How to Support Native Americans part 1

Bozho. As we approach Halloween, it’s the annual time for are-Indian-costumes-cultural-appropriation questions.  In short, yes, our regalia are not costumes; and for Pete’s sake if you’re an adult female, wearing a headdress and fringed faux leather short dress that looks like a stripper’s outfit is really in bad taste.

So in honor of this “season,” I’m going to post ways to support our heritage instead of belittling people who are just ignorant. Seriously, if you’ve only learned about Native culture from grade school and westerns, it is my responsibility to feed you some facts. No shaming intended. Mostly.

November is also Native American History Month.

[credit to Vice magazine, author Simon Moya-Smith, with some editing on my part]

1. Stop using the word "powwow" when you plan your office meetings. Conference rooms are not where powwows take place. Powwows are celebrations of our Indigenous cultures, which include dance (in regalia, not “costumes”), food, art, music, etc., and they take place in designated locations that can typically accommodate hundreds of people, not just a few dozen office staff.

2. Stop saying say there are "too many chiefs and not enough Indians." 

(#3 I deleted ; researching; I may get back to you on this. As written by the original author I thought it was confrontational.)

4. No, just because you say your great, great, great grandma was allegedly Cherokee does not permit you to wear a headdress. In fact: Unless you are a Native who has earned the right to wear one, don't wear headdresses. Ever.

5. Don’t say someone has gone “off the reservation.” The term comes from a time when Natives were forbidden from leaving the boundaries of a delineated area. It was also a time when finding a Native off-reservation was license to kill them.  There are more offensive names and slurs, but this phrase just doesn’t need to be in our lexicon.

6. Change the narrative on “Indian givers.” We aren’t the ones who reneged on agreements.

7. Never use the word “squaw.” It’s profane. There are different understandings of the origins, but basically referring to a woman's body parts.  So calling a woman "squaw" means a piece of ass, or a cunt, or pussy.  Sorry for being so blunt, but there it is.

8. Not every Native can/does ride a horse. Don’t assume we do just because Hollywood more often than not, has us pulling up on a horse rather than in a Honda.

9. And, no, we don’t live in tipis. 

10. Do not speak with smug entitlement on issues that affect Native communities just because you claim to be part Indian or whatever. For example, do not tell a Native that racist mascots aren’t racist because you are allegedly Cherokee and you, yourself, don’t find them offensive. Instead, ask for more information, why is it offending natives, listen to the elders. 

On that last note, I got trapped by a flight attendant (a little older than me) on my return from Shawnee this year. Her son had gone to a high school with a native mascot (I don't remember if it was Redskins, or Warriors...) and now California was going to ban those names.  First she asked if I thought the name was offensive, and when I gave the simple answer yes, she went on to give all the reasons why she thought it was fine, how respectful she thought the school was with it. And then, "At the beginning of each game, a little girl was dressed up as an Indian Princess and led the players in, very respectful."  *sigh* 

I was able to tell her that Oregon also passed a ban, but with some exceptions available.  At least one school worked with an Oregon tribe and came to an agreement to continue using the mascot, incorporating cultural teachings into their education plans. Roseburg with the Cow Creek Band of Umpquas.  Several other schools have reached or are working on agreements.

Dokum (be peaceful).