One of the most compelling parts of the Paramount Network’s breakout seriesYellowstoneis its treatment of Native American issues and depictions of reservation life. Despite usually centering around the Dutton family and their ilk, theTaylor Sheridan-helmed series often dives into the intricacies of living as an “American Indian” today. Many of these stories are located on the show’s Broken Rock Indian Reservation, but is the home of Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille) a real place? Strangely, no.
Yellowstone
A ranching family in Montana faces off against others encroaching on their land.
‘Yellowstone’s Broken Rock Indian Reservation Is Not a Real Place
OnYellowstone,the Broken Rock Indian Reservation is located somewhere within the vicinity of Paradise Valley while also bordering Yellowstone National Park. Where exactly that fits is unclear, since Paradise Valley is only so big (not to mention that the Dutton Ranch is supposedly the size of Rhode Island), but nevertheless, that’s where Taylor Sheridan has centered much of his commentary on Native American issues. The only problem is thatthe Broken Rock Indian Reservation doesn’t exist, like the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch itself. It’s completely made up for the show.
In reality,Montana is home to seven different Indian Reservations: the Blackfeet and Flathead Indian Reservations in the northwest, Rocky Boy’s and Fort Belknap in the north-central region, the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in the northeast, and the neighboring Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations in the southeast. Additionally, central Montana’s Cascade County is also the Little Shell Chippewa Tribal Capital, though this group doesn’t have a reservation to call their own. In total,twelve different tribes reside in Montana, with three of the aforementioned reservations being shared spaces between tribes.
At the beginning of the series, Kayce (Luke Grimes) and Monica are living on the reservation before eventually moving to the Yellowstone, which unfortunately limits some of the stories that could be told on the Rez. Thankfully, Thomas Rainwater is still around and is elected high chief of the Confederated Tribes of Broken Rock in the very first episode. This implies that, like Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, and/or the Flathead Reservations, several tribes reside on the reservation. Unfortunately,the series hasn’t explored any tribe-specific issues, opting instead to focus on a general overview of Rez life.
‘Yellowstone’s Fictional Reservation Is Actually Montana’s Real-Life Crow Reservation
Despite the Broken Rock Indian Reservation being fictional,Taylor Sheridan is committed to portraying reservation life as authentically as possible. As a result, the show films all of its Broken Rock scenes (including those taking place within a casino) on the Crow Indian Reservation in southeast Montana. Though Gallatin and Park Counties (the primary settings ofYellowstone) don’t have a reservation to call their own, about two hours east is where the Crow people reside, making it the closest reservation to the real-life locations portrayed in the series. But in this case, proximity matters far less than authenticity.
“Our perception had always been more stereotypical,“Crow Nation tribal chairmanAJ Not Afraidexplained to Variety ahead of the show’s premiere. “But here the folks at the show came out and reckoned the terrain and the people, and they got a better taste of the native side.” Of course,Not Afraid was skeptical at first, especially given traditional Western depictions of the conflict between cowboys and Indians––which, ironically, Sheridan eventually got around to with his prequel miniseries1883, though respectfully. Not Afraid’s concerns ultimately ended up being unfounded though, and soon the series was granted permission to film on Crow land, though with one condition. “We said we would allow it as long as we had the chance to portray some of the Native facts, and they were all for it,” Not Afraid explained.
“I don’t think that there is a more misrepresented group in American cinema than the Native American,“Sheridan told Whiskey Riff in 2023. “And what little I can do to correct that historical perspective in fiction, I’m gonna do.” Even beforeYellowstone,Sheridan was committed to using his influence to speak on Native issues.The neo-Western dramaHell or High Waterfeatures a scene between one of the Howard brothers (played masterfully byBen Foster) and a local Comanche man as they discuss what it means to be a Comanche. By the time of his directorial debut,Wind River, Sheridan purposely set the film on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, which was meant to convey the hardships of what these people go through.The end of that film alone is a powerful look at the horrors that can occur.
‘Yellowstone’ Is One of Many Modern TV Dramas Chronicling Reservation Life
Of course,Taylor Sheridan isn’t the only Western artist out there hoping to shed some new and authentic light on the Native American community. BeforeYellowstoneeven began,the hit A&E-turned-Netflix seriesLongmiredelved deep into Rez lifeby way of Montana’s Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation (though this fictional depiction of the Cheyenne Nation existed within the borders of the equally fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming). In the series, characters like Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips), Jacob Nighthorse (A. Martinez), and Malachi Strand (Graham Greene) were dynamic, well-developed, and forsook all traditional Native clichés while still staying true to the culture. No doubt,Longmirepaved the way forYellowstone.
Thankfully,the “Yellowstoneeffect,” as some might call it, has continued to promote positive depictions of Native Americans.We’re way past Tonto now, and shows likeAMC’sDark Winds––which starsLongmirealumniZahn McClarnonas Joe Leaphorn––and the FX seriesReservation Dogs––which follows a band of Indigenous teenagers on an Oklahoma reservation––continue to surprise audiences with their authenticity. Even shows like Amazon Prime’sOuter Rangehave optedto bring more positive Native American representation to the screen, and likewise,Sheridan’s Wind River has spawned a sequelthat will feature a Native protagonist and a nearly all-Native cast.
Yellowstonemay not have been the first series to dive into these issues, but it certainly helped open the door for others to tell their own stories. The Western genre has long been riddled with poor portrayals of Native peoples. Today,the revived genre aims to correct some of those misrepresentations and seems to be doing a fine job. That doesn’t always mean that everything has to be real. Fictional reservations offer a type of creative freedom one can’t have when covering a real one, but it does mean that the stories, and characters, have to be genuine. So far,Yellowstone’s got that part down.
Yellowstonecan be streamed exclusively on Peacock.
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