Native American comedy writer Joey Clift (Cowlitz) thinks there’s something way scarier —
Native American comedy writer Joey Clift (Cowlitz) thinks there’s something way scarier — and a lot less harmful — than the ubiquitous “Native American burial grounds” trope you see in pop culture. European burial grounds, for one. After all, the Paris catacombs “are made of human bones,” Clift writes in Gone Native, his digital series distributed by Comedy Central that tackles a variety of misconceptions about the Native community. Clift has written an open letter to “legendary horror author” Stephen King in an effort to raise awareness about the trope ... which plays a pivotal role in the author’s bestselling novel Pet Sematary (1983). “I think by illuminating the existence of these stereotypes, which are harmful to Native people in the media, I can hopefully convince non-Natives to stop using these tropes,” . While King isn’t the only writer to have included the trope in his work, many film adaptations of King’s books have included it, including The Shining and It. “It: Chapter Two, which came out in 2019 — which is based on a Stephen King book — uses weird made-up Native magic to explain a major plot point” . Clift is no stranger to writing about Native culture. The fact that he’s creating his own series during a pivotal time for Native representation in entertainment isn’t lost on him. “It’s showing non-Native people that we’re still here, we exist, we have amazing stories to tell"
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOEY CLIFT: I think by illuminating the existence of these stereotypes, which are harmful to Native people, in the media, I can hopefully convince non-Natives. To stop using these tropes.
"It-- Chapter 2," which came out in 2019, which is based on a Stephen King book, it uses just, like, weird, made up Native magic to explain, like, a major plot point. And that's a movie that came out in 2019.
I think that it's showing non-Native people that we're still here. We exist. We have amazing stories to tell.
