Is Dark Winds based on a true story? Navajo mystery inspirations explained

Now on Netflix, neo-Western thriller Dark Winds has taken fans by storm all over again. But is any of it based on real life?

Move over, Yellowstone… there’s a new Sherriff in town. More specifically, there’s three — thanks to AMC’s Dark Winds.

The show has now made its debut on Netflix, and follows two Navajo police officers as they dig deeper into the secrets of a double homicide.

Not only is the show itself Native American, but the representation extends behind the screen. But just how much of Dark Winds is a true story, and is everyone happy with how it looks?

Is Dark Winds based on real life?

Technically, Dark Winds isn’t based on any true story. Instead, it’s based on the Leaphorn & Chee series of books written by Tony Hillerman.

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You might recognize that name even if you haven’t read it – and that’s because Dark Winds isn’t the first time it’s been adapted. The 1991 movie Dark Wind also takes inspiration from the series, with executive producer Robert Redford later going on to produce adaptations of Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, and Coyote Waits.

In this instance, the new TV show is heavily influenced by the books Listening Women and People of Darkness. We see a faithful adaptation of Leaphorn, Chee, and Officer Bernadette Manuelito… but there’s a lot of creative license around the rest.

After Hillerman’s death in 2006, Leaphorn & Chee books were published by his daughter Anne, which possibly accounts for why Bernie (Jessica Matten) is a bigger presence in the TV show than she was in the original books. Leaphorn is mostly a background character at this point, and his presence in the overall book series differs from the show.

Anne Hillerman has released two books since Darks Winds began – The Sacred Bridge (2022) and The Way of the Bear (2023). While we don’t yet know what Dark Winds Season 3 will look like, there’s definitely a possibility that we could see influences from the new books in later episodes.

The show has its own cultural advisor

As well as having a fully Native American writers room, Dark Winds also has its own Native cultural advisor in George R. Joe.

AMC

Speaking to the LA Times, Joe described the “great stress” the role brought him, navigating challenges from potential cultural appropriation of other Native groups to language barriers.

“My role on Dark Winds brought great stress because of the tremendous responsibility of getting it right — at times, I felt the weight of my people on my back. But there will always be critics,” he explained. “All I can do is be grateful to my parents for raising me as a Navajo who can confidently walk in both worlds, and to bring that background to bear on our representation onscreen.”

As both the books and TV show highlight, Dark Winds is deep-rooted in spiritual Native American culture, which has many facets… and isn’t always straightforward to translate.

Skinwalkers (supernatural shape-shifting beings many West Indian tribes believe in) being featured was also a point of concern. “Traditional Navajo dare not discuss or talk about them, as we believe you invite them — mentally and literally — and there are those who find their depiction on TV offensive, believing it reinforces stereotypes.

“While I pushed for accuracy, as Skinwalkers do exist and are a facet of Navajo culture, the decision was ultimately made not to represent Skinwalkers in Dark Winds due to the cultural sensitivity of the subject.”

Alongside the Redford adaptation we touched on earlier, Skinwalkers have been referenced in many other TV shows including Skinwalkers: The Navajo Mysteries and The X-Files.

Writer Billy Luther told Variety in 2022 “As a group, we didn’t want to focus on the supernatural elements that were out there and write things like shapeshifting. This was very much about bringing it back home to what the story is – the complex lives of these characters.

“We were allowed to reclaim these stories that Hillerman wrote about and bring our connection to it.”

Some Indigenous experts think it misses the mark

However, this doesn’t mean everyone is happy about how Dark Winds looks. According to a report from Native News Online, the show “misses the mark when it comes to accurately portraying Navajo language and culture.”

AMC

Diné language and literacy educator Clarissa Yazzie told the outlet “People just assume that we’re Indigenous and we’re all alike. The Indigenous community is so diverse. You can’t just clump us into one stereotype. We’re not one culture.”

Yazzie has also previously taken to TikTok to voice her concerns over mispronunciation of words in the binge-worthy TV show.

“As far as dialect coaches, there are so many Navajo-speaking professionals that they could have reached out to who could have helped with the Navajo-speaking roles,” she said. “They really dropped the ball on that part.

“I actually didn’t finish the first episode for that reason. It’s just too distracting. As an advocate for Diné language revitalization, for me this is just a big ‘no.’”

Yazzie went on to clarify that this is a fault that rests with production rather than the actors, and there should be “no excuse” for getting this wrong.

“If you’re going to produce a show based around the Navajo culture, the Navajo people, the Navajo Reservation, and you’re going to be using the Navajo language that much, I think they should have done more than they did. It can’t just be an afterthought.”

Seasons 1 and 2 of Dark Winds are available on Netflix now. You can also catch up with the latest news on Yellowstone spinoff The Madison and the best Westerns of all time. Check out TV shows streaming this month while you’re at it too. Or for more from Dark Winds, find out if Bradley Cooper is actually in it.