Netflix has released the first trailer for Peter Berg’s upcoming series American Primeval, which is set in the brutal American frontier of 1857 where only one goal matters… survival.
The series stars Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin and it’s described as a “raw, adventurous exploration of the birth of the American West.” One of the main players of the series are the Mormons coming into and setting in the Utah territory.
This looks like an incredible show and as someone who has been fascinated with the American West and how it was formed, I’m very interested in watching this story and seeing how the old American west is portrayed.
It’s a fictionalized “dramatization and examination of the violent collision of culture, religion and community as men and women fight and die to either keep or claim the lands that make up the brutal American frontier.”
Among those are several Native Tribes who have long occupied the lands including the Shoshone, Paiute and Ute.
The synopsis reads: “This is America…1857. Up is down, pain is everywhere, innocence and tranquility are losing the battle to hatred and fear. Peace is the shrinking minority, and very few possess grace – even fewer know compassion. There is no safe haven in these brutal lands, and only one goal matters: survival.”
In an effort to deliver an authentic story centered around the three Tribal Nations involved in the story, Indigenous Cultural Consultant, Julie O’Keefe was brought in, and she worked with a network of Native artists, artisans and cultural experts to create an accurate onscreen portrayal of how these different Tribal Nations lived.
O’Keefe said in an interview: “After reading historical accounts of what happened to Native people of that time period, the violence in American Primeval is tame.”
She added: “My approach comes from an academic approach focused on authenticity. It is assumed by the majority in Hollywood that one person can answer any ‘Native American’ question. There are 574 federally recognized Tribal Nations in the U.S., so that is literally impossible.
“The goal for a Native consultant, even though I refer to myself as an Indigenous Cultural Consultant, is to make sure the director and all departments are provided with the accurate information so that different Tribal cultures are not borrowed or mixed together to portray some kind of a hodgepodge of cultures that have nothing to do with the Tribe being portrayed.
“Imagine if you buried the Pope in lederhosen with a Buddhist nun officiating Catholic rites, while everyone danced with a Union Jack flag. That is what it looks like to see your culture misrepresented.”
She contunued: “The days of Gunsmoke and Bonanza are over. No more brown paint or weird symbols painted on people’s faces. Language is authentic. Clothing is not all fashioned after Geronimo, and not everyone is running around in a headdress. Not all Tribes live in tipis – or if they do, it’s not the same type of tipi which you will see in American Primeval.”
Berg added: “Julie was there every day making sure that we got it right – that we got the hair right, the jewelry right, the clothes right, the language right, the behavior right, for the time period and Nations.
“I knew what I didn’t know, and she was extremely valuable in helping us all make sure that we did get it right. We’re very mindful of how important it is that all of these different groups are honored, that our research and depictions are accurate.”
The series also stars Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Derek Hinkey, Joe Tippett, Jai Courtney, Preston Mota, Shawnee Pourier and Shea Whigham. Smith and Newman are showrunners.
All six episodes will be released on January 9, 2025, on Netflix.
