It also includes the unauthorized use of parts of their culture (their dress, dance, etc.) (the proceeding statement may contain some levels of sarcasm.). For this screenshot controversy, I am actually going to go over a video game for this. And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. No they fucking aren't. 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. 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. 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. Windigo psychosis may well be the most perfect example of the construction of an Aboriginal mental disorder by the scholarly professions, and its persistence dramatically underscores how constructions of the Aboriginal by these professions have, like Frankenstein's monster, taken on a life of their own. 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. Most sensible thing said ever. Anyone who lives in a place that is exposed to more than . Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. 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. Romantic scholar and documentarian Emily Zarka, also a professor at Arizona State University, observes that two commonalities among the indigenous cultures of Algonquian language family speakers are that they are situated in climes where harsh winters are frequent and may be accompanied by starvation. 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 . "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. When I got over my initial bout of self-defensiveness, I realized I was totally wrong. [57] In the 2018 first-person shooter video game Dusk, wendigos are enemies that remain invisible until they receive damage. 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. So some of it may be that natives don't want people to be waking this monster. 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. But Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. 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. [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. 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. 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. What makes the wendigo any different from other culturally important mythological creatures like unicorns? With teepees, Im not sure I get it. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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]. Jack committed suicide, but Joseph was tried and sentenced to life in prison. 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 . 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. 5. She states that the wendigo symbolically represents three major concepts: it is the incarnation of winter, the embodiment of hunger, and the personification of selfishness. We have to stop guarding cultures and subcultures in efforts to preserve them.. It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. And how many would have known that in the past - and even now - the originators of the cornrows, the headdresses, the bindis, would have been persecuted for wearing them? cultural identity theft, many would argue that cultural appropriation is inevitable in a melting pot like the United States. 8.1.2014. without permission. This inspired an entire thread -->, Sucks to be these artists I guess. 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Created by the writer Steve Englehart and artist Herb Trimpe, the monster is the result of a curse that afflicts those who commit acts of cannibalism. There's also Wendigo psychosis. I do not know, nor can I. Shock factor aside, it's especially eye-catching in that it isn't necessarily a result of being desperate for food. The e-book is here, and you can get a paperback copy here.). The idea of getting down to the nitty-gritty came from the 18th century English slave trade, when nitty-gritty referred to the worthless debris left at the ship's bottom compartment after slaves had been evacuatedand evolved to include the slaves themselves. wa, which may have meant "owl". "[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. DeSanti points to the 1999 horror film Ravenous as an illustration of this argument equating "the cannibal monster" to "American colonialism and manifest destiny". But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. Privacy Policy. Topics: Is it Cultural Appropriation if I have a Wendigo character. Dressing up as a cultural stereotype is never, ever OK. Cady Heron once remarked that, "in the real world, Halloween is when kids . Watch popular content from the following creators: Thorn (@shr00mermaid), Thorn (@shr00mermaid), Nuoance(@nuoance), MattHatterPlays(@matthatterplays), Aidan Mattis(@theaidanmattis) . 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. His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. And unfortunately for them, this isn't the first time. 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. [49][50] In the 2021 film The Inhuman (L'Inhumain) the arrival of a wendigo symbolizes inner turmoil after a character turns his back on his Indigenous heritage in the pursuit of material success. I wouldn't be offended if someone dressed as a stereotypical Scottish person whatever that looks like lol. no actual cases of windigo psychosis have ever been studied, and Lou Marano's scathing critique in 1985 should have killed off the cannibal monster within the psychiatric annals. We should talk about how Thor and Loki are cultural appropriation of Norwegian mythology. I would not care much about what a statistically likely personally unrelated "woke" thinks about what Algonquin descendants may think about it, but only what Algonquin descendants. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 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. Mexicans: Cultural Appropriation PragerU 3.01M subscribers Subscribe 85K Share 2.2M views 4 years ago What is cultural appropriation? He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. 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. .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. Replying to @luciproletariatfox #culturalappropriation #wendigoon, #yeti #wendigo #voodoodoll #culturalappropriation, #duet with @firelotusthewitch #culturalappropriation #vvitchtok #vvitch #witchywoman #pagantok #norsepagan #norsetok #pagansoftiktok #pagancommunity, I am curious to hear the opinions of others on this one. Funny how it's only creatures from certain culture's folklore people get pissy over and not others. Far from just being a monster in an escapist horror flick, Forbes and LaDuke demonstrate that the wendigo can help us grasp the horrors of our real world so we can be here now and, ultimately, work toward solutions. He ultimately was granted a pardon but died three days later in jail before receiving the news of this pardon. Is it okay for a white person to celebrate the culture. The name comes from the animal's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. creators (a large majority being white) . 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. But as far as cultural appropriation and the Wendigo goes, dont you daredont you DAREtry to take our monsters away from us, PC wankers! Unlike cultural appropriation, strategic anti-essentialism can be practiced by both minority cultures and majority cultures. It is unknown if it would have been an entire species or a singular creature. Joe Lockhard, English professor at Arizona State University, argues that wendigos are agents of "social cannibalism" who know "no provincial or national borders; all human cultures have been visited by shape-shifting wendigos. In 1661, The Jesuit Relations reported: That borrowing and exchanging of cultural elements is what makes America the melting pot of the world. 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. New replies are no longer allowed. 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. . Monsters like Wendigos often represent, in the imprecise language of emotion, a common cultural fear. Don't miss a beat. If Hello Kitty and the Minions from Dispicable Me being considered acceptable Halloween costumes wasn't the exact point I stopped taking Halloween seriously as a holiday, Wendigos being considered a form of disrespectful "cultural appropriation" was. Hah hah! Appropriating the Wendigo As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. [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]. so no, if you're some white kid hearing crying in the forests of california you're not being "lured into the On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. If ANYTHING is disrespectful to woke (does not exist in the real world) culture then I say: DO IT - AND DO IT BIG!!! He wasn't dead. In theory, art and other cultural products are created for the. Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #culturalappropriation, #cultureappropriation, #culturalappropiation, # . Theyre revered spirits to the point where people wont speak their name so it must be frustrating when people are just like Oh yeah, I saw one of those, it was so spooky or have an aesthetic called wendigocore. 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. No cultural appropriation in it, I promise! [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. Dollightful's Wendigo Doll - Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation? It's a really cool beast that I personally would like to see more in fiction. Cultural appropriation, defined Culture refers to the traditions, customs, beliefs, and practices of any given ethnic, racial, or religious group. 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. Archived post. Idiots have just made a religion out of being racist about culture and only allowing genetic descendants to participate in cultures. 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. [clarification needed] The ceremony, known as wiindigookaanzhimowin, was performed during times of famine, and involved wearing masks and dancing backward around a drum. I'm not skilled enough to draw these (")> lolz. That will depend on who you ask. An uncontrollable craving for consuming human flesh, even if a plenty of other food is available. 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. [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. Mistgod Edited Oct 11, 2020 Hobbyist Traditional Artist Apparently, wendigos are sacred creatures from several indigenous cultures. Key elements of culture include: language art,. 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. 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. So, now I realize, what the hell was I doing, thinking I could write about Native American folklore with anything approaching honesty? 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. [51], Television series employing the figure include Teen Wolf, Supernatural,[52] Blood Ties,[53] Charmed,[54] Grimm,[55] and Hannibal, where an FBI profiler has recurring dreams or visions of a wendigo that symbolizes the titular cannibalistic serial killer. For more information, please see our to tell a new tale. I have not always done so, and it appears that in this case, J.K. Rowling did not either. According to Professor Chris Schedler, the figure of the wendigo represents "consuming forms of exclusion and assimilation" through which groups dominate other groups. Latvians have their own version of Thor, so I probably should be offended, as well. Why is indigenous culture suddenly more sacred than any other culture? It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. The appropriation, and reclamation, of Native American mythology', Journal of . In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. I think it's okay because you're not trying to rewrite actual history or actual legend.

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