Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs has our full attention with her latest role as Elora Danan on FX’s Reservation Dogs. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the series follows a group of four Indigenous teens living in rural Oklahoma with dreams of a better life in California. While the show is making history as the first TV series to feature an all-Indigenous team of writers, directors, and series regulars, it certainly isn’t the first time Kawennáhere has graced our screens.
Kawennáhere has had a passion for acting since she was a child, with her role as Aila in 2013’s Rhymes For Young Ghouls being her breakout. Since then, she’s appeared in several other TV shows and movies, including The Lie, The Order, and American Gods, and she also made her directorial debut with her short film Stolen in 2015. Still, there’s so much more to know about Kawennáhere. Keep reading to find out ahead.
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She "100% Geeked Out" When She Met Idol Taika Waititi
In 2018, Kawennáhere had the honor of meeting Taika Waititi at the Toronto International Film Festival. “GUYS! I met my hero at TIFF,” she gushed on Instagram. “I 100% geeked out but tried my hardest to keep it inside (it didn’t really work) ???.” Fast-forward three years later, and the two are now working together on Reservation Dogs. Funny how life works, huh?
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She's Passionate About Activism
Kawennáhere is very vocal about her support for several social justice issues, including Indigenous rights, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQ+ rights. In fact, she’s the founder of the Kahnawà:ke Youth Forum.
“Indigenous rights overlapping with environmental rights is something that’s very near and dear to my heart,” she said in a 2020 interview with The TV Junkies. “It’s not enough to just be posting a black tile and it’s not enough to just be a keyboard warrior. Action actually needs to happen and that includes making donations. I’ve made donations and encouraged my followers to match them, and with that, I did personal videos. I’m also doing my best to be an ally by checking in on people in my life from the Black community and checking in on what they need. I’m also participating in upcoming protests, as well as challenging institutions that claim to be supportive of diversity, their Black communities, or BIPOC communities and what active steps they are moving forward with.”
