A Naturally Native Reflection

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to watch Naturally Native. It's a film that's centered around the lives of three sisters (played by Valerie Red-Horse, Irene Bedard, and Kimberly Guerrero) and their efforts to begin a line of cosmetics using recipes passed down from their tribe. Fun fact: Bedard was the voice and model for Disney's Pocahontas. It's a movie that was written and directed by Red-Horse. 

The film is a great cinematic work for the Native American people as it tries to cover every crucial issue, small or large, in Native American culture. As Rader comments in his book, Engaged Resistance, "because the film works hard to zoom in on the complicated issues Indians deal with daily while also panning wide to show the broad spectrum of the macro issues of Indian people, it does the cinematic work of a lens, bringing both big and small aspects of Native issues into focus"(94). Issues in this movie include many forms of cultural imperialism (mascots, white shamanism, etc), drinking, interracial relationships, a happy marriage among Native Americans, Indians living on reservations and in suburban settings, the status of Native American women, tribal membership and CIB cards, and the presence of the casino in present day Native American culture.

 In addition to addressing at least a dozen pertinent issues, it also deals with Native American identity. For example, throughout the whole movie Tanya doesn’t really identify with her Indian culture. She spends her time looking for love online (a move which almost ends tragically) when she has a great guy right in front of her. I think part of the reason that she pursues a man outside of her culture is because she hasn’t accepted her cultural heritage yet. It takes a visit from the reservation for her to see the loving Native American suitor right in front of her. In order for her to see him though she has to negotiate with herself that she is an Indian and it’s okay for her to marry an Indian man. Another moment where identity is specifically negotiated is the part in which the sisters try to get a business grant from the guy at the YEA who needs to see a CDIB before he can give them any money. As the sisters were all adopted, this requirement cannot be met. The guy then says that they could just say they were Hispanic and get the grant that way. However, the sisters rightly turn that down as that would be a direct compromise of their cultural identity. A third instance in which the issue of identity is negotiated is the one in which the sisters go and visit the white shaman. She tells them that in return for their performing of the Sun Dance for her customers, she will financially support them. The only problem with her seemingly kind offer is that the girls are Presbyterians and adopted and therefore they would never engage in that ritual. Not only that, but like most white shamans, she is practicing a form of cultural imperialism and stands to make some money off of it.  

As you can see, this movie casts a wide net to encompass many issues in Native American culture. This makes the movie a wonderful guide for those who want to learn about the issues but not a great movie for those who desire a straightforward plot. The storyline tends to wander slightly with the writer's urge to pack as many issues into one movie as possible. There is also the fact that if you're looking for a big budget blockbuster, this is not your movie. But as Craig Womack is quoted in Engaging Resistance, native literary texts (and films, for that matter) “deserve to be judged by their own terms, not merely an agreement with, or reaction against, European literature and theory” (93). For that reason Naturally Native is a goldmine for Native American culture and well worth your time. Happy watching!

Here's a link to the trailer for the movie:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XETu3jEPBQ