Native Americans sic Wendigo on JK Rowling for "cultural appropriation"

[Metaphor]

Trigger warning: unalloyed mockery of religious beliefs

Disclaimer: The title is satire. Wendigos do not exist and if they did they wouldn't answer to anyone anyway. If you think the title makes me a liar, please remember a lie requires more than the existence of a counterfactual statement. Ta.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ent...fantastic-beasts-writing-20160308-gne2bk.html

JK Rowling has raised the ire of some Native Americans, who have accused the Harry Potter author of insensitivity and "cultural appropriation" with her latest expansion of the wizarding world into America.

At issue is the first instalment, released overnight, of a series of short essays sketching out the supposed historical background to the forthcoming movie, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

In her History of Magic in North America, Rowling appears to weave elements of Native American spiritual beliefs into her own fantasy world.

Leading the charge against Rowling is Adrienne Keene of the Cherokee Nation, an academic at Brown University.

"The problem, Jo (can I call you Jo? I hope so) is that we as Indigenous peoples are constantly situated as fantasy creatures," Keene writes in her blog, Native Appropriations.

"But we're not magical creatures, we're contemporary peoples who are still here, and still practice our spiritual traditions, traditions that are not akin to a completely imaginary wizarding world (as badass as that wizarding world is)."

I can see the problem. The publisher needs to reclassify the work from 'documentary', which is how it was marketed, to 'fantasy'. Come to think of it, all the Harry Potter books should be marketed as fantasy too. What a terrible editorial oversight.

Keene's comments, shared on Twitter, have prompted a passionate debate under the hashtag #MagicinNorthAmerica.

Particularly at issue is Rowling's introduction of "skin walkers" into the Potter universe.

"The legend of the Native American 'skin walker' – an evil witch or wizard that can transform into an animal at will – has its basis in fact," she writes. "A legend grew up around the Native American Animagi, that they had sacrificed close family members to gain their powers of transformation."

So...in the past, some psychotic Native American lunatic-murderers killed members of their own family they thought were skin-walkers, and therefore skin-walkers are facts? Or therefore, JK Rowling can't use the concept? I'm confused.

Skin walkers are an important part of some Native American legends.

Some of the tweets:

It's not "your" world. It's our (real) Native world. And skin walker stories have context, roots, and reality.

No, skin walkers don't exist and if they did you don't own the copyright on them. Next.

@NativeApprops Oh brother, another "white people discovered America" bromide! Perhaps she'll be stalked by a skinwalker. Nothing good there

No, skin walkers don't exist and if they did you don't own the copyright on them. Next.

#MagicInNorthAmerica was just as hurtful about Native traditions as feared. And @jk_rowling doesn't seem to want to listen to Native voices.

Yes, she ought to take time out of creating work that has brought joy to hundreds of millions of people across the globe to listen to accusations of cultural appropriation.

@jk_rowling you are not entitled to our history, culture, stories. They are not yours to re-invent, re-define, re-imagine, or to profit from

They are anybody's to reinvent, redefine, reimagine, and profit from. You do not own them and you have no moral claim to them.

I'm only going to say this once: Indigenous traditions and stories are not fantasy fodder. #MagicInNorthAmerica perpetuates our erasure.

Not only are they fantasy fodder, they're fantasy.



JK Rowling was not harmed in the writing of this post.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Da fuck?

I get that there's a lot of overdone outrage these days and they need to try and latch onto a famous person to distinguish themselves from the crowd and have people pay attention to how psychologically scarred they are, but that's just stretching it a bit too much. I see what they were going for, but they went a bit too far.

 

[Toni]

The OP is an example of Metaphor taking a conservative position. Or perhaps more accurately, a neo-conservative position.

Mentioned because he inquired in a different thread about why anyone would consider him to be conservative.

I was going to rep Tom Sawyer's da fuck comment and then I realized he was talking about Keene's remarks.

 

[bigfield]

The OP is an example of Metaphor taking a conservative position. Or perhaps more accurately, a neo-conservative position.

What makes his position neoconservative?

 

[Derec]

The OP is an example of Metaphor taking a conservative position. Or perhaps more accurately, a neo-conservative position.

What's (neo)conservative about that? Sounds like something people should be able to agree on regardless of political label.

 

[Metaphor]

The OP is an example of Metaphor taking a conservative position. Or perhaps more accurately, a neo-conservative position.

Mentioned because he inquired in a different thread about why anyone would consider him to be conservative.

I was going to rep Tom Sawyer's da fuck comment and then I realized he was talking about Keene's remarks.

What's neo-conservative, and what about my position makes it neo-conservative?

To be clear, my position is that nobody has a moral claim on the ideas, beliefs, and practises of their ancestors (or people who lived near their ancestors), and therefore the idea of 'cultural appropriation' is literally incoherent. Culture cannot be owned or appropriated.

My position is stronger than just that, though. I think the people who champion the existence of a concept of cultural appropriation (and publically condemn those they believe are doing it) are moral hypocrites and the more people they manage to cow, shame, and bamboozle into creative stultification, the worse off the world will be.

EDIT: And how about you tell me your position on the situation. Do the people who complained about JK Rowling including re-imagined 'Skin Walkers' in her book have a legitimate gripe? What should JK Rowling's response be? Should she withdraw the offending book? Edit the offending book? Something else?

 

[Toni]

The OP is an example of Metaphor taking a conservative position. Or perhaps more accurately, a neo-conservative position.

Mentioned because he inquired in a different thread about why anyone would consider him to be conservative.

I was going to rep Tom Sawyer's da fuck comment and then I realized he was talking about Keene's remarks.

What's neo-conservative, and what about my position makes it neo-conservative?

To be clear, my position is that nobody has a moral claim on the ideas, beliefs, and practises of their ancestors (or people who lived near their ancestors), and therefore the idea of 'cultural appropriation' is literally incoherent. Culture cannot be owned or appropriated.

My position is stronger than just that, though. I think the people who champion the existence of a concept of cultural appropriation (and publically condemn those they believe are doing it) are moral hypocrites and the more people they manage to cow, shame, and bamboozle into creative stultification, the worse off the world will be.

EDIT: And how about you tell me your position on the situation. Do the people who complained about JK Rowling including re-imagined 'Skin Walkers' in her book have a legitimate gripe? What should JK Rowling's response be? Should she withdraw the offending book? Edit the offending book? Something else?

Based on what? Aside from your well considered opinion?

 

[Derec]

manage to cow

Using cows is, of course, appropriation of European culture. Amerindians never managed to domesticate the bison.

 

[Metaphor]

Based on what? Aside from your well considered opinion?

What? That's what I'm asking you. Do you think the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling re-imagining 'skin-walkers' have a legitimate gripe, based on your evaluation of what a legitimate gripe is.

If you do think they have a legitimate gripe, what do you think JK Rowling should do, or should have done?

If you don't think they have a legitimate gripe, you agree with me. You might not mock them like I have, and you may think their tweets are just hot air and nothing else and not worth thinking about, but you agree they don't have a legitimate gripe.

 

[Toni]

Based on what? Aside from your well considered opinion?

What? That's what I'm asking you. Do you think the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling re-imagining 'skin-walkers' have a legitimate gripe, based on your evaluation of what a legitimate gripe is.

If you do think they have a legitimate gripe, what do you think JK Rowling should do, or should have done?

If you don't think they have a legitimate gripe, you agree with me. You might not mock them like I have, and you may think their tweets are just hot air and nothing else and not worth thinking about, but you agree they don't have a legitimate gripe.

On what do you base your opinions about cultural appropriation?

 

[Metaphor]

What? That's what I'm asking you. Do you think the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling re-imagining 'skin-walkers' have a legitimate gripe, based on your evaluation of what a legitimate gripe is.

If you do think they have a legitimate gripe, what do you think JK Rowling should do, or should have done?

If you don't think they have a legitimate gripe, you agree with me. You might not mock them like I have, and you may think their tweets are just hot air and nothing else and not worth thinking about, but you agree they don't have a legitimate gripe.

On what do you base your opinions about cultural appropriation?

If you don't want to answer my question, at least have the ovaries to admit it, Toni. Do the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling have a legitimate gripe or not?

I am willing to compose a lengthy response (later tonight) in answer to your question. Perhaps it will be nuanced, but probably not, since apparently I'm incapable of nuance. (Or perhaps I'm just not a mealy-mouthed hypocrite whose position isn't 'nuanced', just internally inconsistent).

 

[Toni]

On what do you base your opinions about cultural appropriation?

If you don't want to answer my question, at least have the ovaries to admit it, Toni. Do the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling have a legitimate gripe or not?

I am willing to compose a lengthy response (later tonight) in answer to your question. Perhaps it will be nuanced, but probably not, since apparently I'm incapable of nuance. (Or perhaps I'm just not a mealy-mouthed hypocrite whose position isn't 'nuanced', just internally inconsistent).

If you need time to your thoughts about your opinions on cultural appropriation, that's ok.

 

[J842P]

The OP is an example of Metaphor taking a conservative position. Or perhaps more accurately, a neo-conservative position.

Mentioned because he inquired in a different thread about why anyone would consider him to be conservative.

I was going to rep Tom Sawyer's da fuck comment and then I realized he was talking about Keene's remarks.

How, exactly is this a neoconservative position?

 

[Metaphor]

If you don't want to answer my question, at least have the ovaries to admit it, Toni. Do the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling have a legitimate gripe or not?

I am willing to compose a lengthy response (later tonight) in answer to your question. Perhaps it will be nuanced, but probably not, since apparently I'm incapable of nuance. (Or perhaps I'm just not a mealy-mouthed hypocrite whose position isn't 'nuanced', just internally inconsistent).

If you need time to your thoughts about your opinions on cultural appropriation, that's ok.

I don't 'need time' to 'sort out' my thoughts. I know my own mind. But my time to access the net during the day is limited, because unless I go to work and do work, I don't have an income.

I can see you've now thrice refused to answer my question, but I'll ask again anyway.

Toni, Do the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling have a legitimate gripe or not?

 

[bigfield]

Adrienne Keene's blog post: Magic in North America Part 1: Ugh.
http://nativeappropriations.com/2016/03/magic-in-north-america-part-1-ugh.html

I quoted this out of order because the structure of the article is awful.

What you do need to know is that the belief of these things (beings?) has a deep and powerful place in Navajo understandings of the world. It is connected to many other concepts and many other ceremonial understandings and lifeways. It is not just a scary story, or something to tell kids to get them to behave, it’s much deeper than that. My own community also has shape-shifters, but I’m not delving into that either.

It's impossible have a rational discussion with religious people about their superstitions.

I had a long phone call with one of my friends/mentors today, who is Navajo, asking her about the concepts Rowling is drawing upon here, and discussing how to best talk about this in a culturally appropriate way that can help you (the reader, and maybe Rowling) understand the depths to the harm this causes, while not crossing boundaries and taboos of culture. What did I decide? That you don’t need to know. It’s not for you to know. I am performing a refusal.

Like every religion that has ever existed, her irrational beliefs are indefensible, and I highly doubt any explanation Keene could offer would stand up to criticism.

Instead, her refusal to argue her position leaves her with nothing but a bald assertion that Rowling's writing is harming Native Americans...somehow.

What happens when Rowling pulls this in, is we as Native people are now opened up to a barrage of questions about these beliefs and traditions (take a look at my twitter mentions if you don’t believe me)–but these are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders. At all. I’m sorry if that seems “unfair,” but that’s how our cultures survive.

It's not that it is unfair, but rather that it's a sign of a person who holds irrational religious beliefs and fears scrutiny, even in the form of benign interest.

The other piece here is that Rowling is completely re-writing these traditions. Traditions that come from a particular context, place, understanding, and truth. These things are not “misunderstood wizards”. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

This is hilarious for two reasons:

1. Arguing with a fantasy writer about the factual accuracy of her work.
2. Arguing because she thinks skin-walkers are real; that superstitions represent 'truth'.

 

[Metaphor]

Adrienne Keene's blog post: Magic in North America Part 1: Ugh.
http://nativeappropriations.com/2016/03/magic-in-north-america-part-1-ugh.html

I quoted this out of order because the structure of the article is awful.


It's impossible have a rational discussion with religious people about their superstitions.

I had a long phone call with one of my friends/mentors today, who is Navajo, asking her about the concepts Rowling is drawing upon here, and discussing how to best talk about this in a culturally appropriate way that can help you (the reader, and maybe Rowling) understand the depths to the harm this causes, while not crossing boundaries and taboos of culture. What did I decide? That you don’t need to know. It’s not for you to know. I am performing a refusal.

Like every religion that has ever existed, her irrational beliefs are indefensible, and I highly doubt any explanation Keene could offer would stand up to criticism.

Instead, her refusal to argue her position leaves her with nothing but a bald assertion that Rowling's writing is harming Native Americans...somehow.

What happens when Rowling pulls this in, is we as Native people are now opened up to a barrage of questions about these beliefs and traditions (take a look at my twitter mentions if you don’t believe me)–but these are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders. At all. I’m sorry if that seems “unfair,” but that’s how our cultures survive.

It's not that it is unfair, but rather that it's a sign of a person who holds irrational religious beliefs and fears scrutiny, even in the form of benign interest.

The other piece here is that Rowling is completely re-writing these traditions. Traditions that come from a particular context, place, understanding, and truth. These things are not “misunderstood wizards”. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

This is hilarious for two reasons:

1. Arguing with a fantasy writer about the factual accuracy of her work.
2. Arguing because she thinks skin-walkers are real; that superstitions represent 'truth'.

I was going to read her blog after I saw the original article. I'm kinda glad I did not. She is far worse than I thought.

But, can we hope that her performance of a 'refusal' will mean she'll shut up? Probably not. But there's always hope, isn't there?

 

[bigfield]

From the Tweets:

@jk_rowling you are not entitled to our history, culture, stories. They are not yours to re-invent, re-define, re-imagine, or to profit from

Maybe fantasy writers should stop appropriating Germanic folklore as well.

After all, fantasy writers are not entitled to that history, culture, or stories, and do not own the exclusive rights to re-invent, re-define, re-imagine, or to profit from those cultural elements.

I'm only going to say this once: Indigenous traditions and stories are not fantasy fodder. #MagicInNorthAmerica perpetuates our erasure.

Just like it perpetuated the erasure of Germanic culture?


What harm have Native Americans suffered as a result of Rowling's work?

 

[Toni]

If you need time to your thoughts about your opinions on cultural appropriation, that's ok.

I don't 'need time' to 'sort out' my thoughts. I know my own mind. But my time to access the net during the day is limited, because unless I go to work and do work, I don't have an income.

I can see you've now thrice refused to answer my question, but I'll ask again anyway.

Toni, Do the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling have a legitimate gripe or not?

Actually, I have no desire to engage in a discussion about cultural appropriation.

I thought I made it clear in my first post that I was posting in response to your inquiry in a different thread about what position you took that might be considered conservative.

Your stance on this, and indeed, some of your other stances, fall right in line with conservative and neoconservative (I'm talking American style here) writers.

Like you, I have a job to do and also a life to lead which limit my time to ferret out links and so forth.

It wasn't meant as an insult. It's an observation. I asked for more from you in support of your condemnation because I was wondering if I was misunderstanding something.

 

[Metaphor]

Actually, I have no desire to engage in a discussion about cultural appropriation.

You are flat out refusing to answer the question. I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed.

I thought I made it clear in my first post that I was posting in response to your inquiry in a different thread about what position you took that might be considered conservative.

Do you similarly take the same 'conservative' position on this issue as me, or do you refuse to answer the question?

Your stance on this, and indeed, some of your other stances, fall right in line with conservative and neoconservative (I'm talking American style here) writers.

Like you, I have a job to do and also a life to lead which limit my time to ferret out links and so forth.

You don't have to ferret out links. I quoted the entire article in my OP.

It wasn't meant as an insult. It's an observation. I asked for more from you in support of your condemnation because I was wondering if I was misunderstanding something.

Toni, Do the Native Americans who complained about JK Rowling have a legitimate gripe or not?

 

[Rhea]

I'm not sure why this would be a conservative or neoconservative position?

~~~

Some other unrelated even to each other thoughts about the ideas in the OP:

I kinda wish fantasy writers took a bigger swing at the Christian and Muslim religious fantasies and didn't always focus on the smaller and more fanciful religions.
Although the more fanciful ones are certainly cooler to have in a fantasy story.

Brandon Sanderson does a pretty interesting job of continually poking at Christianity - but not quite dissing it. I haven't figured out his schtick, completely, since he teaches at Brigham Young, of all places, while writing stories that constantly dissect religion and even gets the atheist position actually fairly right. I can't figure out if he's a religionist or not.

Part of why I wish writers took a bigger swing at making fantasy of the religious fantasies would be to normalize questioning and even ridicule of things like golden plates in a magic hat, zombies rising from the grave and the idiocy of "he rose after three days! It must be a miracle and not a mistake!

I do have respect for Native traditions and find them very interesting and enriching, WHILE not believing a single bit about the fantasy bits. It's too bad I could probably never convey this to the Native bloggers well. I'm an atheist. I'm not dissing your religion because it's native or not-christian. I dis it because it is fantasy just like christianity. I had an interesting exchange in a religious discussion wherein some christians were dissing the wiccans and I chimed in that I didn't want superstitions to be part of the law. The wiccan asked if I was being a jerk by calling her religion "just a superstition" and not giving it full due. After explaining that I thought christianity was ALSO "just a superstition," she was okay with my statements. It was just that she didn't want wiccanism to be marginalized in favor of christianity. Which, I think, is the complaint here.

So interestingly, Rowling pays them a compliment by even discussing their religion as real in her world. Jesus doesn't even get a passing mention. Not believable enough, I suppose?