It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. 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. "@TheThiccholas @realcoolJAY They can't say Issa wendigo cus of cultural appropriation props to them buuuuuut also WENDIGO type energy sooo " For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! My basic rule is simple: be respectful. Cookie Notice 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. Scan this QR code to download the app now. 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. 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 . 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. For resources: http://reddit.com/r/SRSDiscussion/wiki/required. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 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. 0000015547 00000 n 0000005554 00000 n Far from just being a monster in an escapist horror flick, Forbes and LaDuke demonstrate that the wendigo can help us grasp the horrors of our real world so we can be here now and, ultimately, work toward solutions. appropriation that has troubled the exchange between Indigenous . 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. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge Scan this QR code to download the app now. 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. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. 246 0 obj <> endobj 7 (2020): Ghosts and Cultural Hauntings. 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). 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 origins don't even depict the w*ndigo with deer antlers, but a human with bitten off lips. It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. One recurring theme across these storytelling mediums is the use of the wendigoalso spelled wtikoa monstrous figure from Algonquian mythology who exhibits an insatiable greed along with a desire for human flesh. I dont know who originally posted it, or where. When you comment on, Asian American and Pacific Islander History, Race and Membership in American History: Eugenics. Indigenous, George warns those who are leaving about the Wendigo myth: anyone who consumes the flesh of their enemies takes their strength but becomes a demon cursed by an insatiable hunger for more human flesh. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 0000011489 00000 n New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. 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. 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. 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). These new narratives that white people make fail to acknowledge that the wendigo, and the Indi. 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. %%EOF It springs from the well of the collective human unconscious, the communal soul. 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. When the soldiers reach Ives' cave, Boyd and Reich investigate. 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. Have you encountered wendigo stories in films, television shows, or books? s\&|5T!JN04hy'I0 1pv=~0-K$k}xSK"g:O*ox&zGa13(YXzy_{v-N^!c@[H 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. In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. Abstract. However, it never provents for people of that tribe to share this and that story. 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. Cookie Notice So yeah, if anyone could offer any insight/information, thatd be appreciated. Thats just asking for trouble.) Windigo is a malevolent manitou or spirit whose insatiable appetite for human flesh can never be satisfied. Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. Tell us about it in the comments. trailer Posts and comments should be substantive, and assertions backed in fact or personal lived experience. Marvel Comics pay tribute to classic Monsters. 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. Copyright 2022 Facing History & Ourselves. 0000012030 00000 n 0000006529 00000 n so im sort of clueless how reddit works and made an account for this, so bare with me. arent cryptids thing. Vol. Welcome to Facing Today, a Facing History blog. I just posted a new video talking about cultural appropriation and art! Kaitlin Smith on November 30, 2021. Rules: MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! Film, i don't know if anyone has talked about this, but i have a special interest in Native American culture, history, etc. Europeans may well have behaved like Wendigos when they invaded the Americasthey didbut they didnt bring the Wendigo with them. 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. Now that I have a major problem with. For more information, please see our It was intended to be a lesson on human greed and the damage it can cause. 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. 2 0 obj You dont have to be of Afro-Caribbean descent to talk about, write about, or make movies about zombies. l Ca#!LzH{t+8W5 !2*_{)rgx-`]CTXSH($g Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. 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! o&g( 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. 0000005961 00000 n 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. 3 0 obj 0000005304 00000 n endobj 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. 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. Basically, the wendigo was supposed to be a creature you didn't even say the name of or else you could draw the attention of one. (Think Noah from . But as far as cultural appropriation and the Wendigo goes, dont you daredont you DAREtry to take our monsters away from us, PC wankers! Okay, dont anybody get me wrong. i don't think there should be any 'canceling' of Wendigoon or whatever, but definitely something should be said. For more information, please see our Just as the vampire and werewolf do not belong exclusively to people of European descent and the Mummy doesnt belong to Egyptians. 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? Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. 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. startxref 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. Still though, Im not sure I fully get the Native American spirits(?) 4. endobj His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. Learn how your comment data is processed. There, he uses the cannibalistic wendigo as a metaphor for the behaviors and attitudes central to patterns of social domination visited upon his own people in the Americas and subjugated peoples everywhere. Those things, the predation on the Indians by Europeans, most certainly happened. 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. 0000010971 00000 n Magazine with fellow environmental thought leaders, LaDuke said: Theres this conflict between the cannibals and Mother Earth, and its going on everywhere. 0000020040 00000 n Driving down a dark quiet highway in Southern Manitoba, a man sees someone bent over on the side of the road. stream ])yB\}OIZyY8 aA6Vo !C_D#!MYik.1>%'5ryZ*>fb=n#_dr;j5 { Please report rule violations. 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. And you know what? <> Usually, the appropriating culture is in a relation of domination to the appropriated culture. <>/Metadata 266 0 R/ViewerPreferences 267 0 R>> You dont have to be French to love the Phantom of the Opera. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. i enjoy his content, but the w*ndigo is part of a closed religion and is supposed to be a lesson about human greed and selfishness, not a cannibal monster story. 0000010400 00000 n This articlescross-media analysiscovers television, film and game media;Teen Wolf(201117),Supernatural(200520), Bruce WemplesThe Retreat(2020) and SuperMassive GamesUntil Dawn(2015). 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 windigo is a per-sonal spirit that still belongs to the Native American cultures from which it has been taken, and the appropriation of this spirit harms Native American communities by poorly representing their beliefs for a marketable gain. 2. 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. Privacy Policy. In the course of the transformation from human to wendigo, the person exhibits increasing selfishness, violence, hunger, and greedparticularly for human flesh. As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. As a concept, wendigo can apply to situations other than some Native American-European relations. endobj Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. That is why we know about the wendigo today, it is an oral tradition like all the . 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. If so, what did you think about it? Be supportive, this is a place for growth, not hostility. 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. 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. P\^$'$@YWSB;Td54BD?YH"'kh::a;Vqz&4|:>)xP2n |94NrOqE'6 By looking at the depictions of windigo in these specific Western stories and in Native American beliefs, it is possible to see how stripping spirits of their original contexts is harmful to Native communities. Scan this QR code to download the app now. %PDF-1.7 0000003976 00000 n How stupid to think otherwise. Mythologynote my use of the capital M to convey that it is far more than just some made-up stories; it is stories containing deeper spiritual truthsbelongs to all of humanity. So, thanks, Dave! Sponsored by Ball State University Libraries. The Witherell House and the Cult of Weird, Movie Review: BIRDS OF PREY (And the Fantabulous Inclusion of Victor Zsasz and a Hyena). and our 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. 0000000974 00000 n media has really misconstrued the original lore and importance of the w*ndigo to Indigenous culture. 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). 0000003465 00000 n 0000009596 00000 n This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In the course of the transformation from human to wendigo, the person exhibits increasing selfishness, violence, hunger, and greed particularly for human flesh. I really just want to learn about how to appreciate aspects of cultures that I am not included in respectfully. Cultural appropriation consists of borrowing something from another culture in mockery or thoughtless misuse. 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. But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. 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). 17spaz 2 yr. ago Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. A classic example is wearing a Plains Indian war bonnet (see the 80s band The Village People). I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. In Algonquian traditions, the wendigo monster emerges not randomly or in violent response to colonialism as it often does in popular media but through a specific set of circumstances that are unique to different tribal groupings. %PDF-1.4 % <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.32 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> 0000000016 00000 n This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes. With teepees, Im not sure I get it. 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. 0000004651 00000 n She is Native American. 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. 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. 246 33 I have named this observation of the Wendigothe Caveless Creature phenomenon. 0 0000001705 00000 n Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. It was already here. T[,%q5 Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. No one can try to stake a singular claim to it. 0000001546 00000 n 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 . Native Americans, Our headquarters are located at: 89 South Street, Suite 401, Boston, MA 02111. Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! The concept of cultural appropriation began well enough, but just like everything else woke culture political correctness, it's gone way too far. hb```b``Ub`e``s`g@ ~+ a1fm{s/K5N9MHd@*2Ey]#B}>x,&ucrnhm:HkN=_B }Wzp.S#WCXi;dRa ,.0H*. Cultural appropriation is the co-optation of elements, customs, or practices of one culture by another culture without acknowledgment or consent. xref 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. 0000012532 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. and our HeyYaIQ 21 days ago. symL,JyvCq;[H~! It has become something else altogether. 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. (A friend sent this screenshot to me, along with the info, because he knows how much PC-ism pisses me off. It may be used to justify calling. wendigo cultural appropriation [26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died.
Federal Soup Special Agent 2021,
Daniel Benjamin Bassett,
Champs Provider Login,
Kiyan Anthony Ranking,
Articles W