By Adam Hoffman, Guest Contributor This was it…I had finally made it to Ireland! As an American, it had always been my dream to travel abroad and tour Europe. At the age of 25, I was well overdue to see a different part of the world. And, as a budding psychologist who studies the development of ethnic and racial identity …
Open letter to that celebrity that did that thing: Cultural appropriation Mad Libs
Dear <Company/Individual/Celebrity name>, Hey, you know that <noun> that you <verb, past tense> on/in <place> <timeframe>? While you might have thought it was <gerund*> to Native peoples, the reality is that it’s actually extremely <adjective> and <adjective>. There are over 566+ tribes in the United States, and the <noun> that you <verb, past tense> reduces us into a one dimensional stereotype …
Happy 5th Birthday, Native Appropriations!
Hey friends, guess what? The Blog is 5! Back in January of 2010* I was a first year graduate student, and now I’m Dr. NativeApprops, and between those two milestones was a lifetime’s worth of learning, growing, finding/refining my voice, and things I could never have even imagined. I don’t have time for a huge long reflection today, but I’m …
Random Appropriation of the Day: Nestle Redsk*ns
Reader Michelle submitted this example today–apparently Nestle Australia sells a raspberry flavored candy called “redsk*ns”. According to all-knowing Wikipedia, “In 1996, a complaint was made to the New Zealand Advertising Standards Complaints Board about a Redskins advertisement aired on New Zealand television. The advertisement featured comedian Mark Wright dressed in American Indian clothing and assuming an accent. A mock drumbeat featured on the soundtrack. …
Reflections on 3 years at Native Appropriations
This morning my brain woke me up wide awake at 5am, just opened my eyes, ready to go, like this were a normal and everyday experience. The reality is quite the opposite–most mornings I hit snooze more than I care to admit. My brain was whirring from the moment I blinked awake, and I decided to put to paper some …
Hello NativeAppropriations.com!
Hi Everyone! If you hadn’t noticed, something is a little different around here…I finally took the plunge and made the switch over to wordpress and my own domain (omg I know, right?). I’m super excited, and relieved that most of the transition seems to have gone relatively smoothly, though there are still a lot of little things that need fixing …
Johnny Depp as Cultural Appropriation Jack Sparrow…I mean Tonto.
Entertainment Weekly just posted the “first look” of Johnny Depp as Tonto in the new Lone Ranger movie. I’m really at a loss for words right now. I…can’t. There was a bunch of controversy over the casting of Johnny Depp to begin with–and I was right on board, mad that they hadn’t cast a Native actor in the role. The …
Random Appropriation of the Day! (Lush "Pow Wow" Lip Scrub)
It’s been a few months since I posted a “Random Appropriation of the Day”–things that use Native imagery/names/references that are just totally random and don’t necessarily necessitate (necessarily necessitate? ha. I’m leaving it.) an entire wordy post. These “Random Appropriations” are simply to point out how ubiquitous the use of Native imagery is in our everyday lives, and to question …
Alien Appropriations?
I’ve been a little negative lately, so I wanted to share a quick conversation with my parents and my friend Chris that made me laugh: Me (to Chris): Have you seen Cowboys and Aliens yet? What did you think? Chris: It was ok. Me: There are Indians in it right? Am I going to be offended? Dad: I, personally, was …