Allie Redhorse Young, Writer & Founder, Protect the Sacred | MAKERS Profile

Allie Redhorse Young, Writer & Founder, Protect the Sacred | MAKERS Profile

Video Transcript

ALLIE REDHORSE YOUNG: Women in Indigenous cultures historically have been the decision-makers and the power.

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I was raised in my Diné culture, which is the Navajo people. We call our reservation the Navajo Nation. And we are the largest tribe in the United States. My grandfathers are both medicine men. We went to all of the community and cultural gatherings. I remember falling asleep behind my mother at a ceremony but hearing the drum beat in the singing, you know, is a fond memory of my childhood.

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The Diné people, we were thought of in the very stereotypical fashion. And I remember watching those classic Hollywood westerns-- the representation of our people is horrible-- cowboys versus Indians, we were the bad guys. It's horrifying. And I think for us, because we didn't see our people on the screen or as actors, we're like, "Oh, look, there's us." It was a huge misunderstanding. And I think a lot of those stereotypes came from the media and the misrepresentation of my people.

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When I first moved out to LA, I started at the bottom of the food chain. I was a PA and then I was promoted to showrunner's assistant. That made me realize I wanted to be in the writers' room. And so I was pitching television show to Netflix, and Amazon, and then the pandemic hit.

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I didn't realize how devastated my community would become. We weren't even considered in the CARES Act funding-- Navajo Nation and other tribal communities. And that's not the first time that the government hasn't shown up for us. We were telling our youth to stay home and protect our elders, who hold that sacred knowledge, our languages, the ancestral knowledge, our medicine ways, our songs, our prayers. And they are the ones that were most at risk. There was just no time. So I started to use the hashtag #protectthesacred.

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Our young people, they were asking the question-- why do we continue to participate in a system that wasn't designed for us and has never worked for us? And I wanted to find something that would motivate them to get out the vote. My father and I believe deeply that our people are moved by our culture and our stories. It was really his vision to see all of us reconnecting to our relationship with the land and with horses, which is medicine to our people. It's a spirit that's very powerful, that is a symbol of our resilience, and our strength, and our survival. I said, "I can do it. I can organize those people. Let's do it."

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I was nervous that people wouldn't show up. And as an organizer, that's always a fear. And as we were waiting there, we started a little bit late-- we call that Indian time-- and people started to show up. Once we started going, and once we mounted our horses, it was just powerful.

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I get emotional thinking about the contribution that our people had in that election but also throughout history. We've always contributed to this country in very significant ways. I want native youth to know that there's hope and that they can be something and do something with whatever they're passionate about. Our young people are the future, and we need to protect them.

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