The Rez is a two-season Canadian drama TV series that ran from 1996 - 1998 on CBC Television. The series explores life among young people in a Canadian Ojibwe community, and was based on a short story collection called Dance Me Outside by W. P. Kinsella (which was also adapted into a 1994 feature film by Bruce McDonald). The Rez was cancelled after two seasons.
The series's name came from the slang term "The Rez", a popular term among Indigenous folks for reservations and Band land. Much of The Rez was lighthearted and featured silly, goofy plots, but some episodes tackled deeper social issues including sexism, government bureaucracy and racism. It followed the adventures of Silas Crow, Sadie Maracle and Frank Fencepost mostly, the main characters of the series, while sideplots included minor characters.
This TV series contains examples of:
- Braids, Beads and Buckskins: While the younger characters mostly wear modern 90s Canadian fashion, there are some traditional Indigenous fashions throughout.
- Disabled Means Helpless: In "The Lark", Silas finds his mentally-handicapped brother dealing with this when he is sent to a group home because he can't live independently.
- Ghastly Ghost: The characters at one point deal with a terrifying and unsettling Wendigo.
- Magical Native American: Occasionally featured, especially in the episode "Wendigo".
