endobj 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. MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! 2 0 obj 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. Usually, the appropriating culture is in a relation of domination to the appropriated culture. media has really misconstrued the original lore and importance of the w*ndigo to Indigenous culture. 0000009484 00000 n endobj i don't know if anyone has talked about this, but i have a special interest in Native American culture, history, etc. 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. 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. 2. 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. 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. It was intended to be a lesson on human greed and the damage it can cause. I know what cultural appropriation is but Ive not been as involved in social justice as I used to be and I guess its showing. 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). 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. so im sort of clueless how reddit works and made an account for this, so bare with me. <<410561E535828C4ABA4EA5627C70A225>]/Prev 78716/XRefStm 1365>> startxref 0000012532 00000 n Windigo is a malevolent manitou or spirit whose insatiable appetite for human flesh can never be satisfied. %PDF-1.7 <> 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. 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). 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. Privacy Policy. During a panel at YES! 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 . 0000003976 00000 n 0000008549 00000 n 0000010971 00000 n 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. This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes. (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. 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. No one can try to stake a singular claim to it. The concept of cultural appropriation began well enough, but just like everything else woke culture political correctness, it's gone way too far. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Cultural appropriation is the co-optation of elements, customs, or practices of one culture by another culture without acknowledgment or consent. If so, what did you think about it? 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. Rules: Finally, it's just not that hard to do two minutes of. 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. :)Looking to buy some stickers or look at some pictures of my art or my other things? 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. This articlescross-media analysiscovers television, film and game media;Teen Wolf(201117),Supernatural(200520), Bruce WemplesThe Retreat(2020) and SuperMassive GamesUntil Dawn(2015). Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. You dont have to be of Afro-Caribbean descent to talk about, write about, or make movies about zombies. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. 0000020040 00000 n I dont know who originally posted it, or where. 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). ])yB\}OIZyY8 aA6Vo !C_D#!MYik.1>%'5ryZ*>fb=n#_dr;j5 { Those things, the predation on the Indians by Europeans, most certainly happened. Im just struggling to understand the significance of it. But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. 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. 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. <>/Metadata 266 0 R/ViewerPreferences 267 0 R>> 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). 0000015547 00000 n We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. I have named this observation of the Wendigothe Caveless Creature phenomenon. 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. That is why we know about the wendigo today, it is an oral tradition like all the . My basic rule is simple: be respectful. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. The Witherell House and the Cult of Weird, Movie Review: BIRDS OF PREY (And the Fantabulous Inclusion of Victor Zsasz and a Hyena). Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. 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! 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. Political correctness started out as one thing, a good thing. Only those entitled to them should wear them. 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. 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. His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 0000004071 00000 n Posts and comments should be substantive, and assertions backed in fact or personal lived experience. xref But as far as cultural appropriation and the Wendigo goes, dont you daredont you DAREtry to take our monsters away from us, PC wankers! A classic example is wearing a Plains Indian war bonnet (see the 80s band The Village People). When you comment on, Asian American and Pacific Islander History, Race and Membership in American History: Eugenics. By Christian Chiakulas, Contributor Writer, musician, activist, single father from Chicago. endobj 3. 0000001365 00000 n 0000010400 00000 n and our 4 0 obj That's just pulling a potential explanation out of my ass, though, I have no idea if its accurate or not. 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.
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