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- Reservation Dogs Gets Celeb Cameos Right by Further Showcasing the Indigenous Community
Reservation Dogs Gets Celeb Cameos Right by Further Showcasing the Indigenous Community
Everett Collection / FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection
FX on Hulu’s Reservation Dogs isn’t just a refreshingly authentic take on Indigenous life, it’s also an important step for representation. Not only is every main cast member on the Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi-created series Indigenous – including Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs’s Elora Danan and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai’s Bear – but every writer and director is as well. This representation also carries over into some of the most engaging (and hilarious) side characters, some of which are portrayed by comedians like Rutherford Falls‘s Jana Schmieding. Whether they are a mainstay in Indigenous cinema or have ties to the Native music scene, we’ve rounded up the biggest celebrity cameos from Reservation Dogs ahead.
Everett Collection
Gary Farmer as Uncle Brownie
As Uncle Brownie, Farmer reconnects with his rural Oklahoma town thanks to Elora and the rest of the Rez Dogs. Best known for his roles in 1995’s Dead Man, 1998’s Smoke Signals, and 1999’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Farmer is a mainstay in Indigenous cinema. More recently, he’s had roles in 2013’s Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian, Sundance’s 2014 series The Red Road, and SYFY’s 2021 series Resident Alien.
Getty / Kevin Winter
Jana Schmieding as an NDN Clinic Receptionist
We don’t get to know much about the NDN clinic’s receptionist, other than the fact that she doesn’t want to purchase a meat pie and finds Bear annoying. However, Schmieding really makes the role her own. Outside of Reservation Dogs, Schmieding is the star and one of the writers on Peacock’s Rutherford Falls.
Getty / George Pimentel
Sarah Podemski as Bear's Mom, Rita
The talk of the town, Bear’s mom, Rita, loves her son and wants what’s best for him. Reservation Dogs isn’t the first time that Podemski has worked with series creator Harjo. She appeared in his 2007 feature film debut Four Sheets to the Wind as Miri Smallhill, which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nod. Podemski has also appeared in the Indigenous-focused Johnny Greyeyes, Dance Me Outside, and its spinoff series The Rez.
Getty / VALERIE MACON
Zahn McClarnon as Officer Big
Officer Big is the thorn in the Rez Dogs’ side, and he might have a crush on Bear’s mom. It’s interesting to see McClarnon in a more comedic role after seeing him as Police Chief Mathias on Longmire, Hanzee Dent on Fargo, and Akecheta on Westworld.
Getty / VALERIE MACON
Lil Mike and Funny Bone as Mose and Mekko
Mose and Mekko are the reservation’s version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, popping up every now and again to give just a hint of comedic timing when needed. Brothers Lil Mike and Funny Bone make up the Native American rap duo Mike Bone and appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2013.
