Tribal Television: Viewing Native People in Sitcoms

Native Americans have been a constant fixture on television, from the dawn of broadcasting, when the iconic Indian head test pattern was frequently used during station sign-ons and sign-offs, to the present. In this first comprehensive history of indigenous people in television sitcoms, Dustin Tahmahkera examines the way Native people have been represented in the genre. Analyzing dozens of television comedies from the United States and Canada, Tahmahkera questions assumptions that Native representations on TV are inherently stereotypical and escapist. From The Andy Griffith Show and F-Troop to The Brady Bunch, King of the Hill, and the Native-produced sitcom, Mixed Blessings, Tahmahkera argues that sitcoms not only represent Native people as objects of humor but also provide a forum for social and political commentary on indigenous-settler relations and competing visions of America.

Considering indigenous people as actors, producers, and viewers of sitcoms as well as subjects of comedic portrayals, Tribal Television underscores the complexity of Indian representations, showing that sitcoms are critical contributors to the formation of contemporary indigenous identities and relationships between Native and non-Native people.

Author: Dustin Tahmahkera
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Published: 10/30/2014
Pages: 262
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781469618685

Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2015 pg. 1648

About the Author
Tahmahkera, Dustin: - Dustin Tahmahkera (Comanche Nation) is assistant professor in the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies and faculty affiliate in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin.