Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. Theres something else. It springs from the well of the collective human unconscious, the communal soul. Indigenous, 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. And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. 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. The paper concludes that employing the Wendigo as a caveless creature is a common practice within horror as it easily creates a villain for white protagonists to defeat repeatedly. Its incredibly validating to know that other people have heard about it and enjoy the story enough to make reference to the name and concept. Archived post. As I mentioned during our latest episode of the NYMG podcast, I've been playing Until Dawn, and the game has got me thinking about a few different things that I'd like to spend some time parsing through, like the game's representation of things like gender and race, how it is that the idea of choice seems to influence the way we think about these representations, and the manner in which . Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like Pet Sematary by Stephen King and The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood are stripped of their original context and are mere stereotypes of the cultures they originate from. Learn how your comment data is processed. After thinking about it more, I think I get it about the wendigos. Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. Participate in good faith. MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! Cultural appropriation is the co-optation of elements, customs, or practices of one culture by another culture without acknowledgment or consent. 0000007477 00000 n 2 0 obj 246 33 1. Please report rule violations. <>/Metadata 266 0 R/ViewerPreferences 267 0 R>> 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. This article's cross-media analysis covers television, film and game media; Teen Wolf (2011-17), Supernatural (2005-20), Bruce Wemple's The Retreat (2020) and SuperMassive Games' Until Dawn . It was intended to be a lesson on human greed and the damage it can cause. 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. endobj 0000006529 00000 n Though these misrepresentations of the wendigo beg for critical interrogation, the wendigo stories of Algonquian peoples offer a window into the endurance of cultural resources used to transmit significant moral values, and underscore the power of Native people using these stories to engage in social critique. Im just struggling to understand the significance of it. 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). 0000003465 00000 n This construction is problematic in the horror genre as it presents an Indigenous antagonist that poses a threat to white culture for its otherness and indigeneity while at the same time, misappropriating, discarding and demonising the Indigenous culture the myth comes from, at whim. startxref 0000012532 00000 n Answer (1 of 6): First and foremost, I'm not telling you this because I personally have a problem with you dressing as a wendigo for a cryptid fair, but we are living in an age of cancel culture where a costume you sported ten years ago might be used against you. If so, what did you think about it? Native Americans, Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. Finally, it's just not that hard to do two minutes of. The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. But as far as cultural appropriation and the Wendigo goes, dont you daredont you DAREtry to take our monsters away from us, PC wankers! appropriation that has troubled the exchange between Indigenous . With teepees, Im not sure I get it. %PDF-1.7 arent cryptids thing. Cultural appropriation consists of borrowing something from another culture in mockery or thoughtless misuse. However, it never provents for people of that tribe to share this and that story. 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. I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. 0000012030 00000 n One of those advisors I just mentioned, Chris Eyre, had this to say of the Wendigo: They [meaning Native peoples] truly, truly believe in it, because it represents greed and colonialism when we first came to the shores of what is now America, and pillaged all of their resources and forced them [into] cannibalism. I have this character in a webcomic I want to write who is a Wendigo. 4. 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). "@TheThiccholas @realcoolJAY They can't say Issa wendigo cus of cultural appropriation props to them buuuuuut also WENDIGO type energy sooo " 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. How stupid to think otherwise. endobj 0000001705 00000 n 0000012791 00000 n Abstract. 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. Facing History and Ourselves invites educators to explore our case study Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools, particularly our reading "Culture, Stereotypes, and Identity" which features reflection questions surrounding some of the stereotypical media representations that we touch upon at the beginning of this essay. The concept of cultural appropriation began well enough, but just like everything else woke culture political correctness, it's gone way too far. % teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. 7 (2020): Ghosts and Cultural Hauntings. Rules: wendigo cultural appropriation [26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. We should show proper respect to our Cryptids at all times, and Im rightfully righteously indignant at the thought of anyone doing otherwise with Mothman. xref defence-cultural-appropriation Cultural appropriation is defined by Britannica.com as "When members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way." Cultural appropriation is a growing topic in this country that when it occurs, or is discussed, often creates controversy. 4 0 obj +9*]aty``mZm/[= ${2R{!g=b{B,L0R2"T]IDa. (Think Noah from . In this paper, I document the depictions of windigo in Native American mythology, those of Western literature, and the effects of appropriation and misrepresentation on Native communities. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 Hunchman, K. N. (2020). (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. From Stephen Kings Pet Sematary to the television series Hanibal, the flesh-eating image of the wendigo is often presented apart from its original cultural contexts where it carries deep moral significance. HeyYaIQ 21 days ago. When she was brought to the lab she already had the curse of the Wendigo but after she was "updated" she had visible antlers and could change her shape. This is a place to learn more bout Social Justice I know what cultural appropriation is but Ive not been as involved in social justice as I used to be and I guess its showing. In most traditions, the wendigo is human in origin and becomes a monster through a process that results either from acts of starvation-induced cannibalism or from possession by a spirit. 0000010400 00000 n Tell us about it in the comments. 3. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. One example is Ojibwe activist Winona LaDuke who has called for a decisive shift away from what she has termed Wendigo Economics for the sake of the health of the natural world. Handle the characters and the story with respect. The wendigo is intended to embody hunger, particularly as refracted through the icy cold of winter and the monstrous things that people do when their appetites overwhelm them. My basic rule is simple: be respectful. Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like . 0000005304 00000 n 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. To Helheimr with it! 0000007047 00000 n She is Native American. however, the w*ndigo originates from spiritual beliefs held by Indigenous peoples. The Witherell House and the Cult of Weird, Movie Review: BIRDS OF PREY (And the Fantabulous Inclusion of Victor Zsasz and a Hyena). Copyright (c) 2022 Francesca Amee Johnson, https://doi.org/10.31273/reinvention.v15iS1.906, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, Accepts submissions from any undergraduate student, worldwide, including student-staff collaborations (student must be lead author), Edited by students and staff at the University of Warwick and Monash University. 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. Facing History and Ourselves combats racism and antisemitism by using history to teach tolerance in classrooms around the globe. It has become something else altogether. And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. Just as the vampire and werewolf do not belong exclusively to people of European descent and the Mummy doesnt belong to Egyptians. There's nothing wrong with drawing the popular concept of a wendigo monster, or drawing any monster with antlers, and calling it a wendigo. The Wendigo is a 'terrifying cannibal ice monster that has its genesis in stories of people forced into cannibalism by the long winter' (Smith and Fiore, 2010: 68). The Wendigo may be a figure from American Indian mythology, but it belongs to all of humankind. 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. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Now that I have a major problem with. That is why we know about the wendigo today, it is an oral tradition like all the . He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. And were on the right side, thats what were working on but sometimes you get that cannibal tendency. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. Europeans may well have behaved like Wendigos when they invaded the Americasthey didbut they didnt bring the Wendigo with them. I really just want to learn about how to appreciate aspects of cultures that I am not included in respectfully. and our But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. so im sort of clueless how reddit works and made an account for this, so bare with me. I dont know who originally posted it, or where. Cookie Notice 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? His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 Cooper and del Toro made the conscious decision to tell the story of the wendigo in a way that is respectful to its Native American roots, which in turn helps make Antlers a more authentic horror film. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Privacy Policy. Dollightful's Wendigo Doll - Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation? i love the videos uploaded to youtube and try to keep up with posts, so this is by no means a bash at Wendigoon. The question of how to challenge the wtiko psychosis as described by Forbes and Wendigo Economics as described by LaDuke is a difficult one, but the mythic force of the concept of the wendigo helps to underscore the urgency of these questions. Stolen Spirits: The Appropriation of the Windigo Spirit in Horror Literature. 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. 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). The deaths of tens of millions of Jews, Slavs, etc., at the hands of the Nazis, the deaths of tens of millions of blacks in slavery days, the deaths of up to 30 million or more Indians in the 1500s, the terribly short life spans of Mexican Indian farm workers in the US, and of Native Americans generally today, the high death rates in the early industrial centers among factory workers, and so on, all clearly attest to the fact that the wealthy and exploitative literally consume the lives of those that they exploit. Only those entitled to them should wear them. Usually, the appropriating culture is in a relation of domination to the appropriated culture. Even in the face of ongoing cultural appropriation and erasure, wendigo stories are but one reflection of the survivance, wisdom, and brilliance of Native peoples. 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).There, he uses the cannibalistic wendigo as a metaphor for the behaviors and attitudes central to patterns of social domination . MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! 3 0 obj My Thoughts and Questions OllieOnyx 845 subscribers Subscribe 4.5K 119K views 2 years ago I just posted a new video talking. 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. 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. 0000009484 00000 n 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. When you comment on, Asian American and Pacific Islander History, Race and Membership in American History: Eugenics. s\&|5T!JN04hy'I0 1pv=~0-K$k}xSK"g:O*ox&zGa13(YXzy_{v-N^!c@[H <> 2. So yeah, if anyone could offer any insight/information, thatd be appreciated. And you know what? For more information, please see our 0000020040 00000 n She's part of a group of young adults created in a lab (she's the only one who wasn't) who have these special abilities. 0000008549 00000 n In this paper, I document the depictions of windigo in Native American mythology, those of Western literature, and the effects of appropriation and misrepresentation on Native communities. His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. endobj Posts and comments should be substantive, and assertions backed in fact or personal lived experience. trailer That, I would affirm, is truly and literally cannibalism, and it is cannibalism accompanied by no spiritually meaningful ceremony or ritual., More than a commentary on the life of wendigo stories amongst his own people, Forbes deploys the metaphor of the wendigo to advance nothing less than a critique of civilization at large and describes the violence that he argues lies at its foundation as one driven by a kind of wendigo psychosis. U%.CI$ FKe{CiV/\Lg1DD$A!=FHD6 EInw^9qkCh&1rvR'`{7X wEB7Az~q0n8 t)$xh1rQJ,p>O/$-J)'OTk|m9(k|6U g/-JU;WM}7d5)V.yX=Qu,TDI+CA_5U|nH$WK7G3-aYaqeV2jWQV6C6OY"W5?x;f_27j3Y)/G`j|e9NHCp+-r4g7D? c! Here's some links:Website - https://thesierramistify.wixsite.com/thesierramistifyEtsy - https://www.etsy.com/shop/thesierramistify?ref=simple-shop-header-name\u0026listing_id=736195213Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesierramistify/Art Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesierramistify.art/- Music used in this video -Prime Beatz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkG3r3-ODOw Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge a lot of Natives and people in general don't even like saying the word itself. 0000005554 00000 n One does not need to delve very deeply into the annals of American film, television, and literature to find an array of caricatured depictions of Native American peoples and a distortion of their knowledge. For more information, please see our 0000004651 00000 n 278 0 obj <>stream Political correctness started out as one thing, a good thing. In most traditions, the wendigo is human in origin and becomes a monster through a process that results either from acts of starvation-induced cannibalism or from possession by a spirit. Marvel Comics pay tribute to classic Monsters. And whoever!). On top of that, the wendigo is a part of death. %PDF-1.4 % the origins don't even depict the w*ndigo with deer antlers, but a human with bitten off lips. For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! Turning on 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. For resources: http://reddit.com/r/SRSDiscussion/wiki/required. x\o7a_h ss+yHL$eW}gfw)$/D !;n*+v}}uSU|.&-y l Ca#!LzH{t+8W5 !2*_{)rgx-`]CTXSH($g <<410561E535828C4ABA4EA5627C70A225>]/Prev 78716/XRefStm 1365>> That taste of human flesh, which out of that rose the wendigo.. 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. 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. This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes.
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