Writing About Native Americans: 7 Questions Answered

A Native American man wearing street clothes sits astride a horse atop a bluff overlooking the landscape of Oljato Monument Valley in Arizona. On a road below, two vans and a car drive along a winding road.
Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

Today’s post is by author Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer.


Many authors want to write about Native Americans in their fiction and nonfiction, but they have questions about doing so—and don’t know who to ask. As a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, I’ve written and published 15 historical fiction books with Native main characters, and over 275 nonfiction articles on Native artists and organizations. In 2012, I was honored as a Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian Artist in Leadership fellow, and a First Peoples Fund Artist in Business Leadership fellow in 2015.

Helping authors of all genres write authentic stories with Native characters is one of my passions. Once authors invest in the skills they need, they’re able to stand behind every word they write. So I’ll answer frequently asked questions I hear from writers.

1. What is the correct way to refer to Native Americans?

There are really long, complex answers to this, but I will give a short version here.

Many Natives in Indian Country still prefer the term “Indian,” but because it’s been used derogatorily for so long, you need to take great care if you use it.

“American Indians” is still commonly used, as in the National Museum of the American Indian.

“Native American” is fine as well, though technically anyone born in America is Native American.

My favorite term is “First Americans” and it’s gaining popularity. The Chickasaw Nation has adopted this as their term, and there is the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.

The most accurate and correct way is to refer to someone is by their tribal affiliation. For me, that’s Choctaw. So rather than I say, “I’m Indian,” I say, “Chahta sia hoke,” meaning, “I am Choctaw!”

2. Is it okay for authors who aren’t Native American to write about them?

It depends on who you ask. For me, the idea that one can only write about their own race is odd. I have characters of multiple nationalities that fit into the historical and contemporary times I write in.

The catch is Natives in mainstream media have been so grossly stereotyped it’s extremely easy for a writer to perpetuate those stereotypes without even realizing it. Writing First American characters should be done with care, research, and a strong knowledge base.

In the end, I believe writers should be judged on the quality of our writing, not on our race.

3. Are there still organized tribal nations in North America?

Yes! According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 2020, there are 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States.

Many have their own officials, councils, law enforcement, health care systems, and more. Some of the tribal governments are located on reservations; others have boundaries based on county lines.

Each tribe has a distinct history and heritage, so it’s important to know which one you are writing about in your story.

4. Can authors approach a tribal community for help when researching their story?

I encourage authors to work with the tribe they are writing about if they can. Make friends in that culture. However, you may find people more guarded if you jump right into, “Hey, I’m writing a novel, can I ask all about your people?” So much has been stolen from Native communities, and it takes deep awareness to build relationships.

5. What can authors do to make sure they don’t get Native culture “wrong” and create a firestorm of controversy?

Connection. Make connections with Native people at events, through tribal historians, and at cultural centers.

If you build trusting relationships, you may eventually ask your connection(s) to read your manuscript for fact-checking. If they offer positive feedback, consider asking for an endorsement. Put those in your marketing copy or on your back cover.

Keep in mind that getting everything right isn’t a simple task. It’s doable in most cases, but you may run into roadblocks. Lean hard into your research and have a discerning eye to distinguish between stereotypes and true history and culture.

6. What are some stereotypes surrounding Native Americans?

The list of stereotypes is a long one, but I’ll cover two of them for you here.

First, “The Noble Savage.” While some people showed real prejudice against Native peoples (such as “no dogs or Indians allowed” signage), others romanticized the idea of Native Americans. This happens still today. While there is much to admire in Native culture, it’s important to guard against the starry-eyed view of Indigenous people. Though not directly negative, that view doesn’t always empathize with Natives as human beings.

Read through historical documents and keep a close eye on verbiage that romanticizes the culture and people of the tribe you’re researching. Often, you’ll find that newspaper accounts, time-period books, and speeches were from the point of view at one end of the spectrum or the other.

These perspectives come from two extremes. The truth lands somewhere in the middle, and your job as an author is to draw balanced conclusions.

“Historical-Only View.” One of the stereotypes rarely talked about is what I call a “historical-only view.” It’s the underlying perspective that American Indians have all but disappeared from the face of the earth. Though not directly stated, descriptions and attitudes assume that Native peoples are in the past. There is no future for them.

The solution? Get to know Native people by attending events like Indian powwows. Feel the beat of the big drum, watch the wildly beautiful flash of colors at the climax of the fancy dancers, and taste Indian fry bread. While there is etiquette to learn for powwows and other Native events, you can do it. Meet new people. Build trusting relationships. Show the respect that’s in your heart for Natives today, and remember … we Natives are still here. 🙂

If you want more, I cover five stereotypes to avoid that you can download for free.

7. What about marketing my books with Native American characters?

Many people I meet are fascinated by Native American history and culture. That’s a positive thing as long as you approach any marketing about and to Native cultures genuinely and respectfully, which goes back to doing your research. If you write YA, middle grade, or children’s books and plan to visit schools, some may not be receptive if you’re non-Native. You could consider partnering with a Native author or illustrator if your goal is to market in schools.

Contemporary, fantasy, historical, romance, or any genre should take into consideration who they are casting in their story and why, then create the most authentic, accurate, non-stereotype characters they can. If you’ve done your research and can show it (in your author bio, website, author notes, endorsements, etc), that can build trust and credibility no matter what audience you’re marketing to.

If you have more questions, ask them in the comments below. And if you’re ready to get into writing Native American characters in your story, I can help guide you through the minefield in my Fiction Writing: American Indians online course.

Chi pisa la chike, my fellow author. I will see you again soon.

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Wayne Jones

I was happy to read here that it is acceptable for someone of one race to write about people of another race. I’ve always believed and felt that, through the “voice appropriation” moral panic of the 1990s and now through some of the extremes of the woke ethos. That applies especially to a writer of fiction: they have no obligation to get any facts right at all, whether about race or how to make good coffee. The creative imagination can’t be restrained like that. It doesn’t have to ask permission. I also agree that it’s the quality of the writing that counts above all.

I’m not sure how the getting to know the Native culture would work logistically. Or whether it’s necessary. Fiction writers write about all sorts of topics without the need to actually “embed” themselves in a community.

I also believe that having to subject a work of fiction to a “sensitivity reading” is against the spirit of creative writing. I’d be interested to know your opinion on that.

Jane Friedman

When I read fiction and happen to have knowledge of the profession, place, culture, issue, etc being written about, I lose trust in the author and the storytelling if the author has little or no idea of what they’re writing about. So in a contemporary legal thriller, for instance, I would expect the author to know how the legal system works given the time/setting. Or if firearms are part of the action, I would expect the author to know or have researched how firearms actually work. Or, if the setting is in the 1600s, I don’t want to see electricity (unless it’s historical fantasy, I suppose). Etc.

These are clear examples of where an author might need to do research to gain the trust of the reader and produce a credible story. I’m not sure why writing about other races/cultures would be different. When I worked at Writer’s Digest, our most popular series were those that helped writers understand either professions they hadn’t worked in and/or time periods they had not lived in. Writers typically have a vested interest in portraying things with attention to detail and care; that’s what makes for good writing.

Obviously the issue of writing about races/culture/identities outside one’s own has become a socio-political/hot-button issue, and this has the unfortunate effect of making productive conversation challenging. But why defend lack of knowledge or remaining ignorant for writing stories? Writers might not need to embed in a community to write well and with care, but I don’t think writers are so helpless they can’t research Native cultures to confirm their understanding or improve their characters and story line.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Jane, agreed, thank you for breaking it down so well! Yes, just as we wouldn’t have fighter jets in the Revolutionary War, we wouldn’t want to show Choctaws wearing Oglala Lakota war bonnets. Research goes a long well in building a credible reputation as an author and (hopefully) a life-long readership.

Wayne Jones

Just to clarify that I wasn’t advocating for a fiction writer to be totally ignorant of the topic or environment they are writing about. I agree, we don’t want a character in Elizabethan (I) times turning on a light switch. What I meant is that fiction is by definition made up, and there are more ways to get the background facts right than consulting with a community. If I write a novel about murder, I might not necessarily interview a murderer, but I might consult a criminology expert.

Aliske Webb

Hello. I am not techno-savvy so am not sure this is going to the right person. I am looking for someone who can assist / advise / collaborate on a manuscript that includes the specific Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) history and portrayals. I have done lots of research but am concerned about the accuracy and sensitivity of the material. I would welcome hearing from anyone with suggestions who I could contact. I have googled and tried to contact several people / organizations. To date I am not achieving anything. Thanks. Cheers, Aliske Webb aliskewebb2006@shaw.ca

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Hi Aliske! I am sending you an email to make sure you receive this, but I do teach authors how they can work to make connections with the tribe they are writing about. There needs to be a lot of thought behind it and time taken to build relationships. You’re doing your research and that’s the best starting point.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Wayne, to your question on sensitivity readers: As a Choctaw author, I have fellow authors ask me about being a sensitivity reader for their books with Native American characters. But there is danger with relying on sensitivity readers, so I encourage authors away from going that route. Otherwise, you have 1 or 2 people speaking for an entire race, culture, and history.

One author who took my course informed her publisher of it, which made the publisher feel more comfortable with the author’s portrayal of her Native characters and isn’t pushing for her to have a sensitivity reader.

I do advocate for authors to have culture keepers they can ask questions of and possibly review their manuscript if they’ve built a trusting relationship.

Patricia Young

I agree with you Sarah. Among First Nations in Canada, there are 630 recongized, representing 50 different languages. Among the Cree, for instance, there is the ‘Swampy’, ‘Woodlands’ and the ‘Plains’ Cree. Each have different stories and pathways they’ve walked. There is not one among the 630 who have the exact same story of who they are or how they got where they are. It’s essential that you KNOW who it is you’re writing about

Me-2016
Susanne Lakin

I really appreciate this. I have a six-book historical Western series (The Front Range Series) in which one main character is a Cheyenne medicine woman who had married a white man (who died) and has two sons. They are my most compelling characters, struggling to live in a white man’s environ in Colorado in the 1870s, after most of the Cheyenne were relocated to another territory onto reservations. Even though I am writing romance, I made it a point to bring the racial and cultural biases and conflict to the forefront, and it is challenging.

It’s so important to transcend stereotype and portray all characters as complex and dealing with their individual struggles amid their daily lives, but writers have to take care to consider why, how, and when to include people of diverse ethnic groups into their stories and do their research so as not to offend or get it wrong. I love that readers see my Cheyenne characters as the most empathetic and engaging of all my characters in my books. It’s all about being a sensitive writer concerned with respect, dignity, and truth. We all fail at times, but we need to keep trying to get it right. Thank you.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

“I love that readers see my Cheyenne characters as the most empathetic and engaging of all my characters in my books. It’s all about being a sensitive writer concerned with respect, dignity, and truth. We all fail at times, but we need to keep trying to get it right.”

I love this, Susanne, thank you for sharing your experience and about your series! I’m grateful to hear how well received it’s been.

And you are most welcome, I’m glad the article was helpful for you.

Karen E Lee

Hello,
I am very puzzled by this post. I am also writing from Canada. I would suggest you read some of Thomas King’s work, like The Inconvenient Indian. By the way, please don’t use the term “Indian” in Canada unless you are an indigenous person. It is not a term that is used now.
White people came to North America and carved it up, put lines on the map, to suit themselves. Not the people who were already here. There was no US or Canada back then and the indigenous tribes roamed without border restrictions. Please also refer to a map of North America before the lines were drawn to see where indigenous people populated.
But, yes if you are going to presume to have indigenous people in your work, I would endorse the suggestion that you consult with some tribal elders – but that won’t necessarily get you out of difficulty with other tribes.
This is a time for indigenous people to claim their own stories, dress, ceremonies – I think you should leave them to tell their own stories.

PJ Reece

Also am I living in Canada and as a film writer who has scripted corporate/PR shows for “First Canadians” (I like that!) I can tell you that some band councils have no problem using the “Indian” term. They may use “First Nations” in some situations, but at home and off the cuff, “Indian” seems to be in no way a derogatory term. Furthermore, including a “First Canadian” in a story doesn’t mean the story is about them. They might be “fifth business”, there to help tell a larger story. All the characters together serve the orchestration of a larger truth. ~ PJ Reece, Gibsons, BC

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Great perspectives, PJ, thank you for sharing! Yes, I have a friend who is Choctaw but has lived among First Nations in Canada for decades. He told me the same thing about the term Indian there. It’s an insider term for sure, and can be used in the right time and place.

“First Canadians”… nice 🙂

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Halito Karen! Thank you for commenting and sharing your thoughts. 

While I don’t agree with all of them, I so appreciate the opportunities I have had (and still do) to teach Native authors how to improve their craft. I taught Native youth creative writing for five seasons of the Chickasaw Arts Academy, and I’ve led multiple writing workshop in the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. 

I hope the best for you in your creative endeavors. 

For those who may be concerned about the term “Indian,” you can preview lesson 1 in my course that addresses that controversial subject in detail:
https://sarahelisabethsawyer.podia.com/view/courses/fiction-writing-american-indians/1253162-module-1-terminology/3828122-lesson-1-indians

Michelle Heumann

I am a freelance copyeditor in Canada and I have a MA in (Canadian) history, with a lot of study on First Nations history. The situation and terminology used in the land we now call Canada is quite distinct from that in the USA. An excellent resource for writing about Indigenous Peoples in this area is “Elements of Indigenous Style” by Gregory Younging, and I highly recommend it.

PJ Reece

Thanks for this, Sarah. I’m sure for a lot of writers this clears up some niggling points of order. Cheers.

Harald Johnson

Thank you for this good post, Sarah. As the author of the first (and only) historical novel about the birth of New York City (“New York 1609”), I can resonate with your points as I dealt with all of them in researching and creating my novel that centered around the Lenape-Delaware people. The one thing that surprised me relates to your point #4 about approaching the tribal community. Maybe because I’m a white European-heritage man, but I found all the living diaspora communities—including their cultural/history leaders—not very interested in what I was doing. So I tried, but there was only so much I could do.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

You are most welcome for this post, Harald! Sounds like a fascinating historical novel.

I’m sorry you had that experience when reaching out to the cultural leaders. One thing I share in my course is the difficulty of implementing point #4. It’s so good if you can do it, but it’s likely the most difficult part of writing about American Indians.

So much has been taken from Native people that many are (understandably) guarded. Many writers came into their communities in the past and took what they wanted to write about in their own way. It’s something we writers today have to work hard to overcome.

I’m grateful you reached out to the community. Many writers don’t take that step.

Keith Abbott

I have just finished my book, ‘The Spill’ a thriller about a massive oil spill. The lead character has an Irish father and a Navajo mother, who goes on to law school and becomes the Vice President of the oil company involved.
Even though I am not Indian, my father worked for the BIA, and I was raised on the Navajo rez in and around Gallup, New Mexico. I plan to have old high school classmates who are Indian review my book. It is definitely a pro-Indian story. I have considered myself very lucky to have been raised on the reservation.
I loved your article.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Fascinating storyline, Keith! I’m so glad to hear you have Diné friends willing to review your manuscript. That’s invaluable, as was your experience of growing up on the reservation. I hope the best for your work.

Debbie Burke

Sarah, what a helpful article. I also listened to the audio sample you included. Interesting that there is no agreement on a so-called preferred term but rather many variations based on individuals.

I’m blond and blue-eyed. My adopted mother was black, born in 1926. During her early life, “colored” or “Negro” were considered respectful but “black” was not. During the 1960s, when “black” became popular, she never felt comfortable using it b/c, in her past, that was derogatory. She always described herself, family, and friends as “colored.”

My upcoming contemporary thriller, Deep Fake Double Down, has a young character whose mother is black and whose father is Blackfeet. His paternal grandmother who raised him kept his black ethnicity a secret although he later learns about it. At school, kids ask why he doesn’t have “Indian hair” b/c his hair is curly. He always feels like an outsider, not black enough, not Indian enough. He describes himself as “half Blackfeet and the other half is even blacker.”

His perspective is based on a real person I interviewed.

I’d appreciate your thoughts. Thank you for this insightful discussion.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

I appreciate you sharing your heritage, Debbie!

The terminology question is complicated, isn’t it? One elder said, “It makes me feel like we don’t know who we are anymore.”

Your story sounds fascinating. My advice is to do as much research on the Blackfeet people as you can, and also include in your author notes where the inspiration for this character came from. You may find my course helpful as you navigate the complexities of your story.

I hope the best for your writing journey!

Sarah

Lenora Good

Thank you for this. I wrote an historical novel a few years back, about an Ioway woman. I contacted two or three reservations, telling them what I was doing/had done and asked if they could pass my email along too anyone who would be willing to read my ms and be sure I had not inadvertently written something I shouldn’t have. No one responded and after waiting a couple months, I published the book. I was fortunate, after it was published, I met a descendant of her, and not only did she love my book, some of her cousins, descendants of one of the others in the book, loved how I wrote their ancestor.

Your advice is very good, I hope the various tribes read it and do not ignore other writers.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Lenora, how wonderful you connected with a descendant after publishing your book! And that she loved it. So rewarding.

Many times, tribes aren’t ignoring writers intentionally. They are often shorthanded and receive many requests about their people. Another reason is that, unfortunately, many of their experiences with authors have been negative. Much of their culture and history has been stolen and abused by writers throughout the years. I encouraged writers to work hard to overcome the difficulties of the past and sometimes, the present.

Patricia Young

Hi Lenora ~ I’m coming late to this discussion party, but I highly recommend offering payment to anyone but a friend who reads your work, and especially to ‘minorities’, if no one minds my using that term. Possibly you did and didn’t mention it above. I would also advise, for any ‘specialty’ reader/peruser, that you then mark your MS for the parts you particularly want them to peruse, if you’re only offering like $50 or so. I was once a visual artist and I can’t tell you how many people asked me for freebies without blushing! One lady wanted me to illustrate her children’s picture book on the hopes it might be published! It simply isn’t done, if you respect the person’s work.

Ginger Pedersen

I am writing a fiction book that takes place in 1921. There is a mention of the Seminole Indians in a few chapters. Using the term “native American” seems off because that term was not in use at the time. Should I add a an author note about the use of the term?

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Hey Ginger, great question. I would use the historically accurate term – Seminole Indians. You could also just do Seminoles.

Another consideration: Is it the Seminole Tribe of Florida or the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma? As Choctaws, we are split into two main nations – the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Mississippi Band of Choctaws.

The full tribal name isn’t always necessary, and again, the time period determines which is best in a work of fiction.

Samantha Belote

Stumbled across your article. I work for a Native agriculture serving entity, and we have a webinar series on how to write about Native Agriculture. If that is something anyone is interested in, especially prior to Native American Heritage Month in November, you can visit our resources right here: https://nativeamericanagriculturefund.org/resources/