evidence that ancient paleolithic venus statues were made by women who were examining their own bodies and sculpting them from their own point of view, not, as previously assumed, exaggerated features from an outside perspective
The Plains warbonnet is not a Cherokee thing. It is not a Navajo thing. It is not an Indian thing. It is a Plains thing.
Stop calling every silly thing you draw that even vaguely resembles a native “Cherokee” or “Navajo” or “Aztec.”
Stop drawing the warbonnet everywhere as the apparently definitive native thing. It isn’t part of all of our 600+ cultures.
Same goes for the tipi, not part of every one of the 600+ indigenous cultures.
Stop thinking that if a native person doesn’t have dark, “mahogany” skin, that their heritage is invalid. Even without admixture, we actually do have varying skin tones.
Stop wearing crappy fake warbonnets.
Stop wearing redface.
Stop using us as your silly mascots. We are people.
Stop saying “spirit animal.” It’s derived from a New Age bastardization of a something that actually exists in some of our cultures.
Don’t smudge. Cleanse all you like, that’s fine, but don’t smudge.
Don’t call us “Indians.” “Native American” isn’t great either, it is not our name, but it’s slightly better than “Indian.” “Indigenous” is also fine.
Don’t use NDN/ndn. That is ours.
Step off about our hair. If you meet a long-haired native, admire it if you like, maybe even ask them about it (RESPECTFULLY), but do not touch. The same applies for someone with short hair, but additionally for those with short hair, don’t say things like “oh you’d look more native/Indian/etc if your hair was long.” We didn’t all traditionally have long, flowing hair. Believe it or not, there are actually different haircuts existing in our various cultures, and aside from that ultimately it’s a personal choice, one does not need to have long hair if they don’t want to. Doesn’t make them any less native to have short hair.
Don’t pray to our spirits/gods/energies. Native spiritualities are closed, they are not for outsiders.
Don’t say “The Native Americans believed…” Firstly, the past tense is silly, we still exist and do things. Secondly, we are NOT A MONOLITH. As I mentioned before, there are upwards of 600 different Native American cultures.
Don’t ask about someone’s “Indian name.” That’s not only insensitive, the name you are referring to in that instance is something sacred, and might not be something that person wants to share with you.
Don’t call yourself silly crap like “howling wolf” or “flying eagle.” That’s also racist and insensitive.
Regardless of whatever you might think you’re doing, or what your intentions may be, if a native person tells you that what you’re doing is disrespectful, STOP DOING IT.
You aren’t honoring us. You’re just mocking us further, demonstrating your continued ability to treat us like shit and get away with it even now, centuries after our colonization began. Your feelings are not more important than our history and survival.
To those doing your best as allies, thank you, keep doing what you do. HOWEVER, don’t let opportunities to educate others escape you. By letting them continue to be ignorant, you are failing. Spread the message.
There will be no “please.” It’s been more than 500 years, and we still are made to be invisible in our homelands. Still we are treated like less. Some even think we all died long ago.
We are still here
We will still be here
Treat us with respect.
Appropriation of Native cultures runs rampant in the pagan/witchcraft community. Remember, it’s just like kindergarten. Be kind, be respectful, and ask before touching something that does not belong to you.
People think we can make contact with aliens, but we fail to realise that we can’t even communicate with any other species here on earth
1) fuck you
2) humans are fucking spectacular at communicating with other species on earth when we try to meet them on their level
3) seriously don’t dismiss the passionate, loving work that hundreds of thousands of biologists, zoologists, ecologists, and nature enthusiasts have put into talking with this planet because you want to make some snide little quip about how complacently stupid people are.
4) you’re not listening. you don’t care. you can’t communicate. meanwhile other people dance with free whales and study slime molds and raise orphan elephants and chart the regional accents of wolves and rearrange the dna of fruit flies.
5) you can listen to any part of this world and learn to speak to it in its own language if you spend enough time trying. one day, hopefully, maybe, we’ll have spent enough time listening to space, and we will hear someone out there saying ‘hello’.
Actually, can you imagine that? Like, aliens being absolutely amazed with just how hard we try to understand? And how well we manage?
“…Why is that human making sounds at that bird? Don’t they get that they’re different species?”
“Well, looks like the bird isn’t getting it either, it’s responding…”
Or, stretch that out a little further:
“So, we’ve got about 50 years worth of recorded human dialogues, and… well, either human language is complicated to the absurd, or we’re looking at multiple languages here.”
“…Have you been hanging out in the bar again? They’re obviously all one species, they should all be speaking the same language like any reasonable species would!”
Then imagine Humans introducing the aliens to the delightful world of linguistics, and all the aliens have their collective minds blown. Not only do we have more languages than you can shake a stick at, we work and improve on them every day. And some of us learn new languages for fun.
Do me a favor okay? Stop trying to go back to who you were before. Before you were raped, before you got sick before an eating disorder took over your life. stop trying to be who you were five, ten, twenty years ago. Before the mental illness took over, before he died, back before your parents split or you lost your best friend.
You are NOT the same person as before. You never will be again. Give up the idolization of “before” and be who you are now. Be the you AFTER.
Thank you
no post on tumblr has ever hit me more than this whoa
Plume de Lynx 