Native Women Are Funny

Three incredible women, Sierra Ornales (Diné ), Jana Schmieding (Mniconjou and Sicangu Lakota) and Tazbah Rose Chavez  (Nüümü, Diné and San Carlos Apache tribes) join All My Relations to talk about the comedy scene, sisterhood and above all else— laughter as a way of life. These are the the women that brought us Rutherford Falls, and you may have also seen Jana in Reservation Dogs, but these amazing women have been working in television for years. We feel very lucky to be in conversation with them, and are so grateful for all the work the’ve done for positive Indigenous representation. 

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Jana Schmieding (@janaunplgd) is a Mniconjou and Sicangu Lakota actor, writer, podcaster, beadwork artist, and comedian known for her work on Rutherford Falls and Reservation Dogs.

Tazbah Rose Chavez (@tazbah) is a performance poet turned director and television writer. She is currently a writer on  FX's Reservation Dogs, and previously wrote for NBCUniversal's series "Rutherford Falls”.

Sierra Teller Ornelas (@sierraornelas) is Navajo and a showrunner, screenwriter, filmmaker and weaver from Tucson, Arizona. She is one of three co-creators of the scripted NBC comedy series Rutherford Falls, alongside Ed Helms and Mike Schur. 

This is our last episode in our live series from Santa Monica College! Special thanks to  Emily Silver, and everyone there who made this possible, thank you to the AMR team: Jonathan Stein, Max Levin, Teo Shantz, Lindsay Hightower,  and Charlie Stavish. Major shout out to KP of Blackbelt EagleScout for being our live music for the event and to Ciara Sana for the episode artwork.

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Follow us on Instagram @amrpodcast, or support our work on Patreon.  Show notes are published on our website, Allmyrelationspodcast.com. Matika's book Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America is available now!  T'igwicid and Hyshqe for being on this journey with us.