I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. In contrast to modern horror stories that appropriate the wendigo as a plot device, Forbes implies that what actually ought to be terrifying to us is that we live in societies enveloped in violence and exploitation that we struggle to identify as such. 9 Neil Jamieson-Williams Science Fiction Writer (part-time/now full-time) at Self-Employment (1977-present) Author has 1.7K answers and 1.1M answer views Updated 6 mo Ah, another Mike Wilson question The heroes of books I read, movies I watched, and games I played almost exclusively looked like me when I was growing up, people I could easily identify with. 8.1.2014. Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. It shouldn't be bad thing if you don't mock culture, make sure to have all information you can ( read books from culture or ask someone who grew up with said culture if they are willing to teach you) but then again they aren't from your culture and unlike creatures like vampires they are a bit more closed i don't know is it good to use them. And unfortunately for them, this isn't the first time. 5 Reasons Katy Perry Is Pop Music's Worst Cultural Appropriator And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. (PDF) A Creature Without a Cave: Abstraction and (Mis)Appropriation of The reason I chose this game is due to how this game has story in it, and I think it would fit this meme well for an analysis and review. I wouldn't be offended if someone dressed as a stereotypical Scottish person whatever that looks like lol. The idea of getting down to the nitty-gritty came from the 18th century English slave trade, when nitty-gritty referred to the worthless debris left at the ship's bottom compartment after slaves had been evacuatedand evolved to include the slaves themselves. A classic example is wearing a Plains Indian war bonnet (see the 80s band The Village People). [47], Other creatures based on the legend, or named for it, appear in various films and television shows, including Dark Was the Night, Ravenous , The Lone Ranger (2013),[48] and the 2021 film Antlers by Scott Cooper, where the wendigo is portrayed as a deer-like creature with a glowing heart that moves from person to person with a never ending hunger. MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! "Windigo Psychosis: A Study of Relationship between Belief and Behaviour among the Indians of Northeastern Canada." Discover wendigo cultural appropriation 's popular videos | TikTok In some cases, this entailed killing people with Wendigo psychosis. I am just reacting to what I read in this ridiculous PSA journal out there on Deviantart. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He wasn't dead. [33], The frequency of Wendigo psychosis cases decreased sharply in the 20th century as Boreal Algonquian people came into greater and greater contact with European ideologies and more sedentary, less rural, lifestyles. A nice summary is found here: The concept of cultural appropriation emerged in academia in the late 1970s and 1980s as part of the scholarly critique of colonialism. [44], Contemporary Indigenous works that explore the legend include the 1995 novel Solar Storms by author and poet Linda K. Hogan (Chickasaw), which explores the stories of the wendigo and incorporates the creatures as a device to interrogate issues of independence, spirituality, politics, an individual's relationship to the family, and as a metaphor for corporate voracity, exploitation, and power - all viewed as a form of cannibalism. The novel describes its primary antagonist, a rapist whose violent crimes desecrate a sacred site, as a wendigo who must be killed because he threatens the reservation's safety. [26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. I always thought these are what cannibals are turning into. If Hello Kitty and the Minions from Dispicable Me being considered acceptable Halloween costumes wasn't the exact point I stopped taking Halloween seriously as a holiday, Wendigos being considered a form of disrespectful "cultural appropriation" was. The horror film Antlers adopts an old monster for its story, which serves as both a benefit and a hindrance. Blackwood's work has influenced many of the subsequent portrayals in mainstream horror fiction,[42][43] such as August Derleth's "The Thing that Walked on the Wind" and "Ithaqua" (1933 and 1941),[41] which in turn inspired the character in Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary,[42] where it is a personification of evil, an ugly grinning creature with yellow-grey eyes, ears replaced by ram's horns, white vapor coming from its nostrils, and a pointed, decaying yellow tongue. Appreciation is honoring and respecting another culture and its practices, as a way to gain knowledge and understanding. More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories, often presented apart from its original cultural contexts, At Facing History and Ourselves, we value conversationin classrooms, in our professional development for educators, and online. An uncontrollable craving for consuming human flesh, even if a plenty of other food is available. [28] He eventually confessed and was executed by authorities at Fort Saskatchewan. The legend of the Wendigo stems from Native American folklore, primarily in Algonquian-speaking tribes located in south and southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes Region, and northeastern United States. Cultural appropriation is a bullshit term made up by people who feel some bizarre psychological need to make up reasons to punish themselves. [17] Therefore, wendigos are portrayed as simultaneously gluttonous and extremely thin due to starvation. And whoever!). (the proceeding statement may contain some levels of sarcasm.). 12. Is it Cultural Appropriation if I have a Wendigo character? Cultural appropriation is a huge red flag that the brand has minimal diversity or representation behind the scenes," she explains. Wendigo | Unpublished Villains Wiki | Fandom "To the people present, it was suspected that Moostoos was becoming a 'Whitego', an insane person capable of murdering and cannibalism.41 To the natives without jails or asylums, there was only one thing to do. "Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression and doesn't respect their original meaning or give credit to their source. It really depends who you talk to. Wendigo - What Is It and Where Does It Come From? - The Infographics Show Europeans may well have behaved like Wendigos when they invaded the Americasthey didbut they didnt bring the Wendigo with them. It just looks like a human that may be bigger than normal. I mean, I have native heritage, grew up with the culture and I even have a wendigo character in my own comic that's based on the pop-culture version with the elk skull and whatnot so I honestly don't see an issue with it but if you're really concerned then perhaps try a different monster called the Leshy from Slavic folklore? Your culture and entertainment cheat-sheet. Some controversial new studies question the syndrome's legitimacy, claiming cases were actually a product of hostile accusations invented to justify the victim's ostracism or execution."[35]. #wendigokin on Tumblr His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763
[13] They were strongly associated with winter, the north, coldness, famine, and starvation.[14]. 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. 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. This country is seeking to be whole Stretching out its arms and consuming all it can. does not have antlers or have any wolf features. It's like saying vampires are sacred. Now neither Christian culture is by any means endangered to become a minority (although some US Bible Belt hate preachers consistently claim so) nor is Chinese culture, so both are out of ansatz here. This form of cultural appropriation is deeply intertwined with systemic and institutionalized racism rooted in capitalism. Creative freedom is a beautiful luxury too many do not understand; it wasn't but a hundred years ago when art was said to have an objective hierarchy, and that was how it was for thousands of years. Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! 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, thanks, Dave! As a result, in 1907, Fiddler and his brother Joseph were arrested by the Canadian authorities for homicide. After thinking about it more, I think I get it about the wendigos. wendigo appropriation plymouth township mi police scanner View of Culturally Conceptualizing Trauma: The Windigo in Joseph - UNB Cultural appropriation can be defined as the "cherry picking" or selecting of certain aspects of a culture, and ignoring their original significance for the purpose of belittling it as a trend. PDF Baring the Windigo's Teeth: The Fearsome Figure in Native American Still though, Im not sure I fully get the Native American spirits(?) Nitty gritty. No, I read your comment. It's also linked to the many cultural taboos against these negative actions and behaviors. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge The film dives deep into cultural appropriation during those pivotal scenes in which the black crows help save the day for the titular flying elephant. I will draw whatever I feel like drawing. Maybe ask a person of Chinese heritage. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In addition to characterizing individual people who exhibit destructive tendencies, the wendigo can also describe movements and events with similarly negative effects. This ailment attacked our deputies; and, as death is the sole remedy among those simple people for checking such acts of murder, they were slain in order to stay the course of their madness. And that's exactly the problem. I am so offended! Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. The Wendigo (Also known as windigo, weendigo, windago, waindigo, windiga, witiko, wihtikow, and various other names including manaha) originates from Native-American legend, and is said to be a demonic half-beast as told by the Algonquian peoples along the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada. And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. "** 40. and our J.K. Rowling's Cultural Appropriation Should Be A Lesson To White Writers Native Americans shouldn't be a "niche," and neither should women, LGBT people, or people of color. The legend of the Wendigo is, in fact, one of the oldest manifestations of a taboo peculiar to most human societies, and which was already widespread among Anglophone tribes: cannibalism. They went back again to see if he was dead. After thinking about it some more, I understand that its a kind of It was okay for these kids to pretend to be Indians but not for these kids to actually be Indians thing but I saw someone claim that it was contributing to colonisation and the death of death of their culture and that felt a bit strong. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets; the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. In Ojibwe, Eastern Cree, Westmain Swampy Cree, Naskapi, and Innu lore, wendigos are often described as giants that are many times larger than human beings, a characteristic absent from myths in other Algonquian cultures.