RYAN RED CORNSuch a serious week! Let’s laugh, today. We’re celebrating the work of young Ryan Red Corn, part of the Osage tribe who gaining national attention this month for his short video, “Smiling Indians.” He’s been featured on National Public Radio and other news outlets. Congratulations, Ryan!
ReadTheSpirit supports honest media about Indian life. We publish the biography, “Dancing My Dream,” a memoir of a Native American family in the Great Lakes. And, in our 2010 American Journey, we visited a traditional craftsman and healer in the northern woods of Minnesota.
What is “Smiling Indians”? It’s Ryan’s brainstorm to combat bigotry. Ryan argues that the world has seen far too many stone-serious portraits of Indians down through the past 100 years—and it’s high time to see some Indians grinning. We think his concept is infectious and we’d love to see some young filmmakers create some sequels: How about Smiling Muslims? We sure could use a film like that, right now, to combat bigotry.
Here’s what Ryan created. Enjoy! (If you don’t see a video screen below in the version of this story you’re reading, try clicking on this link to reload this ReadTheSpirit story.)
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(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online journal covering religion and cultural diversity.)
