Indigenous directors, writers, actors take flight in 'nerd' culture

With the release of the Marvel/Disney+ series Echo, the mobile game Contest of Champions adding an original First Nations character, and a crowdfunded table top role-playing game, Coyote and Crow, creators and actors say the future of Indigenous nerd culture has never looked better.

Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, a Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) actor from Kahnawà:ke, south of Montreal, has had roles in Reservation Dogs, a popular FX series, and Rhymes for Young Ghouls, a horror film by the late Mi'kmaw creator Jeff Barnaby.

Now she has a supporting role as a character named Bonnie in Echo, the story of Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behaviour in New York City catches up with her when she returns to her hometown and must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. It premieres Jan. 9.

Its cast also includes legendary Indigenous actors Tantoo Cardinal, who had a major role in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-bound movie Flowers of the Killer Moon, and Graham Greene, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Kevin Costner's hit Dances with Wolves.

Jacobs said being a part of the project and mainstream Indigenous representation has been a "wild" experience.

"I don't know if I ever could've imagined that for myself being a young Native kid from the rez," she said.

"I'm hoping that this marks only the beginning of Indigenous storytelling in this industry. We have so many stories in our communities, we have such rich cultures … and histories and legends."

Sydney Freeland, who is Navajo from the southwestern United States and the director of Echo, said working on the series and being part of Indigenous representation is exciting.

"Native content can be tough to get into, not only creatively, but financially [as] there's been a [change] in interest and focus," she said.

Rutherford Falls, Reservation Dogs and Prey bring Indigenous storytelling to mainstream media, she said, with Indigenous people both in front of and behind the camera. 

"I think with Echo it's just incredibly exciting to see a native Indigenous character get a platform that is the scope and scale and size that is Marvel," she said.

'Nerdy' perspectives

Justin Ostensen, a writer from Skatin Nations, is on the creative team behind the Marvel mobile game Contest of Champions, which recently introduced Cheeli'lth, its first original First Nations playable character.

Cheeli'lth is a Sixties Scoop survivor and her story is based on the experiences of Ostensen's mother.

Creating such a character for the game "genuinely means the world," Ostenesen said.

"As a little kid my mom sat me down and explained that we are First Nations and kind of what that meant, and that was kind of the coolest thing in the world to me," he said. 

"I love the artwork and the dancing and everything that I see." 

As Indigenous representation in mainstream media evolves, he said he hopes to see Indigenous people just being themselves without their personality resting solely on their culture.

"It is important to represent the art, the history and the culture and, quite frankly, the remarkable aspects of the First Nations people," he said.

"You also need to see everyday 'Joe Average' First Nations guy living his life on the rez. Here's some regular folks dealing with regular problems. That's kind of the next step that I see."

Coyote and Crow, a tabletop role-playing game inspired by Indigenous culture and identity, takes place in a futuristic world were colonization never happened and the world is filled with rich, diverse and technologically advanced cultures.

Its creator, Connor Alexander, who is Cherokee from the state of Oklahoma, said media needs to take a step back from trauma stories.

"I think for so long we've had to focus on Native contemporary issues or dealing with past traumas," he said.

"It's really nice that we're getting the space — both the physical space in the media but also the emotional space — to be able to start thinking about the future. It doesn't have to be just about traumas and bad history. You [can] have the positives and the joys of our cultures.

"Science fiction, done right, is a joyful media. It's one that explores imagination and hope, and I see nothing but good things ahead."