How Indigenous Creators Are Leveraging TikTok to Showcase Their Cultures

Initially known for choreographed dance videos, TikTok has evolved into a vital resource for exploring social justice and global issues. While the platform offers endless entertainment like Twitter and other social media, it has also emerged as a significant educational tool for activism and connecting people to diverse cultures. Indigenous content creators, in particular, have embraced the app to share their stories, heritage, and traditions.

In addition to reconnecting friends, TikTok helps forge new relationships between individuals who might never have crossed paths otherwise. Hashtags such as #NativeTikTok boast over 6.5 billion views, with Indigenous individuals globally contributing their unique videos. From traditional performances to lighthearted clips, these Native creators are utilizing the platform to highlight the rich customs within their communities, while also challenging stereotypes, elevating one another's voices, and raising awareness about the political and social challenges faced by Indigenous peoples today.

Breaking Stereotypes and Informing Others

TikTok has increasingly become an important space for Indigenous content creators to express pride in their heritage and amplify the voices of their communities, which have been marginalized for generations. Some #NativeTikTok videos even highlight traditions and rituals that were historically prohibited and banned in their respective countries.

Content creators such as James Jones, known as @notoriouscree, frequently utilize the app to educate TikTok users about Indigenous culture. In addition to demonstrating his remarkable hoop dancing skills, he addresses topics like Indigenous history, identity, traditional attire, and the importance of his braids. Hailing from the Tallcree First Nation, Jones shares in one TikTok video, "I learned that our hair represents an extension of our spirit, and I always braid it with positive intentions to carry that energy with me throughout the day." He continues, "Not long ago, my people were forced to cut their hair in residential schools, so I braid my hair in honor of my ancestors."

Despite the existence of numerous distinct Native nations across the U.S., many Americans remain unaware of Native peoples. The Reclaiming Native Truth project, the largest public opinion research effort conducted by and for Native peoples, revealed that 72% of Americans rarely come across or receive information about Native Americans.

Amanda Clinton, a member of the Cherokee Nation and owner of A.R. Clinton: Communications, Content, and Strategies, discusses the invisibility of Native peoples within American society. "People often ask me about the top issues confronting Natives in this country, and it consistently revolves around health care, access to clean water, and housing, but invisibility also ranks among the major challenges we face," Clinton explains. "Until we are truly recognized as contemporary, modern individuals, we cannot effectively tackle those other issues. As long as Native mascots persist and racist stereotypes endure, we will not be truly regarded as equals."

TikTok as a Medium for Storytelling

Oral storytelling has always been a vital aspect of most Indigenous cultures, serving to transmit knowledge across generations. It remains a powerful means of resisting the erosion of cultural elements like language and history. Native creators are not only introducing individuals from other cultures to their traditions but are also engaging in acts of decolonization and resistance, demonstrating that Native peoples and their cultures are very much alive.

In an increasingly interconnected world, Indigenous communities remain underrepresented online, in media, and across various apps. However, platforms like TikTok enable Native creators to share their daily experiences with audiences who may be unfamiliar with their traditions. Patuk Glenn, an Iñupiaq woman from Alaska, utilizes TikTok to highlight her everyday life, covering topics from hunting techniques to her favorite traditional dishes. In one of her videos on the TikTok account @patukglenn, she guides viewers through a siġḷuaq (ice cellar), where traditional foods like whale and seal are stored.

Additionally, these videos showcase the diversity and unique customs within various Indigenous communities. Rather than homogenizing Native cultures, the diverse content on the app emphasizes the significant differences among Indigenous peoples. TikTok viewers can learn about nearly extinct languages from Native Americans in the U.S. or experience traditional dances from Indigenous groups in Canada.

Tia Wood, a jingle dancer and singer of Plains Cree and Salish descent, leverages her TikTok account, @tiamiscihk, to inspire other Indigenous individuals. Her videos spotlight pressing issues that Indigenous women face today while providing insights into Indigenous history. "At one time, we were forbidden to dance or sing. We were sent to residential schools and punished for any display of cultural practice," Wood stated in one TikTok video. "I dance for those who couldn't. We are still here."