wendigo cultural appropriation
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]. 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. 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. We feed it because we don't know how else to live, and so we live disconnected lives watching the seasons change through windows . And that's exactly the problem. 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. Return to Article Details Culturally Conceptualizing Trauma: The Windigo in Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road People don't get offended on scotland's behalf over the common depiction of their national animal as a rainbow farting fairy horse. wa, which may have meant "owl". The film dives deep into cultural appropriation during those pivotal scenes in which the black crows help save the day for the titular flying elephant. But I do know the actual description of it. Some controversial new studies question the syndrome's legitimacy, claiming cases were actually a product of hostile accusations invented to justify the victim's ostracism or execution."[35]. Dollightful's Wendigo Doll - Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation? No it isn't cultural appropriation, as long as it is researched and accurately presented in the story. In theory, art and other cultural products are created for the. 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). Wendigo) from its cultural conte xt and its movement by non-Indigenous . I have drawn my own version of golems too, and that is Jewish mythology. 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. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I mean, I have native heritage, grew up with the culture and I even have a wendigo character in my own comic that's based on the pop-culture version with the elk skull and whatnot so I honestly don't see an issue with it but if you're really concerned then perhaps try a different monster called the Leshy from Slavic folklore? does not have antlers or have any wolf features. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Truly insensitive cultural appropriation is when you're taking a part of another culture and portraying it in a deliberately insensitive or disrespectful manner. Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. Handle the characters and the story with respect. As a concept, the wendigo can apply to any person, idea, or movement infected by a corrosive drive toward self-aggrandizing greed and excessive consumption, traits that sow disharmony and destruction if left unchecked. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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. 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 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. Doing so is an honorable endeavorbut only if we actually do our homework first. [10], The Wechuge is a similar being that appears in the legends of the Athabaskan people of the Northwest Pacific Coast. ][22][failed verification], In historical accounts of retroactively diagnosed Wendigo psychosis, it has been reported that humans became possessed by the wendigo spirit, after being in a situation of needing food and having no other choice besides cannibalism. But Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. 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. I have to look! My tongue and my brain do not speak the right language. Wendigos/Windigos/etc. "[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. [58] Several of these creatures also appear in the game's cover art.[59]. 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. Guillermo del Toro, producer of the film, developed the wendigo on the basis that the more the creature eats, the more it gets hungry and the more it gets hungry, the weaker it becomes. That will depend on who you ask. It springs from the well of the collective human unconscious, the communal soul. 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. [45] Wrist, the 2016 debut novel by First Nations horror fiction writer Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler (Lac Des Milles Lacs Anishinaabe),[46] combines the traditional Ojibwe legend with the author's ideas inspired by non-Indigenous writers like Anne Rice and Tim Powers. "** 40. Privacy Policy. Climbing the totem pole. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. It also seems to me to be unacceptable for authors to be unable to use one (or more) of those characters/symbols/etc. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. Exactly!! I think people just need to chill out, no mater what their religion and culture is. With teepees, Im not sure I get it. and our Create what you want; let the audience decide its fame. But, but, what if they're looking at something that erodes the moral fabric of civilization? PSA: These 11 Halloween "Costumes" Will Always Be Offensive. The Wendigo is by far one of the most mysterious and feared monsters in not only in the Algonquian folklore which it is attributed to, but also other . Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. You're absolutively spot on! 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! We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. In, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 02:58. It has become something else altogether. [25], One of the more famous cases of Wendigo psychosis reported involved a Plains Cree trapper from Alberta, named Swift Runner. He was eating the juice (marrow) from the inside of the bones of his legs that were cut off. People were not really using Google until the 2000s and that kind of info might have not been available in the 90s. 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. And whoever!). These bonnets are symbols of warrior achievements and are the equivalent of military medals. Now why cant that be said to prudes lurking here. "Why is indigenous culture suddenly more sacred than any other culture?". 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. Mexicans: Cultural Appropriation PragerU 3.01M subscribers Subscribe 85K Share 2.2M views 4 years ago What is cultural appropriation? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Discover short videos related to wendigo cultural appropriation on TikTok. C'est la maladie dont ces dputez furent atteints; et comme la mort est l'vnique remede parmy ces bonnes gens, pour arrester ces meurtres, ils ont est massacrez pour arrester le cours de leur manie. The Windigo also has the power to turn humans into cannibals who suffer the same . However, when reading Magic in North America, it's hard not to get the sense that Rowling did not understand the thin ice she was treading on when it came to representation of Native Americans, nor did she make any effort to treat these themes with the weight they deserve. It's taking those cultural. And some natives don't care at all. The legend of the Wendigo is, in fact, one of the oldest manifestations of a taboo peculiar to most human societies, and which was already widespread among Anglophone tribes: cannibalism. But as far as cultural appropriation and the Wendigo goes, dont you daredont you DAREtry to take our monsters away from us, PC wankers! Oh yeah, Marvel. without permission.1 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.). 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. 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Seems to me a great deal of what people write about in fantasy stories is borrowing from other cultures & nations & communities. As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. arent cryptids thing. 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. Appreciation is honoring and respecting another culture and its practices, as a way to gain knowledge and understanding. 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. Payals, or anklets, are meant to symbolize the arrival of a wife into her husband's house. So some may be fine if you draw it but don't say its full name. Cookie Notice I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. It just looks like a human that may be bigger than normal. We should talk about how Thor and Loki are cultural appropriation of Norwegian mythology. I always thought these are what cannibals are turning into. Here's some links:Website - https://thesierramistify.wixsite.com/thesierramistifyEtsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/thesierramistify?ref=simple-shop-header-name\u0026listing_id=736195213Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesierramistify/Art Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesierramistify.art/- Music used in this video -Prime Beatz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkG3r3-ODOw LOL. 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. Further, cultural appropriation often occurs as the backwash of colonization, and contributes to widening existing divisions and perpetuating patterns of historic dispossession and oppression. spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. [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. Is it okay for a white person to celebrate the culture. wendigos originate from spiritual beliefs held by Algonquian Indigenous peoples, whom are from the north eastern part of north america. identity. We have to stop guarding cultures and subcultures in efforts to preserve them.. 17spaz 2 yr. ago The protection of minorities from the materialization of the majority's different thoughts is an asset of democratic constitutionalism. I dont know who originally posted it, or where. 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. Hah hah! His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. Check it out here:https://youtu.be/fHE4fkvUpWMI really just made this video to express how I am currently feeling about the wendigo doll situation and the questions I have about it. Anyone who lives in a place that is exposed to more than . 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. I hate that I am defending JKR but I think a lot of people don't really think about how the internet was in in the late 90s and what kind of content was on the internet. 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. It will survive on it's own. Why is indigenous culture suddenly more sacred than any other culture? 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. In their most recent music video for 'How You Like That', fans spotted a Ganesha idol kept on the ground, in the background of the music video. Only assholes think thats offensive. The name comes from the animal's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. [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]. 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. 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. There's nothing wrong with drawing the popular concept of a wendigo monster, or drawing any monster with antlers, and calling it a wendigo. 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. The Wendigo (Also known as windigo, weendigo, windago, waindigo, windiga, witiko, wihtikow, and various other names including manaha) originates from Native-American legend, and is said to be a demonic half-beast as told by the Algonquian peoples along the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada. It too is cannibalistic; however, it is characterized as enlightened with ancestral insights. But if they actually did, I would pick another monster from the giant Pandemonium one has at one's choice. Don't miss a beat. Their visitations speak to the inseparability of human experience National identity is irrelevant to this borderless horror. 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. Okay, dont anybody get me wrong. The Wendigo may be a figure from American Indian mythology, but it belongs to all of humankind. 12. Indigenous peoples have seen culturally . For more information, please see our Draw/write what you want, I say. It's a really cool beast that I personally would like to see more in fiction. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Lots of stories have aped Native American folklore before her, including some of mine. 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. In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. [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. The cannibalistic forest creature is known for allegedly . Idiots have just made a religion out of being racist about culture and only allowing genetic descendants to participate in cultures. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. America is the symbol of inclusion, so as part of the American culture we embrace foreign influences in our society. appropriation, or - as I argue - misappropriation, of the Wendigo as a hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(443401, 'c61f3219-a9f3-4b0c-95ea-f614a80c184b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Pictured above: A portion of the poster for the film Antlers (Fox Searchlight, 2021). [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. Copyright 2022 Facing History & Ourselves. Tell us about it in the comments. I would refuse to be shackled by political correctness. See more. So yeah, if anyone could offer any insight/information, thatd be appreciated. (1961). 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.