The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian hosted Native Comedy Night on Sunday as part of a temporary exhibit on Native American stereotypes.
The event featured Marc Yaffee, a multicultural entertainer who said he is only one of about a dozen Native American comedians in the industry. Yaffee said he uses “stereotypes, conflict and misconceptions” to fuel his jokes.
Kathleen McDonald, executive director of the Mitchell Museum. said Yaffee was a good fit for the show because the museum is currently featuring a temporary exhibit titled “Deconstructing Stereotypes: Top Ten Truths,” which is closely related to Yaffee’s subject material.
“I invited Marc to talk about Native American issues of diversity and stereotypes,” she said. “We wanted to celebrate someone who has done very well in his field.”
Yaffee is of Navajo origin and was adopted into a Mexican-Jewish family. He was originally the owner of a driving school catering to traffic violators and became a comedian after taking classes from one of his driving students. Since then, his skits have been featured on Showtime and PBS. They usually include material based on his own life.
“I dig into my past for my jokes,” he said. “I’m pretty self-generating since I’ve had so much conflict in my life, and conflict is always ripe for comedy.”
Yaffee, who was on stage for an hour, described his experiences as similar to those of past Native Americans.
“I sign crappy contracts and get sent to places I don’t want to go,” he joked.
He said he did want to come to Chicago, however, and took advantage of the Mitchell Museum’s invitation to visit the city for the first time.
The nearly sold-out Native Comedy Night took place at the Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood Ave., in Rogers Park. Richard Strauss of Northbrook, Ill., said he came to the event because it combined two of his passions.
“I am attracted to these types of events because I have a general interest in history, and I can’t help but go to comedy shows,” he said.
Although Native Comedy Night is the Mitchell Museum’s first comedy show, the museum is no stranger to hosting public events. Each year, the museum, 3001 Central St., offers a wide variety of educational programs including shows, storytelling and craft workshops.
“The goal of the Mitchell Museum is to promote and share understanding and respect of American Indian peoples through the collection, preservation and interpretation of their traditional and contemporary art and material culture,” McDonald said.
During the show, Yaffee not only joked about general topics like pop culture, sports and politics, but also cracked several racially charged jokes that did not sit well with some audience members.
“He made some stereotypical jokes about Filipinos, so he’s also guilty as charged,” Strauss said.
Rob Cowan, who grew up with Sauk Indians in Wisconsin, thought the jokes were harmless.
“It was all entertainment,” he said. “Native Americans are probably the most genuine people out there. They tell it like it is.”
Yaffee said he sometimes comes under fire for using racial stereotypes in his skits, but still uses them so his audience can gain a better cultural awareness. America’s changing demographics require the public to understand other cultures, Yaffee said.
“I want to make sure people leave with smiles on their faces while also touching on sensitive subjects that people can think about,” he said.
