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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think we're in danger of "exoticizing" other cultures when we get too worried about cultural appropriation.

We should make a genuine effort to teach and learn about a culture, not just use its material culture for our amusement or fashion, but food, art, rituals ... these are all the elements that make another culture relatable and make us fall in love with it.

Do you want children to grow up caring about the plight of the American Indians? Then they do need to learn age-appropriate information about them, preferably from Indians. But then we say, don't you dare make a version of that headdress you were so compelled by! Don't buy that beautiful vest with Indian designs at the powwow and wear it! In fact, don't go to the powwow since you're just watching for entertainment and general interest! Let them have their dignity, and leave them in obscurity!

There are appropriate and inappropriate ways to introduce cultures to children. It seems like we assume that it's always going to be inappropriate. We aren't all going to take a semester-long course on every other culture starting in PreK.[/quote]

I am the PP who gave the examples of different 'Native American' headdress/hats/etc. The problem with the stereotypical hat is just that-- its a stereotype! It is like the "native maiden' Halloween costumes or drawing pictures of the Indians who met the pilgrims and depicting them like the Plains tribes. This type of learning does not actually teach anything. As a side note-- I actually do not have much of a problem with kids dressing up like Pocahontas. I think there is a big difference between dressing up as a caricature of a culture (and an inaccurate one at that) and dressing up as an actual character (note I am not saying I am particularly fond of how Disney portrayed Pocahontas in the movie, but the cat is long out of the bag on that one...)

Absolutely take your kids to pow-wows, I personally thing it is a great way to expose kids and teach them that First Peoples are still around and that we have a rich culture. Just be respectful while you are there-- you know, the same way you would be if you were to visit another place of cultural significance for any other culture-- say a new house of worship.

Teach them age-appropriately. Exactly. Read up about your local tribes and their history. Learn about how they lived in your area. Of course you do not have the time or resources to talk about all the different groups, so focus on those near you and see if there are any events or local sights to go see. You can easily spend a week exploring a bit about the people who lived in your area. I am just asking that you do it in a way that is respectful of the fact that North America (and South America) were actually home to numerous diverse cultures and languages. We weren't primitive or 'noble' savages and actually had rich ways of life. You wouldn't try to learn about a stereotypical 'Asian' (because China differs drastically from India), or a stereotypical 'European' (because Russians and Italians likely would not like being grouped together), etc, I think you get the picture.

For the adults-- if you want to learn more about the Indigenous groups native to the Americas, I recommend the book, 1491. 
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