Revealing Hidden Indigenous Narratives within the Modern Context

By Autumn Harry, Tsanavi Spoonhunter, and Jarrette Werk

As Indigenous Peoples, our place-based narratives connect us with the ancestral world—geographically, spiritually, and physically. Due to the continued impacts of colonialism, Indigenous communities within North America are actively advocating for their rights to be recognized and respected within their ancestral homelands. Indigenous-based geographical narratives do not recognize colonial borders but rather focus on honoring treaty lands and Indigenous territories, while also revitalizing Indigenous languages. Restoring original place names is a way to begin re-Indigenizing these spaces and identifying places that are integral to a Nation’s understanding of its history, culture, rights and responsibilities to land.

Due to colonial mapping practices, non-Indigenous cultures have imposed an uninformed geography of specific landscapes. In Montana, for instance, there aren’t many formal ways to resolve issues with the state or surrounding states because they have to work directly with the Federal Government. The Crow Tribe of Montana’s original homelands encompassed over 100 million acres of land in the early 1800s, federal intervention has left this nation with only 2.2 million. This has impacted the Tribe severely because its tribal members have no access to traditional hunting grounds. A significant court case becomes prevalent to this complexity. Herrera v. Wyoming (2019) made its way to the highest court in the country, and Herrera—a Crow tribal member of Montana—won. It is a landmark victory because it solidified traditional hunting grounds.

This recent case has been a monumental victory for more than 400 treaty tribes across the Nation, but it wasn't covered in mainstream media. Usually when these communities are represented in the media, the coverage is surface-level as a result of the lack of a historical context. When mainstream media overlooks these stories, it is up to us as Indigenous Peoples to use our voice and make sure we are heard. Traditionally, Indigenous Peoples are storytellers. We carry the stories of our ancestors. In today's contemporary society, Native media outlets work toward sharing the voices of today and tomorrow by creating a platform for Indigenous storytellers to amplify their own narratives within their respective communities.

Autumn Harry, Tsanavi Spoonhunter, and Jarrette Werk will be participating in the virtual Nevada Humanities Salon: Indigenous Narratives in the Modern Context. The Salon will be on Friday, May 15 at 6 pm PST on the Nevada Humanities Facebook page at facebook.com/nevadahumanities.

Image/Autumn Harry, member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe

Autumn Harry is a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in northern Nevada. Recently, Autumn has been involved in organizing actions such as the Reno Women's March, bringing awareness to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and the importance of preserving water in Nevada.

Tsanavi Spoonhunter is a reporter and filmmaker from the Paiute, Arapaho, and Lakota nations. Spoonhunter is an enrolled member of the Arapaho Tribe of the Wind River Reservation. She is a graduate student specializing in documentary film at the University of California, Berkeley and her thesis film that highlights the Crow Tribe of Montana in the southeastern region of the state is scheduled for completion by May 2020.

Jarrette Werk, A’aniiih and Nakoda of Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana, is a junior at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, studying multimedia journalism. Inspired by the lack of mainstream media coverage of the Dakota Access pipeline, Werk decided to pursue a degree in media. His work focuses on positively and accurately covering the issues of Indigenous Peoples within Indian Country.