Z Nation was the first post-apocalyptic zombie tv show to feature Native Americans and it was bad… bad… really bad… I’m sure there was something redeeming… Eddie Spears is cute.

Recently the SyFy channel announced that they would air an upcoming episode that featured Native American people living on their reservation post-apocalypse. And there was a resounding “INDIANS ON TV! POST-APOCALYPTIC INDIANS ON TV!” because we tend to get a little bit excited knowing that (1) somebody is trying to make an effort to show a representation of us as alive, futuristic people and (2) hey we actually survived an apocalypse in this fictional universe!

As I have said before, Natives aren’t really represented in post-apocalyptic shows and movies which I find very interesting because Native people have actually survived apocalypses/ the end of the world before… If you want to know more you should read my blog about The Walking Dead and Settler Colonialism. Or listen to this radio interview.

It seems to me that by the time the futuristic apocalypse rolls around Native people have already vanished (as per the “vanishing Indian” trope), so they aren’t a part of this “new world.” Either that, or Native people are just straight chillin’ someplace else, probably on their reservations, and they don’t need to get involved in all that junk where people go into hordes of zombies and think it’s a good idea to try to lead them around (THAT WAS NEVER A GOOD IDEA RICK. NEVER.)

Z-Nation is a bit different because in this post-apocalypse there is a dude who is part zombie or something and they think he might be a cure? I don’t know I’ve only watched two episodes. And this episode was billed as a great thing because it featured many Native actors and a very Native specific storyline.

I watched it because I like seeing Indians on TV. I’ve written about this before in my blog where I explore the “Native Cameo.”“Native Cameos” are those 1-2 episode, sometimes intermittent appearances by Native characters on television shows. What I have found *spoiler alert* is that these Native Cameos resettle settler colonial claims to legitimacy, meaning, they justify, and normalize colonization and settler colonial occupation of Indigenous spaces and Indigenous histories. 

To better critically analyze (or what I like to call “engage in Indigenous media analytics”) I have provided the following cheat sheet of what I have noticed about these Native cameos. In the Native Cameo:

1.       Native Americans are spiritual peoples full of knowledge that is specifically aimed at addressing answers to questions and conundrums of main characters (Spiritual & Knowledgeable)
2.       Native American characters remind us that history is… complicated (History)
3.      Native American’s Own Casinos (Casinos)***
4.       Mascots are dumb (Booo Mascots!)
5.       Native Americans are Men (Men)

But ultimately what I was arguing was that

Understanding, discussing, and complicating the Native Cameo is important. We are more than just cameos to a world that tries to pretend like we don’t exist, or that we aren’t fully functioning nations of people who deserve equal footing in politics and culture. Our worlds are more than just other to the “real” or “normal” world that is often portrayed on television. When we are represented in places like Network television it can and should speak to our continued investment in our shared existence, in our shared experiences on Indigenous lands.

Now, while I think Z-Nation did complicate some of the usual Native Cameo points in their episode. (For instance there is a big attempt to have a “strong female Native” character here. She is the one who ends up in charge). There was still a lot of really problematic storylines that actually resulted in me and my friends GUFFAWING (yes, guffawing). And by the end of the episode the show had checked off every last one of my cameo requirements… (except mascots. Almost Z-Nation. Almost)

In the episode the main characters are running from a zombie-storm (z-storm) that is wide, moving fast and driving them toward the grand canyon. When they get there they meet up with a bunch of Indians living on the land, some in the sacred mountains of the tribe, others in the casino. There is the Chief (whose name is Danny) and the Mad Indian Guy (whose name is Gordon) and the Indian Princess Daughter (I didn’t catch her name) and the Medicine Woman plus several unspoken Indian parts. The Indians introduce themselves by saying “This is tribal land, no visitors allowed." And after they are told that there is a horde of zombies coming their way… they refuse to leave. And all heck breaks lose.
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I offer you here my picture essay of this episode. Enjoy.

The Native Cameo in Z-Nation: A Picture Essay

They come upon some Indians. At a casino. The Indians aren't having it. The casino has a big bus, and a parking garage and lots of cool ass Indians.

Here comes mad Indian guy (Eddie Spears, yum) and he's mad. He's also really, really, really good looking. And mad. Stop making him so mad white people. That's right, he's mad because white people have zin-digo disease. (I couldn't decide if that's what they were saying.)

"You bring disease and destruction." Stop doing that white people.  And actually they are. They are running from a zombie-storm and have led that horde right to them. P.S. The kind of shout out to Jack Forbe's  Wetiko Psychosis made me feel pretty happy. If that was on purpose.)

Strong Native Woman takes them to the infirmary which is also a storage unit for all things Native American that they have found at the Native American souvenir stores from just around the way. Let's play spot the dream catcher, random baskets, pendleton blankets? 

Strong Indian Woman and Mad Indian Guy are fighting about how you shouldn't be mean to white people. Medicine Woman is thinking about how she just forgave random white guy for settler colonialism. See that look on her face it says "wait, did I just forgive that guy for all the genocide?"

The zombie comes to kill the two white guys and old white guy (who has been forgiven for all the settler colonialism) transmorphizes (jumps out of his body) and becomes this painted Native looking spirit thing and is able to kill the zombie even though he's still trapped in the net. You have to watch it if you don't understand. 

This is Chief Indian after he prayed with some sage and then decided to go out gambling. I guess staying in your big ass building while a zombie horde comes is a bit of a gamble anyway. 

The whole casino gets swallowed by the horde and destroyed. Goodbye gambling that was still working because there's always a generator at the casino. 

That's when the buffalo start glowing. And Peyote White Guy says "do you think that zombies are as stupid as buffalo?"

In the end zombies are as "stupid as buffalo" and they get herded off a cliff into the grand canyon. 

This lady starts yelling "yáʼátʼééh" over and over again, I guess hoping they are Navajo? Okay you got me, most of us probably speak a little Navajo. They are everywhere!

See how mad he is? He's so mad and angry. It's because... white people. And all the settler colonialism. Did I forget to mention that mad Indian guy was a Native American Studies Professor in his past life? That's why he's so mad. He thinks everybody is a settler. (Touche SyFy Channel)

 Hey stop being so mad, says the Native woman. I appreciate that she puts him in to his place. She also rescues the white guys from the Mad Indian dude and tells him to chill. My friend who was watching this with me said "Sorry Kocoum." (SO TRUE)

After the "medicine woman" fixes the old white guy up she gives him Peyote and they go out trippin' together. He makes bad jokes about the "long strange trip" this zombie-apocalypse has been and then she forgives him for settler colonialism and tells him it's not his fault. 

Mad Indian guy decides he's going to entrap the white guys and sacrifice them to the zombies because he's mad and he used to be a Native American Studies professor. It's true, we Native professors are mad because we know too much. It's why most of our classes are just us giving this look to students and going "SHUT UP WHITE STUDENTS."

In the mean time, Chief of the tribe who is at the casino is giving his daughter the side eye. There's a lot of side eye going on in this episode, all by Native people. We are really good at side eye. He decides that the Casino is sacred land and he's going down with the ship. Also he puts his daughter in charge (go Native women being leaders!)

Of course he wins the jackpot. Which I took to mean "see you're never going to win any money at an Indian casino until the world ends." That's okay, you should still come and play and hang out with us. Cause we all have casinos...

Mad Indian Guy is sad cause his Dad (the Chief) died.  So is his sister.  Mad Indian guy is going to be nice now cause he's Sad Indian Guy. He says "we need a plan" for the zombie-storm.

 Remember when the buffalo got slaughtered by white people in order to usher in Native genocide? Stupid Buffalo! If only the buffalo had guns, then maybe they wouldn't have been so weak and gotten all killed and stuff.

And I just whispered “sorry Havasupai. It’s raining zombies today.” (You all know there are Natives that live in the Grand Canyon right? We are EVERYWHERE.)

Now everybody's friends. 

See, Mad/Sad Indian Guy is like "we will record this in our history." Which I also kind of appreciate, because the idea that the western based book history is gone (end of the world and all) and these Native histories, always thought as "primitive" and "non-existent" are still here, and those are the ones being recorded... nice. (Also check out Medicine Woman, she's still thinking "wait. Did I really forgive old white dude for settler colonialism? Did that happen?" (IT HAPPENED)

Strong Indian Woman is still making googly side eye at the skinny white dude that she was googly-eyeing at earlier who she rescued from the death sentence that Mad Indian guy sentenced him to.  She says "come back and visit." And they googly eye some more. This story sounds awfully familiar. 

Mad/Sad Indian guy says thank you. No, thank you Eddie Spears, for being in this show and having the best hair. Also the best chin. And the best face. And the best lines. You're the best. #NativeAmericanStudiesProfessorsAreTheBest #EvenTheOnesThatAreJustFictionalAndOnTV 

Medicine Woman gives old White Dude some more Peyote probably hoping he'd forget that she forgave him for all the settler colonialism and genocide. That didn't happen. It didn't happen... she'll whisper in his Peyote dreams. (IT DID). 

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Final conclusion: These Natives need their own zombie-apocalypse show. It would be awesome. There's some work to do... yes. Much actually. Many, many things. But if Eddie Spears ain't on the television each week what's the point of television anyway? Get on it Z-Nation. And then hire some really good Native writers. Lots of them actually. And Directors. This could be awesome. (This episode was not.)