Even if I ignore it I will be affected by the outcome of these racist actions. Native people will be affected by these racist costumes. Dressing up as an “Indian / Native American” reduces hundreds of Native cultures into one racist stereotype; this is dehumanizing. When a group (or race) is viewed as subhuman violence and oppression towards that group is inevitable (and in this case continuous).
Your actions, and the actions of others impersonating an entire race, affect an entire race of people. You are attempting to silence Native peoples and downplay this serious issue, but you are in the wrong.
I’m sorry but… I don’t see how any of this affects you in any way other than it hurts your feelings. What people wear should not A) be any of your concern B) matter to anyone but the person wearing them C) be incapable of being ignored. It isn’t like they run up an slap you because you ignored what they were wearing. People wearing a strip of fabric here, some fringe there, maybe some paint, throw in a feather…. It’s not affecting you, it’s not affecting me. All it does is hurt a feeling here and there.
Racist stereotypes are harmful because they are dehumanizing. When a person wears a “Native American” costume they are promoting the dehumanization of Native peoples by continuing to further stereotype us. There are more than 500 Native cultures but these racist costumes reduce into one stereotype.
Often times these costumes are sexualized which promotes the fetishization of Native women. 1 in 3 Native women will be raped at least once in their lifetime, 85% of these rapes will be performed by non-Native individuals. The media, which includes these racist costumes, portray Native women as primitive sex objects and promote dangerous fetishes of Native women. I, as a rape survivor, was affected by this fetishization. While I was being raped the rapist called me his “little squaw” and “dirty squaw”.
Many costumes depict a person wearing a fake warbonnet. The warbonnet is a sacred item that must be earned and is still practiced today by a few Plains Native tribes. When someone wears a fake warbonnet they are desecrating that sacred item and mocking and stereotyping the people they are stealing it from; even if that is not the person’s intent it is the outcome. This is most offensive when it is done by a white person because they are the oppressive group over Native peoples (and people of color). A white person can exert their white privilege by stealing sacred items and wearing racist costume only to discard them when they are done. In other words, they want to have all the “perks” without any of the negative aspects of being Native; such as, experience oppression, high suicide rates, high rape rates, poverty, etc etc. Not only our white people our past and current oppressors but they committed a genocide of Native people which killed around 100 million Native people. So, not only are we still oppressed, and wear the scares of our people, and see the pain in our grandparents eyes, but we get to be stereotyped and mocked by our oppressors.
Its wrong. Indigenous females are sexualized enough as it is.. and you harm to insult by parading around in costumes that mock every aspect of our culture. Powwow dress should not be fetishized. Headdresses should not be disrespected. If your child is playing cowboys and Indians, and he’s the cowboy, (the good guy), you’re basically teaching him that its ok to murder someone for being darker. And if he’s a Indian, you’re teaching him we were nothing but half naked savages who ran around screaming war cries. This has to stop. We are so much more then loin cloths, shitty beading, and slutty dressed with feathers on the hem.
A costume is a piece of cloth with a pattern on it. If a person puts this cloth on it isn’t going to hurt you. It isn’t like, for every kid who wears an indian costume, a native bursts into flames. It’s sort of like the question if a tree falls and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? I don’t deny the higher rape rates. It’s disgusting. But costumes aren’t going to make much of a difference. I don’t think we should be sexualized, but I’ve gotten over it after being on the internet for so long. Everything is sexualized. But seriously putting on a piece of cloth (because in the end, that’s all that costume is) does nothing but hurt a feeling. It does’t hurt me and it doesn’t hurt you. It may offend you, yes, but that’s a feeling. Many things in life will offend you. It does not draw blood. It doesn’t burn you. If anything, with the increased ‘native’ costumes, I’ve noticed more people attending october pow wows and contributing money to my reservation.
Something I’ve also noted… Everyone keeps talking about warbonnets every time this topic arises… Are you all plains indians or do none of you realize that plains indians are not the only native peoples to wear these headdresses?
these costumes promote racism; they perpetuate racist stereotypes which are dehumanizing. When someone wears a racist “Native American” costume they are displaying their dominance over us and proving that they neither respect us nor do they know anything about Native peoples. They are perpetuating the idea that we are characters to be worn and discarded at will, while real Native peoples bare the consequences. These costumes may influence others to join in on this racist stereotype. This is directly harmful.