I spend too much time on Facebook. Click "Like" if you do too.
One of the reasons I spend so much time there is that there are so many pages with topics that are vitally interesting to me. How can I resist a Facebook page called The Turkey Vulture Society? It's candy to me, I tell you. Candy.
I also follow a page called "For the Love of Crows." Because, you know, if you can't be with a vulture you love, love the crow you're with.
Yesterday a young woman posted on "For the Love of Crows" that crows are her "spirit animal." It didn't take two second for a sniffy person to comment that "spirit animal" is a cultural appropriation that shouldn't be used. The concept of spirit animals is Native American, and we white Europeans have no right to it.
I have been as guilty as anyone in this. For years I called vultures my "spirit animal," my "totem," and on and on. I call them Sacred Thunderbirds, the Native American description, because it's so much lovelier than "buzzard," which is the European descriptor.
From now on I'll call them buzzards. I really don't have any right to appropriate Native American concepts.
Well, this whole cultural appropriation thing got me to thinking. What am I entitled to in my white, European traditions? Where is my cultural touchstone?
DING DING DING DING!!!
I believe that dressing up in costumes and dancing is probably more ancient to the human condition than any other invention. But the idea of dressing up in a costume (either nicer than your usual clothing or cross-dressing or both) and dancing at the beginning of the year is indisputably a product of the British Isles.
Being a Two Street Stomper is my culturally appropriate activity.
Which is swell, because today I went to a parade! The weather was impeccable, the crowds were friendly and appreciative, and we gave them a good show. It was so nice to see my Stompers fam again after 18 long months.
The moral of this brief sermon is:
*Don't call it a "spirit animal" or a "Sacred Thunderbird." Call it a buzzard, but venerate it just as much.
*Being a Mummer is a culturally appropriate activity for me. OH yeah! Two Street Fired Up!
Anyone who has gotten this far in this post: Thank you for your offers to help me with my disagreeable co-teacher! His initials are BD. Can't even believe I'm having this issue, never having had it before. But there's a first time for everything. I'm stuck with the boy, hoping I can teach him something. But not highly confident.
4 comments:
Simply showing respect and admiration for another culture's concepts and terminology is not cultural appropriation, in my opinion. Stealing another culture's concepts and terminology for financial gain is. There must be an aspect of "ripping off," I think. But this is a murky area, fraught with those who over-react at the drop of a hat.
well I call bullshit..I think you can call it anything you want..I'm very sure the spirits wouldn't care.
I've thought a lot about the cultural appropriation issue. As a white American I'm not sure what actual 'culture' I can claim. Of course I can't use any Native American culture. I can't claim the Irish, Nederlander, English culture of my bloodline because I am not those things and would be appropriating something to which I have no right. If my culture consists of touchstones from my parents and grandparents, well, I don't have much.
The cultural appropriation thing can be fraught with errors that Historically aren't even legitimate. I have Dreadlocks, I'm a mixed race person, but not Black. I had some White people ask me if I've gotten any pushback for my Dreads being Cultural Appropriation, which I haven't at all. I didn't even think about it, it's Hair, it's a Style, numerous Cultures thruout History have actually worn Dreadlocks, there is no one Culture that 'owns' them. I'm a Senior and have been complimented as much by Black people who really liked my Dreadlocks as I have other ethnicities that seem to really dig them too. I just think the Cultural Appropriate thing to do is to respect Culture of anyone and everyone, but personal preferences for some things also come into play. If you want to have a Spirit Animals, I don't think the Spirits will be opposed. My Dad was Native American, so long as what was Sacred to him wasn't mocked, he had no problems Sharing his Culture with others at all... as it should be.
Post a Comment