Renee Diehlman

11.18.15 Eng110
John Abbott
Research Paper

While researching Halloween costume ideas, the search results list was full of costume
options for Pochahottass, seductive Gypsy, and luscious lederhosen barmaid. Cultural
appropriation is everywhere. It is seen on run ways, music festivals, sports teams, Halloween
costumes; and it is even seen in political and academic circles. With good reason, the ongoing
battle against cultural appropriation has had a recent resurgence. In an effort to glean support of
classifying cultural appropriations as unacceptable in dominant cultural society, several
platforms are bringing awareness on the negative impacts of cultural appropriation.
According to the Merrium-Webster dictionary the definition of appropriation is to take
or use (something) especially in a way that is illegal, or unfair (Merriam-Webster). Cultural
appropriation often includes a person of a dominant group using the culture of minority groups
for their own benefit; sometimes without any understanding of the significance of the part of the
less dominate culture that was appropriated. Cultural appropriation marginalizes the plights of
the minority group, and also takes much needed income from the minority groups when
appropriating art, fashion and entertainment. The first step to combatting cultural appropriation
and bringing awareness is to shine a light on the instances where cultural appropriation is
happening today.
It is easy to brush off more innocent forms of cultural appropriation, in instances such as
a little girl dressed up as a gypsy or when an elementary school teacher forces all students in

class to receive an Indian name; even though there may be children in class whom may already
have one.
We all can see the goodness in the intentions behind these circumstances, but nonetheless
it is just as damaging to the group of people alive and well still living in these cultures. Imagine a
young Ojibwa Cree girl learning about colonization of the United States in school, being forced
to take a mispronounced Sioux name gathered from a website by a Caucasian teacher. Seems
sincere enough right? Thats where people can be considered wrong and indifferent. In most
Native American cultures, a name is given by a spiritual leader or resected elder. The name is a
reflection of who the person is and where their path in life will take them. By giving an Indian
name in the class room or at a Boy Scout camp, they are using a spiritual ceremony of an
underrepresented culture for their own amusement as an educational anecdote - leaving the
Ojibwa Cree girl feeling invisible and a joke. These forms of cultural appropriation having been
overlooked and accepted, allow for more blatant forms of appropriation to exist unchecked.
One industry where cultural appropriation runs rampant is art and fashion. There has been
rampant disregard by art and fashion designers that the United States created the Indian Arts and
Crafts Act of 1990, which prohibited the misrepresentation of art and craft work as being Native
American made if the item can be proven to be made by a federally recognized tribal member.
This did minimize false claims of indigenous art work; however it increased native themed or
inspired articles. The problem with cultural themed or inspired merchandise is that often the
creator has a platform to mass produce and distribute at a much lower cost, thereby creating a
price gap in similar products, causing a loss in sales of indigenous art.

The fashion world also creates additional issues with cultural appropriation in art. In the
fashion arena, many believe that the artist is entitled to creative license, giving them free range
on the textures, images and ideas that inspire the clothing and accessories Yes, art is inclusive
and it is hard to know when to draw the line between inspiration and appropriation. There a few
ways to tell the distinction between inspiration and appropriation. Issues can be raised, if the
artist does not credit the culture they are inspired by and provide a deep cultural understanding of
the inspiration and how it relates to the people it stems from. Evidence of a lack of deep
understanding of the culture identity of inspiration can be found as recently as spring 2015
fashion week.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what Bethany Yellowtail, experienced when KTZs fall and
winter line premiered during fashion week. KTZ received rave review on the fashion line for
their indigenous inspired clothes. In response to the accolades given, many people who were
aware of Bethany Yellowtails recent work, were understandably upset and turned to blog sites to
reveal the appropriation and design theft (Keene). Pictured below on the left is Bethany
Yellowtail with her familys traditional beadwork from which she draws inspiration. You can see
her dress design in the middle picture and on the right is the KTZ design from 2015. Some
people believe this type of design work is just creative license; however it is possible to
incorporate cultural themes without the negative impacts of appropriation. Oskar Metsavaht, has
done just this.

Pictured from left to

right Bethany
Yellowtail Crow
Northern Cheyenne
Designer holding her
family beadwork
design, Bethany
Yellowtail2014 dress
design, KTZs
Fall/Winter line at
New York Fashion
Week was a tribute
to Indigenous peoples
(Keene)

Oskar Metsavaht, who is founder and creative director of a Bazillion sportswear

company, created a line for spring 2016 entitled, Ashninka, which incorporated the
indigenous tribes traditional tattoos and fabrics (Varagur). What differs in this situation verses
those that are appropriating the culture, is that Oskar actually paid the indigenous tribe for the
use of their cultural designs. The Ashninka tribe, used that revenue from the sale for various
improvements, such as building a school for their children in their rainforest homelands of Peru.
He also created a mini documentary in hopes of bringing awareness to the fight for saving the
Ashninkas rainforest home from logging and mining companies. Not only did he recognize the
tribe that inspired the collection, but he gained an appreciation of their culture and plights. This
would be the most considerate way to use cultural inspiration without appropriation.
Unfortunately many still do not understand the negative impacts of their appropriations. Some
even go as far as to make a false personal history to include an assumed culture or race.
Extreme cases of cultural appropriation have been exhibited by Rachel Donzal and Susan
Taffett Reed, who have literally chosen to personify the minority culture for their own. They

took on the assumed minority culture as a lifestyle to gain the professional and academic seats
that should have gone to actual members of the minority groups they pretended to represent.
Pretending to be of native descent, Susan Taffet Reed was hired as the Director of Native
American Programs at Dartmouth University. Her removal from this position is due to the public
outcry on social media, and internet news sites regarding her appropriation of Native Americans
through the nonprofit, non-federally funded, 503c Eastern Delaware Tribe. The Eastern Delaware
Tribes own website admits that members of the non-profit organization are not all of Native
American decadency. Both Rachel Donzal and Susan Taffet Reed, notable for their work in the
African American and Native American academic and political circles, have recently been
identified in the media for their cultural appropriations.
While some may argue that the Eastern Delaware tribe is self-identifying as a minority
and generally that is all that is required for acceptance as such; however the UN defines an
indigenous person as self-identified and as being accepted by the indigenous group as a member.
This is clearly not the instance in Susan Taffett Reeds case, because, several Native American
news sources, blogs, and personal social media pages show an outcry of disgust at her
appointment and protest her heritage. The Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
even link her actions with the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues statement by saying
Falsifying ones identity or relationship to particular Indigenous Peoples is an act of
appropriation continuous with other forms of colonial violence. (Keeler) This is exactly what
Susan Taffett Reed did; she entered into an unrecognized tribe and declared herself an
indigenous minority and even an expert as of such.

Others yet believe, that appropriators are merely appreciating and connecting with the
minority group. In a Vanity Fair interview, Rachel Donzal former head of Spokane Washington,
N.A.A.C.P. states Its not a costume. From my earliest memories, I have awareness and
connection with the black experience, and thats never left me. Its not something that I can put
on and take off anymore. Rachel goes as far as to say she feels although she may not have any
African ancestry, she is black (Samuels). The issue to Rachels view on this is she isnt African
American, and did present herself as such in order to further her career and social aspirations.
People of any race should make themselves culturally aware and accepting, but without falsely
presenting themselves as a minority person who has had to deal with the everyday experiences
and struggles of being a minority, or as an expert of their plights.
Not only did these women receive benefits from minority career advancement programs
and the like, they also became academically renowned as for their knowledge and insight to the
minority issues faced by the cultures they appropriated. These womens examples can be used as
further evidence of people of dominant cultures believing they have the right to speak for the
minority groups because their cultural appropriation had been so widely accepted.
When next Halloween approaches, I hope you think twice before picking up that Geshia
girl, Gypsy, or Pohcahottie costume. Then when thanksgiving approaches I hope you advocate in
your childrens classrooms for cultural respect. In addition, I hope those with the power to hire
staff to assist within minority cultures, thoroughly vet their candidates to ensure they have the
education, training, understanding of customs and at the very least are not pretending to be a
minority themselves.

Works Cited
Keeler, Jacqueline. "http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com." 9 21 2015.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/09/21/susan-taffe-reeddartmouths-dolezal-161826. web. 25 11 2015.
Keene, Adrienne. "http://nativeappropriations.com/2015/02/new-york-fashion-weekdesigner-steals-from-crow-artist-bethany-yellowtail.html." 2015.
nativeappropriations.com.
Merriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com. 2015. dictonary. 25 Novemeber
2015.
Samuels, Allsion. "Rachel Dolezals True Lies." Vainty Fair 19 July 2015. Web and
Print.