Cultural Appropriation of Beadwork and Native Designs

'Iron Eyes' Cody

 In my opinion, Native American culture is one of the cultures that has been the most casually appropriated through recent history. While   populations plummeted in the past century, the image of the Native     American was an appropriated one by Hollywood. Natives in Cinema have a long and rich history, but in the mid-1900s, County Westerns exploded in popularity. Natives were a part of these movies, and the white executives in charge of writing these movies pushed stereotypical Native caricatures instead of flushed-out characters as parts of these films. This extended to costume, as the 'Indian look' was an important factor in differentiating the white characters from those who were meant to be Native. 

  

'Iron Eyes' Cody (true name Espera Oscar de Corti) was an Italian-American man who became famous in Hollywood for portraying Native Americans in the 1900s. Not only did he act in films, but his roles spread to real life where he pretended, for many years, to be of Native American decent, though he had no tribal or cultural connections to any Natives. He was famous for portraying the 'crying Indian' in a famous environmental protection advertisement in the 1970s. He is a symptom of a wider problem. Especially in the 1970s, Native American culture became very in vogue for not only fashion, but behavior, too. Hippies looked to Natives for culture and clothing. As the hippie subculture progressed and changed, it inspired the more modern bohemian trends. 

Non-Native 'Native Inspired'
 Bracelet with Sacred Colors
from Walmart

While bohemian as a trend draws inspiration from many cultures across the world, including some Eastern European cultures, when beadwork is appropriated from Indigenous communities, it is almost always labelled as bohemian jewelry and accessories. Places like Walmart and Joann's Fabrics are a big proponent of beadwork appropriation. While I am not claiming that beadwork is in any way solely a Native American endeavor, it is important across many cultures, and handmade by many artists across the world. When these works are sold by Joann's and other like stores for cheap, the artistic integrity of these pieces is far diminished. Patterns used by these businesses in their beadwork have cultural significance. When these works are created cheaply with patterns that have no meaning beyond being stolen, important pieces of culture are lost, and turned into meaningless fashion statements that are nothing beyond a statement piece of jewelry. 

Earrings with Thunderbird Imagery
Appropriated by Joann's 
from Southwest Culture

Now, these brands are not irredeemable. It is possible to sell beadwork pieces ethically, as well as Native jewelry. The answer lies in cultural appreciation. It is better to involve the Native community, if you appreciate our imagery. We go far beyond pretty patterns, and if Natives are involved with the creation process of pieces like these, there can be more opportunities for patterns that have not yet been seen by the wider world. Providing outlets for Natives to sell their work could be a good opportunity for cultural appreciation, as well.

This form of appreciation using Native patterns and designs is done very well by the apparel company, Nike. Nike has Native American designs on shoes and clothing, and hire Native American designers to create those patterns. Once sold, the revenue created by selling these pieces goes back to, in some part, to Native Communities in the form of donations, grants and scholarship funds. This close partnership with the Native community has created a lot of loyalty to the brand. My father only will buy Nike shoes, for example, because not only can he rep his cultural pride, he can do so while supported the disadvantaged of our community. In these ways, cultural appreciation of Native patterns and art is a net positive.