How offensive, exactly, is having dream catchers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like many other things, appropriation is much worse if the native community is being deprived of the revenue from something that is part of their tradition.

So, the issue with dream catchers isn't just that they have a religious significance that is not understood outside the original community, but also that they are being mass produced by non-Natives and sold to non-Natives. In this way, native traditions are being stolen and monetized while native peoples continue to be discriminated against and are often living in poverty.

So, short answer: dream catchers are not necessarily offensive but if I really felt that I needed one for some reason, I would be sure to buy from a native artist.

Well damn. I want everyone else to stop appropriating my white bread and mayonnaise! Put those butter knives down now.

And my great gramma was all Cherokee.

I really should have taken bets on how long it would take for someone to bust out a (probably mythical) Cherokee princess great grandmother. http://blog.nativepartnership.org/my-grandmother-was-a-cherokee-princess/

And she fell in love with a settler but their love was denied by both families so they threw themselves off a cliff. Said cliff is generally known as "Lovers Leap," and there is usually a restaurant, garden center, or ice cream store nearby with the same name.

[Anonymous]

My kid's second grade class in APS made them as part of the global celebration (aka Holiday Party).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid's second grade class in APS made them as part of the global celebration (aka Holiday Party).

Poor dear. She probably doesn't know just how ignorant, privileged and insensitive she really is.

[Anonymous]

Op here. I'm not saying how offensive in terms of there being a scale. I mean it in terms of... Is this one friend just seeing microagressions in everything or is this truly something that is inherently offensive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not wearing the dreamcatcher. You are not using it as a potholder. You are using it as a dreamcatcher, and it has been shared by Native American culture as such, and you have not taken it away and made it into something else for merchandising purposes. I don't see how this is cultural appropriation.

Please don't use the phrase "Native American" to describe the Indian people. That's definitely a microaggression. The preferred term is "Indian" or, better, to refer to someone by their actual tribal affiliation.

-- Signed, part Algonquin.

Serious question-why isn't "Indian" more offensive? They were first called indian mistakenly by Columbus who thought he was heading to India. Why would they still want that misplaced name? Native American, implying they were here FIRST, sounds much more respectful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is "Native American" offensive, especially when "Indian American" is just based on Columbus not knowing where he was? Genuine question.

Native American is also a name white liberals chose for us.

Indian is the name the white colonist chose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I'm not saying how offensive in terms of there being a scale. I mean it in terms of... Is this one friend just seeing microagressions in everything or is this truly something that is inherently offensive?

To me, it sounds like they are seeing microaggression in everything.
(It would be another thing if they were native american / american indian and somehow offended by how you have it hanging or something.)

You have a dreamcatcher on your wall, for goodness sakes.
It's not like you are wearing a Washington Football Team jersey or something. Or, going around making war whoops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is "Native American" offensive, especially when "Indian American" is just based on Columbus not knowing where he was? Genuine question.

Native American is also a name white liberals chose for us.

Indian is the name the white colonist chose.

Why isn't it enough that there is a consensus in the American Indian community regarding their preferred nomenclature? Why can't you take them at their word?

[Anonymous]

My 4th grader in MCPS just spent almost the entire first quarter on a "Native American" project.

[Anonymous]

Are we still allowed to be amused at Adams family values 2?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not wearing the dreamcatcher. You are not using it as a potholder. You are using it as a dreamcatcher, and it has been shared by Native American culture as such, and you have not taken it away and made it into something else for merchandising purposes. I don't see how this is cultural appropriation.

Please don't use the phrase "Native American" to describe the Indian people. That's definitely a microaggression. The preferred term is "Indian" or, better, to refer to someone by their actual tribal affiliation.

-- Signed, part Algonquin.

As noted in other threads, some tribes do use the term Native American. Either get together on the use of the term or stop giving people shit for using the term du jour. we can't keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is "Native American" offensive, especially when "Indian American" is just based on Columbus not knowing where he was? Genuine question.

Native American is also a name white liberals chose for us.

Indian is the name the white colonist chose.

Use their tribal affiliation.

[Anonymous]

Indians sell dream catchers...how can they be racist or a micro aggression? Geez.

And I actually know Indians IRL and work with them professionally on issues affecting their communities. They are fine with the term Indian (that's how they refer to themselves).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:dude, stop with the moronic microaggression posts. we get what you're trying to do. your over the top examples do not mean brown people in this country don't have valid complaints.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not wearing the dreamcatcher. You are not using it as a potholder. You are using it as a dreamcatcher, and it has been shared by Native American culture as such, and you have not taken it away and made it into something else for merchandising purposes. I don't see how this is cultural appropriation.

Please don't use the phrase "Native American" to describe the Indian people. That's definitely a microaggression. The preferred term is "Indian" or, better, to refer to someone by their actual tribal affiliation.

-- Signed, part Algonquin.

Um, what?

Signed wife to a Cherokee.