Tag Archives: cultural appropriation

Module 4 Weblog

My final entries for Module 4 are sometimes eclectic, reflecting the wandering nature of this journey I have taken, and sometimes repetitive when considering that several of my classmates have likely posted the same links. However, I feel enriched for having the chance to explore the multitude of online resources, and through the contributions of the class, I feel an emerging confidence in being able to find and utilize authentic resources for my classes.

#16

http://mediasmarts.ca/blog/new-tools-aboriginal-youth-making-good-decisions-about-sharing-online

This is an excellent resource for media literacy for youth in Canada. The specific link refers to resources that have been translated into Cree, Ojibwe, and Inuktitut, dealing with sharing and smart decision making when negotiation content online. The site offers resources on larger media related topics, from Aboriginal peoples in general, to stereotyping and representation in media.

#17

https://next150.indianhorse.ca/challenges/authentic-indigenous-arts

#18

https://www.reclaimindigenousarts.com/home

Since my final paper deals with cultural appropriation, my search for related resources brought me back to the “Next 150” campaign to spread awareness of Truth and Reconciliation through Canada by way of a variety of social media challenges. This particular challenge is presented by Nadine, St.-Louis, a prominent “social and cultural entrepreneur”. In a short video, St.-Louis shortly summarizes cultural appropriation before directing the audience to pledge that can be taken to promise to support only Indigenous artists and their work. St.-Louis also directs the viewer to – among other resources – www.reclaimindigenousarts.com, an “awareness campaign and a Call to Action” surrounding cultural appropriation in Canada. The site explains cultural appropriation and offers ways the viewer can help support the campaign. St.-Louis and Toronto based artist Jay Soule (who’s featured in the Module 3 collection of sources) are credited with originating the campaign.

#19

http://www.isuma.tv/isuma

The production group mentioned in the Faye Ginsburg chapter caught my attention, so I decided to include it. The site contains information on the founders of the group and their various projects.

#20

http://aptn.ca

Failing to make the cut from my Module 1 contribution, The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network site was a contribution I wanted to explore and include at some point. Combining news and various television programming, the site offers for me eye-opening evidence of the values and interests of a culture that I knew so little about. I will certainly be coming back to this site in the future to explore more the types of stories that are told through this historic indigenous media hub.

#21

https://www.sonnyassu.com/

#22

https://canadianart.ca/features/sonny-assu-complex-mix-of-cultures/

In looking for more artists for my final project, I came upon a local (North Delta) artist who, like Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, explores the convergence of the traditional and modern. Like Andy Everson and Jay Soule, Assu sometimes incorporates iconic imagery and themes from western popular culture in order to explore his multicultural influences. The article from Canadian Art covers a wide range of topics, from Assu’s ancestry to his influences and significant modern works.

#23

http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_c/mod11.html

UNESCO has created a “multimedia teacher education programme” that attempts to define Indigenous knowledge in hopes of fostering understanding and appreciation for a place for Indigenous knowledge in education around the world. This particular programme offers seven lessons or activities that range in topics that cover the importance of Indigenous education to how to live with Indigenous education and incorporate it into various curricula. This site links to other activities that focus on areas such as experiential learning and storytelling.

#24

https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/11/21/us/missionary-john-chau/index.html

My last entry is from a recent incident involving an American missionary killed on North Sentinel Island after attempting to communicate with the Indigenous tribe there. After reading this particular article, which seems to focus on the missionary’s reasons for illegally traveling to the island and attempting to contact the tribe, I found myself questioning the bias inherent in it, as it seems that detailing the background of the missionary and the devotion to his cause underscored the severity of the crime he committed in trying to contact the tribe. The Christian euro-centrism in this piece resonates strongly, as while the potential harm that such contact presents is raised, and a defense from a group advocating for “tribal peoples’ rights” is presented, the article cannot help but be padded with details of the missionary’s past and devotion to his religion, despite knowing the risks that contact could present. I wonder if CNN would pay as close attention to the motivations of, say, a Muslim who died for their religious beliefs, or a suicide victim who was driven by personal reasons. As a conclusion to this course, I think this article has shown me how my views and understandings have changed with regards to Indigenous peoples and own relationship with their world.

#25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8C4Qa3f7j8

“Sunshine” from the 80s Australian Reggae group Us Mob. The song has stuck in my head for a few days now, and serves to remind me of the learning I will continue to do with regards to defining and celebrating Indigenous identity and culture through media and technology. Enjoy the song, and if you want to learn more about the group, see the links below (rather than explain, I will let you explore 😉

#26

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrong_Side_of_the_Road

#27

http://shop.nfsa.gov.au/wrong-side-of-the-road

#28

https://aso.gov.au/titles/features/wrong-side-of-the-road/clip1/

 

Module 3 Findings

For the Module 3 contributions, I wanted to start looking for resources and examples for my final paper, the topic of which is a tentative examination of Indigenous identity and relations through reverse cultural appropriation in media. My initial interest in this topic can from finding the gallery page of Comox artist Andy Everson, who in the past has combined Indigenous styles and motifs with images from popluar culture, names those from the Star Wars franchise. His gallery can be found here:

 

#11

http://www.andyeverson.com/2011/2011.html

I wanted to find other artists who similarly appropriated significant cultural images from the West. I came upon Chippwar (aka Jay Soule) who blends Indigenous references and images with familiar Western movies and the connotations they evoke. The video summarizes Soule’s rationale for the creation of his work as both a statement for Indigenous identity, as well as a criticism against mainstream culture’s tendency to appropriate Indigenous images and artifacts for little more than profit. Soule’s website offers many provocative examples of the types of representation I have been looking for.

 

#12

https://www.cbc.ca/arts/exhibitionists/this-artist-is-fighting-cultural-appropriation-with-over-the-top-indigenous-monster-movie-posters-1.3964024

#13

https://chippewar.com

My final artist for this module is Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. I had a chance to attend his 2016 exhibition at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, and was immediately struck by the statements he made through his art, as bold and glaring as the colors and images he uses. From his website, “Yuxweluptun’s strategy is to document and promote change in contemporary Indigenous history in large-scale paintings (from 54.2 x 34.7cm to 233.7 x 200.7cm), using Coast Salish cosmology, Northwest Coast formal design elements, and the Western landscape tradition. His painted works explore political, environmental, and cultural issues.”

I admit that Yuxweluptun is not necessarily in the same category as Everson and Soule, in that his appropriation is not as obvious, but I am drawn to some of the surrealist elements, as well as the statements he makes by incorporating Western iconography such as corporate logos and traditional Western business suits. If I can examine Yuxweluptun in my research and paper, I would very much like to.

 

#14

http://mfineart.ca/macaulay-co-fine-art/artists/lawrence-paul-yuxweluptun/

#15

http://lawrencepaulyuxweluptun.com/index.html

Hopefully I will be able to find more examples for my paper, as well as some solid resources that explore cultural appropriation in general.

Native Appropriations

Native Appropriations is a is a blog that critically discusses the ways that Indigenous people are shown in the mainstream, “Euro-American dominated, culture”. Active since 2010, the blog is run by Cherokee scholar Adrienne Keene.  Some of the most talked about topics are “hipster headdresses”, the Native American mascot controversy and appropriation and misrepresentations of Native American cultures in big Hollywood blockbusters.