All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.ĭonate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. Everest WATCH: Native Bidaské with MSNBC Contributor Alyssa London as She Discusses The Culture Is: Indigenous Women Here’s What’s Going on in Indian Country, June 01-10 “But we absolutely want to acknowledge that we respect our elders and the journey they have gone through.” More Stories Like This Here’s What’s Going on in Indian Country, June 9-17 Mashpee Wampanoag Chef Makes History with Prestigious James Beard Award ‘Take this and carry it to the top of the world’ | Lakota Man Becomes the First Native American to Summit Mt. “We address our truths in our communities, such as what happened in boarding schools, but add humor to it as well,” Lightning said. Trauma often fills the stories of many Indigenous people, but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided, said Lightning. Each performer has a solo appearance, from singing on a hand drum to playing the flute, giving the audience an opportunity to see and experience the diversity of their talents.Īlthough humor is an expected twist to the storyline, how it is used is also important. “Bear Grease” includes the talents of 10 Indigenous actors, including Lightning and Andrade. Since, she has made appearances in front of the camera in “Yellowstone,” “Outlander,” “Rutherford Falls,” and “Ghosts,” and is currently in the Amazon series “Three Pines”. She has been working in the film and television industry since she was nine years old when she landed her first lead role in the feature film “ 3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up ”. Lightning is from the Enoch Cree Nation (Maskekosak) in Alberta, CA. There’s so much medicine through laughter, and there’s so much medicine in bear grease, too,” she said. “Bear grease is what makes it Indigenous. “Bear grease is universal, and we want people to ask us what bear grease is,” Lightning said. Bannock is considered “too north,” and frybread is “too south.” “Frybread Grease” or “Bannock Grease” were two of the names considered for the show’s title, but the show’s writers thought one name or the other was too divisive. “To hear the audience laugh makes all of this hard work worth it.”Īudiences learn of Indigenous culture while laughing at the uniqueness of Native humor. “The number one factor for creating this show was making sure this was fun for the audience,” Lightning said. The show includes hip-hop, parody, improv, freestyle, humor, and a solo song sung in the Cree language. The play has a sound unlike the film, said Lightning. “Most people are expecting to see an enactment of the movie we grew up seeing, but it’s not.” “It’s not the Grease you expect, but it’s the Grease you need to see,” Lightning said when explaining the show. The show is Lightning’s directional debut. “Bear Grease” was written by both Lightning and Henry Andrade - also known as MC RedCloud - both actors and hip-hop artists that formed a duo called LightningCloud. Our cast has never been to Gathering of Nations and we were all so excited.”Ī million Native people from Canada and the United States, all together at the same place, we wanted to provide an exciting experience for those in town for Gathering”. “We’ve been trying to get there for a while and things just never worked out. “We were so excited about Gathering weekend,” Crystle Lighting, director and one of the writers behind “Bear Grease,” told Native News Online.
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