People don't get offended on scotland's behalf over the common depiction of their national animal as a rainbow farting fairy horse. For this screenshot controversy, I am actually going to go over a video game for this. You're just making up a story. In theory, art and other cultural products are created for the. No it isn't cultural appropriation, as long as it is researched and accurately presented in the story. 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? ][22][failed verification], In historical accounts of retroactively diagnosed Wendigo psychosis, it has been reported that humans became possessed by the wendigo spirit, after being in a situation of needing food and having no other choice besides cannibalism. (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. Mexicans: Cultural Appropriation PragerU 3.01M subscribers Subscribe 85K Share 2.2M views 4 years ago What is cultural appropriation? Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. As a creator, I believe it is my responsibility, the responsibility of any creator, if using characters that belong to a culture other than mine and exploring themes from that culture, to be accurate. The idea that diversity and representation can be addressed simply through a "balance between four guys and four girls" or through the removal of "traditional phallic stabbing" troubles me. Have you encountered wendigo stories in films, television shows, or books? J.K. Rowling, author of the absurdly-popular Harry Potter series (of which I'm a massive fan), recently waded into controversy with her four-part "Magic in North America" series, which outlines the Potterverse's American history. C'est la maladie dont ces dputez furent atteints; et comme la mort est l'vnique remede parmy ces bonnes gens, pour arrester ces meurtres, ils ont est massacrez pour arrester le cours de leur manie. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. BLACKPINK. No they ain't. Funny how it's only creatures from certain culture's folklore people get pissy over and not others. He wasn't dead. arent cryptids thing. 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.). In a report from the Contemporary Folklore conference covered in issue 388 of FORTEAN TIMES, the go-to magazine for all things paranormal, weird, or unexplained, a complaint is voiced about the cultural appropriation of the Wendigo, likening it to the sexualization of the Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. "[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. As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. I will draw whatever I feel like drawing. The legend of the Wendigo is, in fact, one of the oldest manifestations of a taboo peculiar to most human societies, and which was already widespread among Anglophone tribes: cannibalism. No, I read your comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Cultural appropriation is a huge red flag that the brand has minimal diversity or representation behind the scenes," she explains. Character can be mean, evil or complete asshole but you still should be respectful while writing said character. Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #culturalappropriation, #cultureappropriation, #culturalappropiation, # . In addition, for many Indigenous peoples and local communities, making traditional clothes is a source of income; as such, cultural appropriation can . 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. Cultural appropriation, feel like a real blur to me but I never worry about it I feel it can dampen the creative process. People were not really using Google until the 2000s and that kind of info might have not been available in the 90s. Facing History and Ourselves combats racism and antisemitism by using history to teach tolerance in classrooms around the globe. In 1661, The Jesuit Relations reported: This inspired an entire thread -->, Sucks to be these artists I guess. As a creator, I believe it is my responsibility, the responsibility of any creator, if using characters that belong to a culture other than mine and exploring themes from that culture, to be accurate. In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. Truly insensitive cultural appropriation is when you're taking a part of another culture and portraying it in a deliberately insensitive or disrespectful manner. There, he uses the cannibalistic wendigo as a metaphor for the behaviors and attitudes central to patterns of social domination visited upon his own people in the Americas and subjugated peoples everywhere. [29], Another well-known case involving Wendigo psychosis was that of Jack Fiddler, an Oji-Cree chief and medicine man known for his powers at defeating wendigos. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I think it's okay because you're not trying to rewrite actual history or actual legend. The Windigo had a knife and he'd cut the boy on the hand to see if he was fat enough to eat, but the boy didn't get fat. [13] They were strongly associated with winter, the north, coldness, famine, and starvation.[14]. . In, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 02:58. From Stephen Kings Pet Sematary to the television series Hanibal, the flesh-eating image of the wendigo is often presented apart from its original cultural contexts where it carries deep moral significance. This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. My tongue and my brain do not speak the right language. And how many would have known that in the past - and even now - the originators of the cornrows, the headdresses, the bindis, would have been persecuted for wearing them? 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. I'm just struggling to understand the significance of it. It too is cannibalistic; however, it is characterized as enlightened with ancestral insights. Posted by They went back again to see if he was dead. Indigenous, Now time to go back and make some changes. Anyone who lives in a place that is exposed to more than . "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. Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. The deaths of tens of millions of Jews, Slavs, etc., at the hands of the Nazis, the deaths of tens of millions of blacks in slavery days, the deaths of up to 30 million or more Indians in the 1500s, the terribly short life spans of Mexican Indian farm workers in the US, and of Native Americans generally today, the high death rates in the early industrial centers among factory workers, and so on, all clearly attest to the fact that the wealthy and exploitative literally consume the lives of those that they exploit. [10], The Wechuge is a similar being that appears in the legends of the Athabaskan people of the Northwest Pacific Coast. It also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) This makes them so ravenous for human flesh that they pounce upon women, children, and even upon men, like veritable werewolves, and devour them voraciously, without being able to appease or glut their appetiteever seeking fresh prey, and the more greedily the more they eat. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The wendigo is a terrifying presence that feeds on negative energy and human flesh, making it a natural addition to the horror genre. This is a story shared not merely for entertainment but to reinforce the communal values that allow the communities in which this practice occurs to live well with one another and within their environments. Even in the face of ongoing cultural appropriation and erasure, wendigo stories are but one reflection of the survivance, wisdom, and brilliance of Native peoples. That borrowing and exchanging of cultural elements is what makes America the melting pot of the world. Learn how your comment data is processed. And they are worth considering including in one's classroom teaching. I do know some natives believe you should not say or write its name because that may make it come or you may be infected and become it. Ojibwe scholar Dr. Brady Santi has developed this guide for teachers who would like to teach students about her communitys unique belief systems with an emphasis on the wendigo as it appears in popular films. [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. After thinking about it more, I think I get it about the wendigos. These things feel formulaic, quantitative, mathematicbalancing equations and subtraction. I know what cultural appropriation is but Ive not been as involved in social justice as I used to be and I guess its showing. Film, Theres something else. Copyright 2022 Facing History & Ourselves. Ojibwe scholar Brady DeSanti asserts that the wendigo "can be understood as a marker indicating a person imbalanced both internally and toward the larger community of human and spiritual beings around them.