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On Cultural Appropriation: A Brief Explanation by J. Wente
8 years ago
I made this post at my Native American furs group but I found I wanted to share it here too as this is a subject I've studied, sometimes not because I wanted to but rather because I needed to better understand how to better combat the stereotypes that people saw me for. These two videos I found to be very eloquent in describing the issue.
Cultural appropriation and stereotyping is a sticky subject for many, especially here in the fandom, where we can find some art that can turn appropriative on Native cultures. What's so bad about it exactly? Recently in Canada controversy sprung up as an editorial was produced saying cultural appropriation doesn't exist and that writing about others cultures should be encouraged and is a good thing. It is in fact an argument I hear a lot from people when I have these discussions myself. The column received a lot of backlash particularly from indigenous writers. Ojibwe journalist Jesse Wente goes into two discussions here eloquently describing why cultural appropriation/stereotyping is not victimless, but rather is a perpetuation of institutional erasure of Native voices (in this case in Canada but also applies to the US). Cultural appropriation needs to be looked at in the big picture. It is not just a matter of it clashing with "artistic freedom" or "freedom of speech". It is another displacement of our own cultures on our own lands from the hands of non-Natives.
Cultural appropriation and stereotyping is a sticky subject for many, especially here in the fandom, where we can find some art that can turn appropriative on Native cultures. What's so bad about it exactly? Recently in Canada controversy sprung up as an editorial was produced saying cultural appropriation doesn't exist and that writing about others cultures should be encouraged and is a good thing. It is in fact an argument I hear a lot from people when I have these discussions myself. The column received a lot of backlash particularly from indigenous writers. Ojibwe journalist Jesse Wente goes into two discussions here eloquently describing why cultural appropriation/stereotyping is not victimless, but rather is a perpetuation of institutional erasure of Native voices (in this case in Canada but also applies to the US). Cultural appropriation needs to be looked at in the big picture. It is not just a matter of it clashing with "artistic freedom" or "freedom of speech". It is another displacement of our own cultures on our own lands from the hands of non-Natives.
Thanks for posting the links, too!
sigh.
1) Ignorance of past aggression against Natives and all the myriad ways their cultures, lives, and lands have been attacked. This also leads to a refusal to acknowledge past atrocities and a sort of mindset that somehow Europeans are the ones being victimized by some sort of 'self loathing'. This is not limited to Natives, of course. Usually it boils down to "it's the present: you're responsible for yourselves and we're not at all responsible for anything, especially not helping you".
2) People of European decent don't get the implications because they don't see anything wrong with folks drawing things that come from their own cultures. I've yet to see anyone claim that drawing someone in a kilt or lederhosen or tunics or any of the other garbs worn by Europeans is cultural appropriation. God knows we've got enough people all too willing to draw someone in Nazi paraphernalia.
3) It's also something that doesn't tend to come up with African or Asian cultures, even though it's the same thing. Video games and role playing games tend to be less than helpful in this since after showing knights in shining armor their favorite things tend to be "Oriental" settings (mixing up things from a number of Asian cultures) and "Egyptian" settings (that somehow always seem to include the Pyramids and Byzantine/Persian architectures but never anything from Mesopotamia or anywhere else). After that it is various "tribal" stuff that inevitably includes tattoos, feathers, animal teeth, and spheres.
4) There's the notion that a person is somehow honoring a culture by drawing it or writing it up without fully researching it or by making generalizations about it. Somehow it turns from "hey look what I did for you!" to "how dare you insult my art?!" when someone from the culture points out all the inaccuracies.
Hate to break it to you, but it is freedom of speech. After all, I though the Native American community wanted its culture to be more known and understood rather than to be misinterpreted as the stereotypes in old western films, and when "outsiders" give it attention and take it as inspiration, you want to take it away for yourself and nip at whoever tries to touch it? Greedy, that's all it is. It isn't honoring our ancestors, it's a way of feeding your own ego, along with anyone else who heavily believes in cultural appropriation. It's not that it doesn't exist, it's that it should not be shunned. Even if characters are based on Native American stereotypes as a joke, it's just a joke. Now if they're drawn with a clear label hinting that "native Americans are savages and evil, they must die", then yes there is a huge problem. Other than that, it's just tasteless jokes that should be treated as such; maybe a smirk but otherwise ignored, or just not to be taken seriously.
As a Native American, I accept this because I don't like to play myself as the victim, I don't play myself as a soft one who can't handle jokes. I'm sure my ancestors would rather see me grow a backbone and step forward rather than sulk about the past I've never even experienced, while telling people they can't admire "my" culture and acting like I've got Native pride. True Native pride isn't acting soft and greedy. (I prefer people say "the culture of my people", rather than "my" culture. Otherwise it's just annoying)
Not trying to come off as vicious and personal, but this is just my honest opinion. Take it how you will.
Assuming you referred to me as a wannabe porn artist, nude art doesn't automatically mean porn, by the way. I only made a new account simply because the art was old and there were so many art beggars. Oh, but that's when you'll take me serious, eh? Haha
See this guy? http://tinyurl.com/kp4sn5m He earned each and every feather on his headdress through a lifetime of dedication and service to his community .. He EARNED it.
See this guy? http://tinyurl.com/larjfpa He most likely bought his knockoff online so he could look 'cool' while he partied at an outdoor concert for the weekend. He earned nothing.
Do you understand the difference?
So, by your logic, if a black guy dresses up as a spartan warrior for halloween, he is disrespecting the actual warriors that trained, fought, and died for/in that armor! Don't wear a suit if you're not white, because a white man invented that suit and you would be insulting him if you did otherwise! White people earned the right to wear a suit because a white man invented it! Do you see how complicated this would be if we applied this to everything in the world?
A Japanese man should never dye his hair blonde, love American food, and wear the American flag because that's our culture as Americans not Japan's, and vice versa! Anime cosplay is wrong for anyone who isn't Japanese because anime is Japanese culture and as Americans, we should not dress that way or have anime conventions! That insults the Japanese anime artists who worked hard to create anime! The world would be worst if cultural appropriation were enforced as a law. If I tried to type every example down the damn paragraph would be too long for FA to even upload. (It's already long enough already)
But why is it that most people don't complain about this stuff? Some items of what I mentioned has lost its some of its value over time simply because they aren't used anymore. You don't need spartan armor, you don't need samurai armor, in this case the same thing applies to the headdress. You don't need it anymore to prove your status in a tribe or on the battlefield. Maybe you would if you actually earned it and attended a powwow, but it's a choice, you'd still be recognized without the headdress.
Even though it isn't needed, it is still appreciated. It's old, but it isn't thrown out and forgotten like garbage. Or would you rather it be forgotten so no one can wear one, because in reality no one today, yes not even you and I and other modern native Americans who have done nothing deserve to wear it. Because people like you believe it is so sacred, far too sacred for anyone today to even know about it so they won't violate it! Again, age takes away value in everything, even the most sacred of things. In the future, soon the valor of today, bronze star and Purple Heart will mean nothing because something else will take its place. Why? Because cultures change when they fuse together and things don't stay valuable forever, this isn't anything new or shocking.
Oh yeah, and I'm from the Red Lake reservation, part Lakota and Ojibwa. Don't live there anymore because the damn place was almost trash the last time I saw it. Need me to scan and send you an identification card just to make sure?
You missed my point. You have every right to trash your own culture and your traditions and make an arse out of yourself in public, go right ahead, in fact, the Federal Government is counting on you to do just that. It makes their task of your assimilation and the termination of your nation's sovereignty and treaty rights that much easier. I will agree to disagree with you on this subject.
By the way, the man in the first photo is from Cheyenne River. he is the 19th generation keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe. His name is Arvol Looking Horse and he is still very much alive.
You missed my point too, just because I'm telling you to grow a backbone and let people do what they want doesn't mean I'm saying you can't be proud of your peoples culture. It's just that telling people what to wear and do makes you look like a douchebag, and we both know that people don't like to listen to douchebags. So why bother telling people what to do, when it just gives yourself a bad title to plenty of other people? It's a waste of energy.
And termination? When most natives that are enrolled in a tribe are given money that the government allows? Something tells me that if they wanted us to be eliminated, they wouldn't allow tribes to give some of their funds to their people simply for being Native American. If they wanted us dead, we would've been gone long ago when they had the best opportunity. And yet we get more benefits than the average white man. In western society, the minority is the most respected and given the most benefits. Native Americans are no acception. But whatever you say, clearly this debate isn't influencing anybody so yeah, agree to disagree.
I would feel bad about the back thing but hey, you said it not me.
there's some politician recently, as sort of an illustration in a totally not directly related context,
but maybe a bit illustrative of the concept,
who wears what looks like a military uniform, like a lot tyrants like to,
that has you know, all these ribbons and medals on it,
except there all like kids toy ones from dime stores and cerial boxes.
makes a complete joke of himself and doesn't seem to realize it.
people who have served in the military and first responders,
aren't exactly real impressed by him.