[24], Although in many recorded cases of Wendigo psychosis the individual has been killed to prevent cannibalism from resulting, some Cree folklore recommends treatment by ingestion of fatty animal meats or drinking animal grease; those treated may sometimes vomit ice as part of the curing process. I do know some natives believe you should not say or write its name because that may make it come or you may be infected and become it. He said, "You bet there is, I have eaten lots of Indians, no wonder they are fat." Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Digital Literature Review 1 Stolen Spirits: The Appropriation of the Welcome to Facing Today, a Facing History blog. 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. 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. The game I will be going over in this is Until Dawn, a horror game made by Supermassive Games, made . Why the Wendigo is Not My Monster - Mysterious Universe Handle the characters and the story with respect. They are seen as malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural beings of great spiritual power . Second, he determines the relevant issues as "aesthetic" and "moral," and then discusses the most prominent arguments that surround each type of appropriation. And they are worth considering including in one's classroom teaching. I think people just need to chill out, no mater what their religion and culture is. 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. There's also Wendigo psychosis. Historically, deciding exactly what culture is hasn't been easy. Cultural appropriation is a bullshit term made up by people who feel some bizarre psychological need to make up reasons to punish themselves. Appropriating the Wendigo | Werewolves It can serve as a metaphor explaining any pattern of domination by which groups subjugate and dominate or violently destroy and displace. As a concept, the wendigo can apply to any person, idea, or movement infected by a corrosive drive toward self-aggrandizing greed and excessive consumption, traits that sow disharmony and destruction if left unchecked. By the mid-1990s, it had gained a solid place in academic discourse, particularly in the field of sociology. Draw/write what you want, I say. Is it okay for a white person to celebrate the culture. Strictly speaking, cultural appropriation is the adoption of some element of another culture -- food, language, practices, fashion, etc. Cultural appropriation takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way. It was created by Mayuki . 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. Racism 101: At What Point Does Cultural Appreciation Cross Over - LAist This was the end of this Giant Windigo. Theres something else. 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. It was already here. 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. 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. "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. To fully understand its consequences, though, we need to make sure we have a working definition of culture itself. The Wendigo is a mythical creature that has been reported in many different forms. The wendigo -- a creature from Native American myth -- carries powerful symbolism and is presumably sufficiently mysterious to keep enough audience members guessing at its motives and abilities. You're absolutively spot on! 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. "** 40. are not cryptids, and don't even traditionally have deer skulls for heads. I know people who are absolutely terrified of them, branching out from their fear of deer. (1961). So for some woke culture types it's considered a form of disrespectful cultural appropriation to make your own Halloween monster or character based on a wendigo. Even before it went live, she was being criticized for her apparently blatant cultural appropriation of Native American folklore, and since publishing the criticism has only grown more pointed. With teepees, Im not sure I get it. Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge But if they actually did, I would pick another monster from the giant Pandemonium one has at one's choice. "Why is indigenous culture suddenly more sacred than any other culture?". The e-book is here, and you can get a paperback copy here.). MORTUI VELOCES SUNT! 5. 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. Wendigo) from its cultural context and its movement by non-Indigenous creators (a large majority being white) into a space of the horror genre that displays negative or antagonistic qualities. 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. Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. Doing so is an honorable endeavorbut only if we actually do our homework first. But I do notice that Eyre stopped short of saying colonialization is the origin for the Wendigo legend. Wendigo | Myths and Folklore Wiki | Fandom And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. Until Dawn: On Representation, the Horror Genre, and the Illusion of But, but, what if they're looking at something that erodes the moral fabric of civilization? It's a really cool beast that I personally would like to see more in fiction. I do not know, nor can I. And they are worth considering including in ones classroom teaching. Im just struggling to understand the significance of it. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. The legend of the wendigo has long been associated with real-life problems like insatiable greed, selfishness, and violence. I won't pretend I know everything about NA culture, but I believe that headresses and that kind of finery is only used on special occasions and was not how ordinary NAs dressed all the time. What is cultural appropriation, and how does it differ from cultural Is it Cultural Appropriation if I have a Wendigo character? 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. People don't get offended on scotland's behalf over the common depiction of their national animal as a rainbow farting fairy horse. cultural identity theft, many would argue that cultural appropriation is inevitable in a melting pot like the United States. And whoever!). I can't even think about bank without getting mad, why did she need to make them like that..EVERY name is filled with stereotypes , well every name from minority .I don't even want to talk about Fantastic Beasts problems. Questions on the Wendigo. : IndianCountry - reddit.com Your culture and entertainment cheat-sheet. Windigo is a malevolent manitou or spirit whose insatiable appetite for human flesh can never be satisfied. 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. All of these Indians went to where the Windigo was and cut off his legs. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. I have to look! I would not care much about what a statistically likely personally unrelated "woke" thinks about what Algonquin descendants may think about it, but only what Algonquin descendants. Thank god I am not from USA, where this seems to be an issue. Here Are 5 Cultural Appropriating Outfits It's Time to Retire for Good Cultural appropriation, defined Culture refers to the traditions, customs, beliefs, and practices of any given ethnic, racial, or religious group. So it seems to me like the objection might have something to do with an inappropriate mixing of religious contexts from two different belief systems. You dont have to be French to love the Phantom of the Opera. .mw-parser-output .verse_translation .translated{padding-left:2em}@media only screen and (max-width:43.75em){.mw-parser-output .verse_translation.wrap_when_small td{display:block;padding-left:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .verse_translation.wrap_when_small .translated{padding-left:0.5em}}, Ce qui nous mit plus en peine, fut la nouvelle que nous apprismes ds l'entre du Lac, sauoir: que les deputez par nostre Conducteur, qui deuoient conuoquer les Nations la Mer du Nord, et leur donner le rendez-vous pour nous y attendre, auoient est tuez l'Hiuer pass, d'une faon estonnante. https://www.deviantart.com/forum/community/complaints/2611618/. 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.