Native American & Indigenous

We’re proud to feature Native American and Indigenous heritage voice over talents. Increasing Native representation – through media, politics, and storytelling – is critical to amplifying the stories and voices that have long been overlooked.

Defined by the US Census as “a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment”, Native people have continued to fight and advocate for their rights and to raise awareness.

Growth in Native and Indigenous Populations

Over the last decade, there has been a 160% growth in American Indian and Alaskan Native population. According to the 2020 US Census, 9.7 million Americans identify as American Indian or Alaskan Native. When it comes to the electorate, approximately 4,871,103 million American Indians and Alaska Natives are of voting age.

Raising awareness and increasing visibility of Native people offers an opportunity to learn about the true history, which has often been overlooked or inaccurately told through the lens of Christopher Columbus. On October 8, 2021 President Joe Biden declared October 11, 2021 to be Indigenous People’s Day. More and more states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day to recognize and honor the history and culture of Native people.

Indigenous Culture in Pop Culture

Reservation Dogs, an FX series on Hulu, features a cast of Native actors (Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis) and Indigenous writers and directors (Sterlin Harjo, Sydney Freeland, Blackhorse Lowe, Migizi Pensoneau, Tazbah Rose Chavez). The show was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2022.

In 2020, the Center for American Women and Politics reported the largest number of Native American women running for Congress. Six Native candidates were elected to Congress in 2020, including Rep. Debra Haaland, Rep. Sharice Davids, Rep. Tom Cole, Rep. Markwayne Mullin, Rep. Yvette Herrell, and Rep. Kaiali’i Kahele.

Correct Indigenous Representation and Terms

Being mindful of which terms to use in your projects and the preferences of the people you want to connect with can go a long way in building trust. Resources like the National Museum of the American Indian are a great place to start. This article on terminologyshares insights on using accurate terms, and this section offers answers to frequently asked questions.

Indigenous creators on TikTok like Brett Mooswa, Michelle Chubb, and Sherry McKay use social media to share their cultural experiences and raise awareness for issues impacting their communities. According to this article, there are 3.4 billion views for #NativeTikTok and 605.5 million views for #IndigenousTikTok. People are watching and listening.