The new film “Rez Ball” features indigenous sportswear from Shiprock, New Mexico

The new film “Rez Ball” features indigenous sportswear from Shiprock, New Mexico

In recent years, high school and professional sports teams have been under pressure to remove Native American mascots due to their racist and offensive nature. These mascots, often caricatures or stereotypes, have long been criticized by Indigenous groups and their allies for perpetuating harmful misconceptions about Indigenous cultures.

In a new film released on Netflix, an all-Indigenous high school basketball team from the Navajo Nation reclaims the image of Native people on their jerseys.

Rez Ball follows the Chuska warriors as they deal with issues that disproportionately affect Indigenous communities, including suicide and alcoholism.

The team is comprised entirely of Indigenous high school students and its jerseys and practice uniforms are decorated with traditional Indigenous warrior motifs. The team’s sportswear is featured prominently throughout the film, which follows the players as they band together, persevere and compete against rival non-native teams.

Rez Ball is produced by SpringHill Company, Lebron James’ film production company. But despite the basketball legend’s lifetime contract with Nike, the film’s wardrobe did not include any Nike-exclusive clothing. Instead, the players wore uniforms designed by Roddell Denetso of Shiprock, New Mexico.

Denetso runs Black Streak Apparel, a one-person business that designs Indigenous-themed sportswear for youth teams throughout Indian Country. He often designs team jerseys based on their tribal images.

He designed the Chuska Warriors home and away jerseys, a turquoise championship color, team bags, travel gear, cheerleading uniforms and other clothing featured in the film.

I’m just this little Rez kid with a store that I left next to my house in Shiprock,” Denetso said.

A man stands with his arms crossed in his clothing design studio. He is smiling and wearing a gray shirt. The clothing surrounding him consists of sportswear, including T-shirts, sweatpants and backpacks, and the items are decorated with logos and colorful patterns.

Wade Adakai

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Change labs

Roddell Denetso stands in his studio in Shiprock, New Mexico. He designed the sportswear that the players wear Rez Ball.

Denetso said the stakes are high as the film crew needs to have their designs ready for filming various scenes.

If we ever miss a deadline for something, it hurts everything because it stops production for a day or two, which is a loss of $50,000,” Denetso said.

Denetso was able to see his jerseys in action on set. As a resident of Shiprock, he became emotional when he saw the filming in and around the community.

I was able to be on set when they filmed at Shiprock High. My moment of coming to reality was when they were unloading stuff to bring to set and they had a cart marked Black striped clothingsaid Denetso.

A high school age basketball player wearing a red sports uniform dribbles the ball and moves during a game on the basketball court. A basketball player from the opposing team approaches the player with the ball with his arms outstretched. In the background the referee is wearing a black and white striped shirt.

Jimmy Holiday, played by Kauchani Bratt, wears a sports jersey designed by Roddell Denetso in the film Rez Ball.

Denetso played basketball throughout his youth, competing in state and national championships. He said he identifies with the Warriors team members who deal with their alcoholic family members.

“That’s how I grew up. I have an alcoholic mother and an alcoholic stepfather, no father in my life and basketball as an outlet for me. “Ninety-nine percent of my games throughout high school, my mom and stepdad were drunk or hungover,” Denetso said.

Denetso is proud of his hard work and shares a message for those struggling with trauma.

“Hey, if I can do it, you can do it too,” Denetso said. “It’s just about how you use the generational trauma that we deal with. “You can use it as a crutch, or you can use it as motivation to do better and change the cycle,” Denetso said.

He hopes to inspire young people to be proud of their culture. He also hopes to reach more customers for his garments as his work now reaches a large audience.

Voices From the Edge of the Colorado Plateau is a reporting collaboration between KSUT Public Radio and KSJD Community Radio. The aim is to cover underrepresented communities in the Four Corners.

Projects cover Native, Indigenous, Latino/Latina, and other communities in Southwest Colorado. Discover more Voices stories on the series page.