Hundreds of University of Michigan students, faculty and Ann Arbor residents filed into the Michigan Theater Thursday evening to hear from members of the 1491s, a sketch comedy group composed of Native American writers, filmmakers and actors with different tribal backgrounds. Known for their viral videos and live performances, the 1491s blend humor with cultural commentary, using their performances to challenge stereotypes and share Native experiences and history.
The presentation was a part of the Penny Stamps Speaker Series, which hosts art and design speakers every Thursday. The event’s moderator Eric Ting welcomed three of the five 1491s members — Bobby Wilson, who is Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota; Ryan RedCorn, a member of Osage Nation; and Dallas Goldtooth, Mdewakanton Dakota and Diné.
The group started off producing YouTube videos, gaining thousands of subscribers. After years of creating videos and speaking at college campuses around the country, the members contributed to the writing of Reservation Dogs, a popular comedy-drama television series.
Wilson, RedCorn and Goldtooth discussed how they achieved their success through the entertainment industry’s opportunities. Wilson said Indigenous involvement in the release of Reservation Dogs was an important step towards expanding more opportunities for Indigenous creators.
“That release of Indigenous creativity and talent out into the world with the idea that all of that, all of those artists are going to be able to go out and have these flourishing careers,” Wilson said. “Let’s open it up and let’s keep this thing going.”
1491s describe their satire-based media as a way to process the generational trauma experienced by other members of the Indigenous community. Goldtooth said they are often questioned about whether creating content including Native American stereotypes “re-traumatizes” them. For Goldtooth and the 1491s, comedy is an important tool for processing history, learning and educating others.
“How do we break that generational curse of sorts?” Goldtooth said. “How do we acknowledge for ourselves what happened and also move forward? We make fun of it. Making fun of it, and making fun of ourselves and teasing ourselves as well.”
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA senior Mikey Delphia said he is in a Native American history class, History 338, and he found the 1491s’ blend of satire comedy and history powerful as a storytelling method.
“I think it’s a great way to engage people and not just tell them things, but have them laugh along and have them learn through joy,” Delphia said. “It felt like being included in a bunch of jokes that I didn’t know about, and obviously I won’t appreciate them fully, but I still find it pretty funny.”
The panel concluded with Wilson, RedCorn and Goldtooth sharing artists who were influential to their own growth and deserving of acknowledgment.
“The Native men who showed up in community, the MCs … a handful of men in our community who showed up, who were out, who were there, whether it’s funerals or community power, whatever it may be, heavily influenced me as a person and as an artist,” Goldtooth said. “I want to recognize that.”
Daily News Contributor Talia Varsano can be reached at tvarsano@umich.edu.
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