Moniquilliloquies.

moniquill:

Tell me why, Tumblr.

Tell me why I did a search for ‘Wampanoag Dress’ looking for historical and reconstruction Wampanoag attire and found THIS instead.

Tell me why non-native people think that it is remotely appropriate to dress their children up like this:

And make them choose ‘Indian Names’ (The OP’s child chose the name ‘Creative Spirit’ and the OP thinks that this is just darling).

Tell me why non-native people are still perpetuating the myth of ‘The First Thanksgiving’.

Tell me why Wampanoag people are continuously referred to in the past tense in this post, as if they stopped existing the day after the setting of that myth.Tell me why the OP is flippant and silly and almost proud about her own ignorance:

“The first thing we did was build a wetu. Huh? Yeah, a wetu. Apparently that’s what the wampanoags lived in. This is how my kindergartner described it to me. Silly me, guess I should have known that. I mean who doesn’t know what a wampanoag and a wetu is?”

Tell me why they call this ‘Educational’ and think they’re doing a good thing.

This is how racism starts.

This is how stereotypes are formed in the minds of children.

This is the start of the path that ends with hipsters in war bonnets frolicking in fields half-naked, carrying bottles of booze and getting self-righteously angry (And refusing to learn. And continuing to be angry) when they’re confronted.

When you only speak about Native American people in the past tense, in certain contexts. When you only mention them as pertains to White history. When you depict them in stereotypical ways. This is how it starts.

Depictions like this are hurtful. Dressing up in redface is hurtful. Wearing ‘war paint’ is hurtful. Dressing up as another race by wearing terribly stereotypical caricatures of what you think that race looks like is not appropriate. Teaching your child that this is what they should think of when they hear ‘Native American’ HURTS REAL NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE. It creates, in the mind of your child, a stereotype, a caricature, of what Native people do/should look like that erases us in reality and removes us from their perception of the modern world. It turns ‘Native American’ into someone wearing beads and headbands and feathers and face paint. It turns an ethnic, racial identity into a costume.

That is not what Wampanoag people -ever- looked like.

THIS is what Wampanoag people looked like in the 1620’s:

THIS is what Wampanoag people look like today when dressed in Regalia for powwow:

And THIS is what we look like when we’re -NOT- dressed for Powwow:

reblogging myself because it’s topical to the post directly below and to this date on the US calendar.

Ok so. You asked me a question and then a few hours later I swung by your journal to see if you’d replied and tumblr hadn’t told me because it does that sometimes. And I found this.

missacedia:

miss-love:

liquoricepearls:

Anyone who thinks western girls wearing a bindi is offensive and cultural appropriation should read this.

Honestly the amount of hate some girls on tumblr are getting is ridiculous. I went into an indian fashion/accessories shop the other day, asked if they had any bindis in stock and the (Indian) shop owner did not cry: ‘BUT YOU ARE WHITE YOU CANNOT WEAR A BINDI’, he showed me where they were in the shop. And brought out some more from the stock room so I had a greater choice.

Thinking part of a culture is beautiful and interesting and wanting to partake in it is not offensive or demeaning to said culture. If anything it spreads awareness of the culture and lessens any ignorance there was there before.

The same argument for bindis could be said for brides in Japan (in a non traditional ceremony) wearing a white western style wedding dress. That has religious undertones to a western culture. It borrows from another’s culture. People have been throwing ‘cultural appropriation’ around without considering that it isn’t necessarily a BAD THING.

Intermixing of cultures = knowledge of other cultures. Knowledge of other cultures removes fear of the unknown, which in turn removes reason for prejudice.

just food…for thought here….

This whole cultural appropriation movement does confuse me. I DO understand there is a line between appreciating and mocking. I can SEE where people are offended with some things, but it has gone wayyyyyyyyy overboard on tumblr.

I mean honestly if you don’t want ANYONE who is not from said culture to wear clothes/symbols/what-have-you of that culture AT ALL unless they are DIRECTLY from that culture, you’re really almost encouraging segregation in my mind.

Also do you know how many people make their money making and selling items from their culture to foreigners?! There is a Moroccan shop ran by a Morrocan family downtown, what do you think would happen to them if all of us Americans REFUSED to buy their products because we don’t share their culture? They’d go bankrupt and have nothing. Admiration for their culture is what feeds their family…


IDK THESE ARE JUST THOUGHTS 

I’ve been on the fence about cultural appropriation for awhile now.  Ever since I was very little, I’ve had a fascination with other cultures: learning their customs, religions, traditions including fashion and how their culture is shown in fashion.  My favourite “Royal Diaries” books were the ones far from European: Princess Jahanara of India, Princess Weetamoo of the Pocassets, Lady of Ch’iao Kuo: Southern China, Sŏndŏk: Korea, etc,

In grade 7, I spent WEEKS looking through books in my school’s library looking up the culture of Japan, specifically the Kimono.  I finally found a book with a Kimono pattern.  I dragged my mom to the fabric department in Wal-mart, bought yards of synthetic silk and proceeded to make myself a rather crappy (I was 12, give me some slack) Kimono complete with obi and tabi.  I wore it to school for Halloween.  I can absolutely see how wearing a cultures traditional costume for Halloween is offensive.  However, when I was in grade 7, for me, it was just an excuse for me to wear it in public.  I was 12 years old, where else was I going to be able to wear it in a tiny town?  Kids and teachers would ask me what I was and I would happily tell them all I learned about Japanese culture and traditional costume.  The kids didn’t listen much.

Years later, for a grade 12 art project on sculpture, I decided I wanted to do another attempt at a kimono… but on a much smaller scale.  I had one of those wooden sketch sculptures that I painstakingly added unravelled yarn hair to with hot glue.  I again got out my old Japanese culture books and this time went to the internet and spent hours glued to the screen reading about different styles/types of kimonos, which types could be worn by who, obi patterns in relation to the kimono it is worn with, marriage status in the tying of an obi, the names of each and every part of a kimono, the underclothes, patterns, family crests, designs according to season, etc.  I researched hair styles and hair accessories and that in relation to age and region.  Days and late nights of work sewing, hand-painting on designs, beading and assembling, I came up with this: 

(this is the best photo I have of the detail in the kimono, it was from a photography project in my first year of college).

I know my history, I know EXACTLY what white nations have done and are still doing to other cultures.  I personally don’t see a problem with white girls dressing in kimonos, wearing bindis or painting their faces with dia de los muertos-style makeup on November 1st AS LONG AS THEY HAVE DONE THEIR RESEARCH AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE PRESENTING/REPRESENTING AND THE MEANING/CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE BEHIND IT.  Cultural appreciation is a wonderful thing.  Wearing bindis or north american native jewellery isn’t the problem, IGNORANCE is.  These young kids taking pictures of themselves wearing ornate native north american feather headdresses, smoking cigarettes and wearing cut-off shirts I sincerely doubt know the cultural significance of their “fashion accessory.”  I would personally not wear a native american feather headdress because I know the importance of it and the pride and time involved earning each and every one of those feathers.  I would feel seriously unworthy of wearing it.  

In conclusion, if you are white and want to partake in a piece of another culture’s traditions and customs in the form of a holiday/celebration or clothing, GREAT!  BUT FOR PETE’S SAKE DO YOUR RESEARCH.  Want to celebrate Holi?  Research online, talk to someone at a local Hindu cultural center (where you will learn it’s not just about throwing coloured powder at your friends).  Support the culture you wish to appreciate: buy your bindis from an actual Hindu-run shop, TALK to the people who work there.  Want to wear beautiful native american jewellery?  Buy from actual native sellers who make the items by hand.  It’s not hard and you have no excuse with the internet and especially etsy at your disposal to find cultural artists.  Don’t be ignorant.  It will not hurt you to spend some time on the internet to learn about something you incorporate (or want to incorporate) into your daily life.  Worst-case-scenario?  You learn something new.  

Having the attitude of “Oh, this native symbol on my necklace?  I dunno what it means, just thought it looked cool” is NOT attractive and does NOT make you look cool and care-free and oh-so-hipster.

Let me just bold and address the astoundingly fucked-up part of this.

“I personally don’t see a problem with white girls dressing in kimonos, wearing bindis or painting their faces with dia de los muertos-style makeup on November 1st AS LONG AS THEY HAVE DONE THEIR RESEARCH AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE PRESENTING/REPRESENTING AND THE MEANING/CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE BEHIND IT.”

Uh……huh.Here’s the thing, sweetie.

YOU ARE WHITE.

And because of that, YOU DO NOT GET TO GIVE PERMISSION OR EVEN FUCKING WEIGH IN ON WHETHER OR NOT IT’S OK BECAUSE IT IS NOT YOUR CULTURE THAT IS BEING APPROPRIATED.

One of the greatest disservices that white privilege does to -everyone- is that people who have white privilege are led to believe that everything in the world is theirs to have.

This is not the case.

No, it was not ok for you to wear a kimono when you were in 7th grade and yes it was appropriation then. The fact that it wasn’t done out of malice doesn’t change that, and the fact that your were ignorant/innocent of the sociological ramifications of doing so doesn’t change it.

WHITE PEOPLE, STOP GIVING ONE ANOTHER PERMISSION TO APPROPRIATE AND SIT THE FUCK DOWN AND SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN TO POC WHEN WE ARE TALKING.

kailerr:

One more fucking post about cultural appropriation and I will lose it. I’m a PoC. If I hear one more white, teenage girl whine about Native American costumes or bindis or fucking dream catchers I will flip my shit. This supposed “racism” is ridiculous. This is just dividing people as a whole. Embrace, learn, and love other cultures and maybe we, as a human race, can advance a little farther. It is not racist to wear a bindi. Bindis in today’s society really don’t even hold a meaning and are worn for fashion more than anything else. You want to tattoo a dream catcher on you? Be my guest, just understand what it means! If you stick to only the culture you have, you can’t grow.

You don’t speak for me.

I concur that it’s troubling when white people steal with words of POC on this subject and start criticizing one another in a not-understanding halfassed way in the name of ‘allyship’because they want cookies rather than just quoting us, but that’s a separate issue.

But fuck this Kumbaya/We All Bleed Red bullshit. I am not going to stay silent about things that hurt me because some other POC want to play nice. It is indeed racist to wear a bindi. Dreamcather tattoos are stupid AND appropriative (what, your thigh has nightmares?). Learn the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural syncretism. If you don’t have anything to add to the conversation, you’re welcome to step out, but it’s obnoxious to tell us not to try and educate people because you don’t want to deal with it.

irresistible-revolution:

bankuei:

At the end of the day, appropriators show their asses because they’re more concerned about being angry that POC dared to say “No” to them, than anything else - NEVER do you see them stepping up to fight against all the backlash and discrimination POC receive, when they do those same cultural practices.

You can show up to goggle at Black church choir- you’re not there when the place is firebombed.

You can demand to get to wear dreads - you don’t even know about natural hair discrimination in the workplace.

You want to be a “Native shaman” - you don’t know jack about the residential schools or the current state of the tribe (or even what tribe) you’re appropriating from.

Etc. etc.

If you think all these things “are cool” why don’t you help the people who originated these practices/fashions/beliefs BE ALLOWED TO PRACTICE THEM?  (and that’s before we even GET to the part of them choosing how and where and who gets to practice these things…)

Oh, that’s because it’s all about you, really.

And that’s where you show your white supremacy and domination attitude - you’re more invested in making sure that the world cheers you on for donning the practices of others like a fashion or a toy or a hobby, than you are about the survival of the practice itself.

And suddenly we’ve got white jazz and white rock and roll.

You’re not celebrating culture, you’re celebrating conquest.  Cultural genocide, we see you.

tomhiddlestonswife:

Good article about the Bindi and it’s appropriation, it calls out POCs who wear it in the same context as white hipsters do and explains it pretty well, though towards the end they are forced to ask if it is cultural appropriation, which I think, they shouldn’t have done but the rest of it is a good read.

(Source: faineemae)

—-lauren replied to your link: Distractions.: because i was just called racist for the first time:

Why do people care so much is my question … And the inaccurate slutty nurse costumes don’t seem to bother anybody

1. I’d have nurses’ backs if they did BUT

2. Nurse is a profession, not a race. It’s something you can choose to be or not be. No one can tell if you are one unless you’re in uniform and/or talk about it. There do not exist a set of hurtful stereotypes about nurses that are reinforced by sexy nurse costumes.

Whereas ‘Indian Costumes’ are HURTFUL.

Dressing up in redface is hurtful. Wearing ‘war paint’ is hurtful. Dressing up as another race by wearing terribly stereotypical caricatures of what you think that race looks like is not appropriate. When you dress up like this and take photos like this it adds one more images to the ponderous pile of this shit that creates the pervasive cultural notion that this is what people should think of when they hear ‘Native American’ , and IT HURTS REAL NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE. It creates, in the minds of the people that see you dressed like that, a stereotype - a caricature of what Native people do/should look like that erases us in reality and removes us from their perception of the modern world. It turns ‘Native American’ into someone wearing beads and headbands and feathers and face paint. It turns an ethnic, racial identity into a costume.

It is racism.

When you only speak about Native American people in the past tense, in certain contexts. When you only mention us as pertains to White history. When you depict us in stereotypical ways. That is how racist thought is cemented in your mind and the minds of others.

I am tired of cultural appropriation.

I am tired of having to constantly be an educator of people who largely don’t want to be educated who get self-righteously angry (And refuse to learn. And continue to be angry) when they’re confronted. I am tired of being -hurt- by racism. I am tired of people who claim that they love and admire ‘Native American Culture’ but in fact know fuck all about Pan-Indian culture or the fact that ‘Native American’ is a blanket term for hundreds of hugely disparate indigenous nations across two continents and that we do NOT have just one culture.

And before you argue that folks who dress this way don’t MEAN to be racist or that they’re just having fun, before your many white allies rally around to tell me how wrong I am and what a good person you are and how you are not a racist…know this:

Racism is not in your intent.

Your intent is immaterial in how racist your actions are.

This isn’t about you BEING a racist. It’s about you DOING A THING that is racist.

Your intent doesn’t change it. Your ignorance of its meaning doesn’t change it. It’s got nothing to do with you as a person and everything to do with the meaning of your action in the context of sociocultural history.

If you think that dressing up as a stereotype is somehow ‘celebrating’ anyone’s culture, that speaks to some really problematic shit in how you’ve been educated, what you’ve been exposed to, what you think you know about what Native Americans are and what we look like. And while it’s not your fault that the culture of your upbringing has handed you that shit on a silver platter and said ‘eat it’, and not your fault that you did eat it without knowing better, it’s still bullshit and it’s still hurtful. You have the Internet at your disposal. You can become educated as to what Native Americans really are like and what we really are about and why not only is that outfit that you put on not remotely like anything legitimately Native American - but that you CAN’T make a costume that’s legitimately Native American. Because we don’t all look alike. Because we’re people.

Let’s go back in time. Let’s go back to my kindergarten class where kids are doing that stupid hand-over-mouth ‘woo woo’ war cry shit at me. Let’s go back to elementary school, watching Peter Pan at the end of the year and getting reprimanded when I walk out of the room to sit in the hall during the ‘What makes the red man red’ song because I can’t fucking explain to the teacher why it makes me want to cry. Let’s go back to my girlscout troop, where one of the leaders is quoting that movie and saying ‘SQUAW GETTUM FIREWOOD!’ and getting huffy and offended when called out on it by my mother. Let’s go back to my middle school chorus that’s singing Colors of the Wind and listen to all the resultant comments from my classmates AND TEACHERS. Let’s go back to when I was fourteen years old and a car full of college-aged white guys drove by shouting ‘FUCK YEAH, POCAHOTNESS’ and making sexual gestures at me. Let’s go back to last year, when a coworker asked me why I was asking for a personal day and checked ‘Religious Observance’ when she knows I’m not a Christian- I told her it was for a powwow, and she wanted to come. I told her it wasn’t open to the public and she said ‘Then why even have one.’

Then why even have one?

THEN WHY EVEN HAVE ONE?

Let’s talk about the fact that NDN women are 3.5 times more likely to be raped. And that we are raped by a non-Native man in 86% of cases. 70% of the time, our rapist is white.

When people dress like this, they perpetuate stereotypes about native people, AND THEY UPHOLD AND COSIGN ALL THAT SHIT.

Get back to me with your comparison when any of that applies to sexy nurses.

cantankerousmalcontent:

…or whatever the hell you’re calling your unoriginal selves this week, I gotta ask:

if wearing a Native headdress is just “appreciating Native American culture” how come that virtually all those people who just “appreciate” so much, appear to be white, thin, and able-bodied?

You really think the rest of us just don’t happen to appreciate Native culture?

Also GTFO of the pagan tags.