Little House on the Prairie returns with Indigenous cast and perspectives

Netflix's new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie, which premiered July 9, brings Indigenous characters, language, history and perspectives into one of North America's most recognizable western stories.

Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, the series follows the Ingalls family as they travel west and try to build a new life near Independence, Kansas, on land they were told was "free." It was Osage land, and the family's settlement on it was illegal. The new version expands the story beyond their point of view.

Meegwun Fairbrother (Ojibwe) portrays William Mitchell, Alyssa Wapanatâhk (Bigstone Cree) plays White Sun, and Wren Zhawenim Gotts (Sokaogon Chippewa) plays their daughter, Good Eagle: an Osage family whose story runs alongside the Ingalls family's. "It was very important that we have a family to mirror our Ingalls family," showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine told Netflix's Tudum.

The production partnered with Osage scholar Robert Warrior, a University of Kansas professor. "He was able to help us shape some of the material from the books into the actual historical context, and then we wove that into the show," Sonnenshine said. Osage cultural consultant Julie O'Keefe enlisted around 30 Indigenous artists and artisans to craft 3,200 items for the series, 1,127 of them Osage-made, according to Tudum.

Language consultant Talee Redcorn, who is Osage, also worked on the series, while Indigenous filmmakers Erica Tremblay (Seneca–Cayuga) and Sydney Freeland (Diné) directed episodes.

According to O'Keefe, one message emerged early in conversations with people from the Osage Nation: "If you're going to tell the story, then you need to tell both sides."