wendigo appropriation

Privacy Policy. And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. Europeans may well have behaved like Wendigos when they invaded the Americasthey didbut they didnt bring the Wendigo with them. "@TheThiccholas @realcoolJAY They can't say Issa wendigo cus of cultural appropriation props to them buuuuuut also WENDIGO type energy sooo " endobj so im sort of clueless how reddit works and made an account for this, so bare with me. <>/Metadata 266 0 R/ViewerPreferences 267 0 R>> I have always felt a distinct emotional connection to it, in fact. 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. Only assholes think thats offensive. 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. Facing History and Ourselves invites educators to explore our case study Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools, particularly our reading "Culture, Stereotypes, and Identity" which features reflection questions surrounding some of the stereotypical media representations that we touch upon at the beginning of this essay. i don't think there should be any 'canceling' of Wendigoon or whatever, but definitely something should be said. The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. When she was brought to the lab she already had the curse of the Wendigo but after she was "updated" she had visible antlers and could change her shape. Smith and Fiore detail that, among the Cree and northernmost Ojibwa, it is a feared creature because it is understood as both a 'mythic character' and as a threat to humans (2010: 68). +9*]aty``mZm/[= ${2R{!g=b{B,L0R2"T]IDa. spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. T[,%q5 17spaz 2 yr. ago 0000012030 00000 n I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. In this paper, I document the depictions of windigo in Native American mythology, those of Western literature, and the effects of appropriation and misrepresentation on Native communities. Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like . And were on the right side, thats what were working on but sometimes you get that cannibal tendency. Learn how your comment data is processed. Learn how your comment data is processed. and our 4. defence-cultural-appropriation Cultural appropriation is defined by Britannica.com as "When members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way." Cultural appropriation is a growing topic in this country that when it occurs, or is discussed, often creates controversy. Have you encountered wendigo stories in films, television shows, or books? 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. Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. Topics: 0000007477 00000 n New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. %%EOF 0000003862 00000 n <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> This article's cross-media analysis covers television, film and game media; Teen Wolf (2011-17), Supernatural (2005-20), Bruce Wemple's The Retreat (2020) and SuperMassive Games' Until Dawn . endobj 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. however, the w*ndigo originates from spiritual beliefs held by Indigenous peoples. As much as I would love to tell everyone to just read her sources and then be able to understand everything better, I just don't think that's realistic for most people(because they are not easily accessible to most, and I don't think that was her intention by including these in her description. 0 Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. <> Sponsored by Ball State University Libraries. the origins don't even depict the w*ndigo with deer antlers, but a human with bitten off lips. 0000010971 00000 n It was intended to be a lesson on human greed and the damage it can cause. It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. It's taboo to the Anishaabe people, but the common depiction of it in media is no where near the original frozen cannibal spirit that the legends are based off of. When you comment on, Asian American and Pacific Islander History, Race and Membership in American History: Eugenics. For more information, please see our 0000013308 00000 n 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. 3 0 obj To Helheimr with it! If so, what did you think about it? A classic example is wearing a Plains Indian war bonnet (see the 80s band The Village People). Only those entitled to them should wear them. 0000006529 00000 n That is why we know about the wendigo today, it is an oral tradition like all the . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. When the soldiers reach Ives' cave, Boyd and Reich investigate. This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. This articlescross-media analysiscovers television, film and game media;Teen Wolf(201117),Supernatural(200520), Bruce WemplesThe Retreat(2020) and SuperMassive GamesUntil Dawn(2015). (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. These new narratives that white people make fail to acknowledge that the wendigo, and the Indi. I dont know who originally posted it, or where. U%.CI$ FKe{CiV/\Lg1DD$A!=FHD6 EInw^9qkCh&1rvR'`{7X wEB7Az~q0n8 t)$xh1rQJ,p>O/$-J)'OTk|m9(k|6U g/-JU;WM}7d5)V.yX=Qu,TDI+CA_5U|nH$WK7G3-aYaqeV2jWQV6C6OY"W5?x;f_27j3Y)/G`j|e9NHCp+-r4g7D? c! The Windigo also has the power to turn humans into cannibals who suffer the same . So, thanks, Dave! On top of that, the wendigo is a part of death. The latest addition to this lineup of wendigo tales is Scott Cooper and Guillermo del Toros horror film Antlers (2021) in which a Native American character provides some brief exposition before the story centered around a white community contending with the monster begins in earnest. HeyYaIQ 21 days ago. Facing History and Ourselves combats racism and antisemitism by using history to teach tolerance in classrooms around the globe. Usually, the appropriating culture is in a relation of domination to the appropriated culture. s\&|5T!JN04hy'I0 1pv=~0-K$k}xSK"g:O*ox&zGa13(YXzy_{v-N^!c@[H 2 0 obj George warns those who are leaving about the Wendigo myth: anyone who consumes the flesh of their enemies takes their strength but becomes a demon cursed by an insatiable hunger for more human flesh. In contrast to modern horror stories that appropriate the wendigo as a plot device, Forbes implies that what actually ought to be terrifying to us is that we live in societies enveloped in violence and exploitation that we struggle to identify as such. 1. 1 0 obj % Welcome to Facing Today, a Facing History blog. 0000011489 00000 n From Stephen Kings Pet Sematary to the television series Hanibal, the flesh-eating image of the wendigo is often presented apart from its original cultural contexts where it carries deep moral significance. 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. This space is not for debate. I have named this observation of the Wendigothe Caveless Creature phenomenon. But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. After thinking about it more, I think I get it about the wendigos. Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. Privacy Policy. This is a place to learn more bout Social Justice It springs from the well of the collective human unconscious, the communal soul. As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. This is a story shared not merely for entertainment but to reinforce the communal values that allow the communities in which this practice occurs to live well with one another and within their environments. If you were to look around the world about other religions, anything that is associated with death and disease is regarded upon. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Film, Scan this QR code to download the app now. 0000008549 00000 n Scan this QR code to download the app now. And they are worth considering including in ones classroom teaching. Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. 0000009954 00000 n and our Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge Cultural appropriation is the co-optation of elements, customs, or practices of one culture by another culture without acknowledgment or consent. 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. a lot of Natives and people in general don't even like saying the word itself. Still though, Im not sure I fully get the Native American spirits(?) 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. 0000012532 00000 n Wendigos, teepees and cultural appropriation I read some stuff yesterday saying that teepees are cultural appropriation and there was a long post about how wendigos aren't cryptids and how stories about them are cultural appropriation. I have this character in a webcomic I want to write who is a Wendigo. You dont have to be of Afro-Caribbean descent to talk about, write about, or make movies about zombies. If you do go as a specific person, avoid figures of religious or cultural significance to a particular group to which you do not belong. With the comments turned off on Dollightful's apology video, I thought that maybe we could have some discussion here(if anyone ever sees this, anyway). they've been stripped of cultural context. You must be here to either learn more about social justice or answer questions from a social justice viewpoint. That taste of human flesh, which out of that rose the wendigo.. (Anything that isnt outright vandalism isnt likely to harm the statue at all, but I wouldnt dare do anything disrespectful around it. 0000012791 00000 n The Wendigo happens to be part of my own (Anishiinaabe) cultural heritage. Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! 0000004071 00000 n How stupid to think otherwise. That's just pulling a potential explanation out of my ass, though, I have no idea if its accurate or not. The paper concludes that employing the Wendigo as a caveless creature is a common practice within horror as it easily creates a villain for white protagonists to defeat repeatedly. l Ca#!LzH{t+8W5 !2*_{)rgx-`]CTXSH($g No one can try to stake a singular claim to it. <<410561E535828C4ABA4EA5627C70A225>]/Prev 78716/XRefStm 1365>> i love the videos uploaded to youtube and try to keep up with posts, so this is by no means a bash at Wendigoon. The moral lessons contained in wendigo stories are also used to support the task of social critique in the late Native American scholar Dr. Jack D. Forbes' book Columbus and Other Cannibals: The Wtiko Disease of Exploitation, Imperialism, and Terrorism (1978).There, he uses the cannibalistic wendigo as a metaphor for the behaviors and attitudes central to patterns of social domination . We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. %PDF-1.4 % appropriation that has troubled the exchange between Indigenous . Participate in good faith. It has become something else altogether. Rules: However, it never provents for people of that tribe to share this and that story. Posts and comments should be substantive, and assertions backed in fact or personal lived experience. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 Though these misrepresentations of the wendigo beg for critical interrogation, the wendigo stories of Algonquian peoples offer a window into the endurance of cultural resources used to transmit significant moral values, and underscore the power of Native people using these stories to engage in social critique. Just as the vampire and werewolf do not belong exclusively to people of European descent and the Mummy doesnt belong to Egyptians. I'm just struggling to understand the significance of it. Ojibwe scholar Dr. Brady Santi has developed this guide for teachers who would like to teach students about her communitys unique belief systems with an emphasis on the wendigo as it appears in popular films. By Christian Chiakulas, Contributor Writer, musician, activist, single father from Chicago. Im just struggling to understand the significance of it. There's nothing wrong with drawing the popular concept of a wendigo monster, or drawing any monster with antlers, and calling it a wendigo. In most traditions, the wendigo is human in origin and becomes a monster through a process that results either from acts of starvation-induced cannibalism or from possession by a spirit. 246 33 MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! Finally, it's just not that hard to do two minutes of. 0000000016 00000 n 0000001365 00000 n 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. This article analyses prominent examples of the Wendigo myth in modern North American horror media and the implications of misappropriation by non-Indigenous creators for non-Indigenous audiences. I think she knew that her decision would be challenged and she wanted to let people know that she had valid reasons for doing what she did. The Wendigo is a 'terrifying cannibal ice monster that has its genesis in stories of people forced into cannibalism by the long winter' (Smith and Fiore, 2010: 68). This analysis will trace the process of these media, made by non-Indigenous white creators, removing the Wendigos indigeneity and placing it within fictional settings as an antagonist. 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. symL,JyvCq;[H~! And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. <> 0000002723 00000 n We should show proper respect to our Cryptids at all times, and Im rightfully righteously indignant at the thought of anyone doing otherwise with Mothman. It was already here. Marvel Comics pay tribute to classic Monsters. I just posted a new video talking about cultural appropriation and art! Answer (1 of 6): First and foremost, I'm not telling you this because I personally have a problem with you dressing as a wendigo for a cryptid fair, but we are living in an age of cancel culture where a costume you sported ten years ago might be used against you. 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 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). 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. :)Looking to buy some stickers or look at some pictures of my art or my other things? (Think Noah from . 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. In this paper, I document the depictions of windigo in Native American mythology, those of Western literature, and the effects of appropriation and misrepresentation on Native communities. It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. Turning on Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. 0000009596 00000 n Handle the characters and the story with respect. Okay, dont anybody get me wrong. The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. It may be used to justify calling. She's part of a group of young adults created in a lab (she's the only one who wasn't) who have these special abilities. Cookie Notice Thats just asking for trouble.) 9'b_X~~@0CKYO~8yOK9I$^I>t I read some stuff yesterday saying that teepees are cultural appropriation and there was a long post about how wendigos arent cryptids and how stories about them are cultural appropriation. 0000008020 00000 n However, PCism taken to its extreme would say that neither Cooper, nor I, should be telling stories about Wendigos at all, since were not of aboriginal descent. 2. Appropriating the Wendigo As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. With teepees, Im not sure I get it. 0000005304 00000 n Scan this QR code to download the app now. Copyright (c) 2022 Francesca Amee Johnson, https://doi.org/10.31273/reinvention.v15iS1.906, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, Accepts submissions from any undergraduate student, worldwide, including student-staff collaborations (student must be lead author), Edited by students and staff at the University of Warwick and Monash University. Archived post. Driving down a dark quiet highway in Southern Manitoba, a man sees someone bent over on the side of the road. Tell us about it in the comments. I analyze the way the windigo are represented in Western literature and argue that Native American spirits should belong to the cultures they originate from. This construction is problematic in the horror genre as it presents an Indigenous antagonist that poses a threat to white culture for its otherness and indigeneity while at the same time, misappropriating, discarding and demonising the Indigenous culture the myth comes from, at whim. Posted by And whoever!). 0000003465 00000 n She is Native American. Indigenous, The Witherell House and the Cult of Weird, Movie Review: BIRDS OF PREY (And the Fantabulous Inclusion of Victor Zsasz and a Hyena). After thinking about it some more, I understand that its a kind of It was okay for these kids to pretend to be Indians but not for these kids to actually be Indians thing but I saw someone claim that it was contributing to colonisation and the death of death of their culture and that felt a bit strong. More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories, often presented apart from its original cultural contexts, At Facing History and Ourselves, we value conversationin classrooms, in our professional development for educators, and online. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. wendigo cultural appropriation [26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. As a creator, I believe it is my responsibility, the responsibility of any creator, if using characters that belong to a culture other than mine and exploring themes from that culture, to be accurate. As a creator, I believe it is my responsibility, the responsibility of any creator, if using characters that belong to a culture other than mine and exploring themes from that culture, to be accurate. For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! Answer (1 of 8): Yes, unless actively researched with proper resources and talked to with First Nation folks as proof-readers. 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. By looking at the depictions of windigo in these specific Western stories and in Native American beliefs, it is possible to see how stripping spirits of their original contexts is harmful to Native communities. 0000023412 00000 n 3. 0000005554 00000 n His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. That, I would affirm, is truly and literally cannibalism, and it is cannibalism accompanied by no spiritually meaningful ceremony or ritual., More than a commentary on the life of wendigo stories amongst his own people, Forbes deploys the metaphor of the wendigo to advance nothing less than a critique of civilization at large and describes the violence that he argues lies at its foundation as one driven by a kind of wendigo psychosis. For more information, please see our Hunchman, K. N. (2020). The question of how to challenge the wtiko psychosis as described by Forbes and Wendigo Economics as described by LaDuke is a difficult one, but the mythic force of the concept of the wendigo helps to underscore the urgency of these questions.

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