Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day By Following These Hilarious Indigenous Comedians

Indigenous People’s Day feels different this year. After a year of political and societal upheaval that has seen Columbus statues fall alongside longstanding racist branding and mascots, it’s starting to feel like marginalized people are finally being heard. At least to a larger degree than any other time in American history. As such, it feels like we’ve entered a new era — an era in which progress is possible.

To help us celebrate the strides that Indigenous folks have made toward some semblance of equality (there’s still a long way to go, mind you), we thought we’d shed some light on comedians we know and love from Indigenous communities around the Americas. Joey Clift — a Cowlitz comedian living and working in Los Angeles — put together a list of 25 Indigenous comedians you should know as part of your Indigenous People’s Day celebrations this year. Clift has also partnered with Illuminative — a non-profit working to raise the visibility of Indigenous people worldwide — and Comedy Central to shine a bright light on the work these and other Indigenous comedians are doing on stage, in writers’ rooms, online, and in film and TV.

Once you’ve spent some time with this list below, check out the Comedy Central Instagram — where Clift is running things all day long. It’s a chance for you to expand your knowledge of young, Indigenous comedians while also learning about Indigenous communities, all paired with a laugh or two. Illuminative is also offering an Activist’s Guide for Supporting Indigenous Peoples’ Day Toolkit, so you can learn more about the Indigenous lands you live on, the people who still call this land home, and how to be an advocate without f*cking it up. It’s an incredibly useful and fact-packed guide to why Indigenous People’s Day is important and what you can do to support America’s most ignored, misunderstood, and at-risk communities.

Let’s get into the 25 comics Clift compiled (and wrote bios of) for your enjoyment. We’re also calling out Clift at the end because he’s a must-follow, too!