Racism and cultural appropriation in Native American Art

 

"Dine' Matriarch"
Venaya J. Yazzie 2022

In the ancient Indigenous southwest histories- "monsters" roamed the land and created chaos within the cultural communities of many tribal people.  For my people, the Dine' (Navajo) such monsters were both literal and intangible in form.  Concepts of illness, poverty, violence, hunger and dis-harmony were referenced as monsters roaming the lands of the Dine'.  But then too also existing were the physical entities, real monsters and real giants at hunted the humans and enacted physical violence against them and subsequently killed them.

That is our Dine' history - it is a history that is real and not "myth, as dominant society refers to most Indigenous people's histories.  My great grandparents were born in the years 1903 and 1907 during a time in A m e r i c a n culture that stated they were not citizens of the nation.  My grandparents were the most amazing people in which I will forever hold in great esteem, for they endured overt racism by Anglo people in the area who entered the Indigenous lands and thus called the towns: Farmington, Bloomfield, Aztec, Kirtland, in northwest New Mexico.  Dwelling in a racist environment did not hinder them though, for they thrived and were prosperous in their endeavors.  It is through their work ethic and personal philosophies as Indigenous southwestern people that I was taught resilience and traditional philosophies on good ways to live and exist in mainstream culture.

My maternal great grandmother was an avid weaver, she was a master artist who thrived in her community of Huerfano on the eastern region of what is called the Navajo Nation.  Her art process was her medicine, and as a Navajo woman artist she was revered and respected.  Weaving as a Dine' woman and creating art was part of her identity.  Though she may not have been conscience of this, I understand and see it as that in the year 2022.

In those days, she participated in the Anglo, male-dominated trading post system. She created her rug design, gathered and produced her materials, processed wool, and wove her rugs. Then as she completed her rug she finished it and took it to the local trading post and sold it.  She provided a second income to support her children and extended family by selling her art, art that was made by her, a Dine' woman.  The Anglo trader purchased her rug because of the fact, that it was a genuine "Native American"  or "Indian" made Dine' (Navajo) art product.  This concept of acquisition of distinct art of the southwest was and has continued to be huge revenue for the state of NM and for the still existing trading posts and businesses in the Four Corners.

Facts: Truth is that the Anglo trader at that era mostly like would not buy a rug made by a non-Dine' (Navajo) weaver who was weaving the same type of rug, both in materials and in design.  Why? Because the "system" was set already, that Dine' women wove Dine' rugs and that was and continues to be the norm and money maker.  Dine' women weavers produced/and continue to produce products at are held in high regard in a capitalist society that has created and established a monopoly on Dine' (Navajo) woven rugs.

So much more could be said about this, but the point I want to make is that - Indigenous/Native American/ Indian artists are vital in Am e r i c a n art culture. Our art makes white society and dominant culture lots of money. Furthermore, the non-Native people with a foot in this industry of art consumerism in Native American art circles are out there roaming like the "monsters" of our old stories, lurking and waiting for the opportunity to steal and appropriate our traditional Arts.

This fact is that these individuals are out there now in 2022 looking to opportunities to make money off of the Native American people and whole cultures any way thy can.  This what we know today a cultural appropriation. And it is the roaming monster that we modern tribal people, artists, have to deal with in our world today.  

What is cultural appropriation? According to the dictionary it is defined as:

1. the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.

The fact is that cultural appropriation is rooted in racism and the systems of colonialism in A m e r i c a.  As I have come to understand, cultural appropriation therefore concerns the four main types of racism: Internalized racism, Interpersonal racism, Systematic racism, Structural racism. (source: Diversity and Racism . org)

Cultural appropriation is based in my opinion, as an Indigenous southwestern tribal artist, as sustaining concepts known in society as white privilege, white ideology, systems of hatred and related themes of stereotypes of Native/Indigenous/Indian people.

I recently participated unknowingly in an advertised "Indian Market" located in a predominately Anglo community that falsely advertised the venue as "Indian."  When I arrived to check in the art market I found that it was not 100% a Native American art market at all! In fact there were present non-Native artists and art dealers selling either fake cultural art pieces, or items copied by non-Native makers.  Such items included, a plethora of Plains style cultural items i.e. bows and arrows, buckskin/beaded garments, dreamcatchers, and silver/turquoise jewelry.

In my ignorance I wholly thought this market was only including Native American artisans and makers selling their authentic art.  When I questioned the non-Native people if they were affiliated with a tribe, they all stated that were not, but that they were creating "southwestern themed" art - which they felt they were okayed to do.  I frowned at most of these replies and quickly realized that this market was not a legit "Indian Market."  The non-Native artists/dealers were in fact "wannabes." Wannabes are those non-tribal affiliated people who are infatuated with American Indian cultural and do all they can to be tangibly in perpetuation of the stereotypes of American Indian culture and ways, which include the tribal arts.

In conclusion my experience at this market as a real Native artist who is an enrolled tribal member of the Dine' nation, was that white privilege and white power was still in full effect as it is they, the Anglo promoters who were selling this market as an "Indian market" when in fact it was not 100% a market of Native artists.  I feel I was tricked to thinking it was a good market from the use of the term " Indian" as the selling point and to promote the visitation by the general public.

Today is Monday, it is a day to recognize the contribution of the effects of the late, great social justice leader Dr. Martin Luther King.  So, I wanted to share this dialogue as a means of helping to correct this injustice of cultural appropriation in the world of Native American art culture that is being exploited by the colonizing dominant Anglo society of people who are perpetuating American Indian stereotypes of the people and their arts.

This following quotes from Dr. King is fitting:

"America is still a racist country. We will never solve the problem of racism until there is a recognition of the fact that racism still stands at the center of so much of our nation."

It is my hope that my fellow Native artists will also stop their participation in such events and that they would speak out against such racist tactics and overt oppression against their tribal identity's and cultural Arts.

May we all recognize racism and racist systems that continue to oppress minority groups and may we all be inclined to make our voices heard against injustice, inequity and lateral violence so that they are stamped out all together.

In a good way,

Venaya J. Yazzie

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