Apple today announced grants to the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian to support Indigenous storytelling and the preservation of Native American history. The contributions are part of Apple’s Empowering Creatives program, which supports organizations that help people in underinvested communities unlock their creative potential.
Both grant recipients are dedicated to amplifying voices and experiences of Native and Indigenous peoples. With a focus on feature films and episodic work, the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program offers labs, fellowships, screenings, and individual feedback sessions for storytellers from Native and Indigenous backgrounds. The National Museum of the American Indian works to educate the public about Native and Indigenous cultures at its locations in Washington, DC, and New York City.
“We believe Indigenous communities’ rich histories and cultures deserve to be honored and their stories deserve to be told,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ shines a light on an essential story that has long been overlooked and we are all better for it. We’re proud to continue that good work by supporting the vital efforts of these organizations to amplify the voices and experiences of Indigenous communities.”
The announcement comes a day before Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, Martin Scorsese, and Lily Gladstone will appear at the National Museum of the American Indian to discuss “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
In addition to its commitment to the Sundance Institute Indigenous Program and the National Museum of the American Indian, Apple has previously announced partnerships with Oklahoma City University (OCU) to provide educational tools, resources, and professional learning for educators and learners, leveraging Apple’s ecosystem to support the Osage vision for preserving language and culture through STEAM experiences in the classroom and beyond.
Last September, through the partnership with OCU, Apple brought together educators from all four tribal nations (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Osage) for multi-day learning experiences focused on integrating Apple technologies into their learning environments. Educators were challenged to “Create and implement culturally relevant learning experiences that will enrich your classroom and community,” and using Challenge Based Learning, they have explored ways to do just that. Teachers have learned to create podcasts, produce video stories using iMovie (and soon Final Cut Pro) and to bring creativity and coding into their classrooms to engage their learners. All of these experiences can be integrated into learning language.
Apple has partnered with Indigenous communities on the following initiatives:
- Apple added representation of Indigenous lands to Maps. In an update made in collaboration with Indigenous communities, Maps now displays Tribal, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis territories in the U.S. and Canada. Maps also implemented support for dual-language labels — including in Indigenous-language syllabaries — and redesigned the Maps place card used for Indigenous lands to show more detail, working directly with communities to curate their place card content.
- To support communities disproportionately impacted by climate change, Apple works directly with organizations that advocate for frontline communities, advance climate justice, and cultivate solutions that prioritize equity and community building within the environmental movement. The company has partnered with organizations including Environmental Health Coalition, Native Conservancy, Original Power, and UPROSE.
- The languages of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Osage tribal nations are supported in the keyboard on Apple devices running iOS, iPadOS and macOS. This allows teachers and students to engage and learn in these languages, helping to preserve them and the cultures and ensuring that their communities can continue forward.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is now playing in select theaters and streaming globally on Apple TV+.