'We've come so far:' Indigenous stars talk representation and role models

Indigenous actors are having a moment on some of the world's most popular streaming services — even if they never expected it.

Katarina Ziervogel from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba never pictured herself landing the role of Taloa in the Disney+ series Echo, partly because she never saw a deaf Indigenous actor on TV when she was growing up.

Now, Ziervogel said she's proud and amazed to be part of the series.

"Doing things like this provide that inspiration to deaf Indigenous youth out there, showing them that anything is possible and there's no limit to their dreams," she said.

Knowing deaf Indigenous kids can watch her performance and be inspired is "the best feeling a person can have," she added.

While appearing in a popular Disney+ series was exciting, it also had its challenges.

Ziervogel said she felt the weight of representing deaf Indigenous people, but was lucky to be able to share the responsibility with co-star Alaqua Cox who plays the lead character Maya Lopez/Echo.

Non-signing audiences may be surprised to learn that the most challenging part of the process for Ziervogel was learning a new language.

In her regular life, Ziervogel uses different signs than her character, Taloa, who signs with a regional dialect from Oklahoma.

On top of that, she also had to learn to combine the dialect with Indigenous signs which she described as "quite a feat."

She credits the team behind the cameras with helping ensure authenticity which has often been lacking in productions about Indigenous people.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without the support of the crew behind the camera, the consultants, the deaf writers," she said.

"Everybody who was a part of the production put a solid effort into making sure that everything worked together."

'The world has been missing out'

Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) actor Kiawentiio is also making her mark, appearing on two massive streaming platforms over the past year.

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In 2023 she acted in an episode of What If…? on Disney+, and this year, Kiawentiio plays Katara in Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.

The 17-year-old from Akwesasne, on the Quebec, Ontario and New York state borders, said she enjoyed portraying the capable and smart character — a thing she didn't often see when she was younger.

"To be that representation for other little girls is just crazy," she said.

Kiawentiio from Akwesasne,says she's excited to be a role model for little girls as she portrays Katara in the 2024 Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender. (Lavender Lullabies)

But for some members of her family, she's more than just a role model in the part.

"My niece was actually born after I was cast, so every time she sees Katara, even just as a cartoon, she associates it with me," Kiawentiio said.

"It really blows my mind for that to be my reality."

When asked for her favourite Indigenous star from her own childhood, Kiawentiio points to Adam Beach whose role as Victor Joseph in Smoke Signals in 1998 still resonates.

"I remember we would always go, 'Hey Victor.' That 'Hey Victor' line was always so prominent," Kiawentiio said.

Now she's finally met Beach and said they're "kind of buddies."

"The first time I got to talk to him, he actually knew who I was and that just felt so like full circle, you know?"

Her work on What If…? involved a lot of spoken Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk language), something she found "surreal."

"I was just in awe and in tears being able to see our language on screen like that and to have our own superhero," she said.

"It feels like we've come so far."

The representation of Indigenous stories may be increasing but Kiawentiio said there's still more to share.

"The amount of stories that we have to tell and we are such funny people, that the world has been missing out on for so long," she said.