This clip from Reel Injun, a Canadian documentary about indigenous people portrayed in film, rewrites a misunderstood history that elucidates the unexpected truth behind a few Native Americans actors. This film highlights many examples of “Indians in unexpected places” (Deloria). Without knowledge of Navajo, this clip would show the typical story of a white colonizer overpowering a native chief. A story that has been repeated over and over again throughout American media, since the rhetoric of pacification set in around 1900 (Deloria). This scene, redubbed with what the actors were actually saying reveals a subaltern message targeted at the actors’ fellow Navajo-speakers. Counteracting the messaging of pacification, these actors turn the white men’s intentions upside down, pretending to comply when really playing a joke, which has now been broadcast to audiences far and wide.

Adding subtitles to this scene not only rewrites the history books on white-native power dynamics, but it also is a clear example of classic Native American comedy. This show of deviance indirectly argues for “Native peoples’ inherent right to survival and sovereignty” calling attention to the utter disregard that white people have shown Native Americans throughout our common history. Not only does the white character appear stupid and arrogant, but the directors are also exposed for not even bothering to check what the Navajo actors were saying. Additionally, this form of in-group humor, subverts the power of language. In most situations in the US, English would be commonly considered a more useful language than Navajo due to it’s widespread use. In this instance however, because of the actor’s knowledge of Navajo and precisely because few non-native people speak the language, he is able to use this skill to his advantage and to the advantage of his community. This form of “in-group humor fosters social cohesion” because it tells a story of power and resistance to those who understand their struggle (13).