Jokes can be enjoyed in various social settings, from telling them during informal chatter between friends to performing them for audiences as part of planned entertainment performances.
Sarcasm and humor have long been hallmarks of Tsouhlarakis’s work, providing lighthearted entertainment amid the often weighty topics she addresses. This collection of Native American jokes seeks to strike a balance between light-hearted entertainment and cultural awareness.
1. Why did the Native Americans drink tea?
Find hilarious Native American jokes to send you rolling on the floor laughing! Our selection of puns has been carefully selected to reflect various humor styles, so there’s sure to be something funny here for everyone!
One Native American consumed so much tea that he nearly drowned in his teepee, realizing then that his tribe needed new leadership.
One white man attempted to impress a Native American by discussing his foreign policy, but the Indian replied that from their point of view, it was all domestic policy. So the white man apologized but still refused to listen when his attempt at impressing began to backfire when suddenly, singing broke out! When his ears caught sight of these beautiful sounds, his host suddenly told him they had come to the wrong place; their host was on a reservation.
2. Why did the Native Americans go on a diet?
Native Americans can often be the target of jokes because of their culture and traditions, yet we must navigate these jokes responsibly so as not to perpetuate negative stereotypes. Our collection of Native American jokes seeks to strike a balance between humor and cultural sensitivity while honoring Native American communities’ rich histories.
One day, a man entered a bar and encountered an Indian. When asked by this Indian to identify who had the worst wife, he suggested that the first man did have the most inept partner. According to this Indian, his answer was that man #1 had the least desirable spouse.
Why do Native Americans dislike snow so much? Because it settles on their lands. Furthermore, they say it acts like the black substance between elephants’ toes – slowing them down! Enjoy this entertaining selection of Native American jokes and laugh along!
3. Why did the Native Americans refuse to be astronauts?
One Native American loved telling jokes and always made people laugh out loud until it hurt their stomachs. After going to see his doctor and learning that he had cancer, this Native American decided to stop telling jokes to protect others from going through what he had experienced himself. He chose instead that telling jokes might save someone else from going through similar struggles in their own lives.
NASA astronaut training took place at a Navajo reservation. While doing their training, they saw an old Native American man and his son. When the older man got excited, asking to send a message with astronauts, NASA took it seriously and recorded his statement for translation before bringing it back home with them and laughing about it all together.
4. Why did the Native American refuse to use his credit card?
Humor has come to be such an integral part of Indian country that it creates an invaluable link among tribes. Columbus jokes can bring all nations that had nothing to do with white invasion together into one entity.
One of the most frequently-derided subjects for humor is the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). During termination years, many jokes were made about this agency because no matter how many tribal members were terminated from employment with them, they still managed to hire more. This led some people to speculate that perhaps it was part of an attempt by them to phase out Native Americans – though such claims weren’t valid and caused a number of jokes about their activities.
5. Why did the Native Americans refuse to watch Netflix?
An Indigenous American refused to watch Netflix because he preferred staying outdoors and getting some fresh air instead.
Adam Sandler’s The Ridiculous 6 was met with Native American actors walking off-set because they found the script offensive and misrepresenting of their culture, particularly their communities and women, who they felt had been misrepresented, along with trivialization of Native Americans’ experiences.
Anna Tsouhlarakis explores Native identities through humor in her 2021 Creative Capital-funded project Indigenous Absurdities, using jokes and anecdotes to reflect individual Native identities in complex ways. She uses humor as a way of encouraging inclusivity and respecting different traditions – see more of her work here; plus, check out this hilarious collection of Native American jokes here – you won’t regret it!
6. Why did the Native American call the exterminator?
Throughout the nineteenth century, ordinary white readers were exposed to an explosion of anti-Indigenous framing in popular magazines like Putnam’s and Harper’s that reinforced an image of a wild frontier with primitive hunters stalking innocent white women like Mary; such stories served to create fearful sentiments among readers while legitimizing official government policies of Native suppression in the name of Christianity, national legitimacy and international authority (Echo-Hawk 2013; Stannard 1993).
Framing Indigenous people as “savages” provided European colonizers with a moral justification for colonizing the Americas by asserting Christianity’s “holy right” to dominate all “frontier” peoples while rationalizing white violence against them. Furthermore, depicting Native American suffering and death as the result of “natural forces beyond control” became easier thanks to such portrayals.
7. Why did the Native Americans wear moccasins?
Before passing judgment on anyone, it’s said that one should walk a mile in their moccasins. Moccasins are soft leather shoes worn by Native Americans crafted from deer or elk skin with an adjustable and flexible sole for easy walking.
One Native American donned moccasins thick enough to act as armor; living in a cold climate, he wanted to ensure he was adequately equipped for winter weather.
Native American jokes will make you laugh out loud! So, if you need a good laugh today, check out one of these Native American jokes – you and your friends will thank you. (Image credit: “Midwest Native American,” by Jeremy Blake; licensed under Creative Commons BY 2.0)
8. Why did the Native Americans refuse to play poker?
Anna Tsouhlarakis of 2021 Creative Capital Grantee Anna Tsouhlarakis uses humor as a powerful means to broaden our understanding of Indigenous cultures through multi-channel video and sculpture works created using humor as a form of resistance against stereotyping and discrimination. Tsouhlarakis explores layers within jokes through “Indian humor,” an Indigenous term for jokes that reference specific tribes, families, and individuals; her use of anecdotes demonstrates their power in reflecting complex identities through these works of creative capital granteee Tsouhlarakis shows us all its powers of transformational change within itself.
This collection’s funny puns and playful anecdotes provide the perfect balance between light-hearted entertainment and cultural awareness. Unlearn how to navigate humor’s intricate web by exploring this collection of Native American Jokes, which are guaranteed to leave you laughing out loud.
9. Why did the Native Americans refuse to use modern medicine?
Most tribes used items they found in nature to treat illnesses. These often consisted of herbs, plants and natural products like tobacco, sage, cedar or sweet grass. Smudging was another widespread practice used to cleanse and purify their body, mind, and spirit.
Native Americans were pioneers in health innovation when it came to vaccines and vaccination, an early form of immunization practiced among them that predates Western medicine by millennia.
However, Native American communities are plagued by higher rates of poverty, addiction, and poor mental health than other Americans due to living in remote locations that often lack access to medical treatments.
10. Why did the Native American go to school?
The Native Americans went to school to learn to read and write. If successful, he could become a journalist writing for newspapers and make considerable profits.
Discover a hilarious collection of Native American jokes that will have you rolling on the floor with laughter! Don’t miss these hilarious anecdotes, and share them with your friends today!
Know you’re Native American when…
