At the Golden Globes ceremony Jan. 7, Lily Gladstone became the first Indigenous woman to win the award for best actress in a motion picture drama.
Gladstone spoke in Blackfeet and Osage in her acceptance speech.
“This is for every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words with tremendous allies and tremendous trust with and from each other,” she said in her speech.
Tri-City Record sat down with two Indigenous students that are involved in theater at their schools to talk about the significance of Gladstone’s win.
Nate Williams, Farmington High senior, said he shed some tears that night with his mother when Gladstone’s name was read.
“I’ve never seen that before, and it’s never really happened,” he said.
Hearing Gladstone’s speech, Williams said he felt she was speaking to him.
Williams only saw Indigenous representation in Disney’s “Pocahontas” and “Brother Bear” as well as “Smoke Signals.” That is changing as shows like “Reservation Dogs” offer a more genuine and less stereotypical representation of Native America, Williams said.
The depiction was brutal and real for Williams, something that needed to be presented to audiences.
“Seeing how they worked with the tribe itself, they just didn’t ask someone to research them and treat it like they were an extinct nation, they treated them like human beings,” Williams said.
Williams has participated in theater since elementary and hopes to continue with it after he graduates.
The joy of theater for Williams comes from the heart-racing debut to the audience enjoyment and appreciation.
“Being on that stage and having the spotlight on you feels nice,” he said.
Philena Begay, Aztec High sophomore, was surprised to see Gladstone win.
“Indigenous people don’t really win awards” she said.
Coming from Kayenta, Arizona, Begay did not see any representation of Indigenous people in the media while growing up.
Now, Begay said she sees that representation in the crew involved like Taika Waititi in the 2019 movie “Jojo Rabbit.” Waititi did not only act in the movie but also directed and wrote the screenplay.
It’s her first year at Aztec High, and Begay hopes to continue with the theater class. She enjoys working behind the scenes and likes to see how much work goes into a production.
Begay had planned on watching the award show for another actress. Seeing an award as big as a Golden Globe being presented to an Indigenous person gave Begay hope.
“It’s pretty exciting that it is possible to make it that big,” she said.
