Identity Theft        
Brad Greyeyes-Brant is a first year political science student at Carleton.
The Hijacking of Native Culture

Everyone is familiar with the term identity theft. But there is a different kind of identity theft that is perpetuated on a much larger scale. This theft is not of credit card information or anything relating to identity theft as you might know it. Rather, it is the theft of an entire ethnic group’s culture. I am referring to the full-scale hijacking of Native culture for commercial and entertainment purposes. This racist cultural appropriation is nothing new, and for the most part it is not even acknowledged.

You do not have to look very far for examples of what I am talking about. All you have to do is turn the television on to a Cleveland Indians game. If baseball doesn’t suit your tastes, any professional and college level sport you want will have at least one team with a Native name or mascot. If sports are not your thing, hop in your Jeep Grand Cherokee and head down to a souvenir shop to pick up a dream catcher manufactured in Taiwan. These are far from the only examples, but the point is made.

Reducing Native culture and identity to sports teams and brand names is offensive, but unfortunately quite acceptable in our society. Like all stereotypes, they are perpetuated from outside of the group, simplifying and romanticizing Native culture. Natives are either the sacred custodians of the earth, or fierce, brave warriors. These stereotypes are rooted in the past and give no current context to Native identity. The image that is then presented is of buckskin, bows and arrows. Not of the person writing this article: wearing jeans, typing on a laptop.

Now that the problem is identified, let’s take a look at the counter-arguments. Two are usually offered. Both arguments are not very convincing when examined.

The first argument contends that all examples given are in reference to American culture, not Canadian and hence, Canadians are absolved of responsibility. It is true that the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cleveland Indians are indeed American. However, as much as Canadians do not want to admit it, Canadian and American cultures are quite similar. The differences between the two are outweighed by the likeness. It is culture that Canadians adapt and embrace willingly. How many channels on our TV’s are American and how many are Canadian?

Are the NFL, NHL, and MLB not popular in Canada? Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s so foreign to us, that is rare to see one driving down the street? How hard would it be to adjust living in Vermont in comparison to Tajikistan, China, or Angola?

Of the three images above, why is the one on the left socially acceptable, but not the other two?

Perhaps the argument that is most advanced is that to get upset over such things is simply political correctness run amok. If we accept that premise, then there should be no reason why we cannot substitute other minority groups in place of Natives. Would eyes bat if Jeep launched the new Jeep Jew? Chief Wahoo, the smiling red faced mascot of the Cleveland Indians (pictured bottom left) was supposedly in honour of Louis Sockalexis, the first Native to play in the majors. Would it be appropriate then, to honour Jackie Robinson with a team with a blackface character as a mascot? Let us not even consider what alternative identities we could come up with for the Washington Redskins. -R