Eugene Brave Rock. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Blackfoot actor talks representation in Hollywood, reconciliation in Lethbridge

Sep 16, 2019 | 12:44 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – As part of the City of Lethbridge’s Reconciliation Week, actor Eugene Brave Rock is the event’s keynote speaker.

He wanted to share some of his experiences as an Indigenous person in Southern Alberta, what reconciliation means to him, and what he is doing and wants to do in terms of bringing more representation to the big screen.

Brave Rock grew up in the Kainai First Nation west of Lethbridge. At the time that he was going to school, the most that he learned about his own culture, heritage, and history in the classroom came from taking notes on the 1990 film Dances With Wolves.

At the same time, he feels there was a lot more knowledge being passed along from Elders and the wider community back then.

“I think that’s the problem with our youth today is they don’t know who they are and where they come from because that part of our culture was literally whipped, beaten, and raped out of them, including our language. These days, our youth think they come from the res. That’s not true, this is all Blackfoot country.”

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That is what he hoped people would get a better understanding of following his presentation – building bridges and having a better understanding of the past so that the future can be better for everyone.

Brave Rock admits that he is not sure how the education system has changed as far as Indigenous teachings, but he wants to see a world where every kid knows what happened in the past.

He also told LNN about his most prominent acting role to date where he played The Chief in 2017’s Wonder Woman.

The actor personally thanked director Patty Jenkins for giving him the power to incorporate his own culture into the role in a way he had never experienced before.

“She let me speak my language, she let me pick some symbols for my wardrobe, she gave me that opportunity to put some input into our story. Usually, all the other stories you hear are from a non-Indigenous perspective.”

According to Box Office Mojo, Wonder Woman made over $821-million at the worldwide box office.

Given the movie’s success, Brave Rock said he is proud of the amplified reach that the Blackfoot culture got.

He is starting to see more and more Indigenous actors and directors in the film industry, so Brave Rock is optimistic that more people will embrace reconciliation going forward.