This weekend is Santa Fe Indian Market in New Mexico, a big deal art market that draws thousands of Native artists, art buyers, and visitors to the area. Apparently “Estrella’s Moroccan Spa” thought they would capitalize on the huge influx of folks with money to burn by hosting an “Indian Market Special”–but of course, Indians=a fake chicken feather headdress on …
Hipster Headdress, Outside Lands. Le Sigh.
(via SF Weekly) Why isn’t the music-festival-going population sick of this trend yet? Aren’t the hipster-ish ones known for abandoning things once they become “mainstream”? I will say, however, that this is the only picture I’ve come across in the coverage of the festival so far. Even twitter was remarkably quiet. Of course, if you spot any others, send them …
Native street art in downtown Palo Alto
Spotted this guy off University Ave in Palo Alto…anyone know who this is? Or anything about the artist/company? (This is also my first time using the mobile blogger app, so apologies if anything looks funky)
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 …
Native Ex-NBC Employee "Siouxs" for Harassment
Dear New York Post, I read your August 5th article entitled “Native American ex-NBC employee suing for harassment”. While I commend you for covering the story, which details the horrific harrassment of a Native American employee of NBC Universal, I couldn’t help but be troubled by one aspect of your coverage. Being a blogger, I copied the url to the …
No Khloe, I do not like your "tribal look"
Our dear friend Khloe Kardashian is back at her dress up antics. Remember back in October when she tweeted a picture of her wearing a headdress? Well this week she stepped it up a bit and posted a picture from a professional photo shoot with a huge war bonnet. See above. The accompanying tweet read: “What do you guys think …
The Privilege of the Yay Life Tribe
(screenshot from the Yay Life documentary trailer…not exploiting Native cultures at all, right?) Someone posted a link to the “Yay Life Tribe” on the Native Appropriations Facebook page a couple of days ago. The “Yay Life Tribe” is the brainchild of a 20-something named Tucker, who got a spirit hood, it changed his life, and then he quit his job …
Words of Inspiration: Native High Schoolers’ College Essays
I’ve mentioned a few times my involvement with an awesome organization called College Horizons-a summer program for college bound Native students. I’ve been a part of the College Horizons family for 9 years now, starting in 2002 when I was a student in the program, then I attended the Graduate Horizons program as a college student, served as a faculty …
Oh Spirit Hoods.
Oh Spirit Hoods. One of those fashion trends that makes me pause, cock my head, and say “really??” If you’re unfamiliar (meaning you’re not one of the 15,000+ people who “like” the brand on facebook), Spirit Hoods are furry animal hat/scarf combos that are all the rage with tweens, celebs, and hipsters alike. I’ve gotten a few tips recently about …
The Today Show thinks "Tribal Jewelry" is a "Summer Outfit Maker!"
Right on the heels of our great discussion on Al Jazeera’s The Stream, the Today Show decided to feature “tribal jewelry” as one of its go-to summer “outfit makers.” I’ll embed the video clip below, but I don’t know how long it’ll be up on the site, so I took some screen shots and made a quick transcript as well: …