Respect and Honoring? or Cultural Appropriation?

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From the Widening the Circle Committee:

On November 4 at Finn River, JCIRA (Jefferson County Immigration Rights Advocates) has invited the community to a Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. This is a holiday widely observed in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died.

As part of our congregation-wide learning about diversity and inclusion, our Widening the Circle Committee has been discussing cultural appropriation – what it is and what it isn’t. What we have learned is that there is no easy, clear line to follow, no single answer in a situation. We have explored some useful guidelines, both in the UUA’s Widening the Circle Report, and in our extended study.

The topic arose when we were asked by our JCIRA friends to publicize the November event listed above. We wholeheartedly agreed – this is a celebration hosted by folks from Mexico who want to share this tradition with their neighbors in Jefferson County. This is a perfect example of multi-cultural engagement. Of course we will attend, if able, it being an honor to be invited.

Which led to the discussion of cultural appropriation. When is it respectful to join another culture’s event? (When invited.) When is it ok to sing a song from another culture, celebrate a holiday, or tell a story from another tradition, hang (or create) art that is a representation of another culture?

First a definition (from Wikipedia): “Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be especially controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from minority cultures. According to critics of the practice, cultural appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or equal cultural exchange in that this appropriation is a form of colonialism.”

The Widening the Circle of Concern UUA Report, page 103, has a full list of questions to consider when exploring this topic. Here are a few:

Motivation:

  • Why am I doing this?
  • What is my motivation?

Goal:

  • Why do we want multiculturalism?

Context:

  • What are the controversies/sensitivities surrounding the material?
  • What are the power relationships in this context? The privileges?

Relationship:

  • Am I in relationship with people from this culture?
  • Am I willing to be part of that community’s struggle?

Language:

  • Am I using current, authentic language?

Thank you for taking the time to explore the topic of Cultural Appropriation or Borrowing with us. We welcome your engagement, feedback, and spiritual learning. Please join us at Finn River on November 4. Let us know if you would like to carpool.

Widening The Circle Committee: Diane Haas (chair), Kathleen Holt (JCIRA Board Member), Shawn Risley, Cecilia Flickinger, Julia Cochrane,  Frances Loubere, Kathy Stevenson, Roseanna Almaee, board liaison.

3 Responses to “Respect and Honoring? or Cultural Appropriation?”

  2. In every corner of the world where cultures meet or have met, traditions, foods, and manners of dress are affected by the overlap. Blending is a natural result of the meeting of cultures. We can go way overboard with the appropriation concept if we’re not careful. I’ve heard it said, for instance, that white people should not wear Navajo jewelry. There are two problems with that statement: first, most of it is made by Navajo artisans for the purpose of selling it to whoever appreciates it, and it is a huge part of their livelihood. When we buy native-made goods sold by native people, we are supporting them and showing our respect. Secondly, Navajos did not work in silver and did not cut turquoise cabochons before white people arrived; they adopted those skills from white culture and made them their own. Shall we fault them and accuse them of appropriation?
    We white people are also told we should not wear velvet prairie skirts and silver buttons on velvet blouses because that is Navajo dress. Navajos did not have velvet and did not wear prairie skirts before the arrival of white people. Should we accuse Navajo women of appropriation? Of course not, but neither can we say that no one else has a right to that mode of dress.
    Do you eat spaghetti, sushi, or tacos? Should you feel guilty for that? If all white people ate was American food, it would be nothing but meat and potatoes…. oh wait. That’s Irish.
    I have two nephews who were born and grew up in the Virgin Islands. They were the only two white kids in their school. They are now in their 40s; they speak like their friends, and one wears his hear in multiple braids. He happens to be a barber, and the black men in his town go to him for their distinctive hairstyles. He is and has always been one of them even though his skin is white. Should he be accused of cultural appropriation?
    Cultural appropriation can become a form of separation rather than the kind of inclusion that is so needed these days. Separation leads to racism. I think we need to be less accusatory and more accepting. Every culture enriches us, and if we shun the natural blending of cultures, we are poorer for it

  3. This is further complicated when practices overlap: I think of the symbols on the wheel of the year, the symbolism of the cardinal directions, as used in Wiccan, Celtic, and Native traditions. Also the use of drums and rattles.

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