Big Sky bosses respond to controversy over Indigenous representation
The producers of ABC's Big Sky have responded to an open letter from Indigenous groups that accused the show of being culturally insensitive.
Groups including the Global Indigenous Council, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and others have criticised the show for being set in an area where Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls are disproportionally high (26% of missing people are said to be Indigenous, versus 7% of the population).
Yet, the show doesn't feature any representation of tribal people, focusing instead on the plight of two white women.
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A statement issued by ABC to Entertainment Weekly reads: "After meaningful conversations with representatives of the Indigenous community, our eyes have been opened to the outsized number of Native American and Indigenous women who go missing and are murdered each year, a sad and shocking fact.
"We are grateful for this education and are working with Indigenous groups to help bring attention to this important issue."
However, the Global Indigenous Council has claimed that they haven't had any contact with ABC, despite the statement saying they have.
"ABC Studios claimed it is working with Native Americans to fix the problem of ignoring the epidemic of violence against Native American women in its series, Big Sky. We have not heard from the honchos at Big Sky, ABC Studios, or parent company Disney," their response reads.
"We have no idea what they are talking about, but we would be very interested to hear from ABC on its ideas for remedying the injustice done by its series, Big Sky. So we’re interested in learning who ABC is working with, since it is curious that no purported Indigenous partners are named in its statement.
"In our culture, trust can only be earned, not promised."
Big Sky airs on ABC in the US.
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