Native Blockbusters

This is a moment many have been waiting for. Through the combined might of Marvel Comics, Norse mythology, and Native humor, Māori director Taika Waititi shattered the glass ceiling and became the first Indigenous filmmaker to direct a worldwide blockbuster. His film, Thor: Ragnarok, is one of the top movies of 2017, approaching a billion dollars in global box office receipts. It deftly mixes action, humor, and compassion to both entice the comics crowd and please Waititi’s faithful fans. The movie’s justly earned success is cause for Native cinema fans to celebrate. And there is more. Looking at the novels Native authors are publishing one can see that we may be on the cusp of a paradigm shift. Native storytelling is exploring new horizons and mainstream media outlets are throwing their clout behind these endeavors. This means Native artists are reaching larger audiences, and they’re doing so by employing the values that have always guided their people.

Native film buffs have much to cheer about with Thor: Ragnarok, the latest installment in the thunder god’s franchise. Waititi cast veteran Māori actor Rachel House as the villainous sidekick Topaz, and the director himself voices Korg, a rocklike creature that Thor befriends. These roles deliver both memorable moments and quotable punchlines, and having Māori actors portray them highlights the too often overlooked talent of Indigenous performers. Still, the storyline with the most depth for film critics to ponder is that of Valkyrie, a refugee from Asgard who was forced to flee her homeland and culture after her people were defeated by Thor’s power-mad sister. Valkyrie’s initial escapades in debauchery show she’s lost her sense of purpose, but her sobering redemption transforms her into a heroine in her own right.

What I personally love about Thor: Ragnarok is its overarching message. As Thor’s homeland, Asgard, is being destroyed causing its citizens to flee or parish, Thor’s father, Odin, delivers a sobering truth. He states, “Asgard is not a place, it’s a people.” In a genre where death and destruction are so common that they barely resonate, it’s refreshing to hear this film bluntly remind its audience what’s truly important—people.

This sentiment also reverberates in two new novels gracing bookshelves. The first is Cherokee author Daniel H. Wilson’s Clockwork Dynasty, which imagines that human-like robotic creatures have been living amongst their human counterparts for centuries. The book features two hallmarks of Wilson’s accomplished storytelling—multiple narratives and a focus on robotics. In this case, the storylines are the machines’ millennia-long evolutionary thread and the battles that are reminiscent of those in the Terminator franchise. The book burns slowly, navigates twists and turns, and ultimately crescendos with a cinematic battle.

The second novel is Turtle Mountain Chippewa author Louise Erdrich’s Future Home of the Living God. This book features Cedar Hawk Songmaker, a young mother-to-be trying to save the life of her unborn child in a world that has banned childbirth. This dark dystopian novel moves quickly as Cedar tries to reconnect with her own birth parents and navigate a world where violence and oppression await anyone who tries to subvert the powers that be. It’s a fast read that’s both horrifying and frighteningly easy to imagine.

Common threads connect these three stories, and together they may form the apex of modern Indigenous storytelling. Within these works are discussions of intergenerational family bonds, the rollercoaster of emotions surrounding adoptive family, and the possible extinction of a species. These stories are each set in speculative worlds of varying probability, but they all have their fingers on the pulse of Native ideals here in the real world.

While it’s fortifying to witness these works’ common themes, it’s hardly surprising that Indigenous values would emerge in them. Although many viewers in the over-culture won’t recognize the significance of elders’ wisdom, families’ bonds, or hope for future generations, many Native people will identify these common plot points as the application of the unwavering Seven Generations model. To put it succinctly, these characters look to the past to guide their decisions, the implications of which will affect the future keepers of the land. The fact that these themes are gracing top grossing films and bestselling novels makes it a moment to trumpet.

It’s a thrilling time for modern Indigenous storytelling. Traditional stories are plentiful, new voices are emerging, and mainstream works are championing long held principles. We can look to the ubiquitous Marvel comics brand to spark discussions about Waititi and also books and television series like The Handmaid’s Tale to segue to the works of Wilson or Erdrich. We can champion these artists’ successes and remind our students that no matter what heights they achieve, they can still hold steadfast to their traditional values. Unlike the whims of consumers, their cultural truths are the unwavering keys that will guide them and their descendants through both the real and fantastical obstacles they encounter.

Ryan Winn teaches English, theater, and communication at College of Menominee Nation, where he has been recognized as the American Indian College Fund’s Faculty Member of the Year.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the Inquisitive Academic or any other opinion columns published by the Tribal College Journal (TCJ) do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TCJ or the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.