Sharing a post extremely relevant to the recent avoidable controversy of a well-known publisher freezing delivery of a publication some deemed promoting racism and stereotypes of Native Americans. The same publisher (and others) were challenged and petitioned years ago to instead support fiction and non-fiction writing and translated material by actual Native Americans on Native Americans (sometimes working in collaboration/cooperation with non-Natives also). As you see, it was ignored despite Native American organizations, groups and individuals making it easier than ever before to work together in positive ways that do not perpetuate racist stereotypes, misrepresentation and appropriation.
Oh, and the people fearmongering, “They’re trying to take everything from us!” “It’s just fiction!” Absurd, easily debunked rationalizations. A few resources, Illuminative, Reclaiming Truth, American Psychological Association. Some of this research is decades old, how are so many under-informed, under-educated?
From redhaircrow.com:
A recent social media post by Johnnie Jae, one of the outstanding Native protagonists in our documentary, “Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way”really hit the “nail on the head” of what major, life threatening issues we see in western society that are centered on rising racism, xenophobia and intolerance of all kinds. Johnnie works in so many ways not just for Native peoples but all peoples, especially those minoritized or “othered” for being “different”. CLICK THE IMAGE FOR FULL-SIZE.
We definitely see this happening in #Germany, too. Stereotypes and the process/mechanism of “Othering” is a symptom of deep fear generated by racism and white supremacist ideology and beliefs. It is manipulated by leaders and politicians, businessmen and corporations. #45 still didn’t elect himself. The #AfD didn’t win more seats by electing itself. It was more and more “conservative” people who still falsely think themselves non-racist, and believe they are just protecting their own interests.
Red Haircrow’s response to OP: “I was just writing an essay about that the other day. Fear permeates America, cultivated and manipulated fear. And if you don’t have that kind of fear evidenced by your behavior, your being, your outlook, whether its due to knowing your culture, accepting of your sexuality, confident in your beliefs etc? You receive pure rage, jealousy, hatred or carefully covered envy from them in every interaction with you.”
So too, this hate, envy, rage are some of the responses we receive when we dare to call hobbyism and cultural appropriation, systemic racism. For example, when we dare to point out it is exploitation, theft and facilitators of the cycle of genocide, the refusal to repatriate human remains and sacred items and objects. We see hatred and resentment in the eyes and actions of those who willfully “redface” and steal other peoples cultures without care for the harm it does to all people. They cry, “It’s part of our culture. No one has the right to take it away!” So, RACISM is your culture? Seems about right.
We see hatred and resentment in those who demolished and had their own cultures and traditions twisted to Nazism, who are afraid to learn of their true ancient culture and ways, because they might find them self accused of being a sympathizer. Instead they appropriate, misrepresent and misuse other cultures and peoples, using white privilege and violently gained power they claim to reject.
We see hatred and resentment in those who cry, “We’ve suffered enough!” who believe they are not racist, when their beliefs and choices are based on racist, discriminatory stereotypes and practices. Alternatively, there are those who are openly racist and xenophobic, trying in a warped effort to re-create “their culture”, yet it is spoiled by white supremacist ideology. You do deserve to know your culture, but it wasn’t POC who took it away. It was YOUR OWN PEOPLE who screwed it up. Hate is NOT a culture. And if you know your culture, you don’t feel threatened by others.
It’s no wonder some do try to escape through hobbyism or appropriation, but that’s loving in the wrong way. Germany doesn’t know how to save itself. Even those trying to keep from sinking into full neo-Nazism and white supremacy don’t know how because they continue to look to leaders and politicians to make the changes. In Indigenous ways, the power is in the PEOPLE. Change in the US, in Germany, anywhere will only happen when the PEOPLE stand up against intolerance, elitism, racism, xenophobia and hatred, whatever their background, ethnicity, sexuality, gender or anything else, when they stand TOGETHER against hatred and harmful self-interest of any kind.
Another major problem in Germany, too, is that so many groups work just for themselves, one of the main ones being white feminists, who have gained more power but use it to oppress and discriminate against others (aka, “We have it harder than you!” they say to WOC/POC who have all that AND racism to contend with). They do not know how to work together, and they’ve never known how to fight. Most don’t have the courage to make the hard choices, in that yes, Indigenous peoples have the clear advantage. Basically, we’ve had to because of you, the Europeans, the colonizers.
THAT is what white people get threatened by, that is what they’re afraid of, but they can’t admit to themselves, so they just strike out violently or want segregation. In many ways, most Europeans today are the survivors who capitulated and accepted forced conversion. Most Originals fought to the death. It’s no wonder some seeking “originality” in the far right, more often seek warrior traditions. Yet they direct their violence to the wrong group, and they must do it in a pack, mobs of hate-filled, angry scared people. Or the political and wealth elitists who don’t give a damn for any of us really.
Most of them can’t stand to even SEE a person of color, because deep down they know we have survived and will survive despite them, and they do not have any advantage except the racist structural power they gained through horrific violence. They want to go back to violence (if necessary they say, we see it especially in the USA) but it is easy to kill, to be violent. It takes wisdom and courage to be around others, to listen, to learn, it have humility and an open heart. They cannot understand how even just ONE of us will stand up against a hundred of them, guns, conditioned dogs, tear gas or whatever. It is our beliefs, our cultures, our peoples and traditions that make us strong in that way. They are terrified, jealous and envious of that, and too entitled, proud and lacking in humility, in true self, to understand how and why we are that way, and how they too can become that way.
Please read the words of Wanbli Gleska Tohake, who was also heard in our documentary. CLICK TO SEE FULL-SIZE.
When people say the world is doomed, if they are talking about people and groups like that, I would agree. People like that are willing to let the whole world burn, just so they can feel they are right. Otherwise, NO, I am not letting people like that destroy the future for my son or any children, who all deserve better than this self-centered, selfish, immature bullshit of Europeans and colonizers who are entitled and privileged yet still maladjusted, needy and arrogant.
Director Red Haircrow was interviewed by Ojibwe playwright, author & filmmaker 
Forget Winnetou! Loving in the Wrong Way 
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