His line of questioning effectively asks what if the monstrosity we face is actually not an otherworldly presence but our all too human selves?. 0 WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(443401, 'c61f3219-a9f3-4b0c-95ea-f614a80c184b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Pictured above: A portion of the poster for the film Antlers (Fox Searchlight, 2021). Driving down a dark quiet highway in Southern Manitoba, a man sees someone bent over on the side of the road. The windigo is a Native American spirit belonging to the Algonquian tribes of North America and Canada. Its incredibly validating to know that other people have heard about it and enjoy the story enough to make reference to the name and concept. I believe that the Wendigo is far older than that, far more primal. This article's cross-media analysis covers television, film and game media; Teen Wolf (2011-17), Supernatural (2005-20), Bruce Wemple's The Retreat (2020) and SuperMassive Games' Until Dawn . I read some stuff yesterday saying that teepees are cultural appropriation and there was a long post about how wendigos arent cryptids and how stories about them are cultural appropriation. 0000004651 00000 n One recurring theme across these storytelling mediums is the use of the wendigoalso spelled wtikoa monstrous figure from Algonquian mythology who exhibits an insatiable greed along with a desire for human flesh. Beyond Forbes, other Native American thinkers have also used wendigo stories to present critical perspectives on various social problems and call for their resolution. By Christian Chiakulas, Contributor Writer, musician, activist, single father from Chicago. 0000020040 00000 n 0000000016 00000 n Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge stream Western appropriation has long-lasting effects on the perceptions of Native American cultures by the average consumer and even scientific communities. The Witherell House and the Cult of Weird, Movie Review: BIRDS OF PREY (And the Fantabulous Inclusion of Victor Zsasz and a Hyena). <> Posts and comments should be substantive, and assertions backed in fact or personal lived experience. As I mentioned during our latest episode of the NYMG podcast, I've been playing Until Dawn, and the game has got me thinking about a few different things that I'd like to spend some time parsing through, like the game's representation of things like gender and race, how it is that the idea of choice seems to influence the way we think about these representations, and the manner in which . In this paper, I document the depictions of windigo in Native American mythology, those of Western literature, and the effects of appropriation and misrepresentation on Native communities. The moral lessons contained in wendigo stories are also used to support the task of social critique in the late Native American scholar Dr. Jack D. Forbes book Columbus and Other Cannibals: The Wtiko Disease of Exploitation, Imperialism, and Terrorism (1978). By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 0000009056 00000 n He writes: Wtiko is a Cree termwhich refers to a cannibal or, more specifically, to an evil person or spirit who terrorizes other creatures by means of terrible evil acts, including cannibalism I have come to the conclusion that imperialism and exploitation are forms of cannibalism and, in fact, are precisely those forms of cannibalism which are most diabolical or evil It should be understood that wtikos do not eat other humans only in a symbolic sense. In Algonquian traditions, the wendigo monster emerges not randomly or in violent response to colonialism as it often does in popular media but through a specific set of circumstances that are unique to different tribal groupings. WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. i don't think there should be any 'canceling' of Wendigoon or whatever, but definitely something should be said. 0000002723 00000 n Answer (1 of 6): First and foremost, I'm not telling you this because I personally have a problem with you dressing as a wendigo for a cryptid fair, but we are living in an age of cancel culture where a costume you sported ten years ago might be used against you. :)Looking to buy some stickers or look at some pictures of my art or my other things? 2. I'm just struggling to understand the significance of it. Magazine with fellow environmental thought leaders, LaDuke said: Theres this conflict between the cannibals and Mother Earth, and its going on everywhere. And I accept that the Wendigo can symbolize for them that exploitation. And besides that, it never hurts to include your sources. i love the videos uploaded to youtube and try to keep up with posts, so this is by no means a bash at Wendigoon. Cookie Notice And whoever!). Scan this QR code to download the app now. The Wendigo is a 'terrifying cannibal ice monster that has its genesis in stories of people forced into cannibalism by the long winter' (Smith and Fiore, 2010: 68). Copyright 2022 Facing History & Ourselves. For resources: http://reddit.com/r/SRSDiscussion/wiki/required. The Windigo also has the power to turn humans into cannibals who suffer the same . By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. 0000010400 00000 n This articlescross-media analysiscovers television, film and game media;Teen Wolf(201117),Supernatural(200520), Bruce WemplesThe Retreat(2020) and SuperMassive GamesUntil Dawn(2015). I dont know who originally posted it, or where. After thinking about it some more, I understand that its a kind of It was okay for these kids to pretend to be Indians but not for these kids to actually be Indians thing but I saw someone claim that it was contributing to colonisation and the death of death of their culture and that felt a bit strong. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. <>/Metadata 266 0 R/ViewerPreferences 267 0 R>> 0000001546 00000 n appropriation that has troubled the exchange between Indigenous . Not only is it not offensive, I LOVE seeing references to wendigos in popular culture! I have always felt a distinct emotional connection to it, in fact. Sponsored by Ball State University Libraries. 0000012791 00000 n Now that I have a major problem with. Copyright (c) 2022 Francesca Amee Johnson, https://doi.org/10.31273/reinvention.v15iS1.906, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, Accepts submissions from any undergraduate student, worldwide, including student-staff collaborations (student must be lead author), Edited by students and staff at the University of Warwick and Monash University. Although well-documented in Western literature, the windigo spirit of stories like . Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Mythologynote my use of the capital M to convey that it is far more than just some made-up stories; it is stories containing deeper spiritual truthsbelongs to all of humanity. However, it never provents for people of that tribe to share this and that story. Hunchman, K. N. (2020). endobj In the course of the transformation from human to wendigo, the person exhibits increasing selfishness, violence, hunger, and greed particularly for human flesh. and our Basically, the wendigo was supposed to be a creature you didn't even say the name of or else you could draw the attention of one. In a report from the Contemporary Folklore conference covered in issue 388 of FORTEAN TIMES, the go-to magazine for all things paranormal, weird, or unexplained, a complaint is voiced about the "cultural appropriation" of the Wendigo, likening it to the "sexualization" of the Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. It has become something else altogether. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. This is a place to learn more bout Social Justice spellings (see Colombo 2) but is most commonly rendered as Windigo, Wendigo, or Witiko. 0000023412 00000 n She's part of a group of young adults created in a lab (she's the only one who wasn't) who have these special abilities. In most traditions, the wendigo is human in origin and becomes a monster through a process that results either from acts of starvation-induced cannibalism or from possession by a spirit. it's just something thats been bothering me so i thought it'd come to reddit to see what other people thought. It's taboo to the Anishaabe people, but the common depiction of it in media is no where near the original frozen cannibal spirit that the legends are based off of. It was already here. Participate in good faith. a lot of Natives and people in general don't even like saying the word itself. There, he uses the cannibalistic wendigo as a metaphor for the behaviors and attitudes central to patterns of social domination visited upon his own people in the Americas and subjugated peoples everywhere. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 0000015547 00000 n Thats just asking for trouble.) You must be here to either learn more about social justice or answer questions from a social justice viewpoint. Finally, it's just not that hard to do two minutes of. As a creator, I believe it is my responsibility, the responsibility of any creator, if using characters that belong to a culture other than mine and exploring themes from that culture, to be accurate. If you were to look around the world about other religions, anything that is associated with death and disease is regarded upon. Wendigos, teepees and cultural appropriation I read some stuff yesterday saying that teepees are cultural appropriation and there was a long post about how wendigos aren't cryptids and how stories about them are cultural appropriation. I know what cultural appropriation is but Ive not been as involved in social justice as I used to be and I guess its showing. Ill admit, my initial reaction was very dismissive. Since the concept of a wendigo stems from First Nations folklore, maybe someone making a cute little doll of this evil spirit figure was seen as inappropriate or making fun of their culture? Theyre revered spirits to the point where people wont speak their name so it must be frustrating when people are just like Oh yeah, I saw one of those, it was so spooky or have an aesthetic called wendigocore. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 0000010971 00000 n This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. I have this character in a webcomic I want to write who is a Wendigo. As a creator, I believe it is my responsibility, the responsibility of any creator, if using characters that belong to a culture other than mine and exploring themes from that culture, to be accurate. 1. That, I would affirm, is truly and literally cannibalism, and it is cannibalism accompanied by no spiritually meaningful ceremony or ritual., More than a commentary on the life of wendigo stories amongst his own people, Forbes deploys the metaphor of the wendigo to advance nothing less than a critique of civilization at large and describes the violence that he argues lies at its foundation as one driven by a kind of wendigo psychosis. Posted by Stolen Spirits: The Appropriation of the Windigo Spirit in Horror Literature. But as far as cultural appropriation and the Wendigo goes, dont you daredont you DAREtry to take our monsters away from us, PC wankers! Dollightful's Wendigo Doll - Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation? From Stephen Kings Pet Sematary to the television series Hanibal, the flesh-eating image of the wendigo is often presented apart from its original cultural contexts where it carries deep moral significance. George warns those who are leaving about the Wendigo myth: anyone who consumes the flesh of their enemies takes their strength but becomes a demon cursed by an insatiable hunger for more human flesh. When you comment on, Asian American and Pacific Islander History, Race and Membership in American History: Eugenics. How stupid to think otherwise. One example is Ojibwe activist Winona LaDuke who has called for a decisive shift away from what she has termed Wendigo Economics for the sake of the health of the natural world. That is why we know about the wendigo today, it is an oral tradition like all the . %PDF-1.7 It has no place in the world of Folklore and monsters. With teepees, Im not sure I get it. symL,JyvCq;[H~! 2 0 obj <> Thus I support Scott Cooper, the director of the forthcoming (hopefully by next spring) ANTLERS, in his efforts to seek out consultation from Indian advisors when making his movie, which features a Wendigo. P\^$'$@YWSB;Td54BD?YH"'kh::a;Vqz&4|:>)xP2n |94NrOqE'6 4 0 obj It springs from the well of the collective human unconscious, the communal soul. When the soldiers reach Ives' cave, Boyd and Reich investigate. Only those entitled to them should wear them. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 I just posted a new video talking about cultural appropriation and art! 0000005961 00000 n These bonnets are symbols of warrior achievements and are the equivalent of military medals. Scan this QR code to download the app now. 0000009484 00000 n Privacy Policy. Dollightful's Apology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW-KBzKWvrUTo clear up the addition that I made even more, I think that it would be pretty important for the information on this topic to be easily accessible to her viewers. Even in the face of ongoing cultural appropriation and erasure, wendigo stories are but one reflection of the survivance, wisdom, and brilliance of Native peoples. wendigo cultural appropriation [26][27] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. Appropriating the Wendigo As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. In my blind quest to represent everyone, all I did was reinforce the problem. Archived post. Windigo is a malevolent manitou or spirit whose insatiable appetite for human flesh can never be satisfied. The moral lessons contained in wendigo stories are also used to support the task of social critique in the late Native American scholar Dr. Jack D. Forbes' book Columbus and Other Cannibals: The Wtiko Disease of Exploitation, Imperialism, and Terrorism (1978).There, he uses the cannibalistic wendigo as a metaphor for the behaviors and attitudes central to patterns of social domination . Im glad, because I dont believe that it is. In most traditions, the wendigo is human in origin and becomes a monster through a process that results either from acts of starvation-induced cannibalism or from possession by a spirit. The paper concludes that employing the Wendigo as a caveless creature is a common practice within horror as it easily creates a villain for white protagonists to defeat repeatedly. This is a story shared not merely for entertainment but to reinforce the communal values that allow the communities in which this practice occurs to live well with one another and within their environments. x\o7a_h ss+yHL$eW}gfw)$/D !;n*+v}}uSU|.&-y 0000006529 00000 n When she was brought to the lab she already had the curse of the Wendigo but after she was "updated" she had visible antlers and could change her shape. 246 0 obj <> endobj 0000012030 00000 n And you know what? Ojibwe scholar Dr. Brady Santi has developed this guide for teachers who would like to teach students about her communitys unique belief systems with an emphasis on the wendigo as it appears in popular films. 0000011489 00000 n This article analyses prominent examples of the Wendigo myth in modern North American horror media and the implications of misappropriation by non-Indigenous creators for non-Indigenous audiences. The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien and Le Guin, to the science-fiction universes of Delany and Asimov, to the tabletop realm of Gygax and Barker, and beyond. Abstract. % And were on the right side, thats what were working on but sometimes you get that cannibal tendency. endobj Learn how your comment data is processed. After thinking about it more, I think I get it about the wendigos. As it so happens, I am currently working on a project involving a Wendigo, so this is personal to me. This analysis will trace the process of these media, made by non-Indigenous white creators, removing the Wendigos indigeneity and placing it within fictional settings as an antagonist. 9'b_X~~@0CKYO~8yOK9I$^I>t 17spaz 2 yr. ago Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it.
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