Wonder Woman of the Week: Irene Bedard

Coming home to Alaska, I am reminded of all the badass women up in the Last Frontier- and I've already written about one in particular (WWoW alum Elizabeth Peratrovich) but one contemporary Alaskan women keeps the spirit of Alaska's strength and independence alive through her work through film. Irene Bedard hails from Anchorage- Alaska's largest city- where she grew up among mixed Indigenous roots linking her to Native Alaskan and First Nations (Indigenous Canadian) cultures.

Apart from three projects with indie films, Irene Bedard broke into the cinema scene with her appearance in Disney's Pocahontas. But the film was a larger movement in Hollywood to try and integrate Native American culture and history into the larger American culture. But its modern approach led to controversy among the Native American Civil Rights Movement. Bedard stuck to her roots however and navigated both worlds as she progressed into her career in film by acting in several projects following the release of Pocahontas in 1995.

One of Irene Bedard's more famous roles in Native cinema was with the film Smoke Signals which explores the stories of two Coeur D'Alene boys attempting to find one of the boy's recently deceased father. The movie explores contemporary issues in Native American culture, and Bedard helped cement the film as a classic in Native cinema.

Behind the silver screen, Irene Bedard faced a difficult life however. Native American actors and actresses often have a hard time finding roles in major international films (like those in the Hollywood industry) which instead usually go to white actors dressed to appear Native. Bedard also faced an abusive marriage which finally ended in divorce in 2012. But Bedard has become a heroine to many Native American and Native Alaskan young women and girls and has gone on to inspire a new generation of Indigenous actors.