In reading Thomas King's Truth About Stories and Tiffany Midge's Typical Scheudle for Native American work readers maybe surprised at the amount of humour employed when authors are discussing what historty has come to know as tragedy. However simply expecting a lack of humour in Indigenous storytelling is again playing into the sterotype that Indigeous people must be stoic and tragic. In expecting only these sad stories from FNMI writers, society is again stereotyping a population into producing literature that society is comfortable with. King and Midge are examples of authors that defy the role society tries time and time again to saddle them with, commenting on serious topics that still need attention on their own terms and in their own way. If the use of humour upsets critics or the common reader, perhaps they need to examine why they expect writers to tell their own stories in a way that suits the reader? Drew Hayden Taylor's article discusses the use of humour for indigenous healing in modern literature. It's a short read that provides thoughtful insight.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books/article-narrating-indigenous-stories-with-a-pinch-of-humour-isnt-odd-its-a/