Peabody and Emmy-nominated Native comedian Joey Clift takes you on a journey to discover the largest population you don’t know in his hilarious debut for fans of Michael Harriott, Mo Rocca, and Phoebe Robinson.
Foreword by Shane Hawk, writer and co-editor of Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology!
Put away the construction paper: This contraband book is here to teach you everything your high school refused to teach about Native American history, people, and culture. From misunderstood figures like Pocahontas, to sports mascots, to the Land Back movement, to how cool Lily Gladstone is, this hilarious NDN-approved guide is the first of its kind––illustrated in an irreverent, textbook-meets-notebook style by Diné artist Julie Fiveash. Sharewith your loved ones and transform your boring Thanksgiving into a big “You’re Welcome” dance party!
Joey Clift (Cowlitz tribe) walks you through a wide range of information that will answer provocative questions and debunk Americans' wildest assumptions, like:
“Native American” or “American Indian”: What the heck do we call you?
Is it appropriate to do a Land Acknowledgement over Zoom?
Why saying “I’m 1/16th Cherokee” is like saying you’re “1/16th Californian’
Columbus Day is a holiday for a guy who was bad at pretty much everything
Are Native American people extinct? No! Stop asking!
This giftable, conversation-starting book is perfect for history buffs, teachers, and comedy lovers alike. Funny, fearless, and deeply informative, Joey Clift’s debut reminds readers that Native people aren’t just part of history—they’ve been here the whole time.
Joey Clift is a Los Angeles-based comedian, TV writer, director, Peabody and Emmy-nominated producer, and enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Joey attended college to become a local TV weather person because he didn’t see any Native American comedians on television as a kid, and that made him believe he wasn’t allowed to work in comedy. He has since proven otherwise, writing for critically acclaimed TV series like Spirit Rangers on Netflix, Molly of Denali on PBS and Paw Patrol on Nickelodeon. Joey created Gone Native, a Webby-winning Comedy Central Digital series and his short films have screened everywhere from Just for Laughs to the Smithsonian Museum.
Clift will be in conversation with Caty Borum, Executive Director of the Center for Media & Social Impact (CMSI), and Professor at American University’s School of Communication. She is the author or co-author of four books about entertainment, documentary, and comedy in social justice and human rights, including the latest: Radical Reality: Documentary Storytelling and the Global Fight for Social Justice (Oxford University Press, 2025), co-authored with David Conrad-Perez. In 2019, she co-founded and now co-directs, with Mik Moore, the Yes, And…Laughter Lab (YALL) and YALL Comedy Fest, which lifts up diverse comedians. In 2020, she was named to DOC NYC’s inaugural list of New Documentary Leaders, a recognition given to 16 members of the global documentary industry who have made a substantial positive impact on the field. Her research and creative media programs have been recognized with seven Anthem Awards for mission-driven media work; one Telly Award (silver); a Signal Award (gold) for We Disrupt This Broadcast, the podcast co-created and co-directed by the Center for Media & Social Impact and the Peabody Awards; and multiple book awards.