Summary
AMC’sDark Windsseason 1 got some pushback for its somewhat controversial depiction of Navajo customs and spirituality, but season 2 smartly course-corrected and fixed the problem.Dark Windsis set in the time period of the 1970s, with the action unfolding in Navajo Nation in Arizona. The story follows tribal police detective Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon),who finds himself investigating a gruesome double murder on Navajo landalongside his steady sergeant, Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), and new, city boy deputy Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon).
The story is dark and twisty, full of corrupt agents, crooked dealings, shadowy conspiracies, and more.Dark Winds, which has been renewed for season 3, is remarkable not for that story,but for the deft way it weaves in the Diné language and Navajo culture and spiritualityin a way few shows have done before. Despite its groundbreaking representation, however, there were a few problems with season 1 thatDark Windsseason 2smartly fixed before the end.
Dark Winds Season 1 Focused On The Darker Side Of Navajo Spiritualism
There Were Inaccuracies That Frustrated Some Navajo Viewers
Granted, the criticism wasn’t profound,but there was nevertheless some pushback about the depiction of Navajo, or Diné, cultureand spiritual customs. Season 1 put its focus entirely on the darker aspects of Navajo culture and spiritualism, with a subplot involving dark Navajo witchcraft that touched upon skinwalkers, an aspect of Diné culture that has been largely mangled and fetishized by the cryptid cottage industry of the internet.
Season 1 put its focus entirely on the darker aspects of Navajo culture and spiritualism, with a subplot involving dark Navajo witchcraft that touched upon skinwalkers, an aspect of Diné culture that has been largely mangled and fetishized by the cryptid cottage industry of the internet.
While some Diné audiences wrote offDark Winds' inaccuracies as merely part of entertainment, others pointed out their criticisms of the series. Regardless of how well-intentioned the series is,the original books were written by Hillerman, a white man, and so there’s no way for the story to be entirely accurate. Instead, inaccuracy and misrepresentation are almost guaranteed. Errors in the Diné bizaad language and cultural representation were sources of frustration for some Navajo Nation viewers, who were vocal with their criticism.
Dark Winds Season 3: Everything You Need To Know
AMC’s Dark Winds has gained a reputation as an under-the-radar gem, and season 3 continued the harrowing adventures of Leaphorn and Chee.
Dark Winds Season 2 Expanded Its Focus On Diné Culture & Course Corrected
Showrunner Chris Eyre Wisely Listened To The Criticism
However, show creator Chris Eyre, who is Cheyenne and Arapaho, not Navajo,heard those complaints and criticisms and wisely course-corrected for season 2.While creatingDark Windsseason 2, AMC partnered with Navajo Nation, bringing in a Navajo cultural consultant to ensure that the writing on the show would be true to reality and the representation of Diné culture as authentic and nuanced as possible. The cultural consultant, as well as other Diné people in the cast and crew, helped the Indigenous actors from other tribes more accurately pronounce the Diné language, and the writers to nail the nuance of the culture.
Likewise, the writing inDark Windsseason 2shifted its focus away from the dark and supernatural elements of Navajo culture to a broader, more inclusive representation. For example,there was much greater focus put on tribal medicine and healthcare,especially how underfunded it is. Especially stark was a subplot pulled from reality involving the forced sterilization of Native American women, and a lack of healthcare from doctors who respect Indigenous beliefs and customs.
Navajo culture was also deepened and made richer in other, smaller ways, as well, such as Emma Leaphorn (Deanna Allison) urging Joe that they need another cleansing ceremony to banish the dark energy around them. Or the churro sheep that are so important to Navajo society. There’s also the kinaalda,a puberty ceremony for Navajo teenage girls when they come of age.Those are just a few of the examples of the ways in whichDark Windshas worked to authentically and respectfully portray Diné culture.
Dark Winds Is Part Of A Wave Of Long-Overdue Indigenous Representation On TV
It’s Currently Carrying The Torch On TV
Dark Windshas beenpart of a relatively recent movement on TV to tell Indigenous and Native American stories from actual Indigenous and Native American writers and actors. Their stories are unfolding across genres, and across formats.Dark Windsis a dark crime procedural set on Navajo land;Echois a Marvel TV show about a deaf, Native American superhero;Reservation Dogsis a gentle dark comedy set on a fictional reservation;True Detectiveseason 4 incorporates the Iñupiat culture of Alaska;Rutherford Fallswas a fun small town comedy. Still others offer up authentic Indigenous representation in new, different ways.
Dark Windshas been part of a relatively recent movement on TV to tell Indigenous and Native American stories from actual Indigenous and Native American writers and actors.
It’s all long overdue, but, unfortunately,Dark Windsis currently the only series carrying that torch.Reservation Dogshas been canceled.Rutherford Fallsis done. A new season ofTrue Detectivewill tell a different story.Echowas a limited series. Until new TV shows featuring Indigenous voices and Native American casts get greenlit,Dark Windsis the only major native representation on the small screen, which means it’s more important than ever for it to get that representation right. WithDark Windsseason 3 not coming out until 2025, that gives the writers plenty of time to get the story right.
Dark Winds
Dark Winds is a 2022 television series based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels. Set in 1970s Navajo Nation, it follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Officer Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) as they investigate a double murder case. The show delves into both mysticism and the stark realities of life on a Native American reservation, balancing crime-solving with rich cultural narratives and character development.
