It's almost 2012! How are these for some slightly embarassing statistics--my 2010 blog post count: 158 and 2011? only 58. (Where did those 100 posts go?) But don't worry, my goal for 2012: 5 million blog posts!!! Or at least more than once every three weeks. Also look for a blog re-design in the new year, as well as some other exciting things in the world of Native Approps.
I've been inspired by Jessica over at Beyond Buckskin--she's been doing some great round-up posts to close out 2011, so I thought I would throw together one of my own. Also, if you haven't already, check out Beyond Buckskin's new design, twitter, and facebook page. Show the Native blog-o-sphere some love!
So without further ado, here are the most clicked on posts this year for Native Appropriations:
10. Love in the Time of Blood Quantum
The post that originated the term "unicorn" to describe an educated, motivated, culturally connected Native man--a term that has snuck into our everyday lexicon out here on the East Coast. I still want someone to do a follow up on this from the Unicorn perspective, or a non-heteronormative perspective...you know you want to!
"I know what you probably think of us...we saw the special too. Maybe you saw a picture, or read an article. But we want you to know, we're more than that...We have so much more than poverty."
I know many of you saw the Diane Sawyer 20/20 special "Children of the Plains," and I let it pass by without much comment on the blog. I had plenty to say, but I knew a lot of folks from the community, and some of my friends, thought it was great--so I let it go, and didn't think it was really my place to barge in with my super-critical lens on the whole thing.
But some awesome kids from Pine Ridge Rosebud, SD put together this short, but powerful video in response to the special, which I love:
Reminded me of this quote from Adam Sings in the Timber: "It often seems as if America has only two frames through which to view
its Native culture: ceremony and pageantry or poverty and addiction."
There's a lot of power when we get to represent ourselves.
Yesterday I posted about an awesome Pepper Ann cartoon that dealt with Peppy "discovering" her Navajo ancestry. Then, some readers pointed out some even cooler things I didn't notice upon first watch, and some pointed out how I had made some really poor language choices in my write-up, so I'll get to that too.
I spotted this video on My Culture is Not a Trend last night, and had to share. Pepper Ann is/was(?) a cartoon on the Disney Channel, featuring a super awkward, kinda oblivious, but nearly always endearing main character, Pepper Ann. I had flashbacks to the theme song when I started watching this...Pepper Ann, Pepper Ann, she's much too cool for 7th grade...no one's greater than Pepper Ann! She's her own biggest fan, Pepper Ann!...But I digress.
This quick episode (only 11 minutes! watch it!) features the exact same plot as Running Zack, the episode of Saved By the Bell when Zack discovers his "Indian" heritage, but this one is much more well done.
Quick synopsis: teacher tells the class they're doing heritage
reports, Pepper Ann decides all of her European ancestry is "boring" and
then her Dad informs her she's actually 1/16 Navajo, and gives her a
concho belt that belonged to her ancestor. Pepper Ann then gets super
excited, relying on every stereotype possible to represent her new
"Indianness"--war whooping, crying a single tear for littering, putting
her brother in a cradle board, beating "war drums", etc. The whole time
her friends are telling her she's being offensive and wrong, but she's
too caught up in her ficticious identity to care.
Then she invites a "real" Navajo family over for dinner, she
makes a complete fool out of herself in a plains Indian costume,
building a tipi out of bed sheets, making smoke signals, suggesting they do a rain dance. The family
gets offended and leaves, and later Pepper Ann eventually goes to apologize,
learns the truth about Navajos, and gives a culturally correct and
sensitive classroom presentation. I'm not really doing it justice. You should watch it.
Here's the Navajo family:
Look, they're in normal clothes! And they're named Dave, Carol, and Bob. The grandpa (not pictured) is named Andy (no sterotypical names!). The whole episode is pretty awesome and spot on. Clearly the writers actually talked to some Navajos (what a novel idea). And I love that Pepper Ann's friends are totally informed about cultural sensitivity and the proper way to represent--and her friend is also Native Hawaiian, which is cool. At one point he says "I'm Native Hawaiian, but I don't walk around in a grass skirt and dance the hula everyday." Sounds like we should be friends.
And here's the moral of the story, after the Navajos leave:
Pepper Ann: What happened? I thought I was just learning about my background! Moose: That's just it, Peppy. You weren't interested in learning anything. They barely got to talk. Pepper Ann: All I wanted to do was show them how much I knew about our culture from stuff I picked up on TV, and in the movies, and in comic books... Mom: Yes, but that's what stereotyping is, Peppy. Even when it's done with the best of intentions. You can't believe things about any group of people without getting to know them first!
Cue the sappy music. Anyway, watch it. You'll be glad you did. I think every person who's been dressing up as an Indian and uses the "honoring" argument should be forced to watch it, or every person who thinks discovering an Indian ancestor means they can walk around in full buckskin and feathers.
"Yulefest" is a Cambridge, MA tradition of sorts, a Holiday-themed 5k race through the streets of Cambridge, ending at a big tent full of beer. It's considered to be irreverent, silly, and (from what I've heard) an overall good time. "Creative holiday wear" and costumes are encouraged, and everyone has a grand ol' time. Until now. Cause I'm not having a grand ol' time after seeing their promotional materials.
Here's the description from Cambridge 5k (the organizers):
Long before Christmas, there was a quirky winter festival named "Yule" that people really loved. Join us 12/18/11 for a 5K race that takes the holidays back to their old school roots!
Registration includes a great shirt
+ admission to our post-race Yulefest Party (21+) featuring great
music, craft beers & awesome awards! > You will LOVE this race!
I'm not against fun. In fact, this sounds like a lot of fun. And I would totally participate, if I weren't an overly-critically-fun-destroying-troll who finds joy in ruining your ignorance defense. I'm talking about the postcard above.
Let's break it down, shall we?
Two vintage-looking Indian women, waving/saying "how", wearing stereotypical feather headbands, accompanied by a tipi wrapped around a Christmas tree. Fantastic. I assume they were going for "cute" "clever" maybe even a little "hipster" or "ironic"? Or maybe it's a weird reference to the taking the "holidays back to their old school roots" in the description? But, what, I ask you, does the stereotyping of Native people have to do with running, or even the holidays for that matter?
So I tweeted it to the organizers, and here's how it went down (it's really not that exciting so don't anticipate too much, but I included some snarky commentary from my followers too):
...and the apology, of sorts. "Didn't mean to offend anyone. Thanks for the schooling, we agree with you." They only had 140 characters, so I can't expect a novel. But admittedly, it was a little anti-climactic.
But did they agree with me enough to go pull the postcards from the various shops around town? or retweet my tweet to their followers? or post something on Facebook? That would probably be asking too much, right? Who knows.
Now, the overly-critically-fun-destroying-troll needs to get back to her end of semester grading. Hooray!
