x\o7a_h ss+yHL$eW}gfw)$/D !;n*+v}}uSU|.&-y The Windigo also has the power to turn humans into cannibals who suffer the same . 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? It was intended to be a lesson on human greed and the damage it can cause. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 Digital Literature Review 1 Stolen Spirits: The Appropriation of the During a panel at YES! Scan this QR code to download the app now. Vol. Is it cultural appropriation for a white author to use a Native In the course of the transformation from human to wendigo, the person exhibits increasing selfishness, violence, hunger, and greedparticularly for human flesh. Those things, the predation on the Indians by Europeans, most certainly happened. Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. Appropriating the Wendigo | Werewolves Please report rule violations. <>/Metadata 266 0 R/ViewerPreferences 267 0 R>> By Christian Chiakulas, Contributor Writer, musician, activist, single father from Chicago. MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! Magazine with fellow environmental thought leaders, LaDuke said: Theres this conflict between the cannibals and Mother Earth, and its going on everywhere. That is why we know about the wendigo today, it is an oral tradition like all the . 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. The concept of cultural appropriation began well enough, but just like everything else woke culture political correctness, it's gone way too far. Have you encountered wendigo stories in films, television shows, or books? 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. 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. 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). We do the same thing with a lot of mythological creatures. Facing History and Ourselves combats racism and antisemitism by using history to teach tolerance in classrooms around the globe. (Think Noah from . These new narratives that white people make fail to acknowledge that the wendigo, and the Indi. 0000010971 00000 n Privacy Policy. 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. Although this article is specifically observing the Wendigo, I argue that it is one of many caveless creatures, and the treatment of them by creators of non-Indigenous horror genre should be analysed in the future. 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. Political Correctness and the Wendigo | Werewolves A classic example is wearing a Plains Indian war bonnet (see the 80s band The Village People). 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. 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. 0000002723 00000 n 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. That taste of human flesh, which out of that rose the wendigo.. 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. However, it never provents for people of that tribe to share this and that story. 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. If you were to look around the world about other religions, anything that is associated with death and disease is regarded upon. 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. There's nothing wrong with drawing the popular concept of a wendigo monster, or drawing any monster with antlers, and calling it a wendigo. 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. More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories 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). 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). 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. How stupid to think otherwise. And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. This is a place to learn more bout Social Justice 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I really just want to learn about how to appreciate aspects of cultures that I am not included in respectfully. 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. <> 0000009056 00000 n i don't know if anyone has talked about this, but i have a special interest in Native American culture, history, etc. Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. Theres something else. You dont have to be French to love the Phantom of the Opera. Cookie Notice For resources: http://reddit.com/r/SRSDiscussion/wiki/required. You dont have to be of Afro-Caribbean descent to talk about, write about, or make movies about zombies. I'm just struggling to understand the significance of it. 0000006529 00000 n New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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. 2 0 obj 0000007477 00000 n Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. stream xref By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. It springs from the well of the collective human unconscious, the communal soul. endobj In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. 7 (2020): Ghosts and Cultural Hauntings. HeyYaIQ 21 days ago. spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. <<410561E535828C4ABA4EA5627C70A225>]/Prev 78716/XRefStm 1365>> With teepees, Im not sure I get it. 3 0 obj Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like . and our Stolen Spirits | Digital Literature Review - Ball State University (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. 0000012030 00000 n 0000011489 00000 n 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. the origins don't even depict the w*ndigo with deer antlers, but a human with bitten off lips. media has really misconstrued the original lore and importance of the w*ndigo to Indigenous culture. 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. it's just something thats been bothering me so i thought it'd come to reddit to see what other people thought. Copyright 2022 Facing History & Ourselves. As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. I just posted a new video talking about cultural appropriation and art! 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. trailer "@TheThiccholas @realcoolJAY They can't say Issa wendigo cus of cultural appropriation props to them buuuuuut also WENDIGO type energy sooo "