Saturday 1 October 2011

Non-native native hipsters

This has nothing to do with my travels... appologies.  I just found this beautiful article on media indigena and had to share (read: here).  I am 100% guilty of buying into modern native imagery.  I love Cowichan sweaters and feather headdresses from UO.  However, this article has really opened my eyes as to how offensive this type of imagery must be for actual native people, whose artistic traditions were stiffled and made illegal by the very white colonialists who now consume these products today.

To share a quote from the media indigena article:
"Rather than buying a Pendleton-style bag mass-produced overseas and sold at Urban Outfitters around the world, why not buy a t-shirt, sweater or earrings from your local Indigenous craftsperson. Meet them, find out where they’re from, and the history behind their particular craft. In the process, you will be educating yourself about local Indigenous history and political struggles, and putting food on the tables of local artisans."

Have a read!

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