 0.21%, were Native American. The study cites Census figures putting the Native share of the U.S. population at 1.3%.<\/li><li>Only one film had a Native actor in the leading role.<\/li><li>Nearly two-thirds of Native characters were inconsequential to the plot.<\/li><li>Almost 99% of the films did not include a single Native woman or girl who spoke or was named.<\/li><li>Across all 16 years, only 64 Native actors appeared in these films, and most worked just once.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Audiences would have to watch thousands of movies to see even one Native woman on screen, and very likely in a minor role,&#8221; Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-native-representation-film-chart-1024x597.jpg\" alt=\"Dot grid showing about 2 Native American characters per 1,000 speaking roles in top films from 2007 to 2022, against 13 per 1,000 that would match the Native share of the U.S. population\" class=\"wp-image-32\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-native-representation-film-chart-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-native-representation-film-chart-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-native-representation-film-chart-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-native-representation-film-chart.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">About two of every 1,000 speaking roles in top films went to Native characters, far below the Native share of the population.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does Native representation in animation matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Because animation is where kids meet their heroes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Feature films are only part of the picture. For children, animation is often the first place they see a hero, and the first place they notice who never gets to be one. Two recent American series show what changes when Native creators are part of the process from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What made Molly of Denali different?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PBS KIDS premiered <em>Molly of Denali<\/em> nationwide in July 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/about\/about-pbs\/blogs\/news\/pbs-kids-to-launch-molly-of-denali-first-nationally-distributed-childrens-series-to-feature-alaska-native-lead-character\/\">PBS described it<\/a> as the first nationally distributed children&#8217;s series in the United States to feature an Alaska Native lead character: Molly Mabray, a resourceful 10-year-old who helps run a trading post in a fictional Alaska village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The production did more than cast a Native lead. Producer WGBH developed the series with a working group of Alaska Native advisers and language advisers, hired Alaska Native scriptwriters and voice actors, and named Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neets&#8217;aii Gwich&#8217;in) as creative producer. &#8220;I&#8217;m especially excited that Alaska Native children will get to see themselves in Molly,&#8221; Johnson said when the show was announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How was Spirit Rangers made?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Netflix&#8217;s <em>Spirit Rangers<\/em>, a preschool series about siblings who transform into animal spirits to protect a national park, was created by Karissa Valencia, who is Chumash. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/tv\/news\/netflix-spirit-rangers-karissa-valencia-chris-nee-native-1234916730\/\">Variety<\/a>, she assembled an all-Native writers&#8217; room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Valencia also went home before she went to work. &#8220;I went to my tribe and had a big meeting with the elders,&#8221; she told Variety. &#8220;I read a statement and I shared a little animation clip with them.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The elders gave permission to adapt traditional stories and to use rock art from local caves in the animation. A second writer sought approval from the Cowlitz Tribe, the show&#8217;s other cultural foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Some of us grew up on a reservation, some of us didn&#8217;t. Some were adopted out. Everyone&#8217;s story is so different.<\/p><cite>Karissa Valencia, creator of Spirit Rangers, in Variety<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-digital-drawing-tablet-studio.jpg\" alt=\"A digital drawing tablet on an adjustable stand in a bright studio, the kind of tool used for animation\" class=\"wp-image-25\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-digital-drawing-tablet-studio.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-digital-drawing-tablet-studio-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-digital-drawing-tablet-studio-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Modern animation can start with a tablet and a strong idea, which makes the medium more reachable for small, independent teams.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Wapos Bay?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wapos Bay is a Canadian stop-motion series set in a remote Cree community in northern Saskatchewan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Long before streaming, a small studio in Saskatchewan proved that a Cree setting could carry a whole series. <em>Wapos Bay<\/em>, created by Dennis and Melanie Jackson of Saskatoon, follows a group of children growing up in a remote Cree community in northern Saskatchewan. It was made in stop-motion and aired on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The show aired in Cree, English, French and Inuktitut. Its first two seasons were coproduced with the National Film Board of Canada, its pilot won a Golden Sheaf Award for best children&#8217;s production, and its 2011 film <em>Wapos Bay: Long Goodbyes<\/em> went on to win a Kidscreen Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The series matters here for a simple reason. It shows that stories set in a Cree community, voiced in the Cree language and built by a small independent team, can find a national audience and win industry awards. The idea is not untested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does it matter who holds the pen?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Because the shows that worked put Native people in the room from the start.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look at the shows that worked and a pattern appears. Native people were not hired at the end to check for mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were in the room deciding what the stories were. Cultural knowledge was treated as belonging to communities, and permission was asked before stories were adapted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That approach also protects what should stay protected. Not every story is meant for a screen, and some knowledge is not for sale. Creators who work with elders and tribal communities from the start are better placed to know the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also frees Native characters to be people. In <a href=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wiingashk-meaning\/\">My Name Is Sweetgrass<\/a>, Wiingashk Courchane writes, <strong>&#8220;Not every Native character has to be wise, tragic, spiritual, or heroic.&#8221;<\/strong> Sometimes he wants one who is funny, awkward or stubborn: a full human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Annenberg report makes a similar point about the industry as a whole. Its recommendations call for project funding, development programs and even Native critics to raise both the number and the quality of Native roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-wiingashk-courchane-abstract-painting.jpg\" alt=\"Wiingashk Courchane in a white hoodie looking to the side in front of a colorful abstract painting\" class=\"wp-image-14\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\" height=\"814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-wiingashk-courchane-abstract-painting.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-wiingashk-courchane-abstract-painting-300x244.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-wiingashk-courchane-abstract-painting-768x625.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wiingashk Courchane. Original Cree-inspired characters and storytelling are among the long-term goals described on his site.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can Native animators train?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>There are places to train, but the pipeline is thin.<\/strong> The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe offers a <a href=\"https:\/\/iaia.edu\/explore-programs\/cinematic-arts-and-technology\/\">Cinematic Arts and Technology program<\/a> with coursework in animation, visual effects and sound design. The Sundance Institute created its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sundance.org\/programs\/indigenous-program\/\">Indigenous Program<\/a> in 1994, and its Native Lab has supported emerging Native filmmakers since 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a few labs and degree programs cannot carry a whole generation. Most young Native artists, especially in rural places, still have to find their own way into animation, often with limited equipment and slow internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That gap is the subject of <a href=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/next-generation-doesnt-lack-talent-it-lacks-access\/\">Native Youth Don&#8217;t Lack Talent. They Lack Access.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Cree-inspired animation fits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The About section of <a href=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/#story\">WiingCourchane.com<\/a> describes a flagship dream: an animated series built on Cree lore, language and original characters, meant to be &#8220;a safe place for the imagination&#8221; where Native kids can see themselves as heroes in their own culture. A proposed Native Youth Media &amp; Animation Lab, listed among the site&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/#work\">projects<\/a>, would train young people in animation and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both are ambitions at this stage, and they are described here that way. What the examples above show is that the ambition rests on solid ground. Children&#8217;s animation with a Native lead has reached a national audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An all-Native writers&#8217; room has delivered a series on a global platform. A Cree community has already anchored an award-winning show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Language is part of the story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Chippewa Cree people call themselves <em>Ne Hiyawak<\/em>, which means &#8220;those who speak the same language,&#8221; according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/tribalnations.mt.gov\/Directory\/ChippewaCreeTribe\">Montana Governor&#8217;s Office of Indian Affairs<\/a>. At Rocky Boy&#8217;s, Stone Child College teaches Cree language courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Animation is one of the few formats where a language can be heard by children every day, in a story they want to watch again. That Saskatchewan series proved that a Cree-language version of a children&#8217;s series could be made and broadcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-camera-on-dark-table.jpg\" alt=\"A camera with a large lens sitting on a dark table\" class=\"wp-image-26\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-camera-on-dark-table.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-camera-on-dark-table-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/wiingednews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/wiinged-news-camera-on-dark-table-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stories reach the screen through people with the training, tools and backing to make them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do Indigenous stories belong on screen?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Native stories belong on screen because Native people are here and already telling them, and when that work has had real backing, it has found its audience.<\/strong> The work now is making sure the next chance does not depend on luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wiing-callout\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Know a Native creator Wiinged News should cover?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Animators, writers, voice actors, teachers and studios: if you are building Indigenous stories for the screen, we want to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/wiingcourchane.com\/#contact\">Get in touch<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>USC Annenberg, <a href=\"https:\/\/annenberg.usc.edu\/news\/research-and-impact\/native-american-characters-are-nearly-invisible-top-films\">Native American characters are nearly invisible in top films<\/a>, October 17, 2023.<\/li><li>PBS, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/about\/about-pbs\/blogs\/news\/pbs-kids-to-launch-molly-of-denali-first-nationally-distributed-childrens-series-to-feature-alaska-native-lead-character\/\">PBS KIDS to Launch MOLLY OF DENALI<\/a>, May 9, 2018.<\/li><li>Variety, <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2021\/tv\/news\/netflix-spirit-rangers-karissa-valencia-chris-nee-native-1234916730\/\">How the All-Native Writers&#8217; Room for Netflix&#8217;s Spirit Rangers Was Assembled<\/a>, March 1, 2021.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wapos_Bay\">Wapos Bay<\/a> series background and broadcast history.<\/li><li>Montana Governor&#8217;s Office of Indian Affairs, <a href=\"https:\/\/tribalnations.mt.gov\/Directory\/ChippewaCreeTribe\">Chippewa Cree Tribe<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fewer than one in 400 speaking roles in Hollywood&#8217;s biggest films went to Native characters. Shows like Molly of Denali, Spirit Rangers and the Cree stop-motion series Wapos Bay prove there is another way, and animation may be the best place to start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[37,22,35,38,36,41,39,40],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-identity","tag-cree-stories","tag-indigenous-media","tag-indigenous-representation","tag-molly-of-denali","tag-native-animation","tag-native-filmmakers","tag-spirit-rangers","tag-wapos-bay"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Indigenous Representation: Why Our Stories Belong on Screen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Indigenous representation in film is rare: 0.21% of top film roles. 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