this one's for the vacant

so-treu:

chrisdoveton:

moniquill:

DEPICTIONS LIKE THIS ARE HURTFUL.

WAR BONNETS ARE NOT A FASHION STATEMENT.

Cultural appropriation is not beautiful.

It is your choice to reblog racist, appropriative images, you don’t have to do it.

Please stop tagging pictures like this ‘Native American’; they have nothing to do with NDN people.

Check out some links:

Cultural Appropriation on Wikipedia

Native Appropriations

My Culture is not a Trend

Here’s a quick checklist for whether it’s ok to wear a war bonnet (even a cheap imitation like this):

Was it placed onto your head by an elder/legitimate authority figure from a select number of plains nations because you personally achieved something so great that it is worthy of that kind of honor? (corrolary: If yes to the above, are you currently wearing it in an appropriate ceremonial fashion/setting? Like are you at a powwow or speaking with the president?)

If you answered ‘no’ then IT IS NOT OK.

Any more than it would be ok to buy a decorated veteran’s purple heart that he had to pawn and put -that- on for a sexy/edgy/hip photo shoot. What you are doing is that kind of disrespect, on top of the slap in the face that is cultural appropriation in general.

Please take this picture down, and don’t take more like it. When you see your friends and associates and tumblr followers doing the same kind of thing, speak out against it. This is racist and hurtful.

mmm…Is it not healthier to allow disrespectful fashion statements than revere some ancient tribal war customs that  glorify violence?

1. these culture are not ancient. Plains Native Americans are still here, and this is still their shit.

2. cultural appropriation is itself a form of violence, and it a violence that stems from the centuries of violence inflicted on NAs by white folks. context, get some.

3. fuck off.

the idea that native cultures - which survived peacefully on this continent for hundreds and hundreds of years before white folks showed up and killed everyone and scorched the earth and ruined the environment - are more violent than the white monoculture is so fucked up and whiny and misguided that i can’t even