But my Grandpa was 1/16th Cherokee!

Happy Friday everyone! Thanks to my friend (and amazing internet browser) Scott for finding this one--perfectly sums it up, I think.

Are we finally witnessing the death of the hipster headdress?

Cartoon can be found on http://adverbemonade.tumblr.com, and check out how many people have re-blogged it!

Earlier: But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?

(Thanks Scott!)

Tom Ford in a Headdress; but that's not the interesting part

 (image via HuffPo)

AK Note: Hi, remember me? My apologies for the sudden post drop off, school has been ridiculously busy. But I'm back, promise. And I'm still always looking for guest posts if anyone is interested...nativeappropriations@gmail.com

A few days ago, Huffington Post posted some preview pictures of Tom Ford's photo spread in French Vogue (he's a fashion designer, btw). The first picture of the spread is of Ford, sporting a warbonnet. So, we all know why it's wrong, and we can add him to the list of recent celebrity redface transgressions. Not that exciting. 

What I am fascinated by, however, are the comments on the article on HuffPo, but mostly on the re-post over at Jezebel. We all know I'm not a big fan of the Jezebel commenting community on issues of race, especially on Native issues, but check some of these out (the whole comment thread is here):

"That photo is many types of wrong.  I have never seen a racist as big as a horse before."

"Nothing like a little cultural insensitivity to start out a... lunch."

"Why has the NA/1st Nations type headdress become the new hipster fashion statement? Was blackface just too messy?"

"You guys!! I'm sure he's 1/16 Cherokee! Totes ok!"

"If I were a Native American I would have a complete wardrobe of religious headgear from every possible sector of Anglo culture and I would wear them at the most inappropriate times and places. I would dress up as the Virgin Mary for Halloween and wear my sporty pope hat to the beach."

and I liked this one, as a reference to the whole Meghan-McCain-Trail-of-Tears-tag debacle (thanks!):

"Doesn't Tom know that such things are only tasteful if you include a handy trail of tears tag?"

 Some Native voices even came out of the woodwork:

"As a first nations woman, I challenge all headdress wearing hipsters to come to any powwow, next year in your fake feathers. If you are arrogant enough to wear them, then I assume you're brave enough to wear them around those who earn their headdress one feather at a time.

"Dear Tom Ford,
My culture is not a photoshoot prop.
You're an ignorant douche."

or this woman, married to a Navajo man (her screenname is "DineBoo"--just cute):

"What is it with people wearing headdresses? Heck, I'm married to a Navajo man and I don't bust out the turquoise, the velvet, and the squash blossoms to wear out in public.

The headdress is sacred, which carries individual meanings to each different tribe. It is not a flashy hat. The way people have been wear the headdress makes it look like there is only one tribe in existence now."

Um, what happened? Where are all the cultural appropriation defenders? Where are the people telling me to "get over it?" Why can't I fill my Bingo Card?! There is one woman, who posts a question about wearing a headdress and Indian jewelry, but she then thanks the commenters who respond and send her links about why its wrong. She thanks them.

The HuffPo article has one comment about the wrongness of wearing a headdress as well--and no one pushed back. The replies thank her (him?) and agree.

Have we just witnessed a shift in the space-time continuum? Has the message started to get across? Definitely too soon to tell, but I can't even tell you how refreshing and uplifting it was to see these comment chains. I mean, it was barely a month ago that we were talking about Paris Hilton on Halloween.

Thoughts? Are people getting sick of the trend? Is this just an anomaly? Are the people who click through to an article about high fashion a different, more enlightened subset of the population? Whatever it is, this is ridiculous. In a good way.


Jezebel: Tom Ford Shows French Vogue His Headdress Collection
Huffington Post: Inside Tom Ford's French Vogue

(Thanks Alicia!)

Oh no, Khloe Kardashian.

(source here)

Khloe Kardashian just posted this picture to her twitter, with the caption "I love playing dress up!"
If you can stomach it, read the comments. They're already playing the "omg get over it stop being so sensitive it's just a hat!" game.

This makes me sad. I like Khloe.

So if you still need to know why it's wrong to dress up in a warbonnet:

But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?

I think this also drives home the point I've mentioned before of how Natives are often viewed as "fantasy characters"--something that you can dress up as, play pretend. Wizard, Princess, Indian. The problem is Natives exist, we are real, and putting Native people in the fantasy character category erases our current presence as actual human beings.

Here's the link to the photo: http://twitpic.com/2vjzgc

and Khloe's Twitter is here: http://twitter.com/KhloeKardashian

(Thanks Lanova!)

Daily Encounters and Activist Fatigue: The Girl with the Headdress Shirt

Yesterday morning I walked into my 7:15 am "Total Body Workout" class at the gym, laughing and joking with my friend. As I turned to get my hand weights and mat, my gaze fell upon a girl in the class...wearing this shirt.

I sighed and wrinkled my nose, but turned back to my friend to continue our conversation. A few minutes before class started, my friend whispered "Did you see her shirt?! Wasn't that on your blog?" I nodded in response.

As class went on, in between sweating through sit ups and lunges, I kept catching her reflection in the mirror behind me. Each time sent a twinge through my stomach, a quick moment of discomfort and unease. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell her how I was feeling. But the problem was, even in rehearsals in my head, I couldn't think of how to go about talking to her about the shirt.

 In the grand scheme of images on this blog, this particular shirt isn't that bad. I mean, I can easily sit here and tear it apart--how it represents a stereotype, how the cartoon-izing (I think I just made that word up) of the headdress takes away from it's sacredness and power, commodifying it and making it into a mass consumer good, how the blank, empty space where a head/face should be is representative of decontextualizing the headdress and separating it from the people and places where it belongs...but anyway, it's not an image of an Indian holding aloft a beer bong, or a severed Indian head, or any number of other blatantly racist images. She wasn't wearing a headdress. She was wearing a shirt that she probably bought at Urban Outfitters without a second thought.

But, as I've talked about so many times before, these seemingly benign images have just as much power to create and perpetuate negative stereotypes as the blatantly racist ones. Because of all these images she's seen and encountered in her life, she probably never would have thought that the dark haired girl struggling with push ups in front of her was a Native person who might take offense to her shirt.

So, you're probably wondering, what did I say? What did I do?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Even I, who day after day on this blog can spout the reasons why continued cultural appropriation and misrepresentations of our communities are wrong and harmful, couldn't find the right words to tell an undergrad why her shirt is hurtful to me. 

Not that I'm always silent. I once made a Harvard student in an Indian costume at a local pizza place almost cry when I confronted him, and another time at a football tailgate I physically ripped a headdress off a huge guy's head and stomped on it in the mud, after he wouldn't take it off when I asked nicely (That technique is NOT recommended).

But it's often the daily encounters, the seemingly minor interactions, images, and subtle messages that give me pause. Do I call out every classmate that substitutes the word "powwow" for "meeting"? Do I rip down every indie band poster advertising their latest gig with an image of an Indian? Do I tell the girl in the headdress shirt at my gym class that her shirt hurts me?

Some days I do, some days I don't--or I can't, or I won't--it's a combination. Because this work gets tiring. It's a never ending battle, and some days I'm too tired to fight.

My friend's solution? She thinks I should make up business cards with my blog address on it, so I can just hand one to the offender and say something like "I think you should check out this blog, it might give you a reason to rethink your shirt choice."

So I'm curious--since I don't purport to have all the answers, I'll turn it over to you, readers. Do you have any techniques for dealing with these daily interactions? Do you have a way of approaching someone that cuts defensiveness and allows for your voice to be heard? Stories of encounters with hipster headdresses?

I do have a few techniques I fall back on, but I think it's time we have a step-by-step "how to" guide for dealing with these incidents. So let's generate some thoughts, and I'll compile it all together.

Next time, Girl with the Headdress Shirt, I'll be ready.

NeverShoutNever and the Hipster Headdress

Indie Hipster frontman Christofer Drew Ingle of NeverShoutNever, who apparently has an aversion to his spacebar, has decided to sport a huge warbonnet and breastplate in his newest promo shoot.


The picture is emblazoned across the band's myspace, but was also used for several days on the general myspace music homepage, advertising a live Never Shout Never concert stream. Reader Erica sent over that image:

Then, back on the band's myspace page, they're using this image of a headdress-wearing buffalo to promote their upcoming concerts:

and finally, in their new video for cheatercheaterbestfriendeater (again with the spaces), they have this whole upside-down chin thing going on, and one of the "characters" they use? An "Indian." With warpaint and everything:

creepy.

I have about 8 bazillion more examples in my inbox of indie bands who use Indian imagery in their promotional materials, but I thought this one was interesting since it hit a fairly mainstream audience with the myspace music homepage promotion.

So, for the inevitable NeverShoutNever fans who stumble over here and wonder what's so wrong with dressing up like an Indian, read this post: But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?

But if you're as adverse to clicking links as you are spacebars, here's the cliff notes version:

Headdress wearing by non-Natives promotes stereotyping of Native cultures. It collapses 565 tribes with distinct cultures, traditions, and regalia into one stereotypical image of a Plains Indian. There are few tribes that actually wear headdresses like the one above. It places Natives in the historic past. We still exist and are still Native, but we don't walk around in headdresses everyday. Headdresses are reserved for those given deep respect in Native communities--chiefs, leaders, warriors--and they have to be earned. It is offensive to see the frontman of a band wearing a headdress, implying he is on equal footing with these honored tribal members. Also, this practice is not "honoring" Native Americans. At all.

(Thanks Micah and Erica!)

DIY Headdress from Bright Young Things

(via Ecouterre)

I read a fair amount of fashion blogs, but only recently did I discover the fabulous story and photos over at The Uniform Project. The designer of the now-famous little black dress featured on the site is Eliza Starbuck, who apparently is launching a new line called "Bright Young Things."

To commemorate the launch, she offered up this project on the blog Ecouterre, "guaranteed to turn heads". Yes friends, you can now make your very own hipster headdress.

The post offers step-by-step instructions, and I found it hilariously ironic that either Starbuck or Ecoterre reminds you to "just be sure to choose cruelty-free feathers (faux, vintage, or found), rather than pluck the plumage of some hapless bird." Definitely, worry about the birds, but not the people you may be offending (They are a sustainable fashion site, though, so I'm not totally surprised about the bird reminder).

That's one weird trend I've been noticing with some of the hipster-headdress wearers--many of them are quick to jump on other causes, environmental sustainability, relief for Africa, etc, hinting at some sort of solidarity with those fighting for what's right...yet they clamp down on the headdress and staunchly defend their "right" to wear it. If someone of a marginalized group tells you, to your face, that what you're doing is hurtful and offensive, how can you, as an "activist," still wear it? I don't get it. But that's just one of my personal pet peeves with the whole thing.

(via Ecouterre)

A commenter named Margo posted the first comment on the site (thanks!), linking to my hipster headdress manifesto and my culture is not a trend, to which Starbuck responded:

E. Starbuck: @Margo,thank you for the reminder. I think EVERYONE is aware of stereotypes and what is and isn’t “PC” at this point in time. A handmade headdress (and not the dime store “cowboys and indians” plastic version) is sacred to anyone who wears it and certainly to anyone who makes it.

and then an E.J. Starbuck commented on my hipster headdress post:

I think this point of view is painfully old-fashioned. The Internet has created a melting pot of Ancient, Present, Past, and Future cultures from all around the world. And at this point, everyone is fully aware of what stereotypes are and what "PC" is, and going on about them is only going to perpetuate them. Practice sacred culture, don't preach it. Making efforts to keep sacred cultures segregated and separated in the name of respect and cultural preservation maybe honorable, but it is quite impossible and impractical. If that were the way, then the spirit of the Native American culture would be long dead, and we know that isn't true, it's just evolved. Everyone is connected and everyone is mixed, this is a new tribe of people. A handmade headdress (and not the dime store "cowboys and indians" plastic version) is sacred to anyone who wears it and certainly to anyone who makes it. To limit that sacred experience to Native Americans when people from every part of the planet have been using feathers as decorations on their heads all throughout history is just wrong.

So this is a new argument to me--that creating the headdress yourself makes it "sacred"?

I'll turn this one over to you, readers, since I want some more voices than just my own on this issue. Thoughts? 

Ecouterre:  Make a DIY Feathered Headdress by Eliza Starbuck of Bright Young Things

Earlier: But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress? (for the full breakdown)

(Thanks Amy and Margo!)

The Music Festival Hipster Headdress Goes British

(image via Boston.com)

Well, it's official. The hipster headdress has gone British. Last week was the Glastonbury music festival in the UK, a huge music spectacular not unlike Coachella, or The Bamboozle, or Sasquatch! or Lightning in a Bottle here in the US. Boston.com posted an image of festival goers sporting the (no-longer) edgy hipster headdress, maddening, but pretty unsurprising, actually. It was only a matter of time.

However, not to be out done by their former subjects across the pond, these British hipsters took playing Indian to a whole new level. Observe the "tents" at this year's festival:

Yeah. Those are tipis. A whole lot of tipis. So while you're wasted, or high on something or another, gallivanting through the fields and communing with nature while rockin' out, you can "authenticate" your wild-man experience by coming back to your tipi--living like the original bad asses, those Indians who didn't give a damn, no rules, no "civilization", just one with life, man.

Snarky imaginative narrative aside, there is a really interesting dynamic of playing Indian in countries other than the US/Canada--there are "powwow" communities, especially in Germany, where participants make painstakingly "authentic" regalia, sing in drum groups, etc. That's a whole post in itself, but it raises the question of how these actions are perceived and interpreted in a country without Native Americans, lacking both the genocidal history or contemporary culture to provide context and understanding of their actions.

Not that people in the US, even with that context, have some greater understanding (or my blog wouldn't exist!), but it reminds me of the incident a few months ago when Harry Connick Jr was a guest judge on a show in Austrailia, and participants came out in blackface to perform Michael Jackson:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDlfgA7jfLE)

As an American, Connick Jr. was offended, and rightfully so. However, the Australian community shared no such outrage, because wearing blackface has no history in their country. There was a lot of back and forth debate, and there are any number of similar examples, but it goes to show that history and context is key in the understanding of racist actions.

Does it make it ok? absolutely not. Just like I'm not ok with british headdress wearers or a tipi village at a music festival overseas. Perpetuating stereotypes and erasing the current presence of Native people is never excusable in my book, even if it occurs thousands of miles away.

Boston.com Glastonbury slideshow: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/glastonbury_festival_2010.html

Earlier:

Educating Non-Natives at Lightning in a Bottle: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/06/educating-non-natives-at-lightning-in.html

But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/04/but-why-cant-i-wear-hipster-headdress.html

The Hipster Headdress Abounds at Coachella: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/04/hipster-headdress-abounds-at-coachella.html

Headdresses and Music Festivals go together like PB and...Racism?: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/06/headdresses-and-music-festivals-go.html



(Thanks to Stephen from Drawing on Indians, who sent me the pics. He did a great post on the topic as well, which can be found here.)

Nudie Neon Indians and the Sexualization of Native Women

Neon Indian is a hipster-indie band that has been gaining some notoriety as of late. They performed on Jimmy Fallon, and have been making the music festival circuit as well. Though the name annoys me, I hadn't actually associated them with any cultural appropriation, since nothing I've read about the band references anything Native. I figured maybe they were talking about the other kind of Indian. Their name actually comes from (if you believe teh blogz) a make-believe band front man Alan Palomo (who is Latino) had in high school

So, even if the name wasn't a direct reference, and the band has avoided Native stereotypes (send me images if you find otherwise), you can't control your fans (Clearly, as we saw with the Blackhawks and Flyers fans last week).

The fans in that picture above crashed the Neon Indian stage at the music festival Bonaroo (more music festivals and headdresses, of course), wearing headdresses, feathers, and pasties on their bare breasts. According to hipster runoff, this is how it went down:

And it got even stranger during a riveting, bulked-up version of “Deadbeat Summer,” when a crew of scantily-clad ladies wearing homemade feather headdresses (two of whom were fully topless with colorfully painted boobs) bounded onto the stage, seemingly by design, and cavorted around aimlessly, jiggling to the wistful musings about sunlit streets and a starlit abyss. Depending on your vantage point, it was either hilarious or pathetic, but Palomo just laughed and shrugged.

Apparently the girls jumped up there on their own, and it wasn't actually part of the set at all.

Here's another image of the girls:

 (image source)

Yes, the headdresses are wrong. But what gets me even more is the topless/feather pasties part. There's a legacy and history there that many people don't know or understand.

Native women have been highly sexualized throughout history and in pop culture. There are any number of examples I can pull from, the "Indian Princess" stereotype is everwhere--think the story of Pocahontas, or Tiger Lily in Peter Pan, or Cher in her "half breed" video, or the land 'o' lakes girl, seriously almost any image of a Native woman that you've seen in popular culture. We're either sexy squaws (the most offensive term out there), wise grandmas, or overweight ogres. But the pervasive "sexy squaw" is the most dangerous, especially when you know the basic facts about sexual violence against Native women:

• 1 in 3 Native women will be raped in their lifetime 
• 70% of sexual violence against Native women is committed by non-Natives

This Amnesty International study details, at great length, the gruesome truth about sexual violence in Indian Country.  Also, recently, Vanguard (a show on current TV) did a special called "Rape on the Reservation". The show is about 45 minutes long, but so powerful, and so heartbreaking. Please watch it if you have time, even the intro is enough to shock you back to reality:

Now can you see why my heart breaks and I feel sick every time I see an image of a naked or scantily clad woman in a headdress? This is not just about cultural appropriation. This is about a serious, scary, and continuing legacy of violence against women in Indian Country. These girls probably thought they were just being "counter-culture" or "edgy," but by perpetuating the stereotypes of Native women as sexual objects, they are aiding and continuing the cycle of violence.

Earlier:

But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?

Educating non-Natives at Lightning in a Bottle

The Hipster Headdress Abounds at Coachella

Headdresses and Music Festivals go together like PB and...Racism?

"The Sexiest Rain Dance Ever" 

(Thanks Ben and Virtue for sending me the pics)

Educating non-Natives at Lightning in a Bottle

My friend Ricky (who made this awesome graphic I've posted before) headed out to the Lightning in a Bottle (LIB) music festival a few weeks ago, and was prepared to approach the concert-goers in headdresses and other forms of cultural appropriation in the mindset of an educator. He encountered many headdresses, and more. I'll let him tell the story himself:

I went to Lightning in a Bottle a few weeks ago. As a Native who is considered pretty 'alternative' (ie goes to festivals frequently and likes Electro House music, although I also love Swing Dancing, Break Dancing, and Freestyle MC-ing) I knew that this trip would be wrought with challenges of Fashion Identity, Racial Politics, and overt appropriation of Native American Cultures, Symbols and Practices... It was very difficult to be amongst so many people of the new age belief, and to constantly stay silent so as not to be rude. Speaking out then would be akin to quantifying the Pope as the Anti-Christ in a Catholic church in Boston. That's the kinda heat I was around.

In this journey which i prepare for by sweating, I also needed feathers from my Eagle which I had recently cleaned. I prayed for a whole day on these two feathers so that i would have the A) Strength to continue educating non-native, as i predicted it would be very fatiguing to do so, and B) Patience so that i would not get frustrated by their lack of perspective, respect or recognition of Native Symbols. While I had some good conversations and even had people offer to take off their feathers, i also had people viciously defending their 'right' to expression. Its' a very American concept, this right to act however you please. Its also this kind of thinking that lead to the genocide 100+ million original natives from the America's over 500 years.

I went as an educator of expression that is too often undeserved, and more than not, ignored. By being a Native presence at this kind of festival I attract a lot of attention to my self, especially when i wear my feathers, for the purposes listed above. When I offer cleansing I make sure to be in sober spirit. More then I can say for many of the Plastic Shaman that I saw out there. I was also fasting for about 30 hours and with dancing and constant walking in the mix, I did not need to partake of other medicines to be enlightened. At that point it was pretty full on.

May we have greater recognition amongst Non-Natives so that we are not merely known about, but understood. If you live in America then you benefit from our subjugation, please do not perpetuate the actions of the past, by staying ignorant and blind from our shared History.

I can only imagine the strength it took to remain calm and collected in that environment. Here are the pictures that Ricky sent over of other concert goers:

and here's Ricky (he shaded out his eyes):

The other interesting part about LIB is that they bill themselves to be a progressive, environmental, save-the-rainforest type event. If you go to their website here, and look under the tab that says "environment" you can see more about their mission. This page caught my attention as well: http://lightninginabottle.org/environment/critical-beats/ which includes two images of Indigenous men from the Amazon and information about the "critical beats" organization, which uses indigenous songs, music, stories, and spoken word combined with western artists' music to create new songs that they sell to raise money and awareness on Indigenous issues. Interesting stuff, but I don't know enough about it to formulate a total opinion.

Anyway, my point is that I always find it hard to believe when people who are "aware" and "tuned in" still think it's ok to don a headdress or offer "Native" ceremonies. I'm sure they would use the "honoring" argument, which we know is just as offensive as wearing the headdress itself.

So, thanks to Ricky for the story and images, and I'm so glad he was there to talk to the participants, though I know it must have been exhausting and frustrating. Keep fighting!

Earlier:

But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/04/but-why-cant-i-wear-hipster-headdress.html

The Hipster Headdress Abounds at Coachella: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/04/hipster-headdress-abounds-at-coachella.html

Headdresses and Music Festivals go together like PB and...Racism?: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/06/headdresses-and-music-festivals-go.html

Headdresses and Music Festivals Go Together Like PB and...Racism?

I don't know what it is about outdoor music festivals that seems to invite headdress-wearing these days, but we saw it at Coachella, and Ke$ha at The Bamboozle, and now at Sasquatch! in Washington over memorial day weekend. The Seattle Weekly Blog posted about the phenomenon (more photos on the site), and questioned the reasoning behind the Native-inspired garb:

We are, after all, in an area of the country rich with Native American heritage, and the outfits du jour at Sasquatch! this year appears to be anything related to the kind of American Indian image painted by white oppressors of Native Americans. I understand we still live in the world of Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins, but this seems like a step backward, right?

Among the responses I got when I asked those dressed up what the deal was:

"It's what we're about." "Why not?" "Chief Seattle, baby! Chief Seattle!"

I don't know if it's a step backward as much as bringing to light something that never went away. These incidences have been happening for years-decades-centuries, but it wasn't considered to be the ultimate in trendy or counter culture until more recently. To me, the responses when directly questioned show the absolute ignorance of the issues with wearing a headdress. Which is why my friend Ricky is amazing and made this to wear to a music festival recently (not sure if it was Sasquatch! or not):

(click to make it big)

His statements confront head-on most of the issues these people probably never even thought about when they stapled chicken feathers to tie-dye fabric. I am, of course, referring to these people:

Thanks for the stereotypical war whoop face, because it was unclear you were being insensitive solely by your mess of a headdress. 

In addition to Sasquatch!, two weeks ago, UCSD held their annual "Sun God" festival on campus, a big outdoor concert much like the ones above (bit smaller scale, but you get it). The Native American Student Association at UCSD released a statement regarding the number of students who decided to dress up in headdresses/warpaint/etc. Their response is beautifully written, and I recommend a full read here.

On Friday May 14, 2010 at UCSD’s annual Sungod Festival, UCSD students dressed in mock Native American attire, including, but not limited to, painted faces, feathers, and headdresses. This act is disrespectful and degrading to the traditions and culture of Natives as the attire is sacred to many Native American tribes. Acts like this perpetuate negative stereotypes of Native American culture, breeding the insensitivity and misunderstanding that is already plaguing our university...As students at UCSD we should not have to see our cultures mocked and ridiculed during a student sponsored event taking place at our university.

Native American students were forced to witness these acts of disrespect and see their peers mocking and degrading what is considered to be sacred attire in many of the Native American cultures. Though the university was awakened to issues of diversity and campus climate at UCSD in the past few months, based on these numerous incidents of disrespect it is apparent that the university needs to take more action to promote diversity and cultural awareness among the UCSD community (particularly with regard to the Native American community with whom the university has had a long history of discontent).

They go on to note that there the presence of Native students on campus is ever-diminishing (which is upsetting considering that San Diego County is home to 13 Indian Reservations). The "numerous incidents of disrespect" are referring to the "Compton Cookout" party hosted by UCSD students, where guests were invited to dress up like urban/poor/black stereotypes. Clearly UCSD has some major work to do.

Especially when this was the response in the school newspaper, entitled "When Students Cry Cookout" by Alyssa Bereznak:

"...as a Sun God celebrator who peppered her hair with gold feathers the day of, I’d argue many costumed students never intended to emulate traditional American-Indian dress, but rather the aesthetic of the statue itself. The festival’s winged inspiration, after all, was created by artist Nikki St. Phalle’s indigenous handbrush. Even with all artistic classification aside, it’s still a bird splashed in primary colors — perfectly crowned with a row of gold feathers."

This is the statue that she's referring to, used in many UCSD publications, and where the name of the festival comes from:

So, ok, maybe YOU were inspired by the feathers on this statue, but what about the war-paint wearing, Indian headdress sporters?

But even if we’re talking about those who did aim to sport some Sioux-inspired gear because they thought it looked cool, it’s unclear why that would be classified as mockery. If students had decked themselves in moccasins and paint and skipped around howling a sarcastic war cry, I’d say we had another Cookout on our hands. But, seeing as they were simply borrowing from the culture’s style because they think it’s awesome, it seems like more of a case of flattery in the form of imitation. America is a melting pot of heritage and tradition; many a white boy has donned a kurta to demonstrate respect for the Indian culture, or a toga for the Greeks. While American-Indians have faced especially violent hardship in the U.S. — which shouldn’t be downplayed — that doesn’t take away a collective right to appreciate their art and culture.

...and there it is. The "appreciation" and "honoring" argument. I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is absolutely no way a drunk guy/girl in a headdress and war paint is honoring, respecting, or showing appreciation for my culture or my ancestors. not. at. all. And a toga is not the same thing as a ceremonial warbonnet. Seriously?

She goes on to say that the Native students shouldn't "cry cookout" and they should "choose their battles." The whole exchange makes me so angry. I just can't understand the level of ignorance that goes into composing an article such as Alyssa's. If someone tells you, in a public forum, that what you're doing is offensive to them and their culture, that takes some major privilege-laden huevos to defend your actions.

To illustrate my point, a quick story: I had a hipster-y green and yellow keffiyeh that I bought in the Haight in SF without understanding any of the background or implications of my "scarf." The SECOND someone clued me in, I ripped it off, apologized profusely, never wore it again. I also continue to spread the word and educate others. The level of shame and embarrassment I felt in that one quick moment was enough to change my actions permanently. That's (one of many reasons) why I simply cannot understand people who defend their headdress wearing. Don't you have some level basic level of compassion and understanding?

For all the other reasons: But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?


Seattle Weekly Blog: http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2010/05/sasquatch_sunday_anyone_else_a.php

NASA statement on Sun God:
http://ssc.clickrally.com/nasa-statement-regarding-native-american-cultural-appropriation-at-sungod/809/

UCSD guardian student response to NASA:
http://www.ucsdguardian.org/opinion/when-students-cry-‘cookout’/

(Thanks Scott, Rob, Ricky, and anyone else who sent me the UCSD article!)

Not Again, Ke$ha.

Our favorite warbonnet-wearing-hot-mess of a musician sported another headdress at The Bamboozle (a big  music festival). The photographer calls her get up a "psuedo-patriotic costume of a feather headdress, aviator sunglasses, and the American flag". Right.

Plenty more pictures at the photog's site: http://ishootshows.com/2010/05/21/photos-kesha-the-bamboozle/

A couple of tipsters had sent over Ke$ha's new video for "Your Love is My Drug", a song which boasts the lyric "Do I make your heart beat like a native drum (an 808 drum--I stand corrected!)?", and this seems like an appropriate time to share it:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_qa3Ohwls)

In the video she's running around in the desert, and sports blue warpaint, a heavy dose of "Native" jewelry (including turquoise, silver, and bone), and feathers:

She even is sitting atop an elephant wearing a feather headdress for a few shots:

and then later in the video she goes into psychedelic neon painted aboriginal mode (same look she debuted on SNL a few weeks back), complete with a boa constrictor ala Britney Spears:

We've discussed it before with her American Idol performance. Girl, get your act together. Cultural appropriation isn't cool. 

Earlier: Ke$ha, the headdress, and the trend that won't go away: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/03/keha-headdress-and-trend-that-wont-go.html

But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/04/but-why-cant-i-wear-hipster-headdress.html

(Thanks Crystal!)

Plenty of "Indians" and Equal Opportunity Racism: Bay to Breakers 2010

Bay to Breakers is an annual San Francisco Bay Area tradition, now in its 99th year. Technically it's a 12k race, starting downtown (the bay) and ending at the beach (the breakers). I don't know the exact history, or how it has (d)evolved through the years, but I can tell you it is now one part serious road race, and about 100 parts drunken costumed debauchery.

Early sunday morning I positioned myself on the side of the road, ready to capture what I figured would be a few rouge headdresses. I quickly spotted one, then another, and another...and before I knew it, I had to stop because there were just too many and it was getting redundant. My album on my computer has 53 pictures, and that was in about the course of an hour and a half. yikes.

Below, a few of the many "Indians" to grace B2B:

These guys were the worst offenders of the day.  They were in a group of about 10, all dressed up and painted, and were running in circles around the racers waiting for the port-a-potties, war-whooping and waving their tomahawks.

Cowboys and Indians.  Creative.

Ok, a few more points for creativity. A headdress and...batman?

Me (as these guys walked by a few inches from me): "Hey, can I take your picture?!"
Them: "Yaaaaaah! Why?"
Me: "For my blog, is that ok?"
Them: "Aweeesommme."

This dude: "Hey, you were taking my picture!"
Me: "yeah, is that ok? I wanted to get a picture of you and your friends in headdresses for my blog."
Dude: "you're wearing a snuggie! Can I snuggie in your snuggie?!"
Me (wearing a leopard print snuggie at the time): "um, ok?"
Dude (as rubbing his face on the sleeve of my snuggie): "so soft."

She and her friends were a bit more caveman-esq, with bones in their hair and such. No less offensive.

Neon paint war paint and Rayban wayfarers. hipster at its best.

Fringe and a 40. Definitely honoring Native culture, right?

So, a mere sampling of the hundreds of "Indians" to grace B2B. They ranged from just a headdress to full-on buckskin and floor length warbonnets, and were everywhere. This image even made it to the SF Gate web coverage of the event:

(source)

Before anyone gets on my case for posting these photos, a few disclaimers:

1) As you can see from the dialogues below the pictures, anyone who made eye contact I asked permission to take their picture "for my blog." No one cared. Most of them probably don't remember talking to me anyway. Also, it was a public event, with news/media cameras everywhere. People knew they were being photographed. (I hate that I even have to include this, but you know)

2) Indian costumes were by no means the only form of racist costumes. There were plenty of "Mexicans" in sombreros and mustaches, "Asians" with kimonos and stereotypical rice paddy hats, even some "Tibetan monks" (I have a picture of those):

 All equally racist, all equally offensive. But considering my blog is on Natives, I thought I would focus on the Indian appropriations. But I did want to point out that the images of Natives are the not only instances of this behavior at the event.

In fact, next year I plan to print up about 5000 of these stickers and running around putting them on everyone dressed as any of the aforementioned costumes:

Good idea? or GREAT idea?

Still want to know why wearing a headdress is wrong?: But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?

and earlier, showing it's not just exclusive to B2B:

The Hipster Headdress Abounds at Coachella: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/04/hipster-headdress-abounds-at-coachella.html

(Thanks to Bill for sending over the sf gate pic, and to Q, Freeman, EJ, and Katie for putting up with me playing "spot the Indian" all morning, and Annie for the idea!)

But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?

(image from http://www.facebook.com/iamhowlingwolf, which is an entire post in itself. geez.)

I've posted a lot about the phenomenon that is the hipster headdress (see here, here, and here), but I've never really broken it down as to why this trend is so annoying and effed up. A lot of this will be review and is repeated elsewhere on the site, but I thought it was high time I pulled things together into a one-stop-anti-headdress shop. Much of this can also apply to any of the "tribal trends" I feature here, and you can also consider this a follow up to my "Cultural Appropriation Bingo" post. The many sources I drew from are included at the end of this post.

So why can't I wear it? 

• Headdresses promote stereotyping of Native cultures.
The image of a warbonnet and warpaint wearing Indian is one that has been created and perpetuated by Hollywood  and only bears minimal resemblance to traditional regalia of Plains tribes. It furthers the stereotype that Native peoples are one monolithic culture, when in fact there are 500+ distinct tribes with their own cultures. It also places Native people in the historic past, as something that cannot exist in modern society. We don't walk around in ceremonial attire everyday, but we still exist and are still Native.

• Headdresses, feathers, and warbonnets have deep spiritual significance.
  The wearing of feathers and warbonnets in Native communities is not a fashion choice. Eagle feathers are presented as symbols of honor and respect and have to be earned. Some communities give them to children when they become adults through special ceremonies, others present the feathers as a way of commemorating an act or event of deep significance. Warbonnets especially are reserved for respected figures of power. The other issue is that warbonnets are reserved for men in Native communities, and nearly all of these pictures show women sporting the headdresses. I can't read it as an act of feminism or subverting the patriarchal society, it's an act of utter disrespect for the origins of the practice. (see my post on sweatlodges for more on the misinterpretation of the role of women). This is just as bad as running around in a pope hat and a bikini, or a Sikh turban cause it's "cute".  

• It's just like wearing blackface.
  "Playing Indian" has a long history in the United States, all the way back to those original tea partiers in Boston, and in no way is it better than minstral shows or dressing up in blackface. You are pretending to be a race that you are not, and are drawing upon stereotypes to do so. Like my first point said, you're collapsing distinct cultures, and in doing so, you're asserting your power over them. Which leads me to the next issue.

• There is a history of genocide and colonialism involved that continues today.
  By the sheer fact that you live in the United States you are benefiting from the history of genocide and continued colonialism of Native peoples. That land you're standing on? Indian land. Taken illegally so your ancestor who came to the US could buy it and live off it, gaining valuable capital (both monetary and cultural) that passed down through the generations to you. Have I benefited as well, given I was raised in a white, suburban community? yes. absolutely. but by dismissing and minimizing the continued subordination and oppression of Natives in the US by donning your headdress, you are contributing to the culture of power that continues the cycle today.

But I don't mean it in that way, I just think it's cute!

• Well hopefully I've illuminated that there's more at play here than just a "cute" fashion choice. Sorry for taking away your ignorance defense. 

But I consider it honoring to Native Americans!

• I think that this cartoon is a proper answer, but I'll add that having a drunken girl wearing a headdress and a bikini dancing at an outdoor concert does not honor me. I remember reading somewhere that it was also "honoring the fine craftsmanship of Native Americans". Those costume shop chicken feather headdresses aren't honoring Native craftsmanship. And you will be very hard pressed to find a Native artist who is closely tied to their community making headdresses for sale. See the point about their sacredness and significance.

I'm just wearing it because it's "ironic"!

• I'm all for irony. Finger mustaches, PBR, kanye glasses, old timey facial hair, 80's spandex--fine, funny, a bit over-played, but ironic, I guess. Appropriating someone's culture and cavorting around town in your skinny jeans with a feathered headdress, moccasins, and turquoise jewelry in an attempt to be ‘counterculture’? Not ironic. If you’re okay with being a walking representative of 500+ years of colonialism and racism, or don’t mind perpetuating the stereotypes that we as Native people have been fighting against for just as long, by all means, go for it. But by embracing the current tribal trends you aren’t asserting yourself as an individual, you are situating yourself in a culture of power that continues to oppress Native peoples in the US. And really, if everyone is doing it, doesn't that take away from the irony? am I missing the point on the irony? maybe. how is this even ironic? I'm starting to confuse myself. but it's still not a defense.

Stop getting so defensive, it's seriously just fashion!

• Did you read anything I just wrote? It's not "just" fashion. There is a lot more at play here. This is a matter of power and who has the right to represent my culture. (I also enjoy asking myself questions that elicit snarky answers.) 

What about the bigger issues in Indian Country? Poverty, suicide rates, lack of resources, disease, etc? Aren't those more important that hipster headdresses?

• Yes, absolutely. But, I'll paraphrase Jess Yee in this post, and say these are very real issues and challenges in our communities, but when the only images of Natives that Americans see are incorrect, and place Natives in the historic past, it erases our current presence, and makes it impossible for the current issues to exist in the collective American consciousness. Our cultures and lives are something that only exist in movies or in the past, not today. So it's a cycle, and in order to break that cycle, we need to question and interrogate the stereotypes and images that erase our current presence--while we simultaneously tackle the pressing issues in Indian Country. They're closely linked, and at least this is a place to start.   

Well then, Miss Cultural Appropriation Police, what CAN I wear?

• If you choose to wear something Native, buy it from a Native. There are federal laws that protect Native artists and craftspeople who make genuine jewelry, art, etc. (see info here about The Indian Arts and Crafts Act). Anything you buy should have a label that says "Indian made" or "Native made". Talk to the artist. find out where they're from. Be diligent. Don't go out in a full "costume". It's ok to have on some beaded earrings or a turquoise ring, but don't march down the street wearing a feather, with loaded on jewelry, and a ribbon shirt. Ask yourself: if you ran into a Native person, would you feel embarrassed or feel the need to justify yourself? As commenter Bree pointed out, it's ok to own a shirt with kimono sleeves, but you wouldn't go out wearing full kabuki makeup to a bar. Just take a minute to question your sartorial choices before you go out.       

...and an editorial comment:  I should also note that I have absolutely nothing against hipsters. In fact, some would argue I have hipster-leaning tendencies. In my former San Francisco life, had been known to have a drink or two in the clouds of smoke outside at Zeitgeist, and enjoyed shopping on Haight street. I enjoy drinking PBR out of the can when I go to the dive bars near my apartment where I throw darts and talk about sticking it to 'The Man'. I own several fringed hipster scarves, more than one pair of ironic fake ray-ban wayfarers, and two plaid button downs. I'm also not trying to stereotype and say that all hipsters do/wear the above, just like not every hipster thinks it's cool to wear a headdress. So, I don't hate hipsters, I hate ignorance and cultural appropriation. There is a difference. Just thought I should clear that up.

This manifesto draws heavily from these awesome posts:

A l'allure garçonnière: The Critical Fashion Lovers (basic) guide to Cultural Appropriation

Threadbared: LINKAGE: The Feather In Your “Native” Cap
Racialicious: Some Basic Racist Ideas and Some Rebuttals & Why We Exist
GSU Signal: Mockery of Native heritage only perpetuates Native issues

Bitch Magazine: Ke$ha and the ongoing cultural appropriation and sexualization of Native women
Bitch Magazine/Racialicious: On Hipster/Hippies and Native Culture

The Hipster Headdress Abounds at Coachella

(image via www.shockhound.com)

Can you believe it's been almost 3 months since I first grappled with "The Strange Case of the Hipster Headdress?" Since then, I've definitely been shocked by just how much the trend has invaded indie/hipster culture, as well as more mainstream outlets (like Ke$ha on American Idol). Two weeks ago, the Coachella music festival was held in the desert of Southern California, and it seems like the go-to outfit of choice for attendees (and even some performers) included the now ubiquitous headdress. Abundant evidence below:

(image via GQ.com)

A commenter on the Coachella.com forum asks: "Why was every other douchebag at this year's festival dressed in a colorful Native American Feather Headress with neon paint all over their bodies?"

(via brooklynvegan.com)

Twitter user evlauren tweeted from the event: "Coachella Indian head dress count so far=2" (she got up to 4)

 (via trystlove.com)

Nylon Magazine reported that "The official uniform of Coachella is cut-off jean shorts, a drape-y, belly-baring white tee, and an Indian headdress." 

 (via stylesectionla.com)

Twitter user krishaleanne tweeted, the day before coachella: "packed for coachella. but still needed: an indian headdress, more confetti, light-up toys . . .oh and a ticket to coachella."

Then there was Icelandic artist Jonsi, who performed his set in a full-on warbonnet-type thing:

(via Nylon Magazine's flickr feed)

Which even made it to the bbc.com article on the festival:

(article and image here)

These are by no means exhaustive, there was a ridiculous amount of material to draw from. I just wanted to use this post to point out how prevalent it was, but look for a follow up that will offer a primer on just why and how this trend is harmful, hurtful, and effed up.

UPDATE 4/27: Here's the follow up post--But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress? 

Earlier: 

The strange case of the hipster headdress: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/02/strange-case-of-hipster-headdress.html

Ke$ha, American Idol, and a trend that won't do away: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/03/keha-headdress-and-trend-that-wont-go.html

(Thanks Jesse, Lici, Lisa and anyone else who sent me links!)