By Phoebe Farris (Powhatan-Pamunkey)
This year’s annual Indigenous Media Conference, which took place August 13-15 in Albuquerque, NM, featured a screening of Hulu's true crime documentary, "Blood & Myth,” followed by a Zoom panel that included Executive Producer/Writer James Dommek Jr. (Iñupiaq) and Producer Jonas Bell Pasht.
The screening and Q&A gave members of the Indigenous Journalists Association the opportunity to assess the film from various Indigenous perspectives ahead of Hulu’s projected September 4, 2025 release date. This will also help Hulu and the film’s producers market the documentary with the necessary sensitivity and awareness around its location and central subjects.
“Blood & Myth” deals with a series of violent crimes that were committed on and near a remote Native village in northern Alaska. What distinguishes “Blood & Myth" from other true crime documentaries is the interwoven paranormal connection within the belief of the accused (Teddy Kyle Smith, a well known Iñupiaq actor) that spiritual forces were responsible for his violent actions. Smith’s mother, a well respected Indigenous parka designer, was found dead in her home surrounded by beautifully designed parkas that were cut up in pieces. Later, two white hunters were brutally assaulted after they saw Smith hiding in their remote hunting cabin.
Smith told law enforcement officers that Iñukuns, sometimes described as spirits, sinister beings, “little men,” or small, wild people, were responsible for his violent acts. His defense was rejected, leading to his conviction and incarceration. But many Indigenous people in Alaska believe in the existence of Iñukuns and their potential to harm if they feel threatened.
Dommek Jr. provides the narration for the documentary as he investigates the possibility of paranormal connections to the two crime scenes. He interviews people who claim to have encountered Iñukuns in remote mountains while hunting, some of whom describe the supernatural beings as having leather-like skin and speaking an older form of the Inuit language. Dommek Jr. spent years traveling to remote areas in Alaska for research and delved deeper into his own beliefs and those of his family, especially his great-grandfather, Palangun, a.k.a. Paul Monroe, author of “The Eskimo Storyteller.”
Dommek Jr. interviewed people involved in an archaeological exploration for possible mining sites, a process undertaken to ensure that there are no Indigenous artifacts or remains where the mining will occur. One interview subject claimed that evidence was found of the Iñukuns’ ancient houses, which consisted of small stacked boulders.
“Blood & Myth” also details the eight years it took Dommek Jr. to obtain a visitor's pass to interview Smith in prison, and the five years it took to convince Smith’s sister to consent to an interview. Smith insisted that the camera be turned off when discussing certain phenomena related to the Iñukuns. Regarding the eight-year delay in completing the film, Dommek Jr. commented, “Magic happens in the delay.”
At times throughout “Blood & Myth,” Dommek Jr. appears to wrestle with his decision to address this subject with a largely non-Indigenous viewing audience. He said that the film, his research, and his contacts with Smith and Smith’s sister kept him on the right path and encouraged him to hold onto his traditional language and preserve his family’s lineage.
He describes “Blood & Myth” as a “cautionary tale,” an Indigenous true crime told through an Indigenous lens. "Inuit are good storytellers,” he said. “They have stories of resilience and survival… always striving for the truth.” In the Q&A, he remarked, “Alaska is not a frontier to the Inuit. There is still some mystery in this world.”
--Phoebe Mills Farris, Ph.D. (Powhatan-Pamunkey) is a Purdue University Professor emerita, photographer, and freelance art critic.
STAY TUNED for an interview with the Executive Producers Donnek and Hudson and Director Hudson!
Top image courtesy of Hulu/Disney+.
