After ABCB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淏ig SkyB次元官网网址� drew Native American censure for overlooking an epidemic of violence against Indigenous women and girls, its producers set about making changes. But the first, hurried steps were called B次元官网网址渂umpyB次元官网网址� and insulting by Native leaders.
The reaction illustrates how even well-meaning creators may struggle with growing demands for diversity and authenticity B次元官网网址� especially with an ethnic group that Hollywood has at best ignored and at worst stereotyped beyond recognition.
Shelly R. Fyant, chairwoman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana, said she was blindsided by a request to use a tribal seal on B次元官网网址淏ig SkyB次元官网网址� when she was unaware the Flathead Nation tribe might be written into a scene.
The email inquiry to FyantB次元官网网址檚 office, from a Native American guest actor also tasked as a cultural adviser for the series, was sent Dec. 9 B次元官网网址� three days before the proposed scene was to tape in Canada, where the Montana-set series is in production.
It was B次元官网网址渋nsultingB次元官网网址� to discover the show planned to depict the tribe absent consultation and a slap at efforts to combat crime against Indigenous people, she said. B次元官网网址淥ur tribe and our identity and our government is not going to be subcontracted out.B次元官网网址�
The quick turnaround for episodic TV makes revisions possible but not advisable, especially when sensitive issues are at stake, said producer Tom Nunan (the Oscar-winning B次元官网网址淐rashB次元官网网址�), a former network and studio head.
Research and hard work can make B次元官网网址渕aterial ring incredibly true,B次元官网网址� even for writers initially unfamiliar with people and environments, Nunan said, adding that it could been the case for B次元官网网址淏ig SkyB次元官网网址� if its first priorities were Native Americans and the human trafficking toll.
B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 almost impossible to make something feel truly authentic if one tries somehow to B次元官网网址榬everse engineerB次元官网网址� it after the fact,B次元官网网址� said Nunan, a lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduate school for theatre, film and TV.
B次元官网网址淏ig SkyB次元官网网址� was a plum for Disney-owned ABC, marking writer-producer David E. KelleyB次元官网网址檚 return to network TV after a string of cable successes (B次元官网网址淏ig Little Lies,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭he UndoingB次元官网网址�). The series is based on a 2013 novel, writer C.J. BoxB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Highway,B次元官网网址� which doesnB次元官网网址檛 address Native issues.
Producers, including ABCB次元官网网址檚 Disney sibling 20th Television and KelleyB次元官网网址檚 company, did not comment for this article.
The Tuesday night series, a standard private-eye drama, debuted in November with a plot about two sisters abducted by possible sex-traffickers. The sisters are white, and early episodes omitted any mention of the high rate of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, including in Montana.
After a succession of tribal leaders and Native advocates in the U.S. and Canada criticized the omission, producers said their B次元官网网址渆yes have been openedB次元官网网址� and they were working with Indigenous groups to bring attention to the ongoing tragedy. They sought guidance from National Congress of American Indians, the largest and oldest representative body for AmericaB次元官网网址檚 nearly 600 tribal nations.
B次元官网网址淚n its failure to represent the life-or-death crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, Disney has erased tragedies that impact tribal Nations across North America,B次元官网网址� Congress President Fawn Sharp said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The organization is fulfilling its job of supporting tribal nationsB次元官网网址� sovereign governments by B次元官网网址渆ducating Disney on the appropriate way to respectfully address this issue with impacted Nations and learn from their leadersB次元官网网址� and experts on Indigenous subjects, Sharp said.
B次元官网网址淭his conversation and process is ongoing, and has been bumpy so far. We are counting on Disney to commit to this long-term dialogue with tribal Nations so that their incomparable media platform can be a force for understanding, equality, and accurate representation of Indigenous peoples and tribal nations globally,B次元官网网址� she said.
Sharp did not detail her specific concerns.
The first B次元官网网址淏ig SkyB次元官网网址� change was to add an on-screen message noting resources for victims of sexual or labour exploitation. Then came story revisions for the freshman drama, extended from its original eight-episode order to 16.
In a scene that was under consideration, for example, private detectives searching for the missing sisters meet with a tribal councilwoman who raises the crisis. Native actor Stefany Mathias was hired for the role and asked to act as a consultant, which she said included reviewing set decorations.
Among them: the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes seal that producers were considering depicting. MathiasB次元官网网址� copy of the script referred to the tribes, so she concluded they had already vetted the story before she emailed Chairwoman Fyant to find out if it would be appropriate to use the seal.
Surprised and stung by the curt reply she received, Mathias said, she apologized to Fyant and regrets not being better informed before reaching out. She doesnB次元官网网址檛 have second thoughts about being part of B次元官网网址淏ig Sky.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 have been working in this industry for a long time and have turned down parts and not auditioned because I didnB次元官网网址檛 agree with the portrayal or I was just simply not willing to play another stereotype,B次元官网网址� Mathias said. She was heartened by the prospect of a major network paying heed to the crucial issue of violence against Native women, she said, calling producers sincere in their efforts.
B次元官网网址淚 just feel in working with them and in talking with them that they had very good intentions and they wanted to do it in the best way possible and in a respectful way,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淢y feeling is that, unfortunately, they simply didnB次元官网网址檛 have the knowledge of working with Indigenous people.B次元官网网址�
Lynn Elber, The Associated Press
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