Although “Yellowstone” didn’t get every detail about Montana living right, there were times when it offered a quick (but authentic) glimpse into Native American culture. Season 2’s “Touching Your Enemy” took a bold detour from the usual Dutton drama as Monica (Kelsey Asbille) and her students join her physical therapist Martin (Martin Sensmeier) at an “Indian Relay” practice. As Martin explains, the event pays homage to native coming-of-age traditions.
“Becoming a man requires bravery witnessed by others,” Martin says. “Not just words, actions.” This wasn’t just writer Taylor Sheridan making stuff up. The Indian Relay is an actual event held by several tribes across the Rocky Mountain West. Teams from reservations in not just Montana, but also Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, and the Dakotas (as well as Canada) are a part of this tradition. In the relay, riders mount their horses bareback, take a lap, and then lunge off their steeds, only to then hop onto another one and do it all again. All of this is done without protective gear.
While the practice’s roots extend back hundreds of years, the modern Indian Relay began in the early 20th century. The sport was initially confined to reservations, though it was eventually organized into a large-scale event to unite Native American competitors, all aiming for that “Indian Relay National Champion” title.
The sport has gotten so popular that it was the subject of a 2013 documentary, aptly titled “Indian Relay.” As Martin notes on “Yellowstone,” the relay has only gotten bigger over time, with multi-day competitions now held annually in Wyoming.
The neo-Western has helped thrust Native American customs into the spotlight
Although not the first neo-Western in recent years to shed a strong light on Native American customs (we see you, “Longmire”), “Yellowstone” helped these traditions find their way to the mainstream. From the beginning, co-creator Taylor Sheridan aimed for authenticity. So, while the Broken Rock Indian Reservation as explored on the program isn’t a real place, Sheridan made every effort to film on an actual Montana-based rez.
“How they portray [Native Americans] is a lot more realistic than other shows,” former Crow Nation tribal chairman Alvin “A.J.” Not Afraid, Jr. told Variety ahead of the “Yellowstone” series premiere.
Between battles over ancestral land and shedding light on the socio-economics of reservation life to even musical contributions, the best episodes of “Yellowstone” further pushed Native culture into the forefront. Of course, the show wasn’t without its controversies. When Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) went on his “vision quest” in Season 4 — inspired by a real Lakota ceremony called the “Hanbleceya” — some were not too happy with how much was revealed on camera, though Lakota cast member Mo Brings Plenty defended the decision.
“We have not given anything away,” Brings Plenty explained to VOA News. “If you go on Google, you will find a whole lot more about ceremony than what we revealed.” Sheridan clearly understood his talents, because the star also served as the “American Indian affairs coordinator” for both “1923” and “Marshals,” the latter of which just dropped its Season 2 teaser trailer.
