Native American representation in Sci-Fi and Superhero films
During a segment called, "The Stream" on Al Jazeera English, three Native American artists discussed the importance of having representation in superhero movies and comics. (Al Jazeera hasn't posted the discussion yet, so I can't find the names of the artists.)
They echoed many of the themes we have discussed in class. One asked questions like, "Why haven't there been native superheroes? We've suffered so much loss, just like superheroes." She made a good point. Superheroes are always burdened with losses such as the loss of parents (Batman and Spiderman) and the loss of land (Wonder woman). For similar reasons, the same artist added how excited she was when she watched Black Panther. Museum artifacts, traditions, and land were threatened in the film.
They also discussed the importance of lived experience. They all expressed wishes of Native directors, writers, and graphic artists in the creation of comics and superheroes. The absence of this lived experience has created a "Pan-Indian idea," as one of the artists explained. This means that there is no cultural or regional differences between Native Americans in films, they all belong to one general category.
Jeffery Veregge was one of the artists who spoke on the segment. He creates poster art for superhero and sci-fi films. Here is some of his artwork:
They echoed many of the themes we have discussed in class. One asked questions like, "Why haven't there been native superheroes? We've suffered so much loss, just like superheroes." She made a good point. Superheroes are always burdened with losses such as the loss of parents (Batman and Spiderman) and the loss of land (Wonder woman). For similar reasons, the same artist added how excited she was when she watched Black Panther. Museum artifacts, traditions, and land were threatened in the film.
They also discussed the importance of lived experience. They all expressed wishes of Native directors, writers, and graphic artists in the creation of comics and superheroes. The absence of this lived experience has created a "Pan-Indian idea," as one of the artists explained. This means that there is no cultural or regional differences between Native Americans in films, they all belong to one general category.
Jeffery Veregge was one of the artists who spoke on the segment. He creates poster art for superhero and sci-fi films. Here is some of his artwork:
Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoyed reading about it. I think superhero films and comics are definitely genres that tend to have less diversity and representation than, say, dramas. The artwork you shared is really neat. That ties into our discussions in class about how often times underrepresented groups have to create media themselves in order to see proper representation. I think art like this is a really great way to promote representation.
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