Rhiana Yazzie on Dark Winds and Her Bond with Her Father

On this Sunday, Rhiana Yazzie saw her name in the credits of Dark Winds once again. But this time, it meant more.

The award-winning Navajo playwright, filmmaker, and director wrote the second episode of the AMC drama’s third season. But what made this episode truly special wasn’t just her work, it was her father’s presence on screen.

Yazzie’s father returned this season as Hastiin Biyazhi, the quiet elder often seen sitting outside the Navajo Tribal Police Station. He shared the scenes with Zahn McClarnon and Jenna Elfman, bringing authenticity to the world of Dark Winds.

For Yazzie, this moment was deeply personal.

A Childhood of Stories and Struggles

Growing up, Yazzie’s father was her first storyteller. She remembers sitting by his side, listening to him weave tales from his own life. “I remember laughing because they were so funny,” she recalls. His stories weren’t just entertainment; they were lessons wrapped in humor, a way of passing down knowledge the way their ancestors had for generations.

But behind the laughter, there was pain.

Like many in the Navajo community, her father struggled with the weight of having gone to government mandated Indian Boarding school, historical trauma, systemic inequities and cultural discriminations, all of which had taken its toll. He made a heartbreaking choice to not teach his daughter their native language.

“My father never taught me Navajo for fear that I’d be ridiculed or discriminated against,” Yazzie shares. It was a decision born out of love, but one that carried a deep loss.

Today, Yazzie learns the language to stay rooted. “It’s one of the most important parts of my adult life,” she says.

Honoring Heritage and Uplifting Navajo Voices

Rather than let these barriers define her, Yazzie has become a force for change with a personal motivation. She founded New Native Theatre in 2009, a company dedicated to telling Indigenous stories with authenticity and respect.

Through her work, she provides a platform to uplift Navajo artists, ensuring that their voices are heard in an industry that has historically overlooked them.

Her contribution to Dark Winds is part of a larger movement in Hollywood to elevate Indigenous narratives. The show itself, based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels, is one of the few mainstream productions that showcases Navajo culture.

Dark Winds’ success is a tribute to the growing demand for cultural storytelling in an era where Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives seek to correct historical eliminations. For years, Hollywood misrepresented Indigenous people, casting non-Native actors in Native roles and reducing complex cultures to stereotypes. But initiatives dedicated to honoring Native writers and creatives are changing that.

As Yazzie watches her father on screen, she sees more than a character. She sees a man who shaped her love for storytelling. She sees resilience. She sees the past and the future coming together.

And for her, that’s the real story.