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. While Bieber's locs may be perceived . More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories, often presented apart from its original cultural contexts, At Facing History and Ourselves, we value conversationin classrooms, in our professional development for educators, and online. Replying to @luciproletariatfox #culturalappropriation #wendigoon, #yeti #wendigo #voodoodoll #culturalappropriation, #duet with @firelotusthewitch #culturalappropriation #vvitchtok #vvitch #witchywoman #pagantok #norsepagan #norsetok #pagansoftiktok #pagancommunity, I am curious to hear the opinions of others on this one. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 When first hearing this criticism, I, as a wannabe author of fiction (by the way, you can buy my debut novella here) rolled my eyes and whitesplained to myself why Rowling wasn't doing anything wrong. She annoys the hell out of me. In another unaware move made by a YG artist, mega girl group BLACKPINK, were recently called out for cultural appropriation. 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. [43] These works set the template for later portrayals in popular culture, at times even replacing the Native American lore. It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. If an idea has merit, it doesn't need protecting. Wendigo is a part of MCU, too. But if they actually did, I would pick another monster from the giant Pandemonium one has at one's choice. Appropriating the Wendigo As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. wa, which may have meant "owl". 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. Pet Sematary is an important cultural artifact thanks to King's widespread popularity and recognition as a horror writer. "[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. It really depends who you talk to. The cultural appropriation police answer the yoga and banh mi objections with a familiar counter-argument: it's about power. [5], In his 2004 treatise Revenge of the Windigo on disorders and treatments of the behavioral health industry in the United States and Canada that are peculiar to indigenous people, James B. Waldram wrote,[34]. People can appreciate and draw as many wendigo and other scary monsters as they like, it's all entirely fictional and doesn't hurt anyone. Those things, the predation on the Indians by Europeans, most certainly happened. . are not cryptids, and don't even traditionally have deer skulls for heads. If Hello Kitty and the Minions from Dispicable Me being considered acceptable Halloween costumes wasn't the exact point I stopped taking Halloween seriously as a holiday, Wendigos being considered a form of disrespectful "cultural appropriation" was. without permission.1 [28] He eventually confessed and was executed by authorities at Fort Saskatchewan. Thats just asking for trouble.) 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 Cultural appropriation by a dominant culture is harmful to underrepresented cultures because it reduces cultural significance and reinforces double standards. To Helheimr with it! If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Just as the vampire and werewolf do not belong exclusively to people of European descent and the Mummy doesnt belong to Egyptians. It turned its hunger on the Americas, a wendigo so hungry that it consumes its own lips if there is nothing else for it to eat. He said, "You bet there is, I have eaten lots of Indians, no wonder they are fat." A nice summary is found here: The concept of cultural appropriation emerged in academia in the late 1970s and 1980s as part of the scholarly critique of colonialism. [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. And that's exactly the problem. [33], The frequency of Wendigo psychosis cases decreased sharply in the 20th century as Boreal Algonquian people came into greater and greater contact with European ideologies and more sedentary, less rural, lifestyles. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In 1661, The Jesuit Relations reported: 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. My intentions were pure, as were Rowling's, I imagine. [20], Among the Assiniboine, the Cree, and the Ojibwe, a satirical ceremonial dance is sometimes performed during times of famine to reinforce the seriousness of the wendigo taboo. When you comment on, Asian American and Pacific Islander History, Race and Membership in American History: Eugenics. But overall I can't stand JKR. What is cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation? It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. The e-book is here, and you can get a paperback copy here.). Maybe ask a person of Chinese heritage. Since the concept of a wendigo stems from First Nations folklore, maybe someone making a cute little doll of this evil spirit figure was seen as inappropriate or making fun of their culture? "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. "[37] This application allows Native Americans to describe colonialism and its agents as wendigos since the process of colonialism ejected natives from their land and threw the natural world out of balance. Cultural appropriation, defined Culture refers to the traditions, customs, beliefs, and practices of any given ethnic, racial, or religious group. As described by the Native American Cree legends, they were humans who have been mutated into cannibalistic monsters after being possessed by the Wendigo spirit, causing them to eat the flesh of other humans. The Wendigo, also known as the Hollowed, was a type of Creature of Grimm that was proposed to appear in the animated webseries RWBY. 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. It's like saying vampires are sacred. It's also linked to the many cultural taboos against these negative actions and behaviors. Film, 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? Draw/write what you want, I say. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The people who get offended over it, on behalf of someone else, are pathetically absurd. Sentences like "The Native American wizarding community was particularly gifted in animal and plant magic" are cringe-worthy if you give them a little thought, and the notion that only European wizards were clever enough to invent wands, which make magic "more precise and more powerful" borders on horrific levels of cluelessness. Monsters like Wendigos often represent, in the imprecise language of emotion, a common cultural fear. [58] Several of these creatures also appear in the game's cover art.[59]. 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). The legend of the wendigo has long been associated with real-life problems like insatiable greed, selfishness, and violence. The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation; its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. 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 That, I would affirm, is truly and literally cannibalism, and it is cannibalism accompanied by no spiritually meaningful ceremony or ritual., More than a commentary on the life of wendigo stories amongst his own people, Forbes deploys the metaphor of the wendigo to advance nothing less than a critique of civilization at large and describes the violence that he argues lies at its foundation as one driven by a kind of wendigo psychosis. I mentioned above that I was guilty of doing the same thing. "[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. So, now I realize, what the hell was I doing, thinking I could write about Native American folklore with anything approaching honesty? [23], What caused us greater concern was the news that met us upon entering the Lake, namely, that the men deputed by our Conductor for the purpose of summoning the Nations to the North Sea, and assigning them a rendezvous, where they were to await our coming, had met their death the previous Winter in a very strange manner. 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. It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. And FWIW, I've read stories that disturbed me & even disgusted me but the author has the right to tell their story whether I like it or don't. I'm just struggling to understand the significance of it. so no, if you're some white kid hearing crying in the forests of california you're not being "lured into the And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. Cultural appropriation, feel like a real blur to me but I never worry about it I feel it can dampen the creative process. His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He writes: Wtiko is a Cree termwhich refers to a cannibal or, more specifically, to an evil person or spirit who terrorizes other creatures by means of terrible evil acts, including cannibalism I have come to the conclusion that imperialism and exploitation are forms of cannibalism and, in fact, are precisely those forms of cannibalism which are most diabolical or evil It should be understood that wtikos do not eat other humans only in a symbolic sense. The appropriation, and reclamation, of Native American mythology', Journal of . In some cases, this entailed killing people with Wendigo psychosis. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Posted by That borrowing and exchanging of cultural elements is what makes America the melting pot of the world. Facing History and Ourselves invites educators to explore our case study Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools, particularly our reading "Culture, Stereotypes, and Identity" which features reflection questions surrounding some of the stereotypical media representations that we touch upon at the beginning of this essay. No they fucking aren't. But I do know the actual description of it. Unlike cultural appropriation, strategic anti-essentialism can be practiced by both minority cultures and majority cultures. It will survive on it's own. My basic rule is simple: be respectful. Nitty gritty. All of these Indians went to where the Windigo was and cut off his legs. The Witherell House and the Cult of Weird, Movie Review: BIRDS OF PREY (And the Fantabulous Inclusion of Victor Zsasz and a Hyena). Seems to me a great deal of what people write about in fantasy stories is borrowing from other cultures & nations & communities. Copyright 2022 Facing History & Ourselves. "Windigo Psychosis: A Study of Relationship between Belief and Behaviour among the Indians of Northeastern Canada." That's an easy solution and I still keep my freedom to create. Cho isn't even only problematic character, Lavander changed her race (in movies, i'm not sure about books but still, Rowling could of said something). Contents 1 History 2 Gallery 3 Trivia 4 Navigation History That taste of human flesh, which out of that rose the wendigo.. In the 21st century, cultural appropriationlike globalizationisn't just inevitable; it's potentially positive. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge That's just pulling a potential explanation out of my ass, though, I have no idea if its accurate or not. LOL. If it's so vulgar and offensive that many hate it, well they can just not look at it lmao - it clearly wasn't made for them. It also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) 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. And whoever!). I always thought these are what cannibals are turning into. 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. BTW, I love rainbow farting unicorns! Only those entitled to them should wear them. I am ashamed I watched all the movies. What lips it had were tattered and bloody Unclean and suffering from suppuration of the flesh, the Wendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption.[15]. Doing so is an honorable endeavorbut only if we actually do our homework first. Jack committed suicide, but Joseph was tried and sentenced to life in prison. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets; the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. The book's cul-tural importance granted it not one, but two movie adaptations, the first in 1989 and the second in 2019. Key elements of culture include: language art,. One time long ago a big Windigo stole an Indian boy, but the boy was too thin, so the Windigo didn't eat him up right away, but he travelled with the Indian boy waiting for him till he'd get fat. 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. See more. He said to the boy "Hurry up. Shock factor aside, it's especially eye-catching in that it isn't necessarily a result of being desperate for food. And some natives don't care at all. Aye, I love wendigos. 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. Indigenous, This ailment attacked our deputies; and, as death is the sole remedy among those simple people for checking such acts of murder, they were slain in order to stay the course of their madness. That will depend on who you ask. Basil H. Johnston, an Ojibwe teacher and scholar from Ontario, gives a description of a wendigo: The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. I think it's okay because you're not trying to rewrite actual history or actual legend. I mean yeah I see what your saying, personally I do research on what its about even if I don't use it in it's entirety. Romantic scholar and documentarian Emily Zarka, also a professor at Arizona State University, observes that two commonalities among the indigenous cultures of Algonquian language family speakers are that they are situated in climes where harsh winters are frequent and may be accompanied by starvation. [57] In the 2018 first-person shooter video game Dusk, wendigos are enemies that remain invisible until they receive damage. [40][41] Joe Nazare wrote that Blackwood's "subtly-demonizing rhetoric transforms the Wendigo from a native myth into a descriptive template for the Indian savage."[42]. 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. 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. Without really understanding the conflict here, it seems like the issue is not people illustrating the creature, but using it as a creepy Halloween themed prop. But Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. So some of it may be that natives don't want people to be waking this monster. Topics: Magazine with fellow environmental thought leaders, LaDuke said: Theres this conflict between the cannibals and Mother Earth, and its going on everywhere. The cannibalistic forest creature is known for allegedly . 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. But its none of your concern what turns someone on! Maybe I'm just not a math person. 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. Myeesquatis was holding the other leg and we were praying. Payals, or anklets, are meant to symbolize the arrival of a wife into her husband's house. My tongue and my brain do not speak the right language. 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. Created by the writer Steve Englehart and artist Herb Trimpe, the monster is the result of a curse that afflicts those who commit acts of cannibalism. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. During a panel at YES! I do not possess the cultural or social knowledge required. Wendigos, teepees and cultural appropriation I read some stuff yesterday saying that teepees are cultural appropriation and there was a long post about how wendigos aren't cryptids and how stories about them are cultural appropriation. I'm just glad I learned this lesson from her before actually getting my book published. For Indigenous peoples in Canada, cultural appropriation is rooted in colonization and ongoing oppression. Thus I support Scott Cooper, the director of the forthcoming (hopefully by next spring) ANTLERS, in his efforts to seek out consultation from Indian advisors when making his movie, which features a Wendigo.

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