Would Like Advice on Writing a Native American Character

[TysonStrayer]

Hey guys!

Like the title says, I'm writing a fantasy story very much meant to comment on modern day rural America. As such, I'd like to represent Native Americans, aspects of their mythology, and their resilience through the generations. But I don't want to fall in to the trap of it becoming trauma farming, or disrespectful appropriation. I know that the best way to avoid representation becoming harmful is to talk to the people you are representing. But I'll admit to being a bit socially awkward and not knowing where to begin. I definitely don't want to just start looking people up and asking them if they want to have an hour long talk about representation in media and their life experiences with their heritage. That's all super personal and I am a complete stranger.

How would any more experienced writers recommend navigating this?

 

[Brigid Barry]

I think this goes in the POC thread, and I think there is a thread in there that discusses this. The tribal cultures are many and nuanced, one perspective couldn't possibly tell them all

The best way to avoid appropriation is to not tell stories like they're yours. Is it possible to tell the story from your own heritage and background?

History Channel has a ton of articles on Native Americans, and there's a Ken Burns documentary called We Shall Remain, both sources I highly recommend.

 

[Woollybear]

I would find a local indigenous author, if I could. I'm fortunate that the Chumash, here, are happy to connect, and so I feel less of the restrictions of approaching indigenous people than I might have as a child, back in Indiana.

Start here and read the FAQs and then see if there is a way to learn more about the history of first people in your specific area.

 

[CMBright]

Has the character been raised in a given tribal tradition or grown up in a regular community? I don't think our 11yo has been exposed to the culture beyond summer powwows on years we or the in-laws are up to going.

Different tribes have different cultures. One tribe, I think Cherokee, got broken into two groups, one in Tennessee and the other in Oklahoma by the Trail of Tears forced migration. I would expect the two groups would have cultural differences.

Inuits are going to be very different from Navajo and both will be different from Potawatomi.

Do your research. I was thinking a University Professor with the appropriate background discipline, but I like finding a tribal member who is interested in sharing with you as well.

 

[Unimportant]

Hey guys!

Like the title says, I'm writing a fantasy story very much meant to comment on modern day rural America. As such, I'd like to represent Native Americans, aspects of their mythology, and their resilience through the generations. But I don't want to fall in to the trap of it becoming trauma farming, or disrespectful appropriation. I know that the best way to avoid representation becoming harmful is to talk to the people you are representing. But I'll admit to being a bit socially awkward and not knowing where to begin. I definitely don't want to just start looking people up and asking them if they want to have an hour long talk about representation in media and their life experiences with their heritage. That's all super personal and I am a complete stranger.

How would any more experienced writers recommend navigating this?

I think there are enough differences between the various First Nations peoples that you'd want to ensure you're not painting them all with one brush. If you want to represent Cheyenne, focus on Cheyenne. If you want to represent Sioux, focus on Sioux.

As others have noted, we have a PoC section. And we have members (e.g. Morning Rainbow) who are Native American, whom you could approach directly and perhaps offer a swap of some kind (knowledge for crit, or whatever).

 

[CMBright]

FYI: Kid, Spouse and In-Laws (and their family) all have tribal IDs. I'm American of northern European Descent. I doubt any visitor would pick the Kid out of the classmates as obviously Native American based on appearance.

 

[TysonStrayer]

I would find a local indigenous author, if I could. I'm fortunate that the Chumash, here, are happy to connect, and so I feel less of the restrictions of approaching indigenous people than I might have as a child, back in Indiana.

Start here and read the FAQs and then see if there is a way to learn more about the history of first people in your specific area.

I think this is the way I'm going to go. I know that it's not possible to represent every tribe and person. But in telling a story set in a fantasy world based on modern america, I think that Indigenous mythology makes sense to use.

I think I need to talk to a fiction writer from a local tribe to really get in to the fine points of making a fictional world with races and mythology that resemble ours without being insulting to real people.

 

[ChaseJxyz]

There's various "land acknowledgment" websites/databases where you can stick in a zipcode and it'll tell you who lived where (and maybe also websites you can check out). Also keep in mind not every tribe is federally recognized, for various reasons.

How, exactly, are you going to use their mythology? And how America coded do you want your fantasy world to be? Like one of mine is based on the ice age biomes of north America, but since the tech level is more "middle ages"-ish, I don't think anyone is going to notice lol. Since your setting is "modern" this would be "post-Columbian exchange" so everyone should have wheat and apples and horses and all that?

Though horses originated from the Americas and then migrated to Eurasia and died out here. And only came back as "modern" horses by Europeans. Things would have turned out a lot different if wheat originated in your "America," and horses were domesticated there. But this is probably way, waaaaaaaaay in the weeds of worldbuilding and idk if you're at that point yet lol

One thing to do be aware of is "ooo native americans are ~Magical~ wow" stuff. Like a certain author who shall not be named didn't do 2 seconds of googling to figure out that maybe using "skinwalkers" isn't a good idea. And also referring to everyone as "Native Americans." So besides the lumping in everyone together*, it's the lifting of real beliefs and sticking them into a fantasy as some other "made up thing" is the really hurtful part. It's like how some Christians are doing Passover because it's a neat little thing to do, isn't this quaint . And then they make it about Jesus. So they're ignoring the entire point of Seder, the history of why it's a thing, it's another reminder of "we do not respect your culture, because ours is the only one that's Actually Real, everything else is made up" so...you can see why it's an issue.

Which makes me realize...even just calling it "mythology" isn't great, because it implies that it's not true. Saying the bible is "mythology" would piss off a lot of people. Even if you're an atheist and believe that none of these stories are true, you still have to be respectful and acknowledge that's not the case for everyone. Especially for marginalized groups who had their cultures forcibly destroyed for being "backward."


*Interestingly enough, there is a lot of debate about the term "Two-spirit," which is akin to "LGBTQ" in that it includes everyone...but that's the issue, because not all Indigenous peoples are the same, and how their gender/sexuality minorities (or even if they were considered gender/sexuality minorities at all!) differ in different cultures, so using a term for everyone for everything is problematic. But this is also a term that a group of Indigenous people chose for themselves. It's...complicated. But as a white person, all I need to know is I can't use it for myself.

 

[Brigid Barry]

@Tyson I remembered this morning (around 3 am, when I have the best thoughts) that there is a web site called Writing With Color and there are Q&A sections of the page which may or may not be helpful.

 

[Nuwanda]

If you can, take a trip to the local heritage museums! We have a lot of classes and lectures to offer as well as historical displays! For the deep history, check the local bookstore and library for the specific tribe you want, as stated above. BUT! Also look for a bunch of #NDN and tribal social platforms to get an idea of our humor. We can get pretty black with it. For example, my grandmother once gifted me (the whitest of grandchildren) a whole bunch of blankets that she got from the Good Will and said, completely deadpan, "Don't worry. It's not infected."

Natives React on youtube has really good compellations of different themes from Uncles to Baby Yoda. Laura Grizzly Paws, Notorious Cree, Conway Kootenay, Brett Mooswa are just some socials that are really funny. They're all from different tribes but laughter is universal, you know?

Also, I recommend reading contemporaries like Stephen Graham Jones (Blackfoot) and Louise Erdrich (Chippawa). Sherman Alexie (Spokane), although problematic, has a huge influence in the literary world. Smoke Signals is a pivotal coming of age story all indigenous peoples identify with. I can't think of anyone who hasn't seen it. The mini series Into the West also is also worth the watch even though they lump all the Lakota Sioux together (there's seven bands). The book Walking the Choctaw Road: Stories from the Red People Memory by Tim Tingle is wonderful.

Make sure to check out Old Man Coyote and He'll lead you to other god stories. He's basically a Loki meets dirty old man at the gym.

I know you're writing fantasy but the more you can absorb as much media as you can, the more it'll seep into your writing. Each tribe has a website that will compile resources for you as well.

Most important! Don't be afraid to reach out! Lots of people want to help! AND have fun

 

[Darkwing]

I'm running a post-apocalyptic fantasy game where WWIII brought back the gods and magic, and mutated a lot of people. It's a huge sandbox game, and still has lots of unmapped places. But the Navajo and Uintah are mapped.

Other than their territory and the fact that a significant number of them are actual, flying birdmen, they have a great intelligence service and message system due to said flight ability, and that the fliers use foot-bows so as to not interfere with theie wings, I can't really let the players interact with them, because I know too little.

Unless I get a new player FROM one of those cultures, certainly nobody can play one, again due to lack of knowledge.

I don't need deep knowledge, because we won't be exploring the culture deeply. But if the players encounter a random character, these tribes are off the list of people to meet. No traveling merchant, no fliers rescuing them from the militaristic snakemen neighbors, no passing doctor or sorcerer. Because I don't want to use insulting made-up names from an old western, or have the non-player character say things that they wouldn't or casually share things that would not be told to outsiders.

There are SCA re-creation type cultures, the Bay Area Molokans, etc. But those I have some idea how to run. These cultures paint me into a corner without some idea how to portray them. Is there anything like the writer's guide to the middle ages for these cultures?

 

[Maryn]

[deleted entirely on purpose]

 

[Unimportant]

These cultures paint me into a corner without some idea how to portray them. Is there anything like the writer's guide to the middle ages for these cultures?

As far as I am aware, no, there is not. Reference texts on the Middle Ages exist because so many fiction writers, both historical and fantasy, incorporate that time period into their works, and, more importantly, because using that time period does not appropriate the history, culture, language, and mana of an existing and still-marginalised people.

 

[Darkwing]

Writer's guides are a good idea, IMO, to avoid one-note cliche characters like Walking Bear on Star Trek.
I do not want to look to Tony Hillerman for names and characterization, both because I have heard how he angered many, and because I prefer to read other genres. If he wrote slim novellas and was more respectful of culture, I'd consider it.

 

[Unimportant]

I agree that it is not in any way useful or acceptable to take as a culturally respectful role model a privileged white male writer born a hundred years ago who appropriated a culture not his own for profit.