Native American Heritage Month began on November 1. To honor the Indigenous creators on its platform, TikTok is launching several initiatives, including a hub called #NativeTikTok.
Visitors to #NativeTikTok can check out content from Indigenous creators across the platform. That hashtag was already thriving well before the start of TikTok’s curation project. Native Americans have used TikTok to share tribal history and traditions while also calling for land acknowledgements and other measures.
In November, TikTok is lending more visibility to those messages. “Throughout the month, we’ll spotlight inspiring creators and content that showcases Native American art, culture, and tribal heritage,” reads a blog post from the platform. “Join us to celebrate our vibrant #NativeFamily of Indigenous creators who use music, art, design, dance and oral storytelling to share their traditions and personal experiences as proud members of Indigenous communities, year-round.”
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TikTok’s Heritage Month programming will include multiple live events. The creator behind the lennybeadhandzz account will turn to TikTok Live to lead a beading class on November 7. Two weeks later, Chante’ Reddest will use Native traditions to inform a storytelling session. Reddest, the star of the lakotalightning account, is one of the most Indigenous creators on TikTok. He reaches 1.1 million followers.
In addition to Reddest, TikTok is also promoting a host of other videomakers from Native and Indigenous backgrounds. The platform’s blog post highlights designer Cheyenne Faulkner, writer and model Kara Roselle, education creator lilino.e, and Taino storyteller Emmy.
There’s one notable omission from that list: Nathan Apodaca. The man behind the doggface account had one of the biggest viral breakouts in TikTok history when he skateboarded down the street while listening to Fleetwood Mac. Apodaca, a member of the Northern Arapaho nation, celebrated his Indigenous heritage when he made an appearance on the FX series Reservation Dogs.
