Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. 4. MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! When you comment on, Asian American and Pacific Islander History, Race and Membership in American History: Eugenics. Archived post. Usually, the appropriating culture is in a relation of domination to the appropriated culture. The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Check it out here:https://youtu.be/fHE4fkvUpWMI really just made this video to express how I am currently feeling about the wendigo doll situation and the questions I have about it. 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. Dollightful's Wendigo Doll - Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation? +9*]aty``mZm/[= ${2R{!g=b{B,L0R2"T]IDa. By looking at the depictions of windigo in these specific Western stories and in Native American beliefs, it is possible to see how stripping spirits of their original contexts is harmful to Native communities. 0000012532 00000 n ])yB\}OIZyY8 aA6Vo !C_D#!MYik.1>%'5ryZ*>fb=n#_dr;j5 { The Witherell House and the Cult of Weird, Movie Review: BIRDS OF PREY (And the Fantabulous Inclusion of Victor Zsasz and a Hyena). l Ca#!LzH{t+8W5 !2*_{)rgx-`]CTXSH($g i enjoy his content, but the w*ndigo is part of a closed religion and is supposed to be a lesson about human greed and selfishness, not a cannibal monster story. 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. 0000015547 00000 n So yeah, if anyone could offer any insight/information, thatd be appreciated. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Since the concept of a wendigo stems from First Nations folklore, maybe someone making a cute little doll of this evil spirit figure was seen as inappropriate or making fun of their culture? You must be here to either learn more about social justice or answer questions from a social justice viewpoint. The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien and Le Guin, to the science-fiction universes of Delany and Asimov, to the tabletop realm of Gygax and Barker, and beyond. For more information, please see our And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. Cultural appropriation consists of borrowing something from another culture in mockery or thoughtless misuse. 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. The Windigo also has the power to turn humans into cannibals who suffer the same . Turning on As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. I dont know who originally posted it, or where. I really just want to learn about how to appreciate aspects of cultures that I am not included in respectfully. I'm just struggling to understand the significance of it. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. "@TheThiccholas @realcoolJAY They can't say Issa wendigo cus of cultural appropriation props to them buuuuuut also WENDIGO type energy sooo " Hunchman, K. N. (2020). A classic example is wearing a Plains Indian war bonnet (see the 80s band The Village People). 0000005961 00000 n (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. The wendigo is intended to embody hunger, particularly as refracted through the icy cold of winter and the monstrous things that people do when their appetites overwhelm them. 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). 0000001705 00000 n Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like . 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. media has really misconstrued the original lore and importance of the w*ndigo to Indigenous culture. 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. Film, (Anything that isnt outright vandalism isnt likely to harm the statue at all, but I wouldnt dare do anything disrespectful around it. But as far as cultural appropriation and the Wendigo goes, dont you daredont you DAREtry to take our monsters away from us, PC wankers! It was already here. i don't think there should be any 'canceling' of Wendigoon or whatever, but definitely something should be said. Appropriating the Wendigo As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. So, thanks, Dave! Only assholes think thats offensive. One does not need to delve very deeply into the annals of American film, television, and literature to find an array of caricatured depictions of Native American peoples and a distortion of their knowledge. She is Native American. Scan this QR code to download the app now. 0000001546 00000 n 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). Theres something else. 1. Cultural appropriation is the co-optation of elements, customs, or practices of one culture by another culture without acknowledgment or consent. We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. <> 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. It may be used to justify calling. 0000011489 00000 n Posted by 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. How stupid to think otherwise. %%EOF 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). 0000006529 00000 n s\&|5T!JN04hy'I0 1pv=~0-K$k}xSK"g:O*ox&zGa13(YXzy_{v-N^!c@[H o&g( 0000005304 00000 n Dollightful's Apology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW-KBzKWvrUTo clear up the addition that I made even more, I think that it would be pretty important for the information on this topic to be easily accessible to her viewers. To Helheimr with it! Be supportive, this is a place for growth, not hostility. <> However, it never provents for people of that tribe to share this and that story. It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! stream arent cryptids thing. As a creator, I believe it is my responsibility, the responsibility of any creator, if using characters that belong to a culture other than mine and exploring themes from that culture, to be accurate. a lot of Natives and people in general don't even like saying the word itself. 9'b_X~~@0CKYO~8yOK9I$^I>t In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. Europeans may well have behaved like Wendigos when they invaded the Americasthey didbut they didnt bring the Wendigo with them. Okay, dont anybody get me wrong. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. My basic rule is simple: be respectful. Sponsored by Ball State University Libraries. My Thoughts and Questions OllieOnyx 845 subscribers Subscribe 4.5K 119K views 2 years ago I just posted a new video talking. 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. 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. 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! One of those advisors I just mentioned, Chris Eyre, had this to say of the Wendigo: They [meaning Native peoples] truly, truly believe in it, because it represents greed and colonialism when we first came to the shores of what is now America, and pillaged all of their resources and forced them [into] cannibalism. The deaths of tens of millions of Jews, Slavs, etc., at the hands of the Nazis, the deaths of tens of millions of blacks in slavery days, the deaths of up to 30 million or more Indians in the 1500s, the terribly short life spans of Mexican Indian farm workers in the US, and of Native Americans generally today, the high death rates in the early industrial centers among factory workers, and so on, all clearly attest to the fact that the wealthy and exploitative literally consume the lives of those that they exploit. I just posted a new video talking about cultural appropriation and art! startxref If so, what did you think about it? Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. Privacy Policy. 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. This is a place to learn more bout Social Justice 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. 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. endobj These new narratives that white people make fail to acknowledge that the wendigo, and the Indi. Driving down a dark quiet highway in Southern Manitoba, a man sees someone bent over on the side of the road. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Topics: Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. Cooper and del Toro made the conscious decision to tell the story of the wendigo in a way that is respectful to its Native American roots, which in turn helps make Antlers a more authentic horror film. 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. hb```b``Ub`e``s`g@ ~+ a1fm{s/K5N9MHd@*2Ey]#B}>x,&ucrnhm:HkN=_B }Wzp.S#WCXi;dRa ,.0H*. Rules: 0000009056 00000 n 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. 246 33 0000004071 00000 n And were on the right side, thats what were working on but sometimes you get that cannibal tendency. 0 There's nothing wrong with drawing the popular concept of a wendigo monster, or drawing any monster with antlers, and calling it a wendigo. 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. 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. Indigenous, Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In the course of the transformation from human to wendigo, the person exhibits increasing selfishness, violence, hunger, and greed particularly for human flesh. I have always felt a distinct emotional connection to it, in fact. they've been stripped of cultural context. the origins don't even depict the w*ndigo with deer antlers, but a human with bitten off lips. 0000008020 00000 n Those things, the predation on the Indians by Europeans, most certainly happened. Answer (1 of 8): Yes, unless actively researched with proper resources and talked to with First Nation folks as proof-readers. With teepees, Im not sure I get it. Copyright 2022 Facing History & Ourselves. Windigo is a malevolent manitou or spirit whose insatiable appetite for human flesh can never be satisfied. endobj 278 0 obj <>stream Only those entitled to them should wear them. 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. teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. symL,JyvCq;[H~! 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. Im just struggling to understand the significance of it. 3. Learn how your comment data is processed. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. so im sort of clueless how reddit works and made an account for this, so bare with me. i don't know if anyone has talked about this, but i have a special interest in Native American culture, history, etc. And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. 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). 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. 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. And whoever!). Early folklore described them as tall and impossibly emaciated humanoids with sharp incisors and a heart of ice. 0000009954 00000 n I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. Cookie Notice 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. 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. I have named this observation of the Wendigothe Caveless Creature phenomenon. Posts and comments should be substantive, and assertions backed in fact or personal lived experience. Now that I have a major problem with. Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. 0000012030 00000 n The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. As I mentioned during our latest episode of the NYMG podcast, I've been playing Until Dawn, and the game has got me thinking about a few different things that I'd like to spend some time parsing through, like the game's representation of things like gender and race, how it is that the idea of choice seems to influence the way we think about these representations, and the manner in which . 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. T[,%q5 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. 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. and our Handle the characters and the story with respect. spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. Learn how your comment data is processed. Still though, Im not sure I fully get the Native American spirits(?) Magazine with fellow environmental thought leaders, LaDuke said: Theres this conflict between the cannibals and Mother Earth, and its going on everywhere. 17spaz 2 yr. ago He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. 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. During a panel at YES! It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. however, the w*ndigo originates from spiritual beliefs held by Indigenous peoples. 0000000974 00000 n wendigo cultural appropriation [26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. 0000010971 00000 n If you were to look around the world about other religions, anything that is associated with death and disease is regarded upon. It has become something else altogether. 0000020040 00000 n Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. 0000004651 00000 n 0000007477 00000 n x\o7a_h ss+yHL$eW}gfw)$/D !;n*+v}}uSU|.&-y Please report rule violations. 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. and our 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. 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. 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. 0000012791 00000 n His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 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. Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like Pet Sematary by Stephen King and The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood are stripped of their original context and are mere stereotypes of the cultures they originate from. 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. 4 0 obj 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. 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. 246 0 obj <> endobj That is why we know about the wendigo today, it is an oral tradition like all the . :)Looking to buy some stickers or look at some pictures of my art or my other things? appropriation that has troubled the exchange between Indigenous . 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 0000003976 00000 n 0000009484 00000 n 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. Cookie Notice 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. Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. Thus I support Scott Cooper, the director of the forthcoming (hopefully by next spring) ANTLERS, in his efforts to seek out consultation from Indian advisors when making his movie, which features a Wendigo. Basically, the wendigo was supposed to be a creature you didn't even say the name of or else you could draw the attention of one.
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