Cultural Appropriation

Our world is filled with people who grumble and gripe about cultural appropriation without really understanding what it means. The Wikipedia article states it simply enough. "Cultural appropriation can involve the use of ideas, symbols and artifacts, or other aspects of human-made visual or non-visual culture." When people complain, they usually mean that they think someone from a majority culture has stolen ideas or symbols from a minority culture in some unfair, uneducated or demeaning way. Like white Americans using Native American tribal symbols as cool looking tattoos or people flying rainbow flags because they are pretty, sometimes the user really is missing the meaning behind the symbolism. Really, though, a lot of people who adopt things from other cultures are doing so because they've done their research and what they've learned resonates with them. They get it, and they want to share it.

Our world is getting smaller, thanks to the internet's easy communication and thought sharing abilities. Where even language can be translated easily, ideas, symbols and intellectual artifacts can be shared and understood by people from widely varying cultures. Today, when a new symbol is adopted by a group, people around the world can be aware of it in seconds. And when someone goes looking for a symbol to represent what they are trying to project, they can find plenty of material from many different cultures to choose from. When a thinking, learning person consciously chooses a symbol to use, it's usually not so much cultural appropriation as it is an acceptance that others have been where they are now, even if those people are not associated with the culture in which they grew up.

We humans are a plentiful race with a long history. Our history is full of cultures conquering others and imposing their own views on the vanquished. We have not, in the past, always been very nice to each other. But that doesn't mean we have to go on like that. We can begin, with our ease of communication, to understand one another and admit that we all belong to one human race with many good ideas and beautiful customs. We can share ideas, symbols and artifacts or we can keep pushing people from other cultures away by fooling ourselves into thinking they are too different to understand where we're coming from.

I believe that people all over the world have seen some of the universal truths about our world and have found ways to express them. These are often the same ideas told in subtly different ways, shown in stories that utilize regional symbolism, passed around by people who might not even see the deeper truths of the stories. I have found that by looking for those ideas that various cultures have in common, one can locate some of those truths that have been passed around for so long and in so many ways. I think that can happen without outside help, too, but that's not what I'm talking about here.

Here, I'm talking about becoming a global culture, a single human race with a rainbow of origins. I'm talking about a future where people can understand that many different human roles are needed in order for our species to thrive and that suppression of those who are different is tantamount to cultural suicide.

Change is the way of life. Look at the seasons, the climate, the face of the Earth itself and the movements of the planets and stars all around us. We do not stay the same. We do not live the life that our ancestors did. We cannot afford to cling to cultural habits that divide ourselves from other people in a world where we are (finally) beginning to come together. We need to share what we know, look for and learn those basic truths, work on accepting every individual for who they are, not where they came from. Not even what they've done in the past.

I personally use a lot of symbols. Some, like all the pretty colored glass in my life, are full of personal meanings I could probably spend a few thousand words trying to describe to someone else. Some, like my drum and the triskellion pendant, are shared with several cultures. And some are very recognizable to lots of folks, like the yin/yang circle and the peace sign and the funny looking "hearts" I have all over the place. Those resonate with others, giving me a common ground to begin a sharing, loving communication with them. Giving them an opportunity to ask about the symbols they don't understand, or to explain what personal insights they have about them, so that maybe we can learn from each other.

That's what I want to promote with all my talk about rainbows and acceptance and symbols from many different (sometimes clashing) cultures. Learning, growing, understanding, changing - these are good things, healthy behaviors, the most beautiful path a person can take. We're moving from tiny isolated cultures to one human culture, complete with the usual uncomfortable learning experiences. Judging something as "cultural appropriation" is one of those roots in the path we can stumble over if we're not paying attention.

So please, before you say "hey, you can't use that symbol because you're not Native American (or whatever)", open a dialogue with that person. See if they understand the symbol the same way you do. Maybe they really do have it right - or maybe they have seen a deeper meaning that they can help show you.

Namaste. Aloha. Love and Light.
Be gentle to each other.
dwolf

Peace to you all!

Tempting Spirits.

Yesterday afternoon I attended a pagan study group down in the city. It was the first time that I’d been able to go since I work lots of Sundays, and for no particular reason at all I was scheduled off for this one. I’d joined the group months before and knew enough of the folks who were going to be comfortable with them. It ended up being a rather interesting discussion of books that I thoroughly enjoyed. But I did something that was pretty out of character for me near the end of the gathering. When we were discussing our plans for dealing with the snowstorm that was headed our way, I opened up my mouth and boasted that I was supposed to get less snow up north where I live than they were down in the city, and I stuck out my tongue. And when I got good naturedly called out for gloating, I owned up to that with none of my typical social anxiety and blushing. I did end up blushing later in the car when I thought about it, but decided I hadn’t really hurt anyone’s feelings including my own and let it go like I’ve been learning to do.

Something interesting happened last night. Up here in the north where I live, we got the six to eight inches of snow that had been predicted for down in the city, and they got the one to three that had been predicted for us. Weird, right? Let me add some details to the story. On the way to this gathering, I’d reminded myself to be open both to my peers and the spirits. At the coffee shop we gathered in there was a bit of worry about the incoming snow, but it wasn’t mine - I’ve driven in Minnesota winters and out in the country where I live we’re ready for a storm with plenty of food on hand and propane for the generator that means we can be off the grid for a while if we need to. When I opened my mouth to speak I intended to ask everyone to be careful on the roads once the snow started falling. What I actually said welled up from that deeper place inside me where intuition lives, as if those words were exactly the ones that needed to be said at that time.

I’d say “don’t tempt the spirits” but sometimes it works out for the best. Today I’m thankful that the bulk of the snow ended up falling where we could handle it best, and that the accidents that did happen down in the city weren’t nearly as bad as they could have been. I measured seven inches on top of our trash can but there were drifts nearly to my knees. We’ve checked on the neighbors that needed to be checked in on, cleaned off vehicles for when the road is finally cleared sometime later today or tomorrow, and tossed out seed for some very grateful birds.

Love, light and beauty to you all!

dwolf34