12.5 Indigenous futurisms and speculative fiction

Indigenous futurisms blend traditional storytelling with sci-fi to imagine alternative realities. This movement challenges colonial narratives and asserts Indigenous resilience, using speculative fiction to explore themes of survival, sovereignty, and cultural continuity.

From literature to film, art, music, and gaming, Indigenous creators are reimagining the future. They blend ancestral knowledge with futuristic themes, asserting the ongoing vitality of Indigenous cultures and resisting stereotypes of Indigenous peoples as vanishing or stuck in the past.

Indigenous futurisms overview

• Indigenous futurisms is a growing movement in speculative fiction that centers Indigenous perspectives, cultures, and experiences in imagining alternative futures or realities
• Draws upon Indigenous storytelling traditions, knowledge systems, and ways of being to envision possibilities beyond colonial frameworks and Western sci-fi tropes
• Challenges dominant narratives of Indigenous peoples as vanishing or stuck in the past, asserting instead the vitality and resilience of Indigenous cultures in the face of ongoing colonization

Defining speculative fiction

• Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for genres that imagine alternative worlds, futures, or realities, often through the lens of science fiction, fantasy, horror, or other non-realist modes
• Includes subgenres like dystopian fiction, alternate history, superhero stories, and more, which use speculative elements to explore social, political, and philosophical questions
• Allows for thought experiments and critical commentary on real-world issues by extrapolating from current trends or imagining radically different scenarios

Decolonizing science fiction

• Much of classic and mainstream sci-fi has been shaped by colonial ideologies and power structures, from narratives of conquest and empire to the erasure or exoticization of Indigenous peoples
• Decolonizing sci-fi involves challenging these assumptions and centering Indigenous perspectives, whether through subverting common tropes, imagining Indigenous futures, or exploring the impacts of colonization through speculative storytelling
• Raises questions about whose visions of the future are represented in popular culture and how sci-fi can be used as a tool for resistance, survival, and self-determination

Afrofuturism vs Indigenous futurisms

Shared themes of resistance

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• Both Afrofuturism and Indigenous futurisms use speculative fiction to challenge dominant narratives and assert the agency and resilience of marginalized communities
• Often explore themes of survival, liberation, and cultural continuity in the face of oppression, erasure, and apocalyptic threats
• Imagine alternative futures that center Black and Indigenous experiences and ways of knowing, resisting assimilation into white supremacist frameworks

Contrasting cultural contexts

• While sharing some overlapping themes, Afrofuturism and Indigenous futurisms emerge from distinct cultural contexts and histories
• Afrofuturism draws upon African diaspora cultures, spiritualities, and aesthetics to imagine Black futures and possibilities (Sun Ra, Octavia Butler)
• Indigenous futurisms are grounded in specific tribal nations, languages, land-based knowledge systems, and ongoing struggles for sovereignty and decolonization (Leslie Marmon Silko, Cherie Dimaline)

Indigenous futurisms in literature

Early examples and influences

• Indigenous sci-fi has roots in oral storytelling traditions that often include speculative elements like shapeshifting, time travel, and apocalyptic events
• Early Indigenous authors like Leslie Marmon Silko (Ceremony) and Gerald Vizenor (Darkness in St. Louis Bearheart) incorporated speculative elements into their fiction to explore themes of cultural survival and transformation
• Influences from Afrofuturism, magical realism, and feminist sci-fi have also shaped the development of Indigenous futurisms as a literary movement

Contemporary Indigenous authors

• Recent years have seen a proliferation of Indigenous authors working in speculative fiction genres to imagine Indigenous futures and alternative realities
• Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves depicts a dystopian future in which Indigenous people are hunted for their bone marrow, a source of lost dreams
• Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning series envisions a post-apocalyptic Southwest shaped by Navajo mythology and monster-slaying heroes
• Other notable authors include Waubgeshig Rice, Darcie Little Badger, Daniel H. Wilson, and more, representing diverse tribal nations and speculative approaches

Indigenous futurisms in film

Representation in Hollywood sci-fi

• Hollywood sci-fi films have often perpetuated colonial stereotypes of Indigenous peoples as primitive, mystical, or extinct (Avatar, Dances with Wolves)
• Recent films like Prey have attempted to center Indigenous perspectives and subvert these tropes, imagining an alternative history of the Predator franchise
• Indigenous filmmakers and actors have pushed for greater representation and agency in shaping sci-fi narratives, both in front of and behind the camera

Independent Indigenous filmmakers

• Outside of Hollywood, Indigenous filmmakers are creating their own speculative works that center Indigenous stories, languages, and aesthetics
• Sterlin Harjo's documentary This May Be the Last Time explores the history of Muscogee Creek hymns that were sung on the Trail of Tears, blending personal narrative with speculative imagery
• The Māori sci-fi short film Tama Tū envisions an alternate history where Māori soldiers use traditional combat techniques to fight alien invaders
• Other Indigenous filmmakers working in speculative genres include Nanobah Becker, Danis Goulet, and more, often using the medium to explore themes of cultural continuity and resistance

Visual art and Indigenous futurisms

Traditional imagery in futuristic contexts

• Indigenous visual artists are using traditional imagery, motifs, and aesthetics to imagine Indigenous futures and alternative realities
• Blending elements of ancestral art forms like beadwork, weaving, and carving with futuristic themes and technologies
• Examples include Jeffrey Gibson's beaded punching bags with sci-fi slogans, Virgil Ortiz's Pueblo pottery-inspired Revolt series, and more

Indigenous artists reimagining the future

• These artworks challenge dominant assumptions about Indigenous cultures as static or vanishing, asserting the continuity and adaptability of Indigenous aesthetics
• Imagine futures in which Indigenous peoples and lifeways not only survive but thrive, often in contrast to dystopian or apocalyptic mainstream visions
• Raise questions about the relationship between tradition and innovation, ancestral knowledge and emerging technologies, in shaping Indigenous futures

Music and Indigenous futurisms

Blending traditional and electronic sounds

• Indigenous musicians are exploring speculative themes through the blending of traditional instruments, vocals, and rhythms with electronic and experimental sounds
• Groups like A Tribe Called Red and Halluci Nation mix powwow drums and vocals with EDM, hip hop, and other contemporary genres to create immersive, futuristic soundscapes
• Use music as a vehicle for cultural survival and resistance, asserting the vitality and adaptability of Indigenous musical traditions in the face of colonization and erasure

Indigenous musicians exploring sci-fi themes

• Some Indigenous artists use music to explore explicit sci-fi themes and narratives, imagining Indigenous perspectives on common tropes like space travel, alien encounters, and dystopian futures
• Cree musician Cris Derksen's orchestral compositions often evoke speculative landscapes and narratives, blending traditional and futuristic sounds
• Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq's collaborations with Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós create haunting, otherworldly soundscapes that challenge the boundaries of genre and culture
• These works assert the possibilities of Indigenous innovation and imagination, resisting stereotypes of Indigenous music as static or confined to "traditional" forms

Gaming and Indigenous futurisms

Portrayal of Indigenous characters in games

• Video games have often perpetuated colonial stereotypes of Indigenous peoples as primitive, savage, or mystical, relegated to historical or fantasy settings (Civilization, Red Dead Redemption)
• Some recent games have attempted to include more nuanced Indigenous characters and storylines, but still often rely on tropes of the "noble savage" or "magical Native" (Horizon Zero Dawn)
• Indigenous gamers and critics have called for greater representation and agency in shaping Indigenous narratives in gaming, challenging the industry to move beyond tokenism and appropriation

Indigenous game developers and storylines

• A growing number of Indigenous game developers are creating their own games that center Indigenous stories, cultures, and experiences, often using speculative fiction elements
• Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is a puzzle-platformer game developed in collaboration with the Iñupiat community of Alaska, which draws upon traditional stories and artwork to imagine a fantastical journey through Arctic landscapes
• Thunderbird Strike is a side-scrolling game by Anishinaabe artist Elizabeth LaPensée that envisions a dystopian future in which oil pipeline spills have devastated Indigenous lands, and players take on the role of a thunderbird protecting the environment
• Other Indigenous developers are working on games that explore themes of cultural resurgence, language revitalization, and decolonization through speculative narratives and mechanics

Indigenous futurisms as activism

Challenging colonial narratives

• Indigenous futurisms can serve as a form of activism by challenging the colonial narratives that have erased, distorted, or appropriated Indigenous stories and experiences
• By imagining Indigenous futures and possibilities, these works assert the ongoing presence, resilience, and vitality of Indigenous peoples in the face of settler colonialism
• Resist the myth of the "vanishing Indian" and other tropes that confine Indigenous peoples to the past or to limited, stereotypical roles in mainstream speculative fiction

Asserting Indigenous sovereignty and survival

• Many Indigenous futurist works imagine futures in which Indigenous nations have reclaimed sovereignty, land, and cultural traditions in the aftermath of colonial apocalypse
• Assert the continuity of Indigenous lifeways and knowledge systems, even in radically altered or unrecognizable landscapes and timelines
• Use speculative fiction as a tool for envisioning and manifesting Indigenous resurgence, self-determination, and decolonization in the face of ongoing threats and challenges

Imagining Indigenous futures

Utopian and dystopian visions

• Indigenous futurist works often oscillate between utopian and dystopian visions, reflecting the complex realities and possibilities of Indigenous experiences
• Some imagine idealized futures in which Indigenous peoples have achieved full sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and harmony with the land and each other
• Others depict dystopian scenarios that extrapolate from current crises like climate change, resource extraction, and cultural genocide, warning of the dire consequences of colonial business as usual
• Many works blend elements of both, acknowledging the challenges facing Indigenous communities while also asserting the possibility of Indigenous survival and resurgence

Resilience and cultural continuity

• Ultimately, Indigenous futurisms are rooted in a deep sense of resilience and cultural continuity, even in the face of apocalyptic change and disruption
• Draw upon ancestral knowledge, traditions, and values to imagine how Indigenous peoples might adapt to and shape the future, rather than simply being erased or assimilated by it
• Assert the ongoing relevance and vitality of Indigenous cultures, not as static artifacts of the past, but as dynamic, evolving forces that will continue to shape the future
• Offer visions of hope, resistance, and possibility in the face of colonial despair, and invite all people to imagine more just, sustainable, and culturally diverse futures