wendigo cultural appropriation wendigo cultural appropriation

And you know what? So it seems to me like the objection might have something to do with an inappropriate mixing of religious contexts from two different belief systems. During a panel at YES! It also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) I just posted a new video talking about cultural appropriation and art! By Christian Chiakulas, Contributor Writer, musician, activist, single father from Chicago. We have to stop guarding cultures and subcultures in efforts to preserve them.. Handle the characters and the story with respect. If an idea has merit, it doesn't need protecting. All of these Indians went to where the Windigo was and cut off his legs. WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. Wendigo psychosis is a fascinating condition with a storied history. 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. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. BLACKPINK. It sounds like you did research which is more that J. K. Rowling so I think yes? 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." Ten years later, "cultural appropriation" is no longer an obscure academic term . 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. I don't don't value cultural pluralism. 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 consists of borrowing something from another culture in mockery or thoughtless misuse. 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. For other uses, see, Graham, John Russell; John Coates; Barbara Swartzentruber; Brian Ouellette; ", harvcoltxt error: no target: CITEREFSchwarz1969 (, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, descriptive template for the Indian savage, corporate voracity, exploitation, and power, "Windigo: The Flesh-Eating Monster of Native American Legend", International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, "Windigo, the Ice Cannibal (Wendigo, Wiindigoo, Windgo, Windego)", "Relations des Jsuites contenant ce qui s'est pass de plus remarquable dans les missions des Pres de la Compagnie de Jsus dans la Nouvelle-France", "The Jesuit Relations: Travels and Expectations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France, 16101791", "Love, and Death in Stephen King's 'Pet Sematary', "The In Character Interview with Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler", "Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler on writing an Indigenous horror story", "ANTLERS: GUILLERMO DEL TORO E SCOTT COOPER SVELANO IL SIGNIFICATO DEL WENDIGO", "Supernatural - Season 1, Episode 2: Wendigo", "Fallout 76 Creatures: Bethesda Tells Tales of the Wendigo", "The Wiitiko Psychosis in the Context of Ojibwa Personality and Culture", Seeing Wetiko: on Capitalism, Mind Viruses, and Antidotes for a World in Transition, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wendigo&oldid=1139431905, Legendary creatures of the indigenous peoples of North America, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism, Articles with text in Algonquian languages, Articles containing Proto-Algonquian-language text, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from March 2022, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Articles with failed verification from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Teicher, Morton I. 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. does not have antlers or have any wolf features. The game I will be going over in this is Until Dawn, a horror game made by Supermassive Games, made . White authors should be able to write about non-white people. The use of the creature in horror stories . 17spaz 2 yr. ago without permission.1 spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. Strictly speaking, cultural appropriation is the adoption of some element of another culture -- food, language, practices, fashion, etc. You're just making up a story. Mistgod Edited Oct 11, 2020 Hobbyist Traditional Artist Apparently, wendigos are sacred creatures from several indigenous cultures. Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! It has become something else altogether. [28] He eventually confessed and was executed by authorities at Fort Saskatchewan. Still though, Im not sure I fully get the Native American spirits(?) Thank god I am not from USA, where this seems to be an issue. 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. It's a really cool beast that I personally would like to see more in fiction. See more. 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 also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. People were not really using Google until the 2000s and that kind of info might have not been available in the 90s. Only assholes think thats offensive. Mythologynote my use of the capital M to convey that it is far more than just some made-up stories; it is stories containing deeper spiritual truthsbelongs to all of humanity. and our This year's Met Gala theme China: Through the Looking Glass was just begging for cultural appropriation, which led many starlets to play it safe with minimal references to China.Emma Roberts, however, earned herself Twitter backlash for wearing chopsticks in her hair.. Chopsticks in the hair is one of many broadly "Asian" styles tried on by Western dressers (for what it's worth . Until Dawn logo. In addition to denoting a cannibalistic monster from certain traditional folklore, some Native Americans also understand the wendigo conceptually. That's just pulling a potential explanation out of my ass, though, I have no idea if its accurate or not. Maybe ask a person of Chinese heritage. Those things, the predation on the Indians by Europeans, most certainly happened. It springs from the well of the collective human unconscious, the communal soul. WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. And they are worth considering including in ones classroom teaching. Watch popular content from the following creators: Thorn (@shr00mermaid), Thorn (@shr00mermaid), Nuoance(@nuoance), MattHatterPlays(@matthatterplays), Aidan Mattis(@theaidanmattis) . [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. So some may be fine if you draw it but don't say its full name. In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. 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. Idiots have just made a religion out of being racist about culture and only allowing genetic descendants to participate in cultures. In addition to characterizing individual people who exhibit destructive tendencies, the wendigo can also describe movements and events with similarly negative effects. As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. Cultural appropriation is a bullshit term made up by people who feel some bizarre psychological need to make up reasons to punish themselves. 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. I believe cultural appropriation is Only when someone of another 'race' or culture creates something and passes it off as if it is authentic. (Anything that isnt outright vandalism isnt likely to harm the statue at all, but I wouldnt dare do anything disrespectful around it. 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. Anyone who lives in a place that is exposed to more than . Discover short videos related to wendigo cultural appropriation on TikTok. The question of how to challenge the wtiko psychosis as described by Forbes and Wendigo Economics as described by LaDuke is a difficult one, but the mythic force of the concept of the wendigo helps to underscore the urgency of these questions. There's also Wendigo psychosis. It's a term for what happens to people who for one reason or another turn to eating other people. Only those entitled to them should wear them. People don't get offended on scotland's behalf over the common depiction of their national animal as a rainbow farting fairy horse. Thats just asking for trouble.) In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. I mentioned above that I was guilty of doing the same thing. 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. Is it Cultural Appropriation if I have a Wendigo character. What is cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation? In another unaware move made by a YG artist, mega girl group BLACKPINK, were recently called out for cultural appropriation. The Indians asked the Windigo if there was any fat on them. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. And unfortunately for them, this isn't the first time. That's an easy solution and I still keep my freedom to create. Let's stop dancing around this ugly truth: Right now, Katy Perry is pop culture's most prominent purveyor of racist cultural appropriation. A classic example is wearing a Plains Indian war bonnet (see the 80s band The Village People). You dont have to be French to love the Phantom of the Opera. Dollightful's Wendigo Doll - Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation? 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. 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? .mw-parser-output .verse_translation .translated{padding-left:2em}@media only screen and (max-width:43.75em){.mw-parser-output .verse_translation.wrap_when_small td{display:block;padding-left:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .verse_translation.wrap_when_small .translated{padding-left:0.5em}}, Ce qui nous mit plus en peine, fut la nouvelle que nous apprismes ds l'entre du Lac, sauoir: que les deputez par nostre Conducteur, qui deuoient conuoquer les Nations la Mer du Nord, et leur donner le rendez-vous pour nous y attendre, auoient est tuez l'Hiuer pass, d'une faon estonnante. [28] Given that he resorted to cannibalism so near to food supplies, and that he killed and consumed the remains of all those present, it was revealed that Swift Runner's was not a case of pure cannibalism as a last resort to avoid starvation, but rather of a man with Wendigo psychosis. The heroes of books I read, movies I watched, and games I played almost exclusively looked like me when I was growing up, people I could easily identify with. appropriation, or - as I argue - misappropriation, of the Wendigo as a In the 21st century, cultural appropriationlike globalizationisn't just inevitable; it's potentially positive. It was created by Mayuki . We feed it because we don't know how else to live, and so we live disconnected lives watching the seasons change through windows . 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. [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. Twenty-five miles away from emergency food supplies at a Hudson's Bay Company post, Swift Runner butchered and ate his wife and five remaining children. I agree with some of it to a point, but disagree with most of it. One does not need to delve very deeply into the annals of American film, television, and literature to find an array of caricatured depictions of Native American peoples and a distortion of their knowledge. 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]. I'm not skilled enough to draw these (")> lolz. After thinking about it some more, I understand that its a kind of It was okay for these kids to pretend to be Indians but not for these kids to actually be Indians thing but I saw someone claim that it was contributing to colonisation and the death of death of their culture and that felt a bit strong. Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way. I would refuse to be shackled by political correctness. Climbing the totem pole. As long as theyre not shoving their porn in your face let them be as Paul McCartney sung. But if they actually did, I would pick another monster from the giant Pandemonium one has at one's choice. She annoys the hell out of me. Mexicans: Cultural Appropriation PragerU 3.01M subscribers Subscribe 85K Share 2.2M views 4 years ago What is cultural appropriation? And some natives don't care at all. 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. 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). Those poor men (according to the report given us) were seized with an ailment unknown to us, but not very unusual among the people we were seeking. The cannibalistic forest creature is known for allegedly . How dare they? 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. Don't tell lies to those Indians." Cultural appropriation definition, the adoption, usually without acknowledgment, of cultural identity markers from subcultures or minority communities into mainstream culture by people with a relatively privileged status. 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. 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. Magazine with fellow environmental thought leaders, LaDuke said: Theres this conflict between the cannibals and Mother Earth, and its going on everywhere. 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. He ultimately was granted a pardon but died three days later in jail before receiving the news of this pardon. I think if a Native American person were telling me not to speak about wendgos or name them out loud near them, I would comply, as I don't want to unreasonably make someone feel anxious or uncomfortable. [16] Whenever a wendigo ate another person, it would grow in proportion to the meal it had just eaten, so it could never be full. and our The wendigo is seen as the embodiment of gluttony, greed, and excess: never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they are constantly searching for new victims. But overall I can't stand JKR. We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. It was already here. The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation; its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Cookie Notice In contrast to modern horror stories that appropriate the wendigo as a plot device, Forbes implies that what actually ought to be terrifying to us is that we live in societies enveloped in violence and exploitation that we struggle to identify as such. 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. 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. 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. [2], Although distinct from how it appears in the traditional lore, one of the first appearances of a character inspired by, or named after, a wendigo in non-Indigenous literature is Algernon Blackwood's 1910 novella The Wendigo. 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. Privacy Policy. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. That borrowing and exchanging of cultural elements is what makes America the melting pot of the world. [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]. I am so offended! 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. No, I read your comment. Now why cant that be said to prudes lurking here. Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. The line between what differentiates cultural appropriation from cultural appreciation can be razor-thin, not to mention highly . "[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. 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. Wendigo) from its cultural conte xt and its movement by non-Indigenous . The windigo, however, continues to seek revenge for this attempted scholarly execution by periodically duping unsuspecting passers-by, like psychiatrists, into believing that windigo psychosis not only exists but that a psychiatrist could conceivably encounter a patient suffering from this disorder in his or her practice today! 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. 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. "This isn't going to be the last time a story like this emerges about cultural appropriation, and what it emphasises is how much we need more diversity, in all components of the fashion industry," says Lewis. "[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. Aye, I love wendigos. It really depends who you talk to. We enjoy liberties today that aren't even a freckle on the face of human history, and yet some individuals would go so far as to throw them all away because something offends them. . 11. 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. 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. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. I'm just glad I learned this lesson from her before actually getting my book published. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #culturalappropriation, #cultureappropriation, #culturalappropiation, # . We should show proper respect to our Cryptids at all times, and Im rightfully righteously indignant at the thought of anyone doing otherwise with Mothman. It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. Facing History and Ourselves combats racism and antisemitism by using history to teach tolerance in classrooms around the globe. Draw/write what you want, I say. These things feel formulaic, quantitative, mathematicbalancing equations and subtraction. Cultural appropriation, defined Culture refers to the traditions, customs, beliefs, and practices of any given ethnic, racial, or religious group. It too is cannibalistic; however, it is characterized as enlightened with ancestral insights. Have you encountered wendigo stories in films, television shows, or books? "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. My intentions were pure, as were Rowling's, I imagine. Its incredibly validating to know that other people have heard about it and enjoy the story enough to make reference to the name and concept. You dont have to be of Afro-Caribbean descent to talk about, write about, or make movies about zombies. Learn how your comment data is processed. An uncontrollable craving for consuming human flesh, even if a plenty of other food is available. I have not always done so, and it appears that in this case, J.K. Rowling did not either. New replies are no longer allowed. The beautiful maang tikka, or hair accessory falling down the part in the middle of the hair, marks a . "Today, many believe the crows to be . In, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 02:58. His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. How stupid to think otherwise. I'm just struggling to understand the significance of it. 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. This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. If I don't, I'll never know what it is I'm so angry about! (the proceeding statement may contain some levels of sarcasm.). Character can be mean, evil or complete asshole but you still should be respectful while writing said character. In addition, for many Indigenous peoples and local communities, making traditional clothes is a source of income; as such, cultural appropriation can . It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. [58] Several of these creatures also appear in the game's cover art.[59]. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. . 9 Neil Jamieson-Williams Science Fiction Writer (part-time/now full-time) at Self-Employment (1977-present) Author has 1.7K answers and 1.1M answer views Updated 6 mo Ah, another Mike Wilson question After thinking about it more, I think I get it about the wendigos. cultural identity theft, many would argue that cultural appropriation is inevitable in a melting pot like the United States. 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.