Reader Stringer Bell asks:
What do you think about cultural appropriation? The blogger at womanist musings is strongly against it. Stuff like wearing native american garb at halloween, using sacred or otherwise meaningful ethnic symbols to sell cute tshirts, and so on.
I wouldn’t mind it in the least if people wore (ate, sang, drank or used in any way) the paraphernalia of my cultures. I don’t see a problem with people who are not Jewish wearing yarmulkes because they like the look or want to cover a bald spot. Neither would I mind non-Ukrainians wearing the Ukrainian ribbons on their heads. The ribbons are beautiful, and it would make me happy to see people who want to promote this great tradition.
I also love it when people try to learn how to make borscht even though I know that unless you were born with borscht in your blood stream, you will never make it as good as mine.
I know, however, that many people are, indeed, bothered by cultural appropriation, and who am I to argue that their feelings are wrong? I would love to be able to wear saris, for example. I think saris are beautiful and they would suit me perfectly. But I don’t want the Indian women who live in my street and who wear saris every day to be offended. Maybe one day we will develop a friendship and I could ask them how they feel about people from other cultures wearing saris. In the meanwhile, I will ask my readers. How do you feel about symbols of your culture being appropriated by other people?
Clarissa's Blog 
Personally, I belong to what is generally regarded as the “default” culture in Anglophone North America (white, English-speaking and descended from people from the British Isles) so I don’t particularly care. In fact, I doubt that it even counts as appropriation.
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I personally wouldn’t mind people using symbols from my culture. What bothers me sometimes are the stupid questions from people who know a little bit, mostly stereotypes, about a foreign culture, and then ask me to explain these stereotypes.
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It’s pretty much inevitable that cultural appropriation will happen. In school band we sometimes played (arrangements of) pieces that appropriated the music of foreign (namely, not wealthy western elites/nobility) cultures. (More correctly, those pieces appropriated the music of other cultures and then morphed that music through western stereotypes of said music). I didn’t even know it at the time and frankly, the idea never even occurred to me until much later.
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Anyone who complains about cultural appropriation is a hypocrite. There is no such thing as a pure culture. Every culture is a mixture of other cultures brought about because people engaged in appropriation. Take the example of Jewish humor, which, thanks to armies of Jewish writers, is a basic part of American culture. It itself is a product of the Jewish experience of being a minority and trying to fit in to a larger culture. You cannot take the Jew out of the American and you cannot take the American out of the Jew.
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As someone who grew up in a similar situation to thevenerablecorvex (I think, based on what she said in her comment), I have a really hard time even *defining* my culture – the closest I could come is that we celebrated “Christmas”, but weren’t religious. I’ve always thought it was sad that people would get angry at others who weren’t from their culture trying to learn their language, or their dances, or their music. As if only people of that culture are “worthy” of it. It never made any sense to me. Yes, I get the idea of respecting other peoples’ cultures, but one should be able to participate without being born into it, if they so choose, and do so respectfully. Maybe that’s just my confused upbringing talking though…
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Thing is, would Americans look any more rational, ethical or kind, if they stopped doing those things they do? Would we be able to walk down the street, and notice, by the absence of a Hallowe’en uniform or a weird shirt, “There is a rational, intelligent and kind person”?
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As a Native American, I find cultural appropriation to be extremely problematic, for many reasons. The first and foremost reason is that the type of appropriation I see most commonly is the theft of sacred, restricted items which have a very specific religious, specific meanings, use and symbolism- Pipes, headdresses, medicine wheels, and feathers all play a role in Indigenous spiritualities which people wearing them to dress-up or look cool don’t appreciate. My anger at seeing that is equivalent to the anger you felt, Clarissa, at the FEMEN protesters destroying the memorial cross in Ukraine- profaning something very sacred and personal.
Secondly, the people wearing these items don’t even seem to realize that there are multiple Indigenous groups in North America with differing traditions, means of dress, languages, and styles. I’ve had people dress up as “Pocahontas” (who was Powhatan) while wearing a Plains headdress (restricted to those who have earned it, like a medal of honour or Victoria cross) carrying a tomahawk, and wearing a dreamcatcher (Ojibwe). That just reinforces public ignorance of Indigenous traditions and customs.
If people want to honour Native Americans, and want to honour elements from Native culture, then why don’t they just buy products made by Native artisans and designers? There are so many amazing, beautiful, diverse Native American artists who make paintings, crafts, jewellery, clothing, accessories, and just about anything else you can imagine! All you have to do is look in the right places.
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This seems like a demand that people be less culturally and interculturally crass, and develop some taste.
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I would not mind that at all. If people traded smearing “war paint” made of lipstick on their faces, wearing ugly chicken-feather headdresses, and running around in faux fur panties with buying authentic Native crafts, which will empower Native people economically and allow them to share the true beauty of their culture with others in a meaningful way, I would dance like a happy child.
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But in effect, you are hoping that people who do not have aesthetic sensibilities develop taste. The opposite is where they do not have taste and act like crazed monkeys. No ethical education can overcome that latter tendency, I think. Even if you say, “No! Stop it! Enough!” they will still walk around rigidly, parading themselves as those who know where to draw the line in the sand. They still won’t have developed any knowledge or aesthetic appreciation.
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“Secondly, the people wearing these items don’t even seem to realize that there are multiple Indigenous groups in North America with differing traditions, means of dress, languages, and styles. I’ve had people dress up as “Pocahontas” (who was Powhatan) while wearing a Plains headdress (restricted to those who have earned it, like a medal of honour or Victoria cross) carrying a tomahawk, and wearing a dreamcatcher (Ojibwe). ”
– This ignorance will remain in place as long as the history and culture of Native Americans is not taught as a separate subject in schools. Students come out of school literally thinking that even 1,000 years ago this continent was occupied by the US whose inhabitants were pretty much like they are today.
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Eyuck! Ignorant non-Native people I met seem to be divided into two camps: Those who think that Native Americans are mythical beings who all vanished from this continent long ago and only exist in a pastoral, idyllic past, or those who see modern Natives as lazy welfare leeches who have “lost touch” with their culture and traditions and therefore have no right to claim them or become upset when other people steal their sacred items.
Another strange trend I find is labelling random crap as being “Native” and trying to sell it: Hopi Ear Candles, for instance. One I saw recently was somebody on EBay who was trying to peddle a necklace as being a “Navajo Moose pendant”. It was actually the Hebrew letter “Chai”, which is a symbol of life and good health. 🙂
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“One I saw recently was somebody on EBay who was trying to peddle a necklace as being a “Navajo Moose pendant”. It was actually the Hebrew letter “Chai”, which is a symbol of life and good health. ”
– This is funny and tragic at the same time. Truly, there are so many very foolish people in the world.
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“the theft of sacred, restricted items which have a very specific religious,”
Theft is a bit of a strong word here don’t you think. Otherwise a nice post explaining some thoughtful objections to cultural appropriation (a term which in itself has a needlessly negative tone to it).
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I think it depends on context. I don’t really care if non-Jewish people wear traditionally Jewish things (not that this ever happens). However, when white people wear African or Native American things, it’s a slap in the face to people of African/Native American descent, given that white people, you know, stole their land/murdered/enslaved them. At least, that’s what I gather from what I’ve read, I could be wrong.
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However, when white people wear African or Native American things, it’s a slap in the face to people of African/Native American descent, given that white people, you know, stole their land/murdered/enslaved them(Miriam)
You do realize that not only “white” people stole land/murdered/enslaved others. Though I will admit that Europeans seem to have been the most successful at it. Jared Diamond wrote a book about why that may be. It is called “Guns, germs and steel”. I wonder though, would the slap in the face for the Huron be equivalent if it was an Iroquois wearing their cultural attire rather than a white person, what do you think?
http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_groups_conflict.html
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First peoples were constantly wearing each other’s attire, from what I can gather, at least for ceremonial purposes! You want clothing, jewelry, etc. from far away and made of materials unavailable locally! This is not just a modern thing!
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An issue is transfer of cultural capital upward, while the actual producers of said culture remain poor, marginalized, second class citizens, etc.
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Whereas I understand the concept of cultural capital, I find it noxious. It’s like saying prostitution is a transfer of sexual capital sideways, whereas marriage transfers it upward and free love transfers it all around. All of these conceptions are extremely mercenary.
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Ah, I begin to understand; it depends on relative political-economic standing. Thus, it wouldn’t be terribly inappropriate for Americans to borrow from Japan or vice-versa because this would be more of a ‘sideways transferal of cultural capital’ (since the two cultures of comparable power and influence), while it might be more objectionable for a white American to appropriate aspects of Native American culture.
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So what about saris then? How do I measure who’s more powerful in this relationship to decide whether I should wear them?
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Well, the well meaning hippies who came to help after Katrina were horrified at the Mardi Gras Indians — they are Black carnival revelers who wear their version of Plains Indians garb, it is a long and interesting tradition. But these white kids with traces of Native American ancestry decided it was insulting to them and go on their high horse about it.
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Whereas if such upward transfer didn’t happen they would be in better shape in what way?
I’m all against their poverty and marginalization, but keeping their culture out of the mainstream is not a solution.
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That is why I don’t really have a view / am unable to get upset about this. One can make observations on how this happens, though, and what it means about how nations and societies represent themselves, etc.
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I don’t have a view on this really but people had major issues with Elvis Presley, for instance, being the one who made the money from so many blues songs from the African American tradition. Copyrighted them apparently, etc.
Then there’s all the use of Native American symbology and adoption of African cultural practices, and calling that national culture, while not letting the producers take the elevator or enter restaurants by the front door. There are huge discussions of this in Latin America.
I don’t have a view but some have strong ones. Personally, I would say what I find funny this semester is Europeans and their addictions to American fast foods and big cars. And shopping malls. And lack of interest in other things US. While they tell me I am not a typical American, as if they knew. The conclusion I am drawing is that current Europeans are crass cultural appropriators with poor taste!
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I know that there are many different viewpoints here, but the only things I find seriously wrong are 1) If a cultural or religious activity requires a very scarce resource, and it becomes popular beyond the culture, it may become impossible for the original users to obtain. (I am thinking that Meerschaum may be in this category.) and 2) If the practice is so altered that it provides a dangerous misconception about the original practitioners to others.
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Glancing at wikipedia, it appears that I was wrong about Meerschaum. I have a memory of some substance used by people in the Dakotas (Oglala, maybe?) who used a particular rare mineral for making sacred pipes. This mineral was discovered by outsiders and was quickly mined out and sold at huge prices the original users could not afford.
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Speaking of Cultural Appropriation, I read a wonderful story today in the most popular Native American news source about a fashion company taking the right steps towards apologizing for an appropriative fashion show: Apologizing, educating their employees/designers, and now working with a team of Native designers and activists to produce a NEW line of fashion, the proceeds of which will go towards a Native-centred charity:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/09/14/paul-frank-industries-will-take-major-steps-to-reconcile-with-native-americans-134202
There are right and wrong ways to go about apologizing for cultural appropriation, this is very much the right way.
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Thanks for the post, Clarissa.
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