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In the fourth episode, she finally snaps, choking Sister Mary to death and fleeing the school.
Its important to tell our stories as truthfully as we can, she says.
It opens a space to have people take accountability for what has been done.
I was nervous and a little scared to tackle it.
So we did the self-tape and sent it in right before the deadline.
Not only for the show, but I was scared for our people.
Mo Brings Plenty,Yellowstoneactor and1923American Indian affairs coordinator, said, This isnt just a Native issue.
Its a human rights issue.
Everything Teonna is moving through affects more than just Indigenous communities.
Violence happens in every community.
Theres violence in the entire1923universe.
It was a scary thing to sit with, and I was hesitant about landing on the wrong end.
I am the land, and I am killing you.
What does that mean to you?That was one of my audition scenes.
I had to do it twice.
I did it in English and in Crow.
Our land is us, we are the land; thats just it.
Outside of acting, Im an ethnobotanist, so I have an even deeper connection with the land.
And that scene broke me.
I speak on it so heavily: We are the land.
We have to live in tandem with the space.
We cant be separate.
We are all one living organism together.
We are the plants.
We are the animals.
For Teonna, I think saying those words was basically being like, Listen.
We are more alike than we realize, and its unfortunate that it came to this.
Most of your scenes in the first four episodes have featured intense violence.
Whats it like shooting those moments?
Is there an intimacy coordinator?We had an intimacy coordinator for pretty much all that stuff.
We all fell in love with one another.
We sought refuge in one another, because you kind of have to.
Youre navigating these tough stories that arent made up.
You have to have a level of respect and compassion.
We had a lot of safe words.
The design of the boarding school is impressive.
What did it feel like shooting there?For me, it was a very spiritual experience.
I felt like my ancestors were really coming to be with us and perform.
We also had some Indigenous people who were part of the designs as well.
Once you enter set, youre immediately transported.
They really believed their motto, Kill the Indian, save the man, because thats what Catholicism taught.
They were so scared of us because they believed it to their core.
The only way to put ease to their souls was to be violent.
To be such a way toward a child, theres no justification.
For years, Teonna has had to focus so much on survival, and now on escape.
Shes feeling the trauma of what is happening to her family, to her cousins.
I wish for Teonna to do everything she loves in this life and be impactful to her community.
Youve spoken about how your mom played a really important role in tackling this character and subject.
For my dad, it was really, really hard for him to sit in the premiere.
I actually had to walk him out during Teonnas scenes.
We talked about it, because he was crying really loud.
He was very triggered.
He told me he saw not only his daughter, but his aunties.
If this is it for me, this is fine.
My family is being seen, and our people are being seen.
Id imagine its a strange experience, watching yourself back onscreen in this context.Its weird.
My aunties are like, We dont see Aminah.
They do have a distinction, because I am such a cheeseball, man.
Outside of Teonna, I never stop smiling.
Do you see yourself doing more projects like this in the future?I like telling real stories.
Telling a story like this allows me to rewrite our narrative.
As hard as it is, its also healing.
I think telling truthful stories gives my ancestors a chance to say what they couldnt have said before.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
