The art of being seen
Rutherford Falls brings Native bling to TV
When was the last time you saw beadwork — created by living, 21st-century Native artists — on national television? While you’re pondering that, when was the last time you saw beadwork not on a PBS documentary but instead on a sitcom where it was worn by various actors on every single episode? Don’t worry. If you’ve never witnessed this, you’re not alone — because until this spring, when Rutherford Falls appeared on NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock TV, it hadn’t happened.
A show of many long-overdue firsts, Rutherford Falls is a comedy created, produced and written by Native people along with the creators and stars of The Office and Parks and
Recreation. Set in a fictional small town in the northeastern United States, it centers on two lifelong friends, Nathan Rutherford, played by The Office’s Ed Helms, and Reagan Wells, played by comedian and writer Jana Schmieding (Cheyenne River Lakota). Their relationship is tested after a crisis hits their small town.
When Schmieding signed on to write for Rutherford Falls, she had no idea she’d be cast as one of its leads. After landing the role of Reagan Wells, she made it her mission to showcase Indigenous designers through her character’s clothing and accessories. A beadwork artist herself, she has been stitching pieces since childhood. “I wanted to display Native artists on Reagan as much as I possibly could,” Schmieding notes.
In a way, the beadwork has become another cast member, with viewers looking forward to seeing it as much as the next episode. On Instagram, one viewer said that watching
Rutherford Falls was like playing Native beadwork bingo, guessing whose work would be shown next. Beautiful beaded earrings, necklaces, ties, medallions and other jewelry by Mel Beaulieu (Mi’kmaq), Chenoa Williams (Pyramid Lake Paiute),
Azie Dungey (Pamunkey descent), Jaymie Campbell (Curve Lake Ojibwe), Lenise Omeasoo (Sampson Cree), Molina Two Bulls Parker (Oglala Lakota ), Lavina K. Coriz (Navajo), Kanerahta’kerha Tahnee Bennett (Mohawk), Sandra Okuma (Luiseño/ShoshoneBannock), Jamie Okuma (Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock), Kahsenniyohstha Lauren Williams (Kanyen’kehá:ka Mohawk, Turtle Clan), Joe Big Mountain (Mohawk/Cree/Comanche) and others sparkled and shined throughout the series.
To showcase so much artistry, Schmieding wore pieces from her own collection as well as pieces she made herself, such as beaded emojis gifted to the fictional Minishonka Cultural Center in Episode 6: “Negotiations”. She also had the pleasure of introducing the show’s costume designers to buying beadwork online. “They had to learn the cutthroat nature of beadwork drops,” she says, laughing. “It’s one of those special experiences that goes to show there is so much going on that relates to our cultural identity that people don’t know about but are happy to learn about and can appreciate. To see the costume designers having to enter raffles or set their alarms like the rest of us, I mean, that was truly special.”
Many bead artists do only occasional drops, and their work sells out just minutes after it’s posted. When I asked Kirston Mann, the show’s lead costume designer, to share her beadwork-buying secrets, she said, “No secrets other than to set our alarms! We thought we might have some pull, being a TV show and all, but we — mainly Alexis Jacks, our costume supervisor — fought it out with the best of them!” (Having clicked on beadwork photo after beadwork photo on Instagram only to find the words “sold out,” I find this comforting.)
“Generally, actors don’t advocate for using items that represent their individual cultures,” says Mann, who has clothed the characters of well-known shows such as The Good Place. “We learned so much, and both Jana and Sierra [Teller Ornelas, the show runner and a co-creator, who is Navajo] were incredibly helpful.” While the costume department had a lot to learn, they understood from the very start how much work went into the
pieces and how important it was for the artists to be seen. “To be recognized for your art is something close to my heart. It felt good to get interesting, talented artists’ work on camera, on a great show,” Mann adds.
Molina Two Bulls Parker screamed, cried and “probably hit my husband” when seeing her work for the first time on the show, she says with a hearty laugh. “I watched it like four times. The first time really fast, and then again to see more, but also because it’s just fun to watch. [Plains Cree actor] Michael Greyeyes is hilarious! But yeah, I flipped out seeing it. We had made it to Episode 10 and I hadn’t seen my work yet. Then I saw that both sets of earrings were on the last episode and I just wanted to cry. I knew [Jana Schmieding] was doing this show, but I didn’t realize the magnitude of it.”
Parker points out that beadwork is sometimes not taken as seriously as other artistic media. TV shows and movies typically utilize adornment that is already familiar, such as turquoise and silver, to communicate a Native aesthetic to a mainstream audience. “I still haven’t really digested it,” Parker says thoughtfully. “We all wear quills and beadwork . . . that is how we get fancy around here. We aren’t dripping in diamonds; we’re dripping in beadwork.”
Chenoa Williams, whose circular yellow, pink and 24-karatgold earrings titled Less Is More, More or Less made it onto Reagan Wells’ earlobes, echoed Parker’s sentiments: “Seeing the beadwork from myself and the other bead artists was so surreal, and on a television show with Indigenous writers and actors was beyond insane. You never know who is seeing your work and if they even care about it.” It was “like seeing home.”
Mel Beaulieu says, “Seeing all the Indigenous-made jewelry on
Rutherford Falls felt like turning on TV and seeing my friends on screen. The Instagram beadwork community is a very close-knit group, so I recognized the work of different artists I’ve formed relationships with online, and I was just as proud and moved to see their work being celebrated as I was to see mine. All the Indigenous jewelry and accessories and clothing make the show feel community made, and I’m so proud to see so many talented Indigenous people winning.”
Beaulieu’s beaded teacup earrings, a design the artist is probably best known for, were featured in Episode 9: “Stoodis.” Made with glass and gold-plated beads, they are named Loraine, after Beaulieu’s maternal grandmother. Each pair is “a love letter to her.”
Kahsenniyohstha Lauren Williams, who works in Ontario, Canada, says she was thrilled to “see any beadwork on TV, so this was extra special.” While she knew her work would be featured, since the show had commissioned her to create several beaded medallions, she didn’t know in what capacity they would be used. “I was shocked (in the best way) to see the medallions I made on a main character [Greyeyes’ Terry Thomas] and being discussed on the show! There were also a few of my pieces in the scene with his safe, which was spectacular. I watched with my partner and my dog, and we all happy-danced around the living room.”
Williams regularly teaches beadwork to youth and says it was incredible “to be able to show my students how far beadwork can travel.” She adds, “This is such a great feeling to have beautiful representation from Indigenous people on a mainstream TV show. The show did such a good job putting together outfits and looks that . . . people I know would love to wear in real life. Nothing felt costumey to me. I love that the jewelry was normalized and just a regular part of the characters’ aesthetic.”
Sandra Okuma, a longtime Santa Fe Indian Market artist, says it was her daughter, Jamie Okuma, who was initially contacted by
Rutherford Falls. Jamie’s scarves and earrings made it onto the show, as well as a beaded cuff, floral necklace, and semi-commissioned bolo tie from Sandra. The tie, worn by Greyeyes’ character, consists of red elongated diamond shapes on a white background with a
multicolored edging. The red shapes symbolize marks made by a bear, an important animal to the show’s fictional Minishonka tribe.
“You know, beadwork is so labor intensive, and you’re so close to the work,” Sandra Okuma muses. “It’s almost like seeing a relative on TV, you know it so well. To see it on screen was pretty amazing.”
Visitors to this year’s Indian Market can see both Okumas’ work up close and personal. But get there early because, as with inventory drops online, their work gets scooped up quickly. Tashina Lee Emery’s Glam
Fan earrings, made of porcupine quills, are seen in Episode 6. Emery is enrolled in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, an Ojibwe tribe in Michigan, and says this style of earring was the first she created in 2015. Highly conceptual, the quills are concealed in resin, “representing the preservation of cultural and identity over time and concealing the sharp edges of difficult memories.” Like the other artists, Emery was infatuated by seeing everyone’s work on Rutherford Falls. Unlike the others, however, she didn’t know her work had been purchased by the costume department and was in total shock when she saw it on Schmieding. “It was magic to see my work alongside the people who I wanted to be when I was starting. I think it’s what a musician must feel when they hear their work on the radio and then a Rihanna or Lady Gaga song plays after . . . mind blowing.”
Feedback like this from Native audiences has been especially delightful for Schmieding. “I am so glad that Native people feel seen, especially Native artists. That gives me a special thrill, because I consider myself a Native artist and I want to be in the cool club of Native artists,” Schmieding jokingly says. “Native people deserve mainstream visibility, especially with our art, because it’s been appropriated so much and it’s something we really hold dear to us. We want the credit for having these art forms and these cultural touchstones, and if we don’t get visibility in that way, it’s harder to protect. The more we talk about these as part of our stories . . . the more people are able to see it as part of our identity and not just a craft.”
While it’s too early to know if Rutherford Falls will be picked up for another season, that hasn’t stopped Schmieding from dreaming about the accessories for new episodes. “Something I’m interested in doing for Season 2 if we get it — knock on wood — is acquiring jewelry and accessories from artists who are working in mediums that are not beadwork. Silver workers, abalone workers . . . and even though we all sort of purchase from each other no matter the region or style, I do want to elevate more northeastern Natives and give their jewelry some shine too. I’m already sort of reaching out to people to get a head start.”
Our collective fingers (adorned with beautiful Native-made jewelry if we’re lucky) are crossed.