Dear JK Rowling, I am unabashedly a huge Harry Potter fan. I first encountered Harry when I was in Junior High, volunteering at the public library (nerd status, I know). The children’s librarian handed me book 1, and I was hooked. I even used to frequent Harry Potter message boards back in the day with my friend Kathleen (we were …
When you’re invisible, every representation matters: Political edition
Ready for a little history lesson? A (not-so-long) time ago, this continent was full of people. People who had been here for thousands and thousands and thousands of years, since the beginning. Then around 500 years ago, some folks showed up, pretended those people didn’t exist, or deemed them “savages” unworthy of status as human. Those interlopers decided that they could …
New York Fashion Week Designer steals from Northern Cheyenne/Crow artist Bethany Yellowtail
I write about cultural appropriation in fashion a lot. I’ve taken on big brands and small brands, arguing that our images and cultural property should be taken seriously. But today, things got personal. Brand KTZ’s Fall/Winter line at New York Fashion Week was “a tribute” to Indigenous peoples. There’s a lot to critique in the line (and I will), but nestled among …
SNL 40th Anniversary: Mike Myers and Native Imagery
This week, Saturday Night Live turned 40. The show had an epic 3.5 hour long special episode, with cameos and performances from tons of folks involved during the show’s history. I watched it last night as I was grading papers (meaning I half-watched it), and didn’t expect there to be any Native representations, because there never are (except Fred Armisen’s …
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 …
Dear Native College Student: You are loved.
Linda Hogan, Dwellings: A Spiritual History of the Living World TW: Suicide Dear Native College Student, You are loved. You are loved so deeply and immensely that there are not words to convey the power of that love. Before I say any more, I want you to know that. Your ancestors love you. Your family loves you. Your friends, roommates, classmates …
Idle No More: Two Years Later
#IdleNoMore pic.twitter.com/SXxf6FNLgS — Idle No More (@IdleNoMore4) December 10, 2014 Today marks the two year anniversary of the Idle No More movement, so I thought I would re-visit and re-share a podcast I made of the Los Angeles Idle No More solidarity rally in December 2012. It was my first attempt at the medium, and as an avid/borderline obsessed podcast listener, I …
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. …
Ch-ch-ch-changes (for the better!): A new blog chapter
Why hello friends. In the past year or so a lot has happened in the life of Native Approps, and now, as Dr. Native Approps, I’ve started a new chapter at my first big-girl job in a long time. I’ve also moved from MA to CA to AZ and now to RI, and now that I’m (relatively) settled, I want to make …
Missing the point on the Red Mesa Redsk*ns
A few weeks ago, Washington Post reporter Ian Shapira covered the “controversy” around the Daily Show’s segment on the Washington Racial Slurs. I, as you may remember, was not a fan of the way the story was covered. To Shapira’s credit, he reached out to me, and several other of my Native friends involved in the Daily Show debate or …