The Emmy-award winning Indigenous filmmaker behind "Prey," the 2022 installment in the "Predator" movie series, will speak in Jackson and Riverton this week.
Jhane Myers’ talks are part of a multi-day program called Native Voices, which is hosted by Central Wyoming College in partnership with Wyoming Humanities and Native American Jump Start.
The week-long celebration will also include a night of stories from professional Indigenous athletes Connor Ryan (Lakota) and Ellen Bradley (Tlingit), cultural presentations and a star quilt exhibit featuring Northern Arapaho mother-daughter duo Cherokee Brown and Miracle Seminole.
Myers is Comanche and Blackfeet, and she was the lead creative producer for the 2022 movie “Prey,” a prequel in the popular sci-fi “Predator” franchise.
“Prey” is set in the northern Great Plains in the early 18th century and features a Comanche heroine named Naru. Naru is played by actor Amber Midthunder, who is a citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribe based in Montana.
Myers said that although the franchise has been historically very male-driven, having Naru at the center of “Prey” helped to shift the demographic of people drawn to the franchise.
“ That speaks volumes,” she said. “That speaks volumes to so many groups, to people of color, to Native people, to women.”
“Prey” is also the first full-length film to be dubbed in Comanche. Myers said there are still barriers for Indigenous people trying to get into creative fields, but she said more and more are making their mark.
“ So many people don't think of Native people as modern day. They don't think of us as producers, directors, writers, scholars,” she said. “We have all of that and more.”
Myers recently worked on Ralph Lauren’s inaugural Artist in Residence program collaboration with Diné weaver and textile artist Naiomi Glasses.
She also helped to produce Free Leonard Peltier, which tells the story of one of the leaders of the American Indian Movement. Peltier, who is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, was convicted in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents and served nearly 50 years in prison. Then-Pres. Joe Biden commuted Peltier’s life sentence in his final moments in office in 2025.
Myers said that she encourages aspiring Native creatives to use their imagination and dream big about where they would like to see more Indigenous representation.
“ We have a big opportunity for new filmmakers to come in and make authentic pieces and make authentic contributions to the film industry,” she said.
“Prey” will play at the Center for the Arts in Jackson on April 30 at 6:30 p.m. and at the Robert A. Peck Arts Center in Riverton on May 1 at 6 p.m. Myers will answer questions after the screening.
Eastern Shoshone tribal member Ivan Posey is the tribal education coordinator at Central Wyoming College and has been integral to organizing Native Voices’ programming since it started in 2019. He said that the Jackson area is still the ancestral lands of the Shoshone people.
“ Our spirits still resonate there. Remains of some people, objects and all these things that were sacred to us and important to us are still there,” he said. “It’s good that this week celebrates some of the things that tribal people contribute to.”
Native Voices stemmed from conversations between tribal members, the mayor of Jackson and the local Chamber of Commerce about cultural appropriation at an Old West Days Parade in 2018. At the parade, non-Native people donned red face paint and black wigs.
Posey said that education is at the heart of Native Voices, especially given the fact that there are still so many misconceptions and myths about contemporary Indigenous peoples.
“ It’s important to tell our own stories,” he said. “When I first got to Jackson and we talked about tribal education, I was asked what kind of books people should read about us. I mentioned several, but none of them are written by us. So I think we're at the point now where we have the opportunity to tell our own stories.”
Posey helps run the Institute of Tribal Learning at Central Wyoming College and said that there’s a need for more education and storytelling within tribal communities as well.
“We need to come back and, through reciprocity, start teaching our younger people about ourselves,” said Posey. “A lot of them may not be exposed to some of our stories and stuff, due to no fault of their own.”
Central Wyoming College President Brad Tyndall said the Wind River Reservation is the heart of the school’s service area and emphasized that the event is an opportunity to celebrate the many strengths and differences of the communities there.
“ People have to get together and understand each other,” he said. “This whole week of Native Voices is very much centered around mature understanding and respect.”
The fifth annual Teton Powwow will wrap up the week on May 3 at the Snow King Sports and Events Center in Jackson. The event brings together hundreds of dancers, vendors and spectators. It will start at 11 a.m. and go until 10 p.m.
