What Native American Tribe Is in ‘Prey’?
Hulu has emerged as a leader in the war of streaming platforms. It boasts a wealth of exciting movies and original shows for viewers to enjoy. One of the most recent movies to be added to the platform is Prey, the latest installment in the beloved Predator franchise.
The film dares to shake things up in a big way. Prey is not only an intense science fiction horror film. It highlights an Indigenous American tribe and their struggle to survive against a seemingly undefeatable threat.
With critics and fans praising the film, many fans are diving deep to learn about the real-life connections of the cast and crew to the Indigenous American nation featured in Prey.
What is the Hulu movie ‘Prey’ about?
While Prey is the fifth installment in the legendary Predator franchise, it is a prequel film that takes place in the year 1719. According to Decider, Prey stars Amber Midthunder as Naru, a young Comanche woman who is determined to prove herself as capable a warrior as any of her male counterparts.
When a humanoid alien attacks the tribe, Naru must step up to defend her people from the mysterious threat. Prey dropped on Hulu in early August and has already received praise for the acting and action sequences.
Directed by renowned action and horror filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg, Prey has been a long time in the making. Trachtenberg wanted to keep the film as realistic as possible, highlighting not just some of the real-life struggles of the Native American people but spotlighting a specific tribe as well.
What Native American tribe is featured in ‘Prey’?
The Comanche Nation is the featured tribe in Prey. The bulk of the film focuses on the tribe’s efforts to repel the attacking alien. However, it also showcases how French fur traders damage the tribe’s livelihood by destroying the buffalo the Comanche Nation utilizes for everything from clothing to food.
Prey producer Jhane Myers is a visual artist and film executive who also happens to be Comanche, according to Vulture. She was born and raised in Oklahoma, and her insights provided the production with invaluable direction.
In an interview with The Oklahoman, Trachtenberg admitted that “Jhane is obviously invaluable to be working in lockstep with on this, not just for all of the Comanche authenticity, but also for the creative instincts.”
Myers herself told the publication “I wanted to work with Dan from the moment that…I interviewed to be the producer. It has a Native element, and the Native element isn’t just a Native element. It’s Comanche, and I’m Comanche.’ So, I couldn’t wait.”
Many of the people involved with ‘Prey’ have Indigenous American roots
Several members of the Indigenous American nation are in the cast of Prey, including Amber Midthunder, who plays Naru. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Midthunder opened up about the importance of representation, noting, according to Screen Rant, “The thing personally that I’m most proud of when it comes to the movie is the representation and the accuracy. Because so rarely, especially in a period piece, do you get to see a variety of indigenous characters.”
Other Prey stars who have Indigenous American roots include Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, and Dane DiLiegro. Beavers, who plays Naru’s brother Taabe, told Variety, “Being Native is a part of who I am. Being able to represent Native people as accurately as you can with Jhane Myers — who is a Comanche woman herself — as the producer on this project, just meant the absolute world to me.”
