Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
Every Halloween season I feel myself holding my breath, waiting for the latest controversial costume to make its rounds online. The term “cultural appropriation” is quickly becoming a common topic of debate surrounding Halloween costumes. Most of us are familiar with this debate, but as costume shops continue to make money off highly offensive costumes, we are forced to continue the discussion, year after year. As we work towards reconciliation, I believe it is important to continue this discussion, and educate those unaware of the harms associated with wearing culturally offensive costumes this Halloween.
What is cultural appropriation?
Susan Scafidi, author of "Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law," defines cultural appropriation as:
“Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else's culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture's dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It's most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.” [1]
Why do we care?
For the most part, those wearing these inappropriate costumes are largely unaware of the deeply-rooted problems behind why, for example, dressing up as an “Indian Princess,” is offensive. Our blogging on topics such as Residential Schools and the Sixties Scoop have demonstrated the harms associated with government policies focused on “getting rid of the Indian problem”. These policies have led to a disconnect for many from their cultures, languages, and traditional teachings. Aggravating this disconnect are the Halloween “hollywood” versions of Indigenous men as violent warriors, and the overt sexualization of Indigenous women (i.e. Pocahontas as“Poca-hottie”). These costumes strengthen the barriers to reconciliation by continuing harmful stereotypes of Indigenous persons, many who are still recovering from past trauma inflicted by Canada’s assimilationist policies.
Appreciation vs. appropriation
For some, their costume may be specifically aimed at “appreciating” the culture in question rather than “appropriating.” For those unsure, consider the following:
“You can appreciate another’s culture without trying to be it or imitate it [...]Whenever you see someone’s culture and you decide you want to perform it, that’s when it becomes a problem. That has nothing to do with whether you appreciate it.” [2]
I will not be one to turn away allies who want to appreciate my culture, but be respectful that my culture is more than a costume. If you truly want to appreciate my culture, come to my community for a round dance or pow wow. Let our elders tell you stories, and teach you the real meaning of our people -- not the “hollywood” version.
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] Nadra Kareem Nittle, “Introduction to Cultural Appropriation”, ThoughtCo. (11 October 2017), online:<https://www.thoughtco.com/cultural-appropriation-and-why-iits-wrong-2834561>.
[2] Mark Shrayber, “It’s Time We Have A Real Talk About Culture-Based Halloween Costumes,” Uproxx (01 October 2017), online: <http://uproxx.com/life/halloween-appropriation/>.
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