Native Appropriations is a blog that criticizes and analyzes the ways that

Indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

are depicted in mainstream culture. Active since 2010, the website is created and maintained by

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

scholar Adrienne Keene.

Subjects

Some of the most frequently discussed topics on the blog are " hipster headdresses", the Native American mascot controversy and what the author deems to be appropriation and misrepresentations of Native American cultures in Hollywood movies. Targets of critique include the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

use of an

ethnic slur The following is a list of ethnic slurs, ethnophaulisms, or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnic, national, or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pej ...

as the name for their football team, The Lone Ranger movie remake, depictions of skin walkers and Native American spiritual beliefs in the work of author J. K. Rowling,Keene, Dr. Adrienne,
Magic in North America Part 1: Ugh.
at ''Native Appropriations'', 8 March 2016. Accessed 9 April 2016. the wearing of a hipster headdress and statements by musician Christina Fallin,

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

" Pocahottie" costumes, and

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) is a multinational lifestyle retail corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Operating in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, select Western European countries, Poland, the United Arab Em ...

. Though much of the blog's commentary is critical, it is not exclusively so:

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado ( , ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Critics have noted ...

, for example, has been praised for her respectful engagement with Native hoop and shawl dancers.

Coverage and influence

Keene observes that Native Americans are barely represented in mainstream media, and journalists often turn to non-Native sources, rather than to Natives themselves, on the rare occasions when they do cover Native issues. However, the increasing popularity of her blog and appearance on other social media such as

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

has made her a widely quoted expert on matters to do with appropriations, with mentions in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, NPR, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', the '' Phoenix New Times'', Al Jazeera, ''Time'' magazine and other major news outlets. ''The Guardian'' has credited her with leading a successful campaign against stereotypical imagery created by Paul Frank Industries: the company later invited Keene and other experts to help design new product lines working with Native artists.

References

External links

Native Appropriations - Representations Matter
- official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Native Appropriations Cherokee culture Native American cultural appropriation Internet properties established in 2010 Media coverage and representation Mass media issues American blogs Native American mass media Native Americans in popular culture