Indigenous Organizations Say ‘Big Sky’ TV Series is Insensitive
ABC-TV executives are getting pushback from more than a dozen Native American groups, after a new television series ignored the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis.
According to a press release from the Global Indigenous Council, a letter was sent to the network urging ABC Studios to "show some cultural sensitivity" on the popular new series 'Big Sky.'
The show is set in Montana, home to eight federally recognized tribes, which make up the largest minority population in the state. Unfortunately, Big Sky casts white women as the victims in its made-for-TV production, disregarding the epidemic of violence known as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) plaguing Indian Country.
The Indigenous organizations are not asking ABC to pull the tv series, or re-shoot any future episodes, but only asking that a graphic is added at the end of the program that provides facts about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis.
Executive Director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association Gay Kingman said "We have an opportunity here to educate, provide help for grieving families, solve crimes, and return missing children to their families, but it takes all of us to be alert, to work in multiple jurisdictions, and pass meaningful laws."
The episode of 'Big Sky' that aired this week (Tuesday 12/15) ended with a message promoting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, but no mention of M.M.I.W.
Big Sky airs Tuesday night at 9pm MDT on ABC-TV.