News broke earlier this year that Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan bought the rights to the Pulitzer Prize finalist Empire of the Summer Moon to create an adaptation that will air either in a television show or film.
In response, the Comanche Nation passed a resolution in its business meeting on Oct. 5 condemning the acclaimed book about the tribe’s rise and fall, noting its inaccuracies and stereotypes.
Comanche Nation Chairman Forrest Tahdooahnippah explained the resolution is meant to get Sheridan’s attention and that the tribe wants a say in the upcoming production.
“My hope is that if we go on record saying that we think the book is inaccurate, that future derivative works of the book will attempt to be more accurate and attempt to include us in the conversation,” Tahdooahnippah said during the business meeting.
While the Comanche Nation hopes to be included in decisions with the upcoming entertainment project, Quapaw Nation leaders are responding to a recent portrayal of their tribe in the Paramount+ show Sheridan created, Tulsa King.
In the fourth episode of season two, titled “Heroes and Villians,” Quapaw leaders were depicted as savvy businessmen linked to a cannabis and wind energy criminal conspiracy.
The nation responded to the Paramount+ show with a press release condemning the episode, stating they were not consulted in its production and found the portrayals of their people harmful.
“This episode, they did one hell of a job of an assault, as far as I'm concerned, on Natives,” said Quapaw Nation Director of Communications Barry Linduff in a phone interview.
Linduff suggested that the cast and crew of Tulsa King and its viewers use the Quapaw Nation website to learn more about the tribe, not a fictional television show.
“We're growing fresh, organic vegetables,” he said. “We're not using our land for illegal purposes, and it's highly, highly offensive to even suggest some of the things that they do.”
Linduff said meetings are scheduled this week between the Quapaw Nation Business Committee and Taylor Sheridan to remedy and “work through this unfortunate situation.” However, he did note that Sheridan’s involvement with the second season of Tulsa King was minimal.
New episodes of Tulsa King are scheduled to air every Sunday until Nov. 17, and it is unclear how the Quapaw storyline will develop.
Back at the Comanche Nation, copies of Empire of the Summer Moon will be taken off the shelves of the tribe’s gift shop while leaders hope for a seat at the table to tell their history.
Tahdooahnippah recommends The Life of Ten Bears, a collection of Comanche historical narratives, as a more accurate representation of the Comanche past.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
