The wearing of the Indian headdress is said by some to have
begun with the Sioux and to have spread though out the many different tribes by
the invasion of the Europeans. Each of
the tribe’s headdress represents the culture of the tribe and the individual
wearing it. (Indian Headdress) According
to Anton Treuer in his book Everything
You Wanted to Know about Indians: “It
used to be that each eagle feather worn by an Indian represented a deed done in
battle-a kill, wound, or scalp-so wearing a feather bonnet, bustle, or dog
soldier hat marked one as a fearsome warrior.”
(Treuer) Because each feather collected for the
headdress meant something different to each tribe and to each individual and
were only given to those who displayed heroic acts in battle made each
headdress unique and special.
Currently these headdresses are popping up in places such as
runways, music videos and festivals, and the covers of magazines, as trendy
hipsters have made this a fashion accessory.
This inappropriate use of the
headdress is considered to be a “playing Indian” for profit by some companies
such as Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show where Karlie Kloss wore a headdress,
leopard-spotted bikini, and turquoise jewelry.
(Grinberg) And No Doubt’s Looking Hot music video that included teepees, fire dances and the
singer on horseback with a feather in her hair has led to a public apology and No
Doubt pulled the music video. (Grinberg)
“The Native American headdress is a common sight at
festivals. It has also been appropriated by fashion brands and stars such as
Pharrell Williams. But many are now fighting back against what they see as a
crude act of racial stereotyping.” (Lynskey) Recently many music festivals including the
Canadian music festival, Bass Coast, are beginning to take a stand and are
banning the inappropriate and insensitive use of the headdress. They released this statement: “We understand why people are attracted to
war bonnets. They have a magnificent aesthetic. But their spiritual, cultural
and aesthetic significance cannot be separated.” (Clements)
Works Cited
Clements, Erin. "'Trendy' Native American
headdresses are banned from Canadian music festival in a bid to 'respect the
dignity of Aboriginal people' ." 28 July 2014. Daily Mail.
Document. 30 July 2014.
Grinberg, Emanuella. "Native American designers
fight cultural caricatures." 4 June 2014. CNN Living. Document. 30
July 2014.
"Indian Headdress." 1995-2014. Indians.org.
Document. 30 July 2014.
Lynskey, Dorian. "This means war: why the
fashion headdress must be stopped." 30 July 2014. The Guardian.
Document. 30 July 2014.
Treuer, Anton. Everything You Wanted to Know about
Indians But Were Afraid to Ask. St. Paul: Borealis Books, 2012. Textbook.
unkown. Indian Chief with headdress. The
Twenty Eleven Theme. Teaching about Native American Art: Issues for Art
Educators. n.d.
http://hannahstahulak.wordpress.com/arte-344/critical-perspectives-diversity-issues/social-reconstruction/laurie-eldridge/.
I decided to "google"...."American Indian headdress".....of course there were many sites with a definition. But to my amazement there were more sites for purchasing the headdress as clothing. The site with the most items was...
ReplyDeletehttp://indianvillagemall.com/headdress/headdress.html.
I was so surprised when I read through this site, read the prices and realized how disrespectful this is.
This course is so enlightening.
Debra,
DeleteI found it was easier to shop for one than to find information about them as well. And yes this course is very enlightening!
Hi Jana!
ReplyDeleteI've researched Native American headdresses two times throughout the course- once when reading up on cultural sensitivity and another time when trying to identify the type of headdress worn in a picture. I enjoyed your post and thought it summarized well how headdresses have significant meaning to natives, have different meanings based on the tribe/individual and how the selling and wearing of them by non-natives has begun to be recognized as disrespectful and frowned upon in various settings. The weathered war bonnets worn by the Sioux were the most recognized but were not the most commonly worn headwear. Other types include roach headdresses which look almost like mohawks extending over the head and down part of the back, headbands, horned warbonnets, etc... http://www.native-languages.org/headdresses.htm
Rachel thanks for sharing that site. There are so many beautiful headdresses shown! I liked how at the end they said, the if you are looking to make or buy one that they suggest making a headband instead since they do not have the same sacred meaning. Let's a person know they could be doing something that is not right.
DeleteI looked into the misuse of the Native American headdress and it is almost like an iconic symbol of Native American culture. Princella Parker, a member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska made a 2009 documentary “Standing Bear’s Footsteps,” and she believes that the misuses of the Native American headdress is dangerous.
ReplyDelete“It’s not an honor to our culture to mock our sacred and respected ways of life by objectifying it,” Parker said in reference to the Lana Del Rey video. “It may be personal to her and what she believes, but how does that honor the ‘spirit of dance and freedom’ when it’s ripped, copied and duplicated in mass quantity? It loses this spirit when it becomes an object worn by a non-native with no conception of what it’s intended for in the first place.”
Parker has put forth she believes by making films that shows the negative portrayals of Native Americans she’s seen as the norm in media. She grew up on an Omaha reservation and has encountered the stereotypes of Indians being thought of as drunk, poor, or non-existent. Their culture is still portrayed wrongly. However, social media is now being used to voice their concerns. More people are now becoming aware but it will take time before natives are represented appropriately.
“It’s perceived as harmless because America is a melting pot and we have shared cultures in diversity,” Parker said. “But this is not diversity. This is a bastardization of Native culture.”
http://www.dailynebraskan.com/arts_and_entertainment/article_5653e834-2fa3-11e2-929e-001a4bcf6878.html
Katie I wish I would have found that when I was looking up information on the headdress! Great information thank you.
ReplyDeleteI feel that through this course I am becoming so much more aware and wish I would have learned more about these things growing up. I really think more information about Native Americans need to be taught in our schools.
Hi Jana,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I think that it is a good thing that these controversies over cultural appropriation have become so visible in the mainstream media. I think this way because the dominating culture can be so very blind to its own privileges and they need to be awakened to the fact that their way of life dominates over and oppresses others. That is, people in the dominating society have the ability (simply by their great numbers) to overwhelm and not even acknowledge any other way of thinking and living besides their own. The negative exposure at least brings the issue into the spotlight, such that people may begin to see (and hopefully change) the dynamics of oppression.
I think you are right Nancy. I think sometimes even negative publicity brings about positive outcomes.
DeleteHi Jana,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post as well. When thinking about how a headdress was thought of in school while I was growing up... when we made them out of paper and wore them around the Thanksgiving holiday I can look back now and see how stereotypical it was for my school (system) that didn't teach anything about Native Americans (besides the limited exclusive view of them by Columbus) to have us wear these things. Although I don't think every instance of someone wearing a headdress is mean as disrespectful, I can definitely see how people would be offended.
Our school did the same thing and we were never told why the headdresses were worn or what they represented. It was more about our Thanksgiving customs. I have enjoyed learning about the different styles and what the feathers meant while doing research for this blog.
Delete