AbstractIn this chapter, the author turns to Diné concepts and overall Indigenous community features (language, accessories, and epistemologies) to demonstrate that Indigenous televisual stories are restorative and evocative of Indigi-realism through Indigenous “‘Aye!’sthetics” as storytelling autonomy. “Aye!”sthetics fuses the Turtle Island Indigenous utterance “Aye!” that expresses joking and joy with the beauty and autonomy of on-screen presence and Indigenous existence. Two Indigenous-centered television shows, Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls, showcase Indigenous aesthetics, or what I explore as “Aye!”sthetics that offer a glimpse of Indigi-realism in visual storytelling. The author introduces Diné (Navajo) epistemologies as a framework to interrogate Indigenous realities on screen. By focusing on select scenes from the combined thirty-six episodes of each series, the author highlights the beauty, laughter, and resilience of Indigenous peoples, eclipsing heartbreak and adversity.
