Indigenous Voices in Film and Video: Transforming Pedagogy and the Politics of Representation

In many contexts, Indigenous people have not been able to tell or control stories about themselves because colonizers and other political and social elites have distorted Indigeneity or erased it entirely. These misrepresentations not only obscure the historical and cultural realities of Indigenous communities but also reinforce dominant power structures. To decolonize education and create inclusive curricula that honor Indigenous knowledge, educators must shift from merely teaching about Indigenous peoples to actively teaching with Indigenous voices and perspectives (McMath and Hall 2018). To provide space for stories focused on Indigenous perspectives, Films for the Feminist Classroom offers the special feature “Indigenous Voices in Film and Video.”

The centrality of settler colonialism in current pedagogical structures is clear (Calderon 2014). The educational system shapes students according to colonial ideals such as consumerism, competition, and hyper-individualism (Cajete 2016). In the region that settlers have named North America and some Indigenous communities refer to as Turtle Island (Jamail and Rushworth 2024; Weaver 2014), colonization and the erasure of Native American cultures did not end with the physical and emotional violence caused by Indian boarding schools of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Feir 2016). In the United States in particular, White-centric narratives are still disproportionately represented in history lessons and textbooks (Gellman 2024). They focus on iconic figures such as Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett, reinforcing the myth of an “essential White American” identity rooted in violence against and conquest of Indigenous peoples and promoting harmful ideas such as American exceptionalism and manifest destiny (Dunbar-Ortiz 2015). Such oversimplified and lazy historical interpretations also instruct students on which voices to listen to and which to ignore (Bigelow and Peterson 1998). The dominance of settler-colonial narratives and exclusion of Native voices in education leads to the continued misrepresentation and appropriation of Indigenous cultural expressions and creative works, furthering the ongoing colonization of Native cultures (Miller, Buijs, and van Dam 2022; Ward 2011).

Film itself has long been wielded as a tool to uphold systems of domination like imperialism and racism, shaping our perceptions of identity and social structures (hooks 1996). Mainstream cinema especially has favored Whiteness (Satchel 2016) and reinforced a colonial worldview and harmful stereotypes, such as the myth of the savage American Indian, seen in countless Hollywood films (Price 1973; Reed 2005).

Incorporating alternative viewpoints helps provide a new perspective and challenges the fallacies of objectivity and universal knowledge that are often perpetuated by current pedagogical practices (Haraway 1988). Educators who are committed to decolonizing their classrooms and transforming the dominant colonial narrative must prioritize Indigenous voices, allowing Native peoples to share their stories on their own terms (Akers 2014). Including Indigenous-created narratives allows educators to confront the colonial hierarchies that have historically dictated the legitimacy of various types of knowledge (Smith 1999), to foster inclusivity, to promote a more comprehensive understanding of the past (Gellman 2024), and to challenge students to discover new perspectives (Bigelow and Peterson 1998).

One effective way to amplify Native voices is through film and other audiovisual media created by and about Indigenous peoples sharing their stories. Indigenous storytelling has long been a tradition used by these communities to preserve their cultures, affirm their experiences, and pass down their knowledge (Ballenger 1997; Iseke 2013). This practice has great power to challenge traditional colonial perspectives and broaden understanding (Miller, Buijs, and van Dam 2022), and film provides a uniquely modern and accessible medium. For this issue’s special feature, we invited educators to reflect on how they integrate Indigenous-made and ‑centered films into their teaching. From a variety of disciplines and pedagogical approaches, these essays, reviews, and lesson plans examine how Indigenous media promote dialogue, disrupt colonial narratives, and deepen student engagement with Indigenous histories, resistance movements, and cultural expressions. Contributors share their experiences using film to challenge settler colonialism, highlight Indigenous viewpoints, and foster discussions about representation, sovereignty, and survival.

Some pieces turn our attention toward the cultural and social dimensions of Indigeneity. We learn about Indigenous art and creative expression in w. C. Sy’s essay about decolonizing both the screen and the classroom through a course dedicated to Indigenous cinema and in Kate Morris’s review of three films exploring Indigeneity in contemporary art: Haida Modern, Meddle, and Native Art Now! Other pieces highlight the unique voices of Indigenous women. Amber Dean offers strategies to raise awareness and foster discussions about violence against Indigenous women in her review of Bring Her Home and Sisters Rising. Isabel Dulfano emphasizes the leadership of Indigenous women in resistance efforts by reviewing End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock and Mankiller. Jennifer L. Gauthier examines the vital role of Indigenous women in revitalizing their cultural traditions through storytelling in her review of four films made by and about Indigenous women: Indigenous Plant Diva, Nowhere Land, Stories Are in Our Bones, and Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: This Is the Way We Rise.

Additionally, contributions explore Indigenous resistance through activism. Samantha McAleese presents a lesson plan centered on the film YINTAH, which encourages students to analyze Indigenous struggles against extractive capitalism and settler colonialism in Canada. Liza Piper reviews two documentaries, Awake: A Dream from Standing Rock and We Are Unarmed, that focus on and amplify Indigenous voices concerning the protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock. Finally, Theresa Warburton’s lesson plan examines films made by Indigenous directors as forms of social protest, placing Jeff Barnby’s zombie horror film Blood Quantum in conversation with two documentaries by Alanis Obomsawin: Incident at Restigouche and Is the Crown at War with Us?

Broadening the special feature’s geographic scope, two pieces extend beyond North America. Paride Bollettin shares strategies for incorporating films by Brazilian Indigenous women to foster understanding of and collaboration with Indigenous communities. Meanwhile, Shu Wan explores Indigenous viewpoints in Northeast Asia through a lesson plan that encourages students to examine the history of that region and Indigeneity without adopting an “imperial gaze.”

Collectively, these pieces illuminate how film can function as a tool of resistance and a means of decolonizing both the screen and syllabus. “Indigenous Voices in Film and Video,” however, is only one part of an important conversation that extends beyond the special feature itself. We invite readers to explore other issues of Films for the Feminist Classroom, especially those with reviews centered on Indigeneity and Native voices. While not all films reviewed are directed or produced by Native people, they can still spark conversation and critique.

• Laura DeVos reviews Without a Whisper and Warrior Women, focusing on centering Indigenous women in the struggle against settler heteropatriarchy.
• Lucas Savino reviews Profit and Loss and Islands of Sanctuary, exploring Indigenous peoples’ efforts to protect sacred lands, defend human rights, and restore the environment.
• Verna St. Denis reviews Honor the Treaties and Tinku Kamayu, critiquing how Indigenous communities are represented in film.
• Natalie Lira reviews A Dangerous Idea and Amá, examining how the concepts of race and gender are used to justify and enforce state violence.
• Angeline Shaka reviews Ke Kulana He Mahu and Kumu Hina, two films that focus on Native Hawaiians and nonconforming gender expressions.
• Renée Monchalin reviews Young Lakota and On the Divide, exploring the experiences and challenges of abortion access for Indigenous people in the United States.
• Margaret Huettl reviews Tribal Justice and Invoking Justice about women-centered, non-Western legal systems.
• Susan Sleeper-Smith reviews The Couple in the Cage, The Life and Times of Sara Baartman, and The Human Zoo, exploring the racist stereotypes imposed on Indigenous people by colonizers and the public spectacles made of them.
• Mary Caprioli reviews We Women Warriors and Woman Rebel, two films about Indigenous women from diverse areas of the world fighting for their homes.

Katie Jordan is a master’s student in the Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Texas Woman’s University. Her academic journey is driven by an interest in the intersections of religion and gender, particularly focusing on feminist perspectives. Her research explores religious disaffiliation and the impacts of religious teachings on gender dynamics. She is committed to shedding light on issues of religious harm, advocating for marginalized voices, and exploring pathways to healing within religious and post-religious communities and individuals. Katie’s work aims to foster critical dialogue and awareness around gender, religion, and their implications for social justice.