Indigenous TikTokers talk about the power of first-person storytelling using social media

Indigenous content creators gathered last week to talk about how they use social media to connect with communities and why storytelling through the Indigenous lens is important to them. 

The One Young World summit is a yearly global gathering of young leaders from around the world. This year's summit brought 2,000 delegates together in Montreal from Sept. 18 to 21. 

Scott Wabano, James Jones, Kaniehtiio Horn and Aïcha Bastien-N'Diaye are Indigenous TikTokers who were invited panelists to share the power of first-person storytelling at the summit. 

They talked about how Indigenous peoples use social media platforms to tell their stories, and why it's such a natural fit. 

"I feel like we view [social media] differently … I don't like to say 'followers'" said Scott Wabano, who is Cree-Muskegewok from Waskaganish and Moose Factory.

"We have that direct relationship with our supporters, with our family, with our relatives, with our kin," said Wabano. 

Wabano is a two-spirit fashion designer, stylist and content creator, who uses they/them pronouns. They post behind-the-scenes videos of their work that often draw heavily on trends, skits and humour.

[They're] not our followers, it's our community … they are people that we bring with us wherever we go," said Wabano.

Wabano talked about how cultural appropriation and tokenism happens when Indigenous stories are told by non-Indigenous people. 

"We've never really been able to enter spaces that allowed us to kind of control that narrative or take control of it and finally tell our stories on our own," said Wabano. 

Kaniehtiio Horn agreed, adding that it's important that all roles in film like clothes design, film crew and production is a way to "take space" in the movie industry. 

"We need to take up space in every realm possible. That's how we Indigenize everything, by breaking through those barriers," said Horn, who is a Kanien'kehà:ka actress and filmmaker from Kahnawake. 

Horn recently wrapped up her first directorial film called Seeds. It's a story about a Mohawk woman who is a social media influencer that is called home to house sit .

Only after the movie was done, did she notice that a scarf laid across a couch with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy flag was upside down. She said an Indigenous crew would have noticed that and corrected it.

For Aïcha Bastien-N'Diaye having a multi-racial Indigenous presence is important to expand the representation and really feel seen.

"I remember a time when I felt really lonely and I felt like I did not belong. There was nobody looking like me in the media, in the industry," Aïcha Bastien-N'Diaye, who is Huron-Wendat and African. 

Bastien-N'Diaye added that being interviewed by an Indigenous reporter made her feel at home and heard. 

"We need to be able to tell all our stories, not only the sad ones but also the joyful ones," said Bastien-N'Diaye. 

While there is more Indigenous presence on social media, it's important to highlight multi-racial, two-spirit and Indigenous people who grow up in urban areas, according to Bastien-N'Diaye

James Jones, who goes by 'Notorious Cree', is a dancer and content creator on social media. 

He talked about the feelings of disconnect one feels when growing up in the city, but found that reconnecting with his culture helped him improve his self-esteem.

"I was such a shy rez kid, like man, even I did the rez kid smile where I cover my mouth and with the sleeve," said James Jones, who is Nehiyaw (Cree) from Tallcree First Nation in Treaty 8 Territory in Alberta. 

"I really found a lot of power in learning about our traditions and learning about our culture," said Jones. 

While each of the panelists were proud to sit together and talk about the power of storytelling, there is still work to be done, according to Bastien-N'Diaye. 

"We're all working really hard to get real diverse representation. It's happening and it's going to happen more and more," said Bastien-N'Diaye.

Scott Wabano added that social media can be a tool for people to connect and relate to one another, by sharing each other's experiences.

"I really hope they understand the importance of any social media platform and the importance of first person storytelling, especially from an Indigenous perspective," said Wabano.