On TikTok, the social media app with over 800 million users worldwide, Indigenous creators have found a platform. Amplifying Indigenous narratives that are often unheard, creators share culture, history and daily life with their followers. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigenous creators have also utilized the app to illustrate how the virus disproportionately affects Native Americans. As a platform, TikTok offers users small clips of content, lending accessibility to information often unavailable in mainstream media.
James Jones, a member of Canada’s Cree Nation, is a creator, dancer and Indigenous performer who uses TikTok as a platform for awareness and advocacy. His videos show users the basics of hoop dancing and the intricacies of tribal regalia used for ceremonial purposes. Jones told Vogue: “We dance for those who can’t dance, and we dance to heal. I always hope to educate and bring awareness in a good way.”
Theland Kicknosway is a 17-year-old Cree creator who uses his platform to connect with other Indigenous teens and spread awareness of Indigenous culture. In his series on braids, he teaches users about the sanctity of hair in Indigenous culture. Kicknosway educates viewers on the grim treatment of Indigenous people in both the present and the past while empowering Indigenous men to wear their braids proudly.
Lila Bible is a Native American teen working to bring awareness to the ongoing plight of missing Indigenous women across North America. Indigenous women are subjected to violent crimes at a rate as high as 10 times the average across many parts of the United States. In her videos, Bible emphasizes the need to advocate for these missing women, using her personal narrative as a touchstone.
Jojo Jackson is another creator who works to dismantle preconceived notions of Native American communities. He went viral in April 2020 with a video illustrating the harsh impact that the coronavirus has had on the Navajo Nation. Jackson told The Guardian that he “just wanted to spread awareness, to give people basic, raw information because I thought the news was sugarcoating it. I wanted to show what it’s like [on the reservation], the number of COVID-19 cases and the basic resources the Navajo Nation just doesn’t have.”
Sarah Leidich
Sarah is currently an English and Film major at Barnard College of Columbia University. Sarah is inspired by global art in every form, and hopes to explore the intersection of activism, art, and storytelling through her writing.