A prominent Native American actor is speaking out against Yellowstone’s representation. Depicting the struggles of the fictional Dutton family, the show follows their adventures as they attempt to preserve and strengthen their control over the largest ranch in the state of Montana. Along the way, they make enemies of several other powerful groups, including the Broken Rock Indian Reservation. The show has become a prominent aspect of Paramount’s network, earning several awards and multiple spin-offs along the way.
Despite its success, the series still has some sharp criticism. Lily Gladstone, star of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, is extremely frustrated with the entire state of Yellowstone and its representation of Indigenous people. While speaking with Vulture, Gladstone stressed that she found the depictions “Delusional!” and “Deplorable!” but quickly went on to explain that she did not blame the cast of the show in any way. Check out the rest of her quote below:
No offense to the Native talent in that. I auditioned several times. That’s what we had.
The Flawed Representation In Yellowstone
While Gladstone does not clarify exactly which elements she is critiquing, there are several aspects that make the show’s representation of Indigenous people flawed. Its creator, Taylor Sheridan, has always intended to portray Native Americans accurately, but the show rarely confronts the reality of life for its Native cast. Instead, its focus remains on the Dutton family drama, which means that Indigenous people are never given the screen time necessary to be depicted accurately.
Gil Birmingham’s Thomas Rainwater is shown as having an equal motivation to retain control the Broken Rock reservation as John Dutton has for his own ranch. The same is true for Rainwater’s desire to claim portions of the ranch. Equating their struggles is not entirely accurate, though, given that Dutton’s ranch is a profitable entity that he clings to in order to retain power. The Indigenous communities, meanwhile, are attempting to survive after years of brutal discrimination, while seeking to reclaim stolen land.
While the Broken Rock faction tends to be less cutthroat than the Duttons, that does not excuse the inability to properly establish the stakes of their fight. The show also involves endless depictions of violence against Native women, which can be offensive. The reality is that many of them face extreme violence in reality, yet depicting their struggles on-screen can seem exploitative if done incorrectly. That could very well be the biggest aspect of Yellowstone that Gladstone is criticizing.