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.