This clip of Richard Oakes addressing the media as the representative of those participating in the Occupation of Alcatraz in 1969 is one of the most entertaining press releases I have ever seen. Oakes is certainly defying stereotypes of pacification by presenting his pointedly ironic statement to the white press. The rhetorical framing of the Native American “outbreak [as being] more rebellion than war,” allows only a weak portrayal of resistance and a feeling of inevitable failure (Deloria, 28). Oakes does not fall into this trap. By turning white men’s common phrases and notions such as manifest destiny, beacon of freedom, and discovery to speak of a certain inevitability of Native American victory, Oakes turns the white colonizers’ words directly against them. This not only changes the narrative from one of outbreak to one of strong and deliberate resistance, but does so in a clever way that calls attention to the hypocrisy of the US government and European American culture. Thus, he works against both “the most powerful expectations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—violence and Indian disappearance—and those of the twentieth, which [clustered] around various forms of primitivism” (Deloria, 50).

This speech, though presented as a serious press release, seems more like a stand up comedy routine, complete with many of the elements common to Native American comedians to this day. Oakes definitely makes a persuasive claim to “Native peoples’ inherent right to survival and sovereignty” while also relying on self-deprecation and teasing the audience through flipping assumptions and making use of historically white notions to show that they actually make more sense when connected with the Native American struggle (Morris, 38). Again, Oakes’s use of comedy reminds us of the important role that comedy can play in social mediation (Mintz, 75).

In “Indian Store,” Dallas Goldtooth and Bobby Wilson play with Native American tropes and poke fun at stereotypes that are all too common in mainstream media. By entering the scene with Starbucks and iPhones and quickly changing clothes, speech patterns and background music once their store opens, they call into question many common assumptions of modern Indians. This is a classic example of Native American comedy, incorporating the elements of teasing the audience, relying on self-deprecation, and incorporating oral tradition (Morris, 38).

As with the 1491s’s Origin Stories skit they are clearly catering to a Native audience with in-group references that I definitely missed. For example, I have no idea what they are talking about in their first conversation. Interestingly, this reference is made when they are not fulfilling other Indian tropes, calling attention to the fact that Native people can and do have culture and references outside of stereotypes. This may seem like an obvious observation but so often comedy centers stereotypes to the point where people become defined by the opposite of the stereotype as opposed to carving out an identity free from any assumptions.

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).