Peabody And Emmy-Nominated Native Comedian Joey Clift Debuts Irreverent Guide To Native American History And Culture

We've Been Here The Whole Time!

A Not So Sacred Guide To All Things Native America

Already In Its Third Printing Since October 6th

2026 Book Tour With Special Guests

"irreverent and bighearted" and"comedic catharsis for Native readers and a funny, accessible education for others" - Seattle Times

"a refreshing, satirical take on Native history that doesn't shy away from the absurdities and contradictions, offering a laugh-out-loud perspective that's as enlightening as it is entertaining."

- Dr. Anton Treuer (Ojibwe) Author of Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask and Where Wolves Don't Die

Tuesday, October 13 - Peabody and2x Emmy Award-nominated comedian, writer, director, producer, Joey Clift takes you on a hilarious journey to discover the largest population you don't know, in his sharp debut We've Been Here The Whole Time! A Not so Sacred Guide to all Things Native America . As an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and comedian, Joey teaches readers Native American history, culture and notable people that they don't teach in schools. Now on tour around the country, Joey's live events are full of fascinating talks with special guests, readings from the new book and more. Dates and tickets here .

This giftable, conversation-starting book is perfect for history buffs, teachers, and comedy lovers of Smartypants, The Daily Show, The Onion, and Reservation Dogs. Funny, fearless, and deeply informative, Joey Clift's debut reminds readers that Native people aren't just part of history, they've been here the whole time. Illustrations are by Julie Fiveash and foreword by Shane Hawk, writer and co-editor of Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology! (USA Today Bestseller). Since its debut on October 6, the new educational satire has surged into a third printing. Now available online and in bookstores everywhere.

According to a recent research study, 87% of United States schools don't teach Native history past 1900. Joey uses comedy to fill that knowledge gap and make getting an education about Native people and culture a little more accessible. Put away the construction paper, this contraband book is here to teach you everything your high school refused to teach about Native American history, people, and culture. From misunderstood figures like Pocahontas, to sports mascots, to the Land Back movement, to how cool Lily Gladstone is, this hilarious NDN-approved guide is the first of its kind, illustrated in an irreverent, textbook-meets-notebook style by Diné artist Julie Fiveash. Share with your loved ones and transform your boring Thanksgiving into a big "You're Welcome" dance party.

After kicking off in Joey's home city of Los Angeles with a sold out show at The Elysian and talk with comedian Aly Beardsley at Vroman's Bookstore, you can catch Joey Clift on tour this fall across the country!

2026 BOOK TOUR DATES

Oct 14 - Yakima Valley College, Grandview Campus - Yakima, Washington

Oct 14 - Yakima Valley College, Main Campus - Yakima, Washington

Oct 15 - Live Wire Radio with Chuck Klosterman - Portland, Oregon

Oct 16 - Washington State University, Vancouver Campus - Vancouver, Washington

Oct 16 - Literary Arts with 1876 - Portland, Oregon

Oct 21 - Literati Bookstore with Lillian Li - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Oct 22 - Magic City Books with Colleen Thurston + comedy show - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Oct 23 - Green Feather Book Company with Angela Startz - Norman, Oklahoma

Nov 1 - Politics & Prose with Caty Borum - Washington, D.C.

Nov 2 - Greenlight Bookstore with Negin Farsad - New York, New York

Nov 4 - Brookline Booksmith with Vanessa Lillie - Boston, Massachusetts

Nov 7 - Ilani - Ridgefield, Washington

Nov 9 - Elliott Bay Book Company - Seattle, Washington

Nov 10 - University of Illinois with Dr. Stephanie Fryberg - Chicago, Illinois

Nov 11 - BookPeople with Maxochitl Cortez - Austin, Texas

Nov 13 - The City Club of Cleveland with Cynthia Connolly - Cleveland, Ohio

Nov 14 - Tattered Cover, Aspen Grove with Joshua Emerson - Denver, Colorado

Nov 17 - Green Apple Books, 9th Avenue - San Francisco, California

Nov 21 - IndigeNash - Nashville, Tennessee

Nov 23 - Magers & Quinn Booksellers with Chef Sean Sherman - Minneapolis, Minnesota

TICKETS & MORE HERE

Joey Clift's Emmy-nominated animated comedy short film" Pow! " has drawn fans from Mark Ruffalo to NPR. The story follows a Native American kid scrambling to charge his dying video game console at a bustling intertribal powwow. Created by a largely Indigenous team, the short is a love letter to Joey's time growing up on the Tulalip reservation of Washington State. In addition to his shorts and Webby Award-winning Comedy Central digital series Gone Native , Joey Clift has written for TV shows such as Spirit Rangers (Netflix), Molly of Denali (PBS), Lego Ninjago: Decoded (Cartoon Network), Smartypants and Toonout (Dropout), as well asPaw Patrol and Rubble & Crew for Nickelodeon.

Online he's shared tons of timely, insightful notes on the Native experience like " 8 of the Biggest Misconceptions People Have About Native Americans " (Business Insider), the implications of people pretending to be Native for NPR's Code Switch and " How to Cope with Your Team Changing Its Native American Mascot " on Comedy Central. Joey's work has been featured in The Washington Post, Pitchfork, NPR, Dead Meat, Dropout and Comedy Central.

ABOUT JOEY CLIFT

Joey Clift is a Los Angeles-based, Peabody and Emmy-nominated comedian, TV writer, director and enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Joey attended college to become a local TV weather person because he didn't see any Native American comedians on television as a kid, and that made him believe he wasn't allowed to work in comedy. He has since proven otherwise, writing for critically acclaimed TV series like Spirit Rangers on Netflix, Molly of Denali on PBS, Smartypants on Dropout and Paw Patrol on Nickelodeon. Joey created Gone Native, a Webby-winning Comedy Central Digital series and his short films have screened everywhere from Just for Laughs to the Smithsonian Museum.

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