blurred-reality.com – The Sokka actor from Avatar: The Last Airbender allegedly enrolled in an unrecognized tribe to secure his role in the show. A lot of people are convinced that he is not indigenous.
In the captivating live-action adaptation of the beloved eponymous animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, showrunner Albert Kim leads an outstanding ensemble cast in the Live Action version that includes Gordon Cormier, Dallas Liu, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Elizabeth Yu, and Daniel Dae Kim.
Set in a war-torn planet influenced by numerous Asian and Indigenous American traditions, the Netflix series unfolds in a reality where people can bend one of the basic elements: water, earth, fire, or air.
Aang, the last living Airbender and essential “Avatar,” becomes the link between the mortal and spirit worlds. Blessed with the uncommon power to bend all four elements, Aang has the daunting task of preventing the militaristic Fire Nation’s desire for global dominance with the assistance of newfound friends, Katara and Sokka.
Meanwhile, you might be aware that the Sokka actor, Ian Ousley, was accused of enrolling in a hoax tribe to secure the role as soon as it was announced that he would be one of the cast two years ago. And it seems the discussion has once again raged with the release of the series. Well, let’s discuss it in detail.
The Sokka Actor Allegedly Claimed to Be of a Unregistered Indigenous Tribe
The rumor about actor Ian Ousley enrolling his name in a fake tribe to secure the role of Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action started surfacing as soon as he was announced as one of the casts of the Netflix show.
Since the showrunners wanted all the cast to be indigenous people, Ian Ousley claimed to be of the Cherokee tribe when he applied for the role of Sokka. However, some fans were quick to crosscheck his ethnicity and discovered that he is White.
@7genvoices, an ATLA fan account run by a group of mixed-race and Indigenous people, shared screenshots of alleged correspondence between another ATLA fan and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, and the Cherokee Nation, the only three Cherokee tribes recognized by the federal government.
just in!!!! proof ian ousley (sokka) is enrolled in a fake tribe and not cherokee (continued on next) pic.twitter.com/kafwQ2da55
— 7genvoices (@7genvoices) January 10, 2022
The screenshots tweeted by @7genvoices show administrators from all three organizations claiming Ian Ousley is not a member. Furthermore, screenshots from @7genvoices confirmed Ousley’s membership in the Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky, a tribe not recognized by the federal. The Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky denies claims about a historical absence of Cherokee presence in Kentucky on its website.
Whether or not Ian Ousley’s tribe is real does not matter now. It seems the showrunners didn’t have any interest in investigating the issue and stood by their decision to cast him in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Reddit Criticizes the Sokka Actor for What He Did to Get the Role
Reddit users are not ready to ignore that the Sokka actor, Ian Ousley, enrolled in a face tribe to secure the role in the Netflix version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Even though the showrunners ignored the allegation and have never addressed the controversy, some Reddit users are criticizing him to this date.
The Sokka actor has not responded to the false tribe allegation.
Image Source: Instagram
In a discussion, one user explained,
I’m disappointed in the number of people in this thread saying this doesn’t matter or “who cares?”
A lot of people really care about proper inclusion and representation. The creators of this show have said a number of times that they were going to get the diversity right. Something that hasn’t been done right in any previous Avatar content….
A lot of you saying as long as he isn’t white then it shouldn’t matter. You’re wrong. The Water Tribe pulls from Inuit and Native American cultures. Those characters should absolutely be portrayed by people with that heritage.
In the same comment, another replied,
Representation is so damn important and necessary, and if this actor is actually faking it, and it’s a white guy, it’s a massive problem.
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