wendigo cultural appropriation

The e-book is here, and you can get a paperback copy here.). cultural identity theft, many would argue that cultural appropriation is inevitable in a melting pot like the United States. Now neither Christian culture is by any means endangered to become a minority (although some US Bible Belt hate preachers consistently claim so) nor is Chinese culture, so both are out of ansatz here. Curbing cultural appropriation in the fashion industry with - WIPO I mean, I have native heritage, grew up with the culture and I even have a wendigo character in my own comic that's based on the pop-culture version with the elk skull and whatnot so I honestly don't see an issue with it but if you're really concerned then perhaps try a different monster called the Leshy from Slavic folklore? Climbing the totem pole. In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. Discover short videos related to wendigo cultural appropriation on TikTok. In some cases, this entailed killing people with Wendigo psychosis. I think she knew that her decision would be challenged and she wanted to let people know that she had valid reasons for doing what she did. In addition to characterizing individual people who exhibit destructive tendencies, the wendigo can also describe movements and events with similarly negative effects. It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. Their visitations speak to the inseparability of human experience National identity is irrelevant to this borderless horror. Native Appropriations Wendigo - What Is It and Where Does It Come From? - The Infographics Show Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way. "[39] Lockhard's ideas explain that wendigos are an expression of a dark aspect of human nature: the drive toward greed, consumption, and disregard for other life in the pursuit of self-aggrandizement. 11 Culturally Appropriative Halloween Costumes You Should - Bustle Your culture and entertainment cheat-sheet. Creative freedom is a beautiful luxury too many do not understand; it wasn't but a hundred years ago when art was said to have an objective hierarchy, and that was how it was for thousands of years. It's just fiction, I thought. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. "Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression and doesn't respect their original meaning or give credit to their source. and our I wouldn't be offended if someone dressed as a stereotypical Scottish person whatever that looks like lol. Bieber's dreadlocks: What's cultural appropriation vs. appreciation? I would agree, only I am more likely to not care much even what an Algonquin cares about my monster character. Okay, dont anybody get me wrong. Seems to me a great deal of what people write about in fantasy stories is borrowing from other cultures & nations & communities. The wendigo -- a creature from Native American myth -- carries powerful symbolism and is presumably sufficiently mysterious to keep enough audience members guessing at its motives and abilities. Guillermo del Toro, producer of the film, developed the wendigo on the basis that the more the creature eats, the more it gets hungry and the more it gets hungry, the weaker it becomes. 8.1.2014. Latvians have their own version of Thor, so I probably should be offended, as well. In some artistic depictions, it looks similar to the pop-culture wendigo and even makes an appearance in The Witcher games but instead it's called a Leshen. Europeans may well have behaved like Wendigos when they invaded the Americasthey didbut they didnt bring the Wendigo with them. Now time to go back and make some changes. The people who get offended over it, on behalf of someone else, are pathetically absurd. Digital Literature Review 1 Stolen Spirits: The Appropriation of the (Anything that isnt outright vandalism isnt likely to harm the statue at all, but I wouldnt dare do anything disrespectful around it. So for some woke culture types it's considered a form of disrespectful cultural appropriation to make your own Halloween monster or character based on a wendigo. The legend of the Wendigo: an anthropological phenomenon of the Native In an as-yet unpublished urban fantasy novel of mine, I basically did the same thing; I made a supporting character an Acheri, completely bungling any semblance of folkloric accuracy in my attempt to come up with a "cool" and "unorthodox" monster. [12] Although descriptions can vary somewhat, common to all these cultures is the view that the wendigo is a malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural being. PDF Baring the Windigo's Teeth: The Fearsome Figure in Native American By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. I can't say for sure how much research Rowling did when writing her series, but others have pointed out that it doesn't seem like much. Wendigo) from its cultural context and its movement by non-Indigenous creators (a large majority being white) into a space of the horror genre that displays negative or antagonistic qualities. The cannibalistic forest creature is known for allegedly . For more information, please see our An uncontrollable craving for consuming human flesh, even if a plenty of other food is available. No they fucking aren't. MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! I'm not skilled enough to draw these (")> lolz. Now that I have a major problem with. One recurring theme across these storytelling mediums is the use of the wendigoalso spelled wtikoa monstrous figure from Algonquian mythology who exhibits an insatiable greed along with a desire for human flesh. We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. identity. So yeah, if anyone could offer any insight/information, thatd be appreciated. wendigo appropriation plymouth township mi police scanner Windigo psychosis may well be the most perfect example of the construction of an Aboriginal mental disorder by the scholarly professions, and its persistence dramatically underscores how constructions of the Aboriginal by these professions have, like Frankenstein's monster, taken on a life of their own. Myeesquatis was holding the other leg and we were praying. That's an easy solution and I still keep my freedom to create. I'm just glad I learned this lesson from her before actually getting my book published. . My tongue and my brain do not speak the right language. Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! Truly insensitive cultural appropriation is when you're taking a part of another culture and portraying it in a deliberately insensitive or disrespectful manner. 5. First, he gives definitions of the key concepts of "appropriation" and "arts," and delimits his investigation as one concerned with "cultural" appropriation. "Why is indigenous culture suddenly more sacred than any other culture?". Dont like someones fetish? For this screenshot controversy, I am actually going to go over a video game for this. PDF Windigo manitou - Portland State University I do not possess the cultural or social knowledge required. There's too much variety of opinion on the question to obtain a consensus. For Indigenous peoples in Canada, cultural appropriation is rooted in colonization and ongoing oppression. It only becomes cultural appropriation when an element of culture is adopted from a marginalized group without respect for its cultural meaning or significance or with the purpose of exploiting the culture Now why cant that be said to prudes lurking here. . Appropriating the Wendigo As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. appropriation, or - as I argue - misappropriation, of the Wendigo as a Sacred creatures? Still though, Im not sure I fully get the Native American spirits(?) New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Dressing up as a cultural stereotype is never, ever OK. Cady Heron once remarked that, "in the real world, Halloween is when kids . I won't pretend I know everything about NA culture, but I believe that headresses and that kind of finery is only used on special occasions and was not how ordinary NAs dressed all the time. Have you encountered wendigo stories in films, television shows, or books? Cultural appropriation is perhaps the stupidest example of the stupidest concept , political correctness , that has ever been argued. "[36] Out of equilibrium and estranged by their communities, individuals thought to be afflicted by the wendigo spirit unravel and destroy the ecological balance around them. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge Chippewa author Louise Erdrich's novel The Round House, winner of the National Book Award, depicts a situation where an individual person becomes a wendigo. But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. Cultural appropriation can be defined as the "cherry picking" or selecting of certain aspects of a culture, and ignoring their original significance for the purpose of belittling it as a trend. Racism 101: At What Point Does Cultural Appreciation Cross Over - LAist Certainly Navajo "skin walkers" are one of the more common Native American legends that non-native writers reference (the only other example I can think of that comes close is the Algonquin Wendigo), but like I said, it would be presumptuous of me to guess at Rowling's research style. Indigenous, The moral lessons contained in wendigo stories are also used to support the task of social critique in the late Native American scholar Dr. Jack D. Forbes book Columbus and Other Cannibals: The Wtiko Disease of Exploitation, Imperialism, and Terrorism (1978). I think people just need to chill out, no mater what their religion and culture is. I dont know who originally posted it, or where. The Wendigo happens to be part of my own (Anishiinaabe) cultural heritage. does not have antlers or have any wolf features. All of these Indians went to where the Windigo was and cut off his legs. Maybe ask a person of Chinese heritage. As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. But Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. The use of the creature in horror stories . But its none of your concern what turns someone on! This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. J.K. Rowling's Cultural Appropriation Should Be A Lesson To White Writers Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. [42] In an early short story by Thomas Pynchon, "Mortality and Mercy in Vienna" (first published in 1959), the plot centers around a character developing Wendigo syndrome and going on a killing spree. PDF An Introduction to What I Hear When You Say - Pbs Film, What Is Cultural Appropriation? - Health: Trusted and Empathetic Health Wendigos, teepees and cultural appropriation : r/socialjustice101 - reddit And whoever!). BTW, I love rainbow farting unicorns! Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Monsters like Wendigos often represent, in the imprecise language of emotion, a common cultural fear. Writer, musician, activist, single father from Chicago. Cultural appropriation Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com How dare they? I can't even think about bank without getting mad, why did she need to make them like that..EVERY name is filled with stereotypes , well every name from minority .I don't even want to talk about Fantastic Beasts problems. And were on the right side, thats what were working on but sometimes you get that cannibal tendency. Dollightful's Apology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW-KBzKWvrUTo clear up the addition that I made even more, I think that it would be pretty important for the information on this topic to be easily accessible to her viewers. spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. Halloween is literally a holiday (most Americans see it as a good excuse to dress as a sexy cat or whatever, but there are actually still people left who believe it's sacred and who perform rituals etc for the holiday). That taste of human flesh, which out of that rose the wendigo.. The wendigo is a terrifying presence that feeds on negative energy and human flesh, making it a natural addition to the horror genre. Apparently it's wrong to draw wendigos for Halloween Why are wendigos seen as offensive? - Quora I would not care much about what a statistically likely personally unrelated "woke" thinks about what Algonquin descendants may think about it, but only what Algonquin descendants. The appropriation, and reclamation, of Native American mythology', Journal of . In Algonquian traditions, the wendigo monster emerges not randomly or in violent response to colonialism as it often does in popular media but through a specific set of circumstances that are unique to different tribal groupings. One example is Ojibwe activist Winona LaDuke who has called for a decisive shift away from what she has termed Wendigo Economics for the sake of the health of the natural world. I do not know whether Algonquin People indeed consider Wendigo depictions in mainstream media so culturally sensitive or taboo as the "woke" in your lead comment implied I would somehow doubt it but do not know for sure. Privacy Policy. Wendigos specifically represent the very real threat of starvation and what moral depths a person will sink to to avoid starving to death in the hard, cold de Continue Reading More answers below KEY OOY It shouldn't be bad thing if you don't mock culture, make sure to have all information you can ( read books from culture or ask someone who grew up with said culture if they are willing to teach you) but then again they aren't from your culture and unlike creatures like vampires they are a bit more closed i don't know is it good to use them. In Ojibwe, Eastern Cree, Westmain Swampy Cree, Naskapi, and Innu lore, wendigos are often described as giants that are many times larger than human beings, a characteristic absent from myths in other Algonquian cultures. Dollightful's Wendigo Doll - Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation? It's fine for colonized Indians to incorporate European fitness . Cultural appropriation is the use of a people's traditional dress, music, cuisine, knowledge and other aspects of their culture, without their approval, by members of a different culture. To Helheimr with it! These things feel formulaic, quantitative, mathematicbalancing equations and subtraction. Oh yeah, Marvel. For example, dressing up as a Native American while using redface and using the gaudiest, most elaborate costume you can think of (using the stereotypical feathered headress, tribal print tan clothing, holding a spear, etc.). I have always felt a distinct emotional connection to it, in fact. Rowling tries (and fails) to mitigate these implications by saying "although it is generally held to be a mark of the very greatest witches and wizards that they have also been able to produce wandless magic of a very high quality."