A play on our documentary’s name – “Escaping Winnetou” – the new Campaign at Survival International

August 15, 2025August 15, 2025Red Haircrow

Escaping Winnetou campaign at Survival International, the broschure is downloadable at the link.
Text German version below. Video at Vimeo.

We were contacted to give some commentary on the topic, which has returned to the stage as a new film of racist troupes and stereotypes was recently released. The willful insistence of Germans of this type to not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but to introduce and reinforce their use in a new generation is on full display, even as normalized racism and white supremacist ideology is on the rise.

The simple fact of the matter is: You cannot make “better” racist films by “updating” material and still using the same troupes, characters, names and Eurocentric, whitecentric structures and producers. This is impossible. Racism is racism. Organizations, museums or anything else that have used Natives for profit, interest and personal gain aren’t suddenly better because they share some stats or information about Natives today. That absolves you of Nothing and is purely self-delusion.

As in the previous post, about our 14 August interview at Deutschlandradio Kultur, we shared there continues to be individuals and groups working positively with Natives. In healthy, non-racist, non-Eurocentric collaborations and cooperation with Indigenous peoples. They Never make the spotlight because that would show it is possible Not to be racist and still enjoy Native peoples and cultures. That shows how wrong the way such filmmakers and producers, hobbyists, and “Indian” shows actually are, that it is self-gratifying even arrogant behaviors, and facets of rape culture: “We will use you for our pleasure whether you like it or not, and even if you say ‘please don’t do this’, we will do it anyway!” A terrible mindset.

Survival International has created a brochure gathering information and data on persistent cultural appropriation and racist practices in Germany, particularly with Native and Indigenous peoples. It is the explanation and introduction for their current campaign, Escaping Winnetou, which will presumably last the next months.

We were asked if we might like to be part of it, but we’ll see in the future what that looks like, as they had not offered or defined a specific way for us to do so. That’s always a frustrating aspect, because effectively, it’s a structural way non-Natives are still narrating and presenting Indigenous peoples.

Visit the site, watch the video, but more importantly, think about how you can help change our societies for the better each day. Sometimes that’s not easy, even in small ways, but it’s possible and necessary that every single one of us try to do so.

The “Cycle of Genocide” image was created by Ižaŋžaŋwiŋ.

Wir wurden um einen Kommentar zu diesem Thema gebeten, das durch die Veröffentlichung eines neuen Films mit rassistischen Klischees und Stereotypen wieder in den Fokus gerückt ist. Das beharrliche Festhalten dieser Art von Deutschen daran, schädliche Stereotypen nicht nur aufrechtzuerhalten, sondern sie auch einer neuen Generation zu vermitteln und zu verfestigen, ist offensichtlich, auch wenn normalisierter Rassismus und die Ideologie der weißen Vorherrschaft auf dem Vormarsch sind.

Die einfache Tatsache ist: Man kann keine „besseren” rassistischen Filme machen, indem man das Material „aktualisiert” und dabei weiterhin dieselben Klischees, Charaktere, Namen und eurozentrischen, weißzentrierten Strukturen und Produzenten verwendet. Das ist unmöglich. Rassismus ist Rassismus. Organisationen, Museen oder andere Einrichtungen, die Native für Profit, Interessen und persönlichen Gewinn ausgenutzt haben, werden nicht plötzlich besser, nur weil sie heute einige Statistiken oder Informationen über Native veröffentlichen. Das entlastet Sie in keiner Weise und ist reine Selbsttäuschung.

Wie im vorherigen Beitrag über unser Interview vom 14. August bei Deutschlandradio Kultur haben wir berichtet, dass es weiterhin Einzelpersonen und Gruppen gibt, die positiv mit den Natives zusammenarbeiten. In einer gesunden, nicht rassistischen, nicht eurozentrischen Zusammenarbeit und Kooperation mit indigenen Völkern. Sie stehen nie im Rampenlicht, weil das zeigen würde, dass es möglich ist, nicht rassistisch zu sein und dennoch die Natives und ihre Kulturen zu genießen. Das zeigt, wie falsch die Vorgehensweise solcher Filmemacher und Produzenten, Hobbyisten und „Indianer”-Shows tatsächlich ist, dass es sich um selbstgefälliges, sogar arrogantes Verhalten und Facetten einer Vergewaltigungskultur handelt: „Wir werden euch zu unserem Vergnügen benutzen, ob ihr es wollt oder nicht, und selbst wenn ihr sagt ‚Bitte tut das nicht’, werden wir es trotzdem tun!” Eine schreckliche Denkweise.

Survival International hat eine Broschüre mit Informationen und Daten über anhaltende kulturelle Aneignung und rassistische Praktiken in Deutschland, insbesondere gegenüber Native und indigenen Völkern, erstellt. Sie dient als Erklärung und Einführung für ihre aktuelle Kampagne „Escaping Winnetou”, die voraussichtlich die nächsten Monate dauern wird.

Wir wurden gefragt, ob wir daran teilnehmen möchten, aber wir werden in Zukunft sehen, wie das aussehen wird, da sie uns keine konkrete Möglichkeit dafür angeboten oder definiert haben. Das ist immer ein frustrierender Aspekt, denn effektiv ist es eine strukturelle Art und Weise, wie Nicht-Native immer noch über indigene Völker berichten und sie darstellen.

Besuchen Sie die Website, schauen Sie sich das Video an, aber denken Sie vor allem darüber nach, wie Sie dazu beitragen können, unsere Gesellschaften jeden Tag ein bisschen besser zu machen. Das ist manchmal nicht einfach, selbst in kleinen Schritten, aber es ist möglich und notwendig, dass jeder einzelne von uns sich darum bemüht.

„Das Kanu des Manitu“ und die deutsche „Indi*ner“ Begeisterung – Deutschlandfunk Kultur

August 15, 2025August 15, 2025Red Haircrow 2 Comments

An interview by Matthias Dell, who I first met in 2017 when he contacted me for an article in der Freitag on our documentary and related topics. He’s one of the few journalists and writers I would consider to give commentary to anymore. Follow the link to listen to the interview at Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Sound clips of the documentary are included, such as of Dr. Hartmut Lutz and Gerald Dittmer (Ho-chunk). German version is below. Interested in a screening for your organization, university or group? Here.

Germans are still asking the same questions, and generally ignoring the answers.

“Indianthusiasm” still continues despite the possibility of having positive, reciprocal and healthy collaboration and cooperation with Native and Indigenous peoples than ever before. Not the “white” decided and written narratives, the fake Indians in red-face at big parks and shows, the scholars who make “Indians” their career yet are employed by and supported organizations, groups and other entities that have actively harmed and continue to harm Native peoples and cultures, and more! That’s all loving in the wrong way, just like our documentary and multiple other resources have showed.

The same issues are present despite educating on Native stereotypes and the effects, origins and interconnections of stereotyping. Why? Because of willful insistence on violating the rights of other peoples and groups. Because of Eurocentric and self-important prioritization of “white” desires, gratification and “fun” over over the health and safety of another person or peoples, which is Rape Culture. Ignoring when someone says, “No, stop, you’re hurting me,” but you not only rationalize or defend your activities, and you teach your own children such inherently violent acts. That’s one of the most horrible and life-affective idealogies to teach.

This in turn teaches lack of empathy, selfishness and cruelty, usually with a smile and a dose of gaslighting the victim, “See? That’s not so bad. You’re just too sensitive.” That mentality also contributes to be epidemic of pedophilia and pedo-fetishization, the apathy people display when children as harmed, especially if it’s certain ethnicities. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard, “That’s just how those people are!” Always pointing fingers but, as the saying goes, three fingers are pointing back at you!

Germany today is the reflection of Germany of it’s worst past. Using the excuse of defending it’s (non) culture, it’s racist culture, to passively and aggressively violate others. It’s no surprise that it also continues to rationalize and ignore the violations, genocides and ethnic cleansings happening around the world, and in fact, is actively supporting and defending. It’s sad and maddeningly to see a country and society that prides itself on being an open-minded, democratic space yet are horribly outdated, inflexible, and not incapable but unwilling to accept its dupliciality in those acts. Homegrown self-delusions about racist, stereotyping behaviors helps keep this critical flaw alive and well.

Germany as a whole continues to ignore and dismiss the reality of how stereotyping, whether one believes specific ones are positive, are connected to all other negative behaviors and situation in society. Stereotypes oversimplify and reduce highly complex knowledge, peoples, groups, etc. to snipets of usually false and harmful gossip. Even stereotypes like “Natives are so peaceful, spiritual and good” is negative because we’re people just like any others, with good and bad, bigots, shysters, whatever, so we are then not allowed to be ourselves but are expected to meet the fantasies of those who have gained power and dominance through horrific violence, and control virtually everything. A job as anything else but a dancer or using your “nativeness”? No way, your university degrees mean nothing! A date who doesn’t want to play, “Cowboys & Indians”? Not a chance!

“Most people don’t realize or care, I’m a psychologist who specialties are intergenerational trauma, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and LGBTIQ2S support. Do I ever get asked about that? The 1st one, rarely. The others? Never. I’m a writer of modern gothic and romance novels, award-winning and positively reviewed, and often set in Germany. 26+ works. Never had my books accepted by Dussman or anyone else in Germany.

I am only a Native and therefore relevant ONLY when they want to discuss Natives. I am not a real person, academic, professional or fellow expert on my topics etc. I am a compartmentalized object, a boxed ornament to be displayed only at a certain time of year. That’s how we are treated, and somehow expected to be thankful for that.”

Natives are only allowed to be one way to meet “their” wants and needs. Otherwise, they have zero use or place for us. We are not us. We are a tool, a toy, a marketing strategy, an object lesson, that is destructive to minds, to cultures, to communities. It’s a large part of the suicide epidemic to Native communites, for your information.

The practice and following of stereotyping is a reductive, inherently violent belief system which Natives continue to be subjected to. And we share this deplorable situation with other marginalized and minoritized groups. There is power to do good, to be fair, to apologize, to change, to be better, but there’s a collective decision not to do so. To waste time with whataboutisms, “gatchas” and “But….!!!” The collective decision to be racism, to be warmongers, to be apathetic, to reject responsibility for the harm, violence and death means no justice. Not for us, not for Gaza, not for the Sudan, Namibia, and I can go on and on and on. Interconnectedness. All of these things are connected.

We have a common enemy of life, it might be said, so we must work together with others who do want a better world for all children, a better future and treatment of differences as strengths, not something to be villified or exploited. All of us who are used, misused, ignored, and our lives, cultures, and bodies politicized, appropriated and defiled, it’s more of us than “them”, and we are commited to happiness, not suppression, labeling and control of harming others to keep “status quo”. Those are fear-based, ethically weak, bully tactics.

The “Cycle of Genocide” image was created by Ižaŋžaŋwiŋ.

Die Deutschen stellen immer noch dieselben Fragen und ignorieren dabei in der Regel die Antworten.

Der „Indianenthusiasm” hält trotz der Möglichkeit einer positiven, wechselseitigen und gesunden Zusammenarbeit und Kooperation mit den Ureinwohnern und indigenen Völkern mehr denn je an. Die von „Weißen“ festgelegten und geschriebenen Erzählungen, die falschen Indianer mit rot bemalten Gesichtern in großen Parks und Shows, die Wissenschaftler, die „Indianer“ zu ihrem Beruf gemacht haben, aber von Organisationen, Gruppen und anderen Einrichtungen beschäftigt und unterstützt werden, die den Ureinwohnern und ihren Kulturen aktiv geschadet haben und weiterhin schaden, und vieles mehr! Das ist alles Liebe auf die falsche Art und Weise, wie unser Dokumentarfilm und zahlreiche andere Quellen gezeigt haben.

Die gleichen Probleme bestehen trotz Aufklärung über Stereotypen gegenüber Natives und die Auswirkungen, Ursprünge und Zusammenhänge von Stereotypisierung. Warum? Weil man bewusst darauf besteht, die Rechte anderer Völker und Gruppen zu verletzen. Wegen Eurozentrismus und der selbstherrlichen Priorisierung „weißer“ Wünsche, Befriedigung und „Spaß“ gegenüber der Gesundheit und Sicherheit anderer Menschen oder Völker, was Vergewaltigungskultur ist. Wenn man ignoriert, wenn jemand sagt: „Nein, hör auf, du tust mir weh”, sondern seine Handlungen nicht nur rationalisiert oder verteidigt, sondern auch noch den eigenen Kindern solche von Natur aus gewalttätigen Handlungen beibringt, ist das eine der schrecklichsten und lebensbeeinträchtigendsten Ideologien, die man vermitteln kann.

Dies wiederum lehrt mangelnde Empathie, Selbstsucht und Grausamkeit, meist mit einem Lächeln und einer Portion Gaslighting gegenüber dem Opfer: „Siehst du? Das ist doch gar nicht so schlimm. Du bist einfach zu empfindlich.“ Diese Mentalität trägt auch zur Epidemie von Pädophilie und Pädophilie-Fetischisierung bei, zur Apathie, die Menschen an den Tag legen, wenn Kinder zu Schaden kommen, insbesondere wenn es sich um bestimmte ethnische Gruppen handelt. Ich kann Ihnen gar nicht sagen, wie oft ich schon gehört habe: „So sind diese Leute eben!“ Immer mit dem Finger auf andere zeigen, aber wie das Sprichwort sagt: Drei Finger zeigen zurück auf dich selbst!

Das heutige Deutschland spiegelt das Deutschland seiner schlimmsten Vergangenheit wider. Unter dem Vorwand, seine (Nicht-)Kultur, seine rassistische Kultur zu verteidigen, verletzt es passiv und aggressiv andere. Es überrascht nicht, dass es auch weiterhin die Verstöße, Völkermorde und ethnischen Säuberungen, die weltweit stattfinden, rationalisiert und ignoriert und diese sogar aktiv unterstützt und verteidigt. Es ist traurig und ärgerlich, ein Land und eine Gesellschaft zu sehen, die sich rühmen, ein aufgeschlossener, demokratischer Raum zu sein, aber dennoch schrecklich veraltet und unflexibel sind und nicht unfähig, sondern unwillig, ihre Doppelzüngigkeit in diesen Handlungen zu akzeptieren. Selbstgemachte Selbsttäuschungen über rassistische, stereotype Verhaltensweisen tragen dazu bei, diesen kritischen Fehler am Leben zu erhalten.

Deutschland als Ganzes ignoriert und leugnet weiterhin die Realität, dass Stereotypisierung, unabhängig davon, ob man bestimmte Stereotypen für positiv hält, mit allen anderen negativen Verhaltensweisen und Situationen in der Gesellschaft zusammenhängt. Stereotypen vereinfachen und reduzieren hochkomplexes Wissen, Menschen, Gruppen usw. auf Bruchstücke von meist falschen und schädlichen Gerüchten. Selbst Stereotypen wie „“Eingeborene sind so friedlich, spirituell und gut“ sind negativ, weil wir Menschen wie alle anderen sind, mit guten und schlechten Seiten, Fanatikern, Betrügern, was auch immer, sodass wir dann nicht wir selbst sein dürfen, sondern erwartet wird, dass wir die Fantasien derer erfüllen, die durch schreckliche Gewalt Macht und Dominanz erlangt haben und praktisch alles kontrollieren.

Die meisten Menschen wissen es nicht oder interessiert es nicht, aber ich bin Psychologe mit den Spezialgebieten generationenübergreifende Traumata, Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen und LGBTIQ2S-Unterstützung. Werde ich jemals danach gefragt? Das erste Thema selten. Die anderen? Niemals. Ich bin Schriftsteller moderner Gothic- und Liebesromane, preisgekrönt und positiv rezensiert. Über 26 Werke. Meine Bücher wurden nie von Dussmann oder anderen Verlagen in Deutschland angenommen.

Ich bin nur eine Native und daher NUR relevant, wenn sie über Native sprechen wollen. Ich bin keine echte Person, keine Akademiker, keine Fachmann oder Expert für mein Themen usw. Ich bin ein abgegrenztes Objekt, ein verpacktes Schmuckstück, das nur zu einer bestimmten Zeit im Jahr ausgestellt wird. So werden wir behandelt, und irgendwie wird von uns erwartet, dass wir dafür dankbar sind.

Natives dürfen nur auf eine bestimmte Art und Weise existieren, um „ihre“ Wünsche und Bedürfnisse zu erfüllen. Ansonsten haben sie keinerlei Nutzen oder Platz für uns. Wir sind nicht wir selbst. Wir sind ein Werkzeug, ein Spielzeug, eine Marketingstrategie, ein Lehrbeispiel, das für den Geist, für Kulturen und für Gemeinschaften zerstörerisch ist. Das ist ein großer Teil der Selbstmordepidemie in Native-Gemeinschaften, zu Ihrer Information.

Die Praxis und das Befolgen von Stereotypen ist ein reduktives, von Natur aus gewalttätiges Glaubenssystem, dem Native weiterhin ausgesetzt sind. Und wir teilen diese bedauerliche Situation mit anderen marginalisierten und minorisierten Gruppen. Es gibt die Kraft, Gutes zu tun, fair zu sein, sich zu entschuldigen, sich zu ändern, besser zu werden, aber es gibt eine kollektive Entscheidung, dies nicht zu tun. Zeit zu verschwenden mit „Was-wäre-wenn“-Fragen, „Gatchas“ und „Aber…!!!“. Die kollektive Entscheidung, rassistisch zu sein, Kriegstreiber zu sein, apathisch zu sein, die Verantwortung für das Leid, die Gewalt und den Tod abzulehnen, bedeutet, dass es keine Gerechtigkeit gibt. Nicht für uns, nicht für Gaza, nicht für den Sudan, Namibia, und ich könnte noch endlos weitermachen. Vernetzung. All diese Dinge hängen miteinander zusammen.

Man könnte sagen, wir haben einen gemeinsamen Feind, das Leben, also müssen wir mit anderen zusammenarbeiten, die eine bessere Welt für alle Kinder wollen, eine bessere Zukunft und die Behandlung von Unterschieden als Stärken, nicht als etwas, das verteufelt oder ausgenutzt wird. Wir alle, die wir benutzt, missbraucht, ignoriert und deren Leben, Kulturen und Körper politisiert, angeeignet und beschmutzt werden, sind mehr als „sie“, und wir setzen uns für Glück ein, nicht für Unterdrückung, Etikettierung und Kontrolle, um anderen zu schaden und den „Status quo“ aufrechtzuerhalten. Das sind angstbasierte, ethisch schwache, tyrannische Taktiken.

June 2024 to 2025- Still Relevant! – “Rate Woher Ich Komme” on Datteltäter

June 18, 2025Red Haircrow

Against the backdrop of current events as Germany as a government and country continues to be on the wrong side of history, backing ethnic cleansing, electing agressively racist, zenophobic and intolerant leaders who wish to fully bring back some of the methods, behaviors and practices of Nazism under the guise of “protection” of its interests and “certain” peoples. Like in the past, Germany mirrors the USA, and walk hand in hand using playbooks of fearful, insecure, yet arrogant men. Fortunately, there are many who stand against hate and fear-mongering.

June 2024: “I was contacted through NAAoG to be part of this episode in the series by Datteltäter on the cultural appropriation, racism, cultural ignorance and arrogance that still persists in Germany despite it being a long time multicultural country. Well, it’s no surprise really but it is somewhat different from other western European countries because many are uncomfortable with exploring or celebrating their our cultures and traditions, which are actually quite rich and varied but had been exploited pre-WWII. Instead some heavily beg, steal and borrow from other cultures, often using their privilege and wealth to further profit from the usage of other peoples.

It was filmed on 2 June in their studio on Gneisenauerstr. View the video here, my part starts at 10:40.
https://youtu.be/Y1vv7Eus_fI?feature=shared&t=640

Description: “Can you tell at first glance which country people come from? In this episode, the teams take on the challenge of matching people to their countries. From the American continents to the Far East, the teams compete for points and gain a fascinating insight into the countries of the world.”

“Erkennst du auf den ersten Blick, aus welchem Land Menschen kommen? In dieser Folge stellen sich die Teams der Herausforderung, Menschen zu ihren Ländern zuzuordnen. Von den amerikanischen Kontinenten bis in den fernen Osten kämpfen die Teams um die Punkte und bekommen einen faszinierenden Einblick in die Länder dieser Welt.”

SAG MIR, aus welchem LAND ich komme!? – Participant in Datteltäter project (June 2024)

June 15, 2024June 18, 2025Red Haircrow

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y1vv7Eus_fI%3Fsi%3Dscy6PMzB0qO5FnwG%26start%3D640

“I was contacted through NAAoG to be part of this episode in the series by Datteltäter on the cultural appropriation, racism, cultural ignorance and arrogance that still persists in Germany despite it being a long time multicultural country. Well, it’s no surprise really but it is somewhat different from other western European countries because many are uncomfortable with exploring or celebrating their our cultures and traditions, which are actually quite rich and varied but had been exploited pre-WWII. Instead some heavily beg, steal and borrow from other cultures, often using their privilege and wealth to further profit from the usage of other peoples.

It was filmed on 2 June in their studio on Gneisenauerstr. View the video here, my part starts at 10:40.
https://youtu.be/Y1vv7Eus_fI?feature=shared&t=640

The Spectacular & Surreal – “Spiel mit der Zeit” Premiere 2023

December 12, 2023December 12, 2023Red Haircrow

20231125_113341

I’ll keep this short and sweet, as I already shared information about my participation in the updated show in anticipation of, Premiere of “Spiel mit der Zeit” at Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin on 25 November – Intercultural Cooperation & Positive Change.

View their website and all information about the show, which is open through January 2024, and how to get your tickets. (LINK)

I was cultural consultant on North American Native American material, and helped write the new dialogue for the main 1800s Old American West characters, and the solo song by “White Dove”. Striking the completely false but widely still believed/taught lie that C*lumbus discovered America was critical. Showing how easy and simple it is to explain why Ind*ander is inappropriate, and never was appropriate, (this isn’t new information or a new complaint), is especially important for young audiences and people, to BREAK the cycle of Eurocentricism and European interpretation of “Others” and actually learn intercultural respect and humility.

This was done is a very tasteful way that fit well into the overall theme I wanted to convey: there were always ones who wished to have peace with Natives or others, who were against slavery also, for example, but it was their largely European peers who insisted on genocide and dehumanization, and which continues around the world….exactly as we see now. We and they MUST correct these deadly, disempowering and dehumanizing behaviors still being normalized.

One of the suggestions I made that wasn’t accepted was updating the type of “Native inspired” song, rhymes and beats used. I provided wonderful examples of “modern” Native music that still incorporated traditional ideas, themes and beliefs, but they stayed with the melody from before. Their choice, of course. Another was regarding the Native costumes, which were changed from the original, more mascot (and objectionable) appearance, very true, but my suggestion of universally recognized, natural based motifs were not. The colors were nice, but….

It’s a good thing the Old West historic scene was first. It would have been very underwhelming if it followed the complex dances, the lighting, the acrobatics, the costumes and personalities presented in the other “historic” scenes, which DID recognizably combine modern beats and costumes with historic accents. I still don’t get where “Neanderthals” are included with “bones in their hair and noses” when this is a stereotype still far more commonly seen in “comic” depictions of Africans or other non-European peoples considered primitive, but…

It is an unforgettable, enjoyable show I would recommend, especially as someone who does not believe in political correctness (a practice created by yt people, especially men anyway), but instead use events, films, books, shows, for discussion and dialogues on how to improve, change and correct. Exactly as Friedrichstadt-Palast made the momentous decision to do, in a Germany in the middle of making bad decisions, repeating very flawed reasonings of the past. Many of us still have hope…

As my companion for the event remarked, however, looking around at the packed house and an audience full of excited children, that at that and this very moment, Germany and much of the west not only are watching, but supporting the deaths of innocent children. And this reminds me of my original purpose, my main purpose in beginning the series of education on stereotypes, racism, colonialism and Indigenous peoples, which in film version started in “Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way”. I want to help change the world, to create a better world for ALL children, not just certain children. I’m open to working with anyone, whatever their heredity, background, nationality or belief system, to achieve such a critically important goal any real human being should respect.

To see the cast taking a bow at the end of the show, please visit the short video on YouTube. (LINK)

“The Indigenous have already experienced their Apocalypse” – Interview on “Alles Muss Raus” – 05.10.2023

October 11, 2023October 11, 2023Red Haircrow

podcast

For those interested, here’s the link to my interview/the discussion on the “Alles Muss Raus” podcast with Thilo Mischke. Released on 5 October 2023, “The Indigenous have already experienced their Apocalypse”.

Looking back, I had no real issues with any of the questions. However, one of the first questions which I am paraphrasing, “Living in Germany now (or so long?) do these topics or things happening to Native Americans/First Nations affect you anymore?” was really surprising in a way, but in another, not so very because Indigenous peoples are generally perceived as sensitive/traumatized or distanced from. Maybe that is what they have perceived of us. I believe I paused before responding, because literally, just because you move someplace else or live someplace else you don’t stop caring for your family, your relatives, your peoples. We’re not animals adopted or moved away from a pet shelter who eventually have little or no memory of those times.

Another question that soon followed was also general, but not surprising, “Have you personally been affected by MMIW or related violence?” I did respond that I had been subjected to identity related violence and lost two uncles to discriminatory, racist violence at state/governmental hands or negligence. Women and girls have been targeted since DAY ONE of European invasion then 2S relatives, but men also, especially younger Indigenous men as was mentioned by Johnnie Jae (Otoe Missouri/Choctaw) in my documentary on the effects of stereotypes and racism, “Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way” (2018).

Many Germans I’ve encountered through the years, whether referencing German society and family issues or others, often expressed their position that unless certain injurious things happened TO them or someone they personally knew in a close way, they had little or no interest in seeing justice done. ESPECIALLY if it were a topic they considered merely a difference of opinion like racial profiling and racial violence or transgender rights and protection. Considering the previous question and tone, if I had said I had not been personally affected in some way would it not then have been, “So, why should it matter to you? AKA Why are you speaking on these topics?” Actually, the questions should be, especially in a Germany who claims to love Native Americans and their cultures:

WHY SHOULDN’T IT MATTER TO EVERYONE?
WHY DO SO MANY IGNORE OR MINIMIZE THE SERIAL KILLINGS AND DISAPPEARANCES OF MMIW?

Finally, one discussion point I cannot help but mention whether included in the broadcast or not, I was speaking about positive collaborations between Germans/Europeans and the Indigenous that are rarely if ever mentioned in the media, who favor controversial, even adversarial treatment of anything Indigenous related. I mentioned how the alphabetizing of Ndee (Apache) languages was progressing since decades with the help of certain German linguists who’ve lived in proximity to Apache for decades.

As a similar example(?), the host mentioned that after Germans had recorded in print tattoo patterns that were unknown to Samoans today, before conducting massacres on the Samoan people. Thus those tattoos were only known now because Germans had preserved them, which a descendant or relative had wryly remarked upon with a laugh during an interview. To put it mildly, it is highly inappropriate for a German or other European to laugh also at this as if it were a “joke” joke. It was not. It was the still grieving, “wtf else can you do but laugh” so many Indigenous and other minoritized, marginalized peoples and groups know all too well. Granted, their laugh may have been ironical, but to be honest, that kind of gallows humor should only be used with someone you know very well, if then, as it can be seen as minimization of the trauma that still exists these communities due to invasion and genocide.

As the Samoan man and others remarked further in the documentary (and response to), OF COURSE, they would rather have had those relatives not be massacred and lose those tattoo patterns forever. And where is that book now anyway? I might lose, but I’d bet that book is NOT in Samoa, in the hands and/or total control of the Samoan people. Like so many precious cultural items of Indigenous peoples, they were looted, coerced and/or gained through violence, and have never been respectfully apologized for and corrected. Germany, like most European countries of the west, continue to hold hostage or apathetically fail to require their society to return such materials to their original peoples.

Those are my two outstanding observations on the interview, and any other issues if present, you can doubtless ascertain for yourself. 99.9% of the time, podcasts included, they provide you with a list of questions so you can prepare in some way. I was not. So, I feel I could have better answered some questions, though in hindsight one always remembers things they wish had included or said better. But yeah, here ya go.

Film Citation: CINEPHILE, Vol. 16, no.1, University of British Columbia’s film journal, “The Transnational White Indian”

May 30, 2023Red Haircrow

Our documentary was cited and discussed in #CINEPHILE, Vol. 16, no.1, University of British Columbia’s film journal, “The Transnational White Indian”. The PDF is available online for download here.

In the excellent preface by Robert Stam, it helps explain why it’s so many mid to older German ytguys especially continue to idolize & defend appropriation and misrepresentation practices. The homo-erotic, homo-social aspects of Shatterhand & Winnetou’s relationship is distinct in Karl May’s novels, and the whitewashing or eurocentrizing of Natives.

But there’s great info throughout Stam’s chapter on the romanticization of genocide, the usurping/replacement of actual Natives by yts, and the coveting or “ownership” of Indigenous cultures by self-named experts 🙄. Stam traces the history of Native stereotypes from the beginning of motion pictures and relevant literature in the 19th and 20th centuries, and briefly why #Germany is the most notorious.

What are some of the main issues of such practices and behaviors?

1. It harms and erases the cultures targeted, plus who were/are the ones who that enacted and still benefit from genocidal practices.

2. Distracts from recognizing & healing the internal antagonism, stereotyping and trauma in European societies seeking escapism through appropriation.

3. As an example, research is finding the white male demographic is the largest sudden move in claiming nonbinary & other identities PLUS are the ONLY group closest to Native Americans in suicide rates after a certain age.

This is no surprise. On one end of this spectrum you have the culturally appropriated and misrepresented, and on the other end, those who have brutalized and culturally destroyed themselves and others. They hold and withhold and monopolize structural power gained through horrific acts of violence through the centuries, against their own peoples as well, yet now many claim we who oppose them are trying to deny their rights to nostalgic racism, sexism, ableism, misogyny and homo- & transphobia. Basically, they wish to continue exploiting, misusing and abusing others, and dislike and resent anyone who calls them out and demands they Stop.

Don’t be taken in by such rhetoric, such “woe is me”, “reverse racism” and/or “but real women are” rationalizations for discrimination, stereotyping and hate.

If you’re interested in screening our documentary, please visit our Contact & FAQs page.

Description: “The same mentality that ignores Indigenous rights to self-representation are often those who also stereotype and gaslight GLBTIIQ people, women (of all types), the disabled or economically challenged, especially people of color just for desiring change and equality. It is basically saying, “My gratification is more important than your dignity, your rights or even your life.” This is a main facet of rape culture. It is intersecting oppression. Trailer.

A list of most other Red Haircrow citations on these specific topics can be found at Google Scholar. The citations include Red’s work, interviews, commentary and other multimedia.

Racism as Culture: Carnival Costumes, #CulturalAppropriation & #Germany – #Faschingskostüme #KulturelleAneignung

February 19, 2023February 19, 2023Red Haircrow

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VIDEO – This week on (link) MDR’s “recap” – Faschingskostüme: Ist Rassismus vielen egal? Myself and several others on the topic of racism, cultural appropriation, carnival, rassimus, Faschingskostüme, Kulturelle Aneignung.

We ask: How do you educate upon these topics in meaningful ways and create change to end racist practices? Like the title of our documentary clearly suggests, there is a wrong and a better way to show appreciation, indicate interest or learn about other peoples and cultures that do not perpetuate cycles of erasure, violence, and misogyny (+transphobia). Learn more here: flyingwithredhaircrow.com.

Description: “Finally #Carnival again! That means celebrating exuberantly, swaying, dressing up. But apparently, this year, too, that doesn’t go without missteps. At a carnival reception in Hesse, there is a “blackfacing” scandal. In Prossen, Saxony, people in “Indian” #costumes drive through town during a carnival parade, and a man in a rainbow suit is tied to a torture stake. And we ask ourselves: why are certain costumes problematic?

For this, we take a look at history, more precisely at the time of colonialism. At that time, many ethnic groups were oppressed and considered inferior. Their clothing and culture were looked down upon. Today, for example, dressing up as #NativeAmerican without dealing with their history is unacceptable, Red Haircrow tells us in the video.

And yet, “Ind*aner” costumes are still everywhere. Many fools don’t understand the fuss over the disguise. Do many not care about #racism? We asked academics and those affected for their take.”

Note: By the way, I was addressed by MDR in English and never asked if I speak German. Which of course I do, I was born in Germany and have spent the last almost twenty years back in Germany. Another example that one can recognize the problems of stereotyping, but still make false assumptions about other things that interfere with intercultural well-being.

Wir fragen: Wie kann man auf sinnvolle Weise über diese Themen aufklären und Veränderungen bewirken, um rassistische Praktiken zu beenden? Wie der Titel unseres Dokumentarfilms deutlich macht, gibt es einen falschen und einen besseren Weg, Wertschätzung zu zeigen, Interesse zu bekunden oder etwas über andere Menschen und Kulturen zu lernen, ohne den Kreislauf von Auslöschung, Gewalt und Frauen- oder transfeindlichkeit aufrechtzuerhalten. Erfahren Sie hier mehr: flyingwithredhaircrow.com.

Beschreibung: “Endlich wieder Karneval! Das heißt ausgelassen feiern, schunkeln, verkleiden. Aber offenbar geht das auch in diesem Jahr nicht ohne Fehltritte. Bei einem Fastnachtsempfang in Hessen gibt es einen “Blackfacing”-Skandal. Im sächsischen Prossen fahren Menschen im “Indianer”-Kostüm bei einem Karnevalsumzug durch den Ort, ein Mann in Regenbogen-Anzug ist an einen Marterpfahl gefesselt.Und wir fragen uns: Warum sind bestimmte Kostüme problematisch?

Wir werfen dafür einen Blick in die Geschichte, genauer gesagt in die Zeit des Kolonialismus. Damals wurden viele Volksgruppen unterdrückt und als minderwertig betrachtet. Auf ihre Kleidung und Kultur wurde herabgeschaut. Sich heutzutage zum Beispiel als Native American zu verkleiden, ohne sich mit ihrer Geschichte zu beschäftigen, sei inakzeptabel, erklärt uns Red Haircrow im Video.

Und doch sind “Ind*aner”-Kostüme nach wie vor überall zu sehen. Viele Narren verstehen die Aufregung um die Verkleidung nicht. Ist Rassismus vielen egal? Wir haben Wissenschaftler und Betroffene nach ihrer Einschätzung gefragt.”

Kapitel:
00:00 Intro
00:45 Wo gibt es Rassismus im Karneval?
02:35 Krasse Kostüme in Onlineshops
03:27 Was macht die Kostüme problematisch?
04:36 Kulturelle Aneignung im Karneval
06:42 Warum werden rassistische Kostüme trotzdem getragen
07:18 Hat Karneval ein Rassismusproblem?
08:00 Kostümverbot für Kinder?
09:50 Sarahs Meinung
10:34 Endcard

HINWEIS: Übrigens wurde ich vom MDR auf Englisch angesprochen und nie gefragt, ob ich Deutsch spreche. Was ich natürlich tue, ich bin in Deutschland geboren und habe die letzten fast zwanzig Jahre wieder in Deutschland verbracht. Ein weiteres Beispiel, man kann die Probleme der Stereotypisierung erkennen, aber trotzdem falsche Annahmen über andere Dinge machen, die das Wohlbefinden stören.

Very relevant to #Germany, Current Racism & Native American Stereotypes – “How the US influenced the creation of Nazi race laws under Hitler” – A New Article

February 10, 2023Red Haircrow

Sharing commentary by Ken Pope, on the new article by Robin Lindley in the American Bar Association’s ABA Journal: “How the US influenced the creation of Nazi race laws under Hitler”.

My comments: “IT IS EXTREMELY RELEVANT to continuing conversations, discussions and so-called “debates” on Native American stereotypes, cultural appropriation and misuse/abuse of Native cultures, spirituality, histories and peoples and the reality of “well-intentioned” support of Natives, but which still results in erasure, replacement and silencing of Natives by speaking for them instead of letting them speak for themselves.

It’s also very relevant to the normalized and increasing daily racism, xenophobia, ableism etc. and apathy in Germany towards stereotyping/ignorance, discrimination and bias towards any marginalized and/or minoritized peoples and groups. Absolutely the history of Nazism has been taught in Germany, but the underlying reasons racism and racist practices are still not understood as such is a huge problem. Obviously the education has been flawed and/or one-dimensional, which many believe is because POC are routinely excluded as educators at all levels of schooling and academia.”

Excerpts:

Adolf Hitler raises a defiant, clenched fist during a speech.

“Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers in the 1930s fashioned race laws that were designed to degrade and deprive Jewish people of all rights. At the same time, American laws often enshrined white supremacy and discriminated against non-whites, and Black Americans in particular were treated as second-class citizens.

Prompted by Hitler’s own words in his hateful screed Mein Kampf, celebrated Yale professor of law and history James Q. Whitman conducted meticulous research to determine the influence of American sources on Nazi jurists and scholars in the early years of Hitler’s reich. In in his groundbreaking and disquieting book Hitler’s American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law (Princeton University Press), Whitman found that the Nazis had carefully studied American racial law and social policies in developing Germany’s antisemitic Nuremberg Laws of 1935 and other policies.

As Whitman reveals, Hitler saw the United States as the world leader in establishing a racist social order.

Hitler and Nazi lawyers admired racist U.S. immigration laws; criminal laws forbidding mixed marriages or sexual relations; and Jim Crow segregation laws and other provisions that robbed African Americans of rights. And they especially admired the mass extermination of Native Americans by “Nordic” pioneers.

Hitler believed that the U.S. saw itself as ‘a Nordic German country’

Many Americans also did. Although, all of this is but one side, the nightmare side of the American story, and the Nazis were aware of that too. They were often puzzled by the competing currents in American political lives, some of which looked very much like the Nazi currents that they owed allegiance to, and some of which looked entirely incompatible with Nazi ideals.

American infatuation with eugenics influenced the Nazis

Race law is not just about eugenics, but it’s also about creating social hierarchies and humiliating people and developing notions of second-class citizen status and all those sorts of things. But what made the United States such an interesting model to a regime like the Nazi regime was that the Americans were really unembarrassedly interested in passing laws on these topics and spent a lot of time developing legal doctrines that could be used not only to the ends of creating a eugenically healthy population … but also to develop hierarchical laws.

And there’s the famous line from Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes: “three generations of imbeciles are enough” … from the Supreme Court [Buck v. Bell (1927)] in a case upholding a sterilization law. It’s important to emphasize, even though everything about American eugenics looks pretty ugly to me, that doesn’t mean that we got as ugly as the Nazis did with regard to extermination. When we read what Hitler had to say in particular, and other Nazis, the model for extermination policies in Eastern Europe didn’t have to do with eugenics as such. It had to do with the American conquest of the West in particular.

Hitler admired the mass extermination of millions of Native Americans

He did indeed. And, of course, the U.S. looked like a model for a German like Hitler because … Germany should be spreading east in the way the Americans spread west, and they should be at a minimum, displacing and possibly eliminating the local populations, as they did it.

If I may emphasize it, [the Native American genocide] was a more attractive model … [than the Armenian genocide] to the extent that the U.S. had made itself the dominant superpower in the world, and that’s what Hitler wanted for Germany as well. Being a Nazi, like other Nazis, and like other hard right-wingers, in trying to explain America’s tremendous geopolitical success, Hitler ascribed it naturally to American racism.

United States leadership in racist immigration laws

The laws in the early 20th century in particular were Hitler’s special focus in Mein Kampf. These were not expressly racist. … Instead, the laws introduced national quotas. There were earlier laws that directly and expressly targeted Asian immigrants.

But these 20th century laws created national quotas with the open intent of keeping out the wrong kind of people—those who didn’t fit the Nordic ideal.

Nazis focused on Jim Crow laws and second-class citizenship

I must emphasize one thing that’s important to note is that the Nazis were not only interested in Jim Crow laws, but … the entire suite of American race practices. Some American laws targeted Asians, and some of them, of course, targeted Native Americans, and there was a whole lot there.

But with regard to second-class citizenship, the Americans faced the problem that the 14th amendment makes it clear that you can’t deprive someone of citizenship and, as a result, the American creation of the second-class citizenship of the kind where you’re depriving someone of voting rights and the like had to be done through subterfuges. And it was done very effectively through subterfuges, but the Nazis didn’t feel the need for subterfuges themselves. [They] were entirely open about the creation of second-class citizenship for Jews especially.

Nazis admired American laws criminalizing miscegenation

It’s astounding. And those laws were expressly racist and directly served as inspirations for Nazi legislation. And we know this in particular because of one of the most telling bits of archival evidence I found was the transcript of a meeting in the summer of 1934 in which the Nazis discussed what sort of criminal law they should create in order to bring the new Nazi order into existence. And there, they specifically studied American laws and particularly American anti-miscegenation laws. The desire of the most radical Nazi was to criminalize mixed marriage, and America offered not only a model but pretty much the only model in the world for doing that, and some of the penalties were extraordinarily tough.

The Nazis found U.S. law on race and Black people sometimes too harsh

That was a shocking discovery on my part. Some states, not by any means all, defined any person as Black if that person had even one drop of Black blood, which meant looking to any Black ancestor at all, however far back, who was Black. Other states had less far-reaching definitions, such as having one Black grandparent or something like that, but every single American definition went beyond what the Nazis themselves ever embraced. When Nazis discussed the far-reaching notorious American one-drop rule, they said things that you would never imagine hearing from a Nazi, such as, “That’s completely inhumane. How could you do that?”

On U.S. democracy and ongoing racism, antisemitism and xenophobia

In my view, we must recognize what happened in Germany and understand how intriguing Germans found the American example as ways of reminding us of the basic, really terrifying truth that it can happen here. … And, one hope is that there are foundations to American liberal culture that are ultimately unshakeable. … I wouldn’t claim to predict the future, but the history certainly can bring home to us the full and uncomfortable range of possibilities in making a human society.”

On #NativeMascots, Harry Potter Games & Transgender Violence

February 10, 2023February 11, 2023Red Haircrow

AS TRUE AS EVER:

“The same mentality that ignores Indigenous rights to self-representation are often those who also stereotype and gaslight GLBTIIQ people, women (of all kinds), the disabled or economically challenged, especially people of color just for desiring change and equality. It is basically saying, ‘My gratification is more important than your dignity, your rights or even your life.’ This is a main facet of rape culture. It is intersecting oppression.”

This is from the description of our documentary on racism, white supremacist ideology and cultural appropriation that uses as an object lesson the stereotyping of Native peoples, cultures, histories and traditions in Germany. “Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way.” https://forgetwinnetou.com/.

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We see this with the persistent and willful use of Native mascots by teams like the Kansas City Ch*efs, and the support of R*wling or anyone who perpetuates and uses anti-Semitic, racist, and misogynistic stereotypes in their work or words, and/or who advocates transphobia and hatred under the privileged and extremely twisted and misleading claim of feminism.

The same type of people and demographic who whine and rage about cancel culture, politic correctness and having their “culture” taken away, besides admitting their “cultures” are sexist, racist and/or hatemongering in the first place, they are centering and comparing their privileged lives to those widely vilified, discriminated against, treated with violence or killed simply for daring to exist and live their lives.

The latest article by Kristina Kielblock at kino.de details the timeline of R*wling’s transphobia and hatemongering, while also examining her work’s history of anti-Semitism, racism and stereotyping. It’s in German but a simple click in your browser can translate it to most other languages.

J.K. Rowling und die Trans*Community: Wo ist das Problem?

Inhaltsverzeichnis

While it’s anyone’s choice to play the new HP game or watch and cheer on their favorite sports team, real human beings who care for others, for human rights, for anti-discrimination etc. would not show support through apathy OR by ignoring the sexism, racism, misogyny and hatemongering by their actions or words, blithely claiming it’s “no big deal” or “doesn’t really doesn’t matter.” Whether they wish it or not, whether they think so or not, their participation WILL BE USED by the racists, the sexists, the misogynists and transphobes to further perpetrate acts of violence, discrimination and cruelty to marginalized and minoritized groups and peoples.

Remember: whenever Native Americans, transgender people and allies, or anyone dare to speak up against the violence, misrepresentation and discrimination they face, greater attacks and aggression are ALWAYS the result. So more clearly than ever, if you are not part of the solution, you ARE part of the problem. If you remain silent, you join the oppressor.

Demonstrations will be taking place across the USA and in cities in Europe as well, against the use of Native mascots. As also included in our documentary, the American Psychological Association’s research clearly substantiated the use of Native mascots, cariactures, personalities and stereotypes is a contemporary form of Racism and harmful to ALL.

no mascots Image shared from the nomorenativemascots.org website.

Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way

A Documentary directed by Red Haircrow

Category Commentary