wendigo cultural appropriation

In addition to characterizing individual people who exhibit destructive tendencies, the wendigo can also describe movements and events with similarly negative effects. 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. The Wendigos - Until Dawn Wiki | Fandom 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. [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. During a panel at YES! It is unknown if it would have been an entire species or a singular creature. They're monsters. 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. 17spaz 2 yr. ago Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge 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 See more. We feed it because we don't know how else to live, and so we live disconnected lives watching the seasons change through windows . [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. The concept of cultural appropriation began well enough, but just like everything else woke culture political correctness, it's gone way too far. Archived post. The Windigo also has the power to turn humans into cannibals who suffer the same . Lipsitz, writing in the the 1990s, argued that cultural appreciation becomes cultural appropriation "when an element of culture is adopted from a marginalized group without respect for its . We have to stop guarding cultures and subcultures in efforts to preserve them.. [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. I think every idea can be taken to an extreme and distorted to the point where it is ridiculous. I am so offended! Sacred creatures? 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). [21] The last known wendigo ceremony conducted in the United States was at Lake Windigo of Star Island of Cass Lake, within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.[when? One of those advisors I just mentioned, Chris Eyre, had this to say of the Wendigo: They [meaning Native peoples] truly, truly believe in it, because it represents greed and colonialism when we first came to the shores of what is now America, and pillaged all of their resources and forced them [into] cannibalism. [57] In the 2018 first-person shooter video game Dusk, wendigos are enemies that remain invisible until they receive damage. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. 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. MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 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. Now neither Christian culture is by any means endangered to become a minority (although some US Bible Belt hate preachers consistently claim so) nor is Chinese culture, so both are out of ansatz here. In some traditions, humans overpowered by greed could turn into wendigos; the myth thus served as a method of encouraging cooperation and moderation. And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. 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 Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! Facing History and Ourselves combats racism and antisemitism by using history to teach tolerance in classrooms around the globe. In another unaware move made by a YG artist, mega girl group BLACKPINK, were recently called out for cultural appropriation. It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. "[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. LOL. Most sensible thing said ever. I just posted a new video talking about cultural appropriation and art! But, but, what if they're looking at something that erodes the moral fabric of civilization? Screenshot Controversy- Until Dawn - DeviantArt They are afflicted with neither lunacy, hypochondria, nor frenzy; but have a combination of all these species of disease, which affects their imaginations and causes them a more than canine hunger. The wendigo -- a creature from Native American myth -- carries powerful symbolism and is presumably sufficiently mysterious to keep enough audience members guessing at its motives and abilities. I can write whatever fiction I want, and draw whatever I want. The protection of minorities from the materialization of the majority's different thoughts is an asset of democratic constitutionalism. Clunky prose aside, this is the "noble savage" trope repurposed for Rowling's universe, with just a pinch of Magical Negro thrown in for good measure. As researchers, most of us are lost in a wilderness filled with Windigo, Skinwalkers and various other indigenous cosmological entities, and we need to recognize we have no idea what we are talking about. It's also linked to the many cultural taboos against these negative actions and behaviors. When did "cultural appropriation" become a concept? "[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. [clarification needed] The ceremony, known as wiindigookaanzhimowin, was performed during times of famine, and involved wearing masks and dancing backward around a drum. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 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. and our Theres something else. And whoever!). I have always felt a distinct emotional connection to it, in fact. Exactly!! I think people just need to chill out, no mater what their religion and culture is. The Wendigo is a mythical creature that has been reported in many different forms. On the other hand, "The Wendigo" is one of the first representations of the windigo by a 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. Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. I do not possess the cultural or social knowledge required. The moral lessons contained in wendigo stories are also used to support the task of social critique in the late Native American scholar Dr. Jack D. Forbes book Columbus and Other Cannibals: The Wtiko Disease of Exploitation, Imperialism, and Terrorism (1978). The appropriation, and reclamation, of Native American mythology', Journal of . What Is Cultural Appropriation? - Verywell Mind Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. Those things, the predation on the Indians by Europeans, most certainly happened. Myeesquatis was holding the other leg and we were praying. Privacy Policy. appropriation, or - as I argue - misappropriation, of the Wendigo as a One day they came to an Indian village and the Windigo sent the boy to the Indian village to get some things for him to eat. I think it's okay because you're not trying to rewrite actual history or actual legend. Payals, or anklets, are meant to symbolize the arrival of a wife into her husband's house. 15 Instances Where Indigenous Style Has Been Appropriated - HipLatina 11 Culturally Appropriative Halloween Costumes You Should - Bustle Eat what you want to eat, tattoo yourself with whatever you want to tattoo yourself with, wear what you want to wear, and let those ove Continue Reading More answers below 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. In addition to denoting a cannibalistic monster from certain traditional folklore, some Native Americans also understand the wendigo conceptually. 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. Wendigo) from its cultural conte xt and its movement by non-Indigenous . 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? wendigos originate from spiritual beliefs held by Algonquian Indigenous peoples, whom are from the north eastern part of north america. Okay, dont anybody get me wrong. Though these misrepresentations of the wendigo beg for critical interrogation, the wendigo stories of Algonquian peoples offer a window into the endurance of cultural resources used to transmit significant moral values, and underscore the power of Native people using these stories to engage in social critique. Until Dawn: On Representation, the Horror Genre, and the Illusion of Their visitations speak to the inseparability of human experience National identity is irrelevant to this borderless horror. [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. Part of HuffPost Entertainment. You're just making up a story. So some of it may be that natives don't want people to be waking this monster. I agree with some of it to a point, but disagree with most of it. It too is cannibalistic; however, it is characterized as enlightened with ancestral insights. [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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. [18], A wendigo need not lose the human's powers of cognition or speech and in some depictions may clearly communicate with its prospective victims or even threaten or taunt them. The latest addition to this lineup of wendigo tales is Scott Cooper and Guillermo del Toros horror film Antlers (2021) in which a Native American character provides some brief exposition before the story centered around a white community contending with the monster begins in earnest. Wendigo is a part of MCU, too. 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. Lots of stories have aped Native American folklore before her, including some of mine. Maybe ask a person of Chinese heritage. 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 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. 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. What Is Cultural Appropriation? | Britannica [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]. (1961). The Wendigo, The Cannibalistic Beast Of Native American Folklore Would getting a tattoo of the wendigo be cultural appropriation - Quora Is it offensive to write about a wendigo? - Quora The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation; its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. They travelled too much. 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. Some researchers argued that, essentially, Wendigo psychosis was a fabrication, the result of nave anthropologists taking stories related to them at face value without observation. 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. Now why cant that be said to prudes lurking here. Humans could also turn into wendigos by being in contact with them for too long. What is cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation? 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's a really cool beast that I personally would like to see more in fiction. Mythical being in Native American folklore, "Windigo" redirects here. In 1661, The Jesuit Relations reported: DeSanti points to the 1999 horror film Ravenous as an illustration of this argument equating "the cannibal monster" to "American colonialism and manifest destiny". We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. (the proceeding statement may contain some levels of sarcasm.). 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. As a result, in 1907, Fiddler and his brother Joseph were arrested by the Canadian authorities for homicide. spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. 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. (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. They heard the Windigo calling the boy. And were on the right side, thats what were working on but sometimes you get that cannibal tendency. This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. "** 40. Why is indigenous culture suddenly more sacred than any other culture? MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! Indigenous, Funny how it's only creatures from certain culture's folklore people get pissy over and not others. 12. As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. The cultural appropriation police answer the yoga and banh mi objections with a familiar counter-argument: it's about power. My tongue and my brain do not speak the right language. It never occurred to me that what I was doing might be offensive, because I've never even met a Native American person in real life. He said to the boy "Hurry up. 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. It's just fiction, I thought. Cultural appropriation by a dominant culture is harmful to underrepresented cultures because it reduces cultural significance and reinforces double standards. It will survive on it's own. We should talk about how Thor and Loki are cultural appropriation of Norwegian mythology. Political correctness started out as one thing, a good thing. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. does not have antlers or have any wolf features. City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works I always thought these are what cannibals are turning into. 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. To fully understand its consequences, though, we need to make sure we have a working definition of culture itself. Truly insensitive cultural appropriation is when you're taking a part of another culture and portraying it in a deliberately insensitive or disrespectful manner. He just gave the boy so much time to go there and back. I won't pretend I know everything about NA culture, but I believe that headresses and that kind of finery is only used on special occasions and was not how ordinary NAs dressed all the time. Wendigo Cannibalism in Native American Folklore. But Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. Create what you want; let the audience decide its fame. I know people who are absolutely terrified of them, branching out from their fear of deer. Cultural appropriation: what does it mean and why is it such a 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. PDF An Introduction to What I Hear When You Say - Pbs The legend of the wendigo has long been associated with real-life problems like insatiable greed, selfishness, and violence. No one can try to stake a singular claim to it. He ultimately was granted a pardon but died three days later in jail before receiving the news of this pardon. My intentions were pure, as were Rowling's, I imagine. Some of this critique was rightly directed at literal cultural theft . If an idea has merit, it doesn't need protecting. 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.). One recurring theme across these storytelling mediums is the use of the wendigoalso spelled wtikoa monstrous figure from Algonquian mythology who exhibits an insatiable greed along with a desire for human flesh. In theory, art and other cultural products are created for the. Tell us about it in the comments. In 1973 a character inspired by the wendigo appeared in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Even before it went live, she was being criticized for her apparently blatant cultural appropriation of Native American folklore, and since publishing the criticism has only grown more pointed. 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. No cultural appropriation in it, I promise! "Windigo Psychosis: A Study of Relationship between Belief and Behaviour among the Indians of Northeastern Canada." The legend of the Wendigo stems from Native American folklore, primarily in Algonquian-speaking tribes located in south and southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes Region, and northeastern United States. Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. For more information, please see our Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. 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. This term only applies to a . It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. Cultural appropriation, feel like a real blur to me but I never worry about it I feel it can dampen the creative process. Maybe I'm just not a math person. [25], One of the more famous cases of Wendigo psychosis reported involved a Plains Cree trapper from Alberta, named Swift Runner. [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 we merely follow".[38]. So, now I realize, what the hell was I doing, thinking I could write about Native American folklore with anything approaching honesty? Cultural appropriation means using a racial, religious, or social group's customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits without authority or right. Cultural appropriation is a bullshit term made up by people who feel some bizarre psychological need to make up reasons to punish themselves. Native Appropriations I have drawn my own version of golems too, and that is Jewish mythology. But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. 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. Indigenous peoples have seen culturally . BLACKPINK. to tell a new tale. In some artistic depictions, it looks similar to the pop-culture wendigo and even makes an appearance in The Witcher games but instead it's called a Leshen. 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." However, PCism taken to its extreme would say that neither Cooper, nor I, should be telling stories about Wendigos at all, since were not of aboriginal descent. J.K. Rowling's Cultural Appropriation Should Be A Lesson To White Writers Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. [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. These bonnets are symbols of warrior achievements and are the equivalent of military medals. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. . I really just want to learn about how to appreciate aspects of cultures that I am not included in respectfully. Cultural appropriation or appreciation? - @theU - University of Utah [26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. Dressing up as a cultural stereotype is never, ever OK. Cady Heron once remarked that, "in the real world, Halloween is when kids . 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. without permission.1 [31][32] Others have pointed to a number of credible eyewitness accounts, both by Algonquians and others, as evidence that Wendigo psychosis was a factual historical phenomenon. Cultural appropriation, defined Culture refers to the traditions, customs, beliefs, and practices of any given ethnic, racial, or religious group. And they are worth considering including in one's classroom teaching. Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way. Handle the characters and the story with respect. Cultural appropriation Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com The boy told the Indians that the Windigo was near them, and showed them his hand where the Windigo cut him to see if he was fat enough to eat. Oh yeah, Marvel. Learn how your comment data is processed. Western capitalistic expansion and cultural appropriation (see . minority cultures deserve a higher level of protection from being put on display than mainstream cultures," Nah, https://forum.deviantart.com/community/complaints/2612415/, https://www.deviantart.com/comments/18/2611618/4878314665, (, literally "goat-sucker") is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas, with the first sightings reported in Puerto Rico. Political Correctness and the Wendigo | Werewolves creators (a large majority being white) . 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 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. People were not really using Google until the 2000s and that kind of info might have not been available in the 90s. Windigo is a malevolent manitou or spirit whose insatiable appetite for human flesh can never be satisfied. What defines cultural appropriation? - BBC Culture 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.

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