Why don’t you write?: Some reflections of 7 months of blogging

In Uncategorized by Adrienne K.7 Comments

(Leather postcard found at an estate sale by Jodi–great use of the alcohol, right? geez.)
Many of you have probably noticed the blog has been a bit quiet this summer, going from about five posts a week during the school year to, like, one–if that. I’m not going anywhere, I promise! I’ve just been finding it a bit hard to balance summer life with its lack of schedule and blogging, which requires a fair amount of discipline. But it’s given me some time to think about the direction of Native Appropriations, and definitely lots of time to reflect on what I’ve learned over the last few months of writing.


Back in January, when I started Native Appropriations, it started with a Facebook-note blitz to all of my friends, asking for suggestions and contributions, for a “project” on cultural appropriation and images of Natives. The response I received was overwhelmingly positive, and I never realized how many of my friends kept files on their computer (like me) where they stuck the offensive images they encountered in everyday life. From that, le blog was born.

I can’t believe it’s really only been 7 months, I’ve learned so much since that first trip to urban outfitters. We’ve dealt extensively with The Strange Case of the Hipster Headdress, endured a wave (that’s turned into a tsunami) of tribal fashion, seen an “Indigenous Olympics,” and survived a sh*t storm created by discussing non-Native participation at powwows. But there were some great things too–like Native street art, powerful advertising campaigns, representing ourselves, and beading contemporary life. 
I should also thank the “big” blogs–Sociological Images, Racialicious, Shakesville, and even Jezebel(!), for believing in the message and featuring my blog. I’ve truly been humbled by the response.
Through it all, I’ve had my identity as a Native person questioned more times than I can count, had my character attacked (“no better than a pedophile” I think was the best one), and been told I have “no life” or should find “something better to do.” But for every scathing, negative comment, there have been 10 people who’ve emailed to say how happy they are to have found the blog. I’ve definitely gained a thicker skin and a desire for constructive criticism, which has already begun to serve me well in my grad student life. 
So, Dear Readers, thank you. Thanks for sticking with me, for coming around even in these dry months of summer, telling your friends, neighbors, and colleagues, and sending in all the fantastic tips from around the world. I truly wouldn’t be anywhere without you! 
With that, here are some things (minor changes) to be expecting from Native Appropriations this fall:
Guest Posts:
I want more voices than my own on this blog. This started as a collaboration, and I want it to return to that. There are millions of Native perspectives on these issues, and I represent only one. I’m in the process of trying to work out some formalized relationships, but I’d rather just have you send in your thoughts on an issue. Write it up: 250-500 words (or a little more), include some pics, a little snark, and you’re on the blog. Truly. Don’t hesitate, just send it over! 
Comments: 
I’m going to start moderating comments on older posts–it’s not productive to the conversation to have trolls jumping in on old issues. I’m also going to try and contribute in the comments a little more, up until now I’ve tried to stay out, since I didn’t want to seem like the all-knowing “expert” on everything. (see #1) But do know that I read and appreciate all of your contributions, and do take them to heart.
Emails: 
I read them. All of them. I get a ton of tips, and admittedly I’ve been bad about responding–so I’m going to be better! I love hearing your thoughts.
Posts:
Expect a bigger mix of the usual Random Appropriations and longer posts, but I’m also going to start talking about some of the “bigger” issues in Indian Country too, and linking Native Approp’s readers up with some other great Native blogs and resources on the internets. 
Now:  
What are your thoughts? What would you like to see more of on the blog? Less of? Anything I didn’t cover that’s been bugging you? Let me know! 
Thanks for a great start, and let’s get the word out about Native Appropriations–remember, you can also interact with the blog in other ways:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nativeappropriations (I tend to post some interesting articles and links here in between posts, and “fans” post some great stuff too, so check it out!)

Random Appropriation of the Day! (Totem Cups)

In Alaska Native, intellectual property, Native art, pacific northwest, totem cups, totem pole by Adrienne K.3 Comments

 (source)

I initially didn’t have much to say about these “Totem Cups” by designer Rob Southcott–they’re cups. That look like a totem pole. Oh, but they are made in the land of many great Native appropriations: China.

Southcott is a Toronto-based artist, and his pieces seem to incorporate a lot of the natural world with “functionality”. Lots of driftwood looking things, kinda pretty.

But then I got to thinking. What irks me about this product is not only the “totem pole” as interpreted by a non-Native who has no knowledge of the sacredness or intentionality behind the designs of Northwest coast/Alaska totem poles, but also the fact that the revenue of this product, clearly based off Indigenous designs, goes to the non-Native artist. So he benefits, while the tribes that created and maintained this style of art do not. That doesn’t seem fair, does it?

If I decided to market a product that was clearly a direct rip off of one of Southcott’s other designs, I would have a lawsuit slapped on me before it even hit shelves. The slippery slope of intellectual property clearly falls on the side of those in power, doesn’t it? 

Totem Cups: http://www.neatoshop.com/product/Totem-Cups

Rob Southcott: http://robsouthcott.com/

(Thanks Marj and arkityp!)

"Sioux Chief" Drain: Honoring Natives in a Bathroom Near You!

In headdress, sioux, Sioux Chief Drains, Sioux Chief Manufacturing Company by Adrienne K.3 Comments

(image source)
It’s definitely an honor to have the place where dirty, disgusting water drains in rest stop bathrooms to be named after the most revered position in your tribe, right? According to the Sioux Chief Manufacturing Company, that’s exactly what they were going for.

Tipster Ann spotted this tribute to the “proud and resolute people” of the Sioux Nation in a skeezy rest stop bathroom somewhere in Indiana. She did a little research and found the website of the company, where they describe the origin of their company’s name and logo:
Sioux Chief’s founder, Martin E. “Ed” Ismert Jr., was greatly interested in Western Americana. Ed’s father, Martin Sr., was a collector and Midwest authority of Western and Native American artifacts in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. When the time came to name his new company, it did not take Ed long, as he had learned from his father all about the Sioux Indian Nation. The Sioux Nation were a very proud and resolute people that, while being fierce and competitive, held in highest regard the family, the Earth, and especially Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit. Ed commissioned his brother Bud, an artist who studied under Thomas Hart Benton, to draw the “Young Determined Sioux Chief” in full ceremonial dress as the logo for his young determined company. Sioux Chief Manufacturing, being named and patterned after such a distinctive people would put forth an image not easily forgotten.

Let’s examine this language a bit, shall we? So Ed learned from his father (a white collector and “authority” on Indian stuff) “all about the Sioux Indian Nation”. Another great example of how many non-Natives can have extremely limited encounters with Native peoples but then call themselves “experts” and sell themselves as foremost authorities on all things Native. I’m sure he knows all about the Lakota/Dakota. All about them.

Then there’s the ubiquitous past tense–The Sioux “were a very proud and resolute people”, “held in highest regard”, etc. He also manages to throw in a whole bunch ‘o stereotypes in there too–The “Spiritual Warrior” syndrome. Competitive and fierce, yet deeply tied to the earth and “The Great Spirit”. And hey, Mr. Ismert, the Lakota didn’t go anywhere. They’re still here.

So then we asks his non-Native brother, with presumably the same limited knowledge as himself, to draw a “Young, Determined, Sioux Chief” for their logo, in ceremonial dress, of course (with no regard to how that might be, you know, special or sacred):

…and we get the stereotypical Plains Indian Warrior. At least they got the regalia semi-right? considering how often this dress is attributed to other tribes for advertising and marketing. Not that it makes it any better.

I also keep coming back to the fact that it’s the Sioux Chief company. Chiefs and leaders of tribes are deeply revered positions of power, and to me it just seems so absolutely degrading to have that position of wisdom, trust, and authority placed on a bathroom drain. People are literally (excuse the language) pissing on our culture.

If any Lakota or Dakota tribal members want to weigh in, definitely let me know.

 Sioux Chief Manufacturing Company: http://www.siouxchief.com/Company

(Thanks Ann!)

Random Appropriation of the Day! (Crate & Barrel "Hogan" Rug)

In crate and barrel, hogan rug, Navajo, random appropriation by Adrienne K.2 Comments

Another Random Appropriation courtesy of my parent’s house in San Diego. My mom got some beautiful new rugs for our bathroom from the Crate & Barrel outlet, and I don’t know if you can read it, but this style of rug is called a “Hogan” rug.

Still missing the Native connection? This is a Hogan:

 (image source)

Hogans are the traditional home of the Navajo–which are definitely still widely in use today for ceremonial purposes, driving through the Navajo Nation you often see a hogan next to the more “modern” homes.

Just I thought it was a random name for a rug, and immediately thought of the Navajo/weaving/rugs connection. But I’ll admit, it could be an appropriation of another Hogan:

 (image source)

I mean, that bandanna looks kinda like the rug… 🙂

But here’s the screen grab of the Crate & Barrel rug:

I’m beginning to be more and more intrigued by the use of Native names/imagery in product naming, even when the product has nothing to do with Natives.

Random Appropriation of the Day: "Seneca Warrior" Paddle Ball

In paddle ball, random appropriation, Seneca, Tribal Warrior by Adrienne K.Leave a Comment

My sister re-discovered the joys of beach paddle ball when she was on her senior trip to Myrtle Beach, and since I’m home visiting my parents in San Diego for a couple of weeks, we dug around in the garage to see if we still had an old set. Lo and behold, not only did we have an ancient (and complete) set, it happened to be a random appropriation.

This muscle-y “Warrior Seneca” dude is pretty old, like probably from like the late 80’s early 90’s, back when we were more active beach-goers (i.e. I was like 5). I couldn’t find anything online about the company, but I would like to draw attention to their tag line:

“Seneca: The New Breed.” That feels weird to me.

So funny, I’m sure when my parents bought this 20 years ago they would have never thought it would end up their daughter’s blog. Well considering blogs didn’t exist back then…haha.

But anyway. Random appropriation courtesy of Adrienne K’s childhood home!

(Thanks Sees!)

DIY Headdress from Bright Young Things

In bright young things, DIY headdress, eliza starbuck, hipster headdress by Adrienne K.43 Comments

(via Ecouterre)

I read a fair amount of fashion blogs, but only recently did I discover the fabulous story and photos over at The Uniform Project. The designer of the now-famous little black dress featured on the site is Eliza Starbuck, who apparently is launching a new line called “Bright Young Things.”

To commemorate the launch, she offered up this project on the blog Ecouterre, “guaranteed to turn heads”. Yes friends, you can now make your very own hipster headdress.

The post offers step-by-step instructions, and I found it hilariously ironic that either Starbuck or Ecoterre reminds you to “just be sure to choose cruelty-free feathers (faux, vintage, or found), rather than pluck the plumage of some hapless bird.” Definitely, worry about the birds, but not the people you may be offending (They are a sustainable fashion site, though, so I’m not totally surprised about the bird reminder).

That’s one weird trend I’ve been noticing with some of the hipster-headdress wearers–many of them are quick to jump on other causes, environmental sustainability, relief for Africa, etc, hinting at some sort of solidarity with those fighting for what’s right…yet they clamp down on the headdress and staunchly defend their “right” to wear it. If someone of a marginalized group tells you, to your face, that what you’re doing is hurtful and offensive, how can you, as an “activist,” still wear it? I don’t get it. But that’s just one of my personal pet peeves with the whole thing.

(via Ecouterre)

A commenter named Margo posted the first comment on the site (thanks!), linking to my hipster headdress manifesto and my culture is not a trend, to which Starbuck responded:

E. Starbuck: @Margo,thank you for the reminder. I think EVERYONE is aware of stereotypes and what is and isn’t “PC” at this point in time. A handmade headdress (and not the dime store “cowboys and indians” plastic version) is sacred to anyone who wears it and certainly to anyone who makes it.

and then an E.J. Starbuck commented on my hipster headdress post:

I think this point of view is painfully old-fashioned. The Internet has created a melting pot of Ancient, Present, Past, and Future cultures from all around the world. And at this point, everyone is fully aware of what stereotypes are and what “PC” is, and going on about them is only going to perpetuate them. Practice sacred culture, don’t preach it. Making efforts to keep sacred cultures segregated and separated in the name of respect and cultural preservation maybe honorable, but it is quite impossible and impractical. If that were the way, then the spirit of the Native American culture would be long dead, and we know that isn’t true, it’s just evolved. Everyone is connected and everyone is mixed, this is a new tribe of people. A handmade headdress (and not the dime store “cowboys and indians” plastic version) is sacred to anyone who wears it and certainly to anyone who makes it. To limit that sacred experience to Native Americans when people from every part of the planet have been using feathers as decorations on their heads all throughout history is just wrong.

So this is a new argument to me–that creating the headdress yourself makes it “sacred”?

I’ll turn this one over to you, readers, since I want some more voices than just my own on this issue. Thoughts? 

Ecouterre:  Make a DIY Feathered Headdress by Eliza Starbuck of Bright Young Things

Earlier: But Why Can’t I Wear a Hipster Headdress? (for the full breakdown)

(Thanks Amy and Margo!)

Random Appropriation of the Day! (Daufuski Korean Oysters)

In daufuski oysters, headdress, random appropriation by Adrienne K.Leave a Comment

Chrissy, one of my Twitter followers, came across this can of Korean Oysters while shopping at her local grocery store (I believe in Alabama?). From what I can gather with a quick google search, Dafuskie (with an “e”) Island in South Carolina used to be a big oyster producing area. But this website gives us this additional piece of Dafuskie trivia:


Indian pottery found on the island is among the oldest of its kind in North America, dating back more than 9,000 years.  Their history on the island ended in the early 18th century, after a battle with English soldiers in 1715. After the sand ran red with Indian blood, the southern tip of the island was given the moniker Bloody Point, a name it carries to this day.

Horrible.  How would you like to live in “Bloody Point” knowing that is the history of your home? That’s a whole post in itself.

Back to the oysters. These are, today, produced in Korea, but I found some images of early ads, from the 1950’s:

(image source)

If they are referencing the Daufuskie-Indian connection, they might want to look into traditional regalia of South Carolina, cause I’m about 100% positive they didn’t wear plains headdresses. In addition, I don’t think the proper way to memorialize slaughtering all of your island’s Native inhabitants is to put them on a can of oysters. But that’s just my opinion.

(Thanks Chrissy!)

Red Bull Gives You Stereotypes

In advertising, cannibals, commercial, red bull, smoke signals by Adrienne K.3 Comments

Red Bull, the energy drink of the masses, presents us with a winner of an appropriation. This commercial reads like a check list of Native stereotypes. Apparently this ad aired heavily overseas (it can be found in many different languages on youtube), and first aired in the US back in 2009. However, it seems that Red Bull decided stereotypical imagery works, because I’ve gotten multiple tips in the last few weeks noting that they’ve started airing it again.

Here’s the transcript of the commercial:

(war whoops and drumming)

Brown Bear: Greetings White Dove, my heart is heavy
White Dove: Mine too, Brown Bear
BB: The end of the year is near, and we still can’t get together. Brown bear can’t jump that far!
WD: And White Dove can’t fly! We are only united in mind.
BB: Yes, but my body longs for you too.
WD: Oooh. *sigh*
Narrator: No Red Bull, no happy ending.
Watch the commercial here (sorry the embedding isn’t working):  

 So let’s see:

  • Tipis?
  • Smoke Signals?
  • War Whoops?
  • “Tom-Tom” Drumming?
  • “Indian” Names? (Brown Bear and White Dove? Really?)
  • Speaking in third person/broken English?
  • Sexualization of the Natives?

Check, check, check, check…

I also found this other Red Bull commercial that uses Indigenous people as “cannibals” (who the smart white man can escape by drinking red bull and getting wings!). Especially note the “daughter” with her exposed breasts and buck teeth. (Oh, and it’s in Italian, but I think it’s pretty easy to understand what’s going on):

So there you have it, Red Bull Gives You Wings Stereotypes!(TM)

(Thanks Virtue and Harsh!)

If Movie Titles Were Honest: Dances with Wolves Edition

In best Native American films, Dances with Wolves by Adrienne K.4 Comments

  
White Man: The Superior Indian 

My friend Amy, who is the best internet browser in the history of the world, sent over this movie poster after my Dances with Wolves post last week. I love it. The whole slide show is pretty creative and entertaining.

Can anyone think of any other “honest” movie titles for movies about Indians?

Last of the Mohicans (I finally saw that one too!): Lots of Blood and Gore but Who Cares I’m Looking at Eric Schweig?

The New World: Waving Grass and Rushing Water But No Plot or Dialogue?

Leave more ideas in the comments!

Cracked.com “If Movie Titles Were Honest Photoshop Contest”: http://www.cracked.com/photoshop_130_if-movie-titles-were-honest_p30#30

(Thanks Amy!)

"Legend has it…": More Natives in Advertising

In advertising, blueberries, wampanoag by Adrienne K.6 Comments

Last Friday I headed over to the Harvard Med School (HMS) to listen to the final presentations of the students involved in HMS’s Native American High School Summer Program. I was so blown away and impressed by the students and what they managed to accomplish in three weeks, their presentations were incredible, powerful, and moving.

But back to the issue at hand, the image above. I was waiting for my flatbread pizza in the schmancy new HMS cafeteria and noticed this sign next to the ordering station. Text reads:

Did You Know?

There are only three fruits native to North America: blueberries, cranberries, and Concord grapes. Legend has it that Native Americans gave blueberries to the new settlers, helping them make it through their first winter.

Not completely outright offensive, but I still find it troublesome. The main issues I find with the ad:

  • The use of the phrase “legend has it…”, which implies a mystical or mythical connection, not a historical fact. It could have easily said “historical accounts tell us” or omitted the phrase all together. To me, “legend has it…” draws up imagery of campfire story time, furthering the stereotypes of Natives as connected to myth or the mystical. 

  • The use of generic “Native American” instead of an actual tribe. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again and again until it gets into everyone’s head–there are over 500 distinct tribes and communities. Not every tribe saved the settlers’ butts that first winter. Not every tribe used/uses blueberries traditionally. 

  • The fact that they chose a “fact” that relates Natives to the white settlers, rather than the numerous other connections New England area tribes have with blueberries. How about mentioning that local tribes (like Wampanoag) have used and been aware of the medicinal properties of blueberries long before America caught onto the “antioxidant” trend? Why does it have to be viewed through a colonial lens?

The best part of all of this, guess who was in the cafeteria with me while I discovered the ad? about ten Wampanoag tribal members (from both Aquinnah and Mashpee), as well as all the other Native participants in the summer program. I pointed out the ad to one of the Wampanoag mentors, who was holding her beautiful baby boy (who’s name means “brave” in their language), and she just shook her head and walked away.

It was her people who “helped” the settlers through that first winter, only to be memorialized in a generic, random ad in a university cafeteria. Imagine how that must feel.

So, I realize the ad isn’t as outright offensive as the Potowatomi Chicago ad we looked at before, but I still think it is important to interrogate and re-examine images we take at face value, and problematize how seemingly simple and benign words can carry much deeper meaning.

Earlier: The Potawatomi didn’t have a word for global business center?

(Thanks Rachel for being my lookout as I stole the sign to take pictures of it!)