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What Is Native Comedy?
Im not the person to ask.
Thats all it is.
J.C.:There we go!
I mean, you dont ask me Whats white comedy?
I focus on the showbiz angle more than the cultural angle.
I felt it was a weird project to take on, because Im not Native.
And that is like the million-dollar question, at least within Indigenous communities at this moment.
I was just talking to Bobby Wilson fromthe 1491sand writer on the upcomingRutherford FallsandReservation Dogs.
But to Adriannes point, its just so different.
Native comedy is happening everywhere.
Its at the wellness conferences.
Its at the casinos.
Its at the UCB in L.A.
Native comedy is all things at all times.
J.C.: I definitely feel like rez comedy is a thing.
I posted a video on Twitter recently whereI ate $200 of Olive Garden lasagna like Garfieldand filmed it.
Now whenever anybody asks me what Native comedy is, Im like, I dont know.
Its eating lasagna with your bare hands like Garfield.
Im Native, and thats comedy, so I guess that counts.
I definitely think that this is my experience of the Native comedy community now.
Were all hopefully friends and trying to help each other out and boost each other up.
A.C.: Yes, definitely, because I had mentors.
It was the opposite.
He admitted, We need more women voices in this space.
And I was like, Shoot, just give me a chance, and Ill try.
I had someone tell me that.
They were like, Theyre just going to put you in a box.
And I was like, No, I dont want to be in a box!
For the longest time, I didnt necessarily include my Native side of my identity into my comedy writing.
I would write a million sketches about Batman and zero sketches about things that I was passionate about.
And it really struck me just how needed it is.
They didnt get phone calls from white media saying, Natives doing comedy?!
That was just over ten years ago.
They didnt get a call.
And then you did this show at UCB, and it got quite a lot of coverage.
So obviously theres an evolution, or a shift, or a change happening.
It was beforeRutherford Fallsgot green-lit.
It was beforeReservation Dogswent into production.
That was just after Standing Rock.
J.K.: I think Standing Rock absolutely was a marker.
But I think comedy is also changing.
I think people are fucking tired of seeing the same shit every day, and its the same people.
Its the same archetypical white guy talking about the same thing.
I have a very distinctive last name, Keliiaa, and I make hosts say it correctly.
In San Francisco, people are really good at it.
There was only one person, and I will never forget her, who was like, Ill sayKelia.
And I was like, Bitch, Im never working with you again.
But theres a critique.
Its back to that whole b.s.
You didnt get that on merit.
No, this is just who the fuck I am.
People are just tired of hearing you talk about Tinder.
Just for example, Im a huge fan of Conan OBrien.
- This isnt exclusive to Conan.
Hopefully this book will change things.
Like, every single day, I am hearing this.
So maybe there will be a cause and effect where a stand-up booker will be more aware.
- Theyre not exposed to what they should be exposed to.
This is so common in the history of Hollywood.
Well, why dont you hire all of these Indigenous actors instead of a bunch of white people?
The Hollywood studios would go, Well, there arent any.
We dont know of any.
So if you need Navajo extras, heres 20 Navajo.
J.K.: 2020 was a revolutionary year.
2020 really put a magnifying glass on the systemic racism that has been happening in this country forever.
I mean, I loved watching montages of just Columbus statues being toppled and beheaded.
Idonthate to say it.
If you dont fucking book people, its on you.
Its not a blind spot.
Its the result of a system that you engage in, and youre not going out there and looking.
Im tired of the onus being on us to constantly go, Hey, were here!
Weve got a book now.
Were legitimate, right?
And its like,Weve been here.Im riled up!
A.C.: The burden of proving that were talented, that we exist, is always on our shoulders.
Its hilarious to us, because its so fucking painful.
Its America saying, We want to end racism, but not for Indigenous people.
You guys wait and keep proving you exist.
I mean, they like to tell us how we feel, usually, and who we are.
I became a writer solely because I knew I would never see a role for me.
On the other hand, you have really powerful people who … Whose stories are not being told?
We started the year with an NFL team being named after a legit racial slur referencing our genocide.
For all of that to happen in seven months, six months, a year?
A.C.: We also owe a great, great, great deal to Black Lives Matter.
People are still stupid, but I feel like theres less stupidity?
Or a little bit more information is getting out there.
I also think that theres been a little bit of an influence because of the internet connecting people.
Indigenous communities around the world, really, are more connected now with the internet.
J.K.: And its not just existence.
At the end of the day, were so fucking funny.
Its a dream that we have the internet.
Thats how I connected with Adrianne the first time.
See, thats the thing about Native comedy: It is all over.
It is in urban centers.
It is in rezes.
It is out there.
J.C.: Its on TikTok.
We were just able to get our time zones right, and we got a show together.
Thats been the beauty of it.
And were blowing up, yall.
Nesteroffs bookWe Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedyis out now.
