Opinion

Adrienne Keene: Native people can be guilty of stereotypes too

Monday, November 2, 2015

A "Lil' Indian Princess" costume. Photo from BuyCostumes.Com

Adrienne Keene, a member of the Cherokee Nation who runs Native Appropriations, doesn't think Native people should get away with wearing "Indian" costumes either:

As a Native person, or a person with Native ancestry, you are not somehow excused from criticism for a racist, stereotypical costume. The costume has no connection or relationship to actual Native regalia, and pieces like the headdress actually have deep meaning that you are mocking and erasing by donning them on a night made for make-believe. You are reifying stereotypes, collapsing hundreds of tribes into a set of characteristics that don’t represent the vast, vast diversity of Indian Country. Your tribe has it’s own distinct culture, regalia, and cultural practices, and chances are they look nothing like the mess you’re wearing for a party.
Halloween is also the exact worst time to honor your heritage. Halloween is a time for people to dress up as characters, as fantasy creatures, and play pretend. Your culture is not pretend. It is real, and vibrant, and deserves respect–not for you to stand in faux-regalia with a red cup of halloween punch drunkenly dancing to Monster Mash.
I also support the harsh questioning from Native peoples you may have encountered, and believe their tone, anger, and dismissiveness is completely justified. When we angrily demand to know your nation and your connection to your community, it’s because we are asking ourselves, How could this have happened?? Who are you accountable to??
The anger of Native people should be a signal to you. If you are a Native person, this is the community you are part of, and the relationships that you held are accountable to. If they are telling you that your actions are harmful, it would behoove you to listen.

Get the Story:
Adrienne Keene: To the Native people in “Indian” Costumes (Native Appropriations 11/1)