IllumiNative and USC Cite ‘Reservation Dogs,’ ‘Yellowstone’ and More in Native Representation in Television Report

variety.com:

Jack Dunn IllumiNative, a Native woman-led racial and social justice organization, has partnered with the USC Norman Lear Center’s Media Impact Project to release their latest research study, “Native Representation on Scripted Television: Heightened Visibility and Its Impact on Audiences,” which investigates stereotypical depictions of Native peoples in contemporary TV and their influence on viewers.

The study was completed in two parts. Researchers selected 51 series that released new episodes between 2020 and 2022 for content analysis, examining how they portray Native characters.

A survey-based study was also conducted on three shows with notable Native characters, “Rutherford Falls,” “Reservation Dogs” and “Yellowstone,” measuring how they impact viewers’, beliefs, knowledge and support of social issues affecting Native American communities.

The impact study showed that “Yellowstone” viewers were significantly less likely to agree than non-viewers that the U.S. should uphold treaties allowing Native Americans to control their own lands. “Rutherford Falls” viewers, however, were shown to be more likely to agree than non-viewers. “Reservation Dogs” fans were shown to be more likely to support policies like the Indian Child Welfare Act, which stops Native American children from being separated from their Native American families. “This analysis reaffirms our long-held belief that when non-Native people tell our stories – even those that may be well-intentioned – there’s a high risk that these stories will ultimately diminish Native autonomy or further stereotypes of our communities,” said Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and CEO of IllumiNative. “While it’s refreshing to see that the shows analyzed deployed stereotypes.