INDIGENOUS A&E: ‘Dark Winds’ at the White House, ‘Coyote Girl’ exhibit, and TV comedy
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Sandra Hale Schulman
Special to ICT
The latest: From the rez to the White House with mystery, photography and comedy
FILM: Acclaimed series hosted in Washington, DC
In an arts highlight for National Native American Heritage Month, AMC Networks, in partnership with the Biden-Harris Administration, hosted a celebration of “Dark Winds” at the White House on Nov. 22, featuring a reception with the stars, a panel discussion and an advance screening of the “Dark Winds: Season 3” premiere episode.
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Series stars Zahn McClarnon (“The Son,” “Westworld,” “Fargo”), Kiowa Gordon (“The Red Road,” “Roswell, New Mexico”), Jessica Matten (“Rez Ball,” “Tribal,” “Burden of Truth”) and Deanna Allison (“Accused,” “Edge of America”) were there along with executive producers Graham Roland, John Wirth, Chris Eyre and co-producer Steven Paul Judd.
There was an introduction from U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, followed by a conversation with McClarnon, Gordon, Matten, Roland and Eyre that was moderated by New York Magazine’s TV critic Jen Chaney. The administration and AMC Networks said they are committed to honoring the history, cultures, and vast contributions of Tribal nations and Native peoples.
“Dark Winds,” the critically acclaimed noir thriller based on the Leaphorn and Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, will have the Season 3 premiere on Sunday, March 9. Ahead of the Season 3 premiere, viewers can catch up on all the action and backstories from the first two seasons on AMC+ and Netflix.
EXHIBIT: Trickster gets a new ID
In a fanciful, futuristic take on the myth tales of Coyote, photographer Cara Romero flips the script. Photographed in the desert with a spaceship, a hot-pink catsuit and a helmet with furry ears, this trickster is out of this world.
An exhibit of photographer/artist Cara Romero’s "Coyote Girl" will debut in a solo exhibition, "Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light)," from Jan. 18–Aug. 10, 2025, at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. (Photo courtesy of Cara Romero)
“To the Chemehuevi, Coyote (Sunaav) dominates our mythology,” she said in a statement, “and is the most ridiculed and despised, the most loved, emulated and needed, of all those wondrous animal people who lived in the story time … shedding light on our penchant for irony and questioning strong affirmatives for the spirit personified by the Chemehuevi as Coyote,” according to “Mirror and Pattern: George Laird's World of Chemehuevi Mythology.”
“Coyote embodies both the good and the bad of our human nature and asks us to forgive ourselves and each other.”
Photographer, Cara Romero, a citizen of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, will debut in solo exhibition, "Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light)," from Jan. 18–Aug. 10, 2025, at the Hood Museum of Art in Hanover, New Hampshire. (Photo courtesy of Cara Romero)
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Romero’s "Coyote Girl" will debut in the upcoming museum solo exhibition, Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (Living Light), from Jan. 18–Aug. 10, 2025, at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
“For years, I’ve wanted to create a photograph featuring a female coyote,” Romero said. “Coyote stories often focus on male tricksters, whose actions lead them into mistakes. However, Coyote Girl embodies a more clever and savvy character. As part of my Indigenous Futurism and Coyote Tales series, we are highlighting Coyote Girl’s wisdom and resourcefulness. I am also taking imaginative liberty to remind us of Coyote’s presence now and into the future.”
The exhibit explores the narrative of Romero’s work, with a thematic examination of her complex, layered images that celebrate the strangeness, beauty, and resolve of Native American and Indigenous experiences. Accompanied by a catalogue, this is Romero's first major solo exhibition.
TV: Black Elk lands new comedic role
In breakthrough casting, actor Tokala Black Elk plays Takoda in the new NBC comedy “Happy’s Place” headed up by comedian/singer Reba McEntire.
A member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a direct descendant of Lakota holy man Black Elk, Tokala grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and speaks several native languages. Elk appeared in the limited series “1883” with Tim McGraw, and in the first season of “Yellowstone.”
Elk’s TV work includes “Outer Range,” “Lewis & Clark,” “Into the West,” “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Elk got his start in “Wind River,” a role that garnered him critical acclaim.
But a mainstream network comedy is new hunting ground for Elk. What attracted him to doing this?
“I have always wanted to be able to be inside of comedy,” Elk told ICT by Zoom. “I felt like that's the epitome of being an actor, is to be able to bring happiness and joy instead of always pointing out the darkness of the human condition. Go ahead and project towards a future that's better, towards happiness, towards light. My entire career, I've been that guy pointing out the darkness of the human condition. When I got a chance to be able to audition for an NBC sitcom, I said I want to do that. When they turned Takoda into a Dakota Indian because I was hired, then they gave him the back story of who he is.”
Actor Tokala Black Elk, Oglala Sioux, far left, plays Takoda in the new NBC comedy, “Happy’s Place,” featuring comedian/singer Reba McEntire. (Courtesy photo)
He continued, “I never thought that my dream would come true, that I would be able to be on a sitcom on a major network. The fact that I get to do it with Reba McIntire, who is one of the most friendly, down-to-earth people, and that my cast that I work with is actually a family that we have, this essence where we care about each other, we meet with each other, we go have dinner together at each other's houses. We're a wonderful group and I'm so honored to be able to say that I get to be a human being that happens to be Dakota inside of this story. I love that I get to have little kids seeing a person that looks like them that are from reservations. It's not a victim story. It's opening up the path for a lot of things, not just my character.”
Tokala says that at first he didn’t believe that he could be an actor. Even his family said, "You're an Indian. Why do you keep trying to be an actor? They ain't never going to promote you. You're going to be an Indian for the rest of your life. You're never going to be anything else."
Tokala had a different vision.
“I disagreed with them, and I want every kid that's watching this to know and understand that's not the truth,” he said. “Watch “Happy's Place” and see me being funny. Reba is the executive producer. She approved everybody. When I went into my call-back audition, Reba was in the room and saw I would fit in. There's an understanding of authenticity. Reba is a powerful person in this thing because she grew up in Oklahoma. She grew up around Native people. My character is going to have family members in future episodes. There's going to be more Natives on there, and I'm so honored to be able to be a person that you can watch with your kids on Friday."
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