My Rant on: The Sacred Beauty of Cultural Appropriation: Volume 1;

Part 1; 

The Reality of Cultural Appropriation; 

To Begin With…..

I was Born in America …I am a Native American! Further more…a great many people including myself have tribal blood in them. Whether or not Racist Native Americans like it. I will preface this Lengthy Post which is broken up into sections...by saying, that I am not talking about all “Native Americans”. I have met many that are great people with wisdom, and open hearts, minds, and spirits; who have taught me a great deal and shared themselves with all the world around them. As should we all!!! In the past few years however I have ran across a great many on the internet that were as wicked and Racist as they come. People who have called me plastic, and said that I live on nothing but “Borrowed Knowledge” as they call it, which they say I misinterpret or am too stupid to understand! I have had My God and my Religion cursed and called a great many horrible things for merely standing against blatant racism; (But racism is alright as long as it is against the various white races it seems. Yes… there is more than one white race). Many of these people have also attacked my sexuality calling me a perversion and have gone into graphic detail about how disgusting Queer people are. Further more in similar online and in person dealings with Muslims, in the past several years I have been told by many Racist Muslims that if I disagree with them… in any way…about anything; they have the right to cut off my head because I am an infidel! These people have not erased the fond memories I have of the wonderful Muslim people I have known in the past. Hateful Pagans and Atheists have like wise given me a hard time over the years and called me every negative name in the book. Still…I have known a great deal of terrific pagan people who have greatly enriched my life! Seeing as the use of the phrase Cultural Appropriation as a negative thing is becoming more and more prevalent; I must speak out now and not remain silent about this issue! So I decided to write this blog post on the issue.

                              (If you were born in America, you are a Native American)

 The racist term “Cultural Appropriation”;

Once a perfectly harmless phrase meaning that one person adopts something from another cultural into their own lives for whatever reason; it has been turned into a totally negative racist term as of late. It is only right that all cultures should inspire each other. Cultural Appropriation is a term used in these times by people who hate white people... to suggest there is something wrong with being inspired by someone else's cultural and adopting something from that culture and adapting it to yourself and your own life, and deciding what it means for you; as is your divine right as a human being! Cultural appropriation being “a bad thing” is predicated on the idea that anyone person or anyone culture can own a culture! This is utter nonsense! No culture owns itself. All cultures belong to the world, and we are all here to teach one another! To think otherwise is great Folly!

I want people to know and understand that the concept of cultural and spiritual appropriation as it is used now; is a lie used by racist people to propagate the idea that anyone person or groups of people own a culture. No one from any culture owns that culture. That culture doesn’t even own itself. All cultures belong to all of humanity and all cultures belong to the creator. So when you hear people like racist native Americans telling white people that they can’t do this or they can’t do that because it is appropriating their culture…tell that racist person or persons or organizations to shut their racist mouths!

It is a common misconception that things like wearing feathers, using ritual tools like medicine wheels and drums, dream catchers, and working with spirit animals is unique to native cultures. This is an absolute lie! All ancient human beings used to be tribal and all of them had these things. Medicine shields were common in Europe for instance. Druids had all of these things and much more. Druids for example sometimes used to wear capes and head dresses made of feathers as do Africans. Europeans often wore feathers in their hair or put them into medicine bags. Native Americans did not invent these things.

Though racist Native Americans would like nothing more than to convince all the white races that Native Americans as they are called, did invent sacredness; and that white people were from the start… bad, and devoid of any spirituality, ritualism, or medicine ways.

 Nothing could be further from the truth!

So the idea of cultural appropriation as it is being used now, is nothing but a racist lie! So if you want to walk around in war paint and head dresses and use ritual items like medicine bags and smudging sticks…just remember, that you as a human being are free to do just that! Almost nothing is totally unique to any culture. Sweat lodges were used all over the ancient world, as well as ritual bathing. Using sacred smoke was and is common all over the world! War paint and body paint has been used in many cultures including the Celtic cultures, African, and Australian Aborigine Cultures.

You are not bad just because you were born white!

You and your ancestors are not devoid of spirit and you have TOTAL DIVINE RIGHT to express that in any way you wish, that does not physically harm another person!

Europeans had all the same things that so called natives had, so the idea that a white person could appropriate something from another cultures is silly, and furthermore even if we could appropriate something… than so what? 

There is nothing wrong with taking something that you as a human being find truth in… and deep connection with… and using it in whatever way you decide is best for your life! Tell all the racists to shut up! Also…tell them that white people are not to blame for all of their problems! They had problems long before us, and would have them even if we never existed! All cultures have suffered at some point and it is up to us as the human beings alive in the year 2013 to get over it, grow up, and move on with life! Are we supposed to pay for past mistakes made forever? It’s as if they actually believe that native peoples never did anything wrong themselves and never hurt any innocent people in all of history! Well that is just not so! Say it with me …. “I am of European descent and I am proud of it”!

Beyond that…human beings…all human beings, are equal in the eyes of Spirit! There is no perfect person in the world. There is no one culture that is better than another culture.

All peoples are native peoples. I don’t know about the rest of my fellow Americans but I was born in America, I was born on and in this land, and am part of it! I am a native American! Another racist term is “first nation peoples”…what a load of propaganda that is. All peoples are first nations peoples…all people are descended from tribal societies. So next time some racist tribes person starts mouthing off to you…tell them shut up and get lost! We the human beings alive today in this new era of human history don’t need to have people stuck in the past bog us down with what they believe our sins to be; as if they are God and know our sins, or as if they had none of their own! We as humans don’t need to carry the past around anymore. We’ve seen it, heard it, learned it, studied it, know it by heart, and wallowed in it long enough! Enough is enough! It is a brand new day people! It is a brand new era for mankind and we need to step boldly and cleanly into it! Throw off the shackles of the past and live in the here and now! There is nothing wrong with looking at the past and learning from it, or even remembering it; but there is something very very wrong with wallowing in the past and living there.

 You know it’s funny …when I see non white peoples wearing kilts and Celtic sacred symbols and singing Celtc songs….I am very pleased that they found a connection with my culture. I don’t go around crying foul and cultural appropriation! Who does that? Racist people…that is who! 

No one owns a culture….all cultures belong not to themselves but to all of the world! So if someone starts screaming about cultural appropriation to you and saying it is wrong; than that person is a racist...probably mainly against white people! Again… tell them to shut up, grow up, get a life, and stop spouting off their hate and ignorance to you! They are just sad pathetic people who have nothing better to do than to go around hating other people! They are racist! Racism like that must not be coddled or tolerated!

Another thing that really pisses me off is the stupid concept, conceived of and put forth by Racist Native Americans; The idea of “Plastic Medicine People”. There is no such thing as a plastic medicine person unless we are talking about children’s toys made of plastic. Just because someone is of a different culture and interprets ritual and spirituality and various diverse cultural concepts differently than Native Americans; and practices The Medicine Ways differently than Native Americans…DOES NOT MAKE SOME ONE PLASTIC OR FAKE! IT MAKES THEM…wait for it… DIFFERENT THAN NATIVE PEOPLES! Plastic Medicine People is just another racist term that when heard should not be tolerated; but should be stood against with vehement passion!

*******************   

Now to destroy the silly racist concept of “Borrowed Knowledge”. If there is any Wisdom or Knowledge or Spiritual Insight to life on this earth from any time, place, people, or religious path; than it comes from God. So all Knowledge is “Borrowed Knowledge”; we the humans of this planet all have borrowed whatever knowledge we have, from Spirit! We did not create it, or invent it, but have been given it from The Divine! A particular culture may have received the message, interpreted it, and perceived it in a certain way; but they do not own that knowledge and did not Author that knowledge. They merely had a unique way of experiencing and living that knowledge! It may surprise some people (though I doubt it, if they have read thus far) to hear me say that even those unique perceptions are not owned by the cultures or people who did the perceiving! All Wisdom that has been given to humanity…All sacred ways; they belong to all of us and they are owned by none here save God! That is The Truth! So if you feel a resonance with something from another culture then feel free to take that and bring it into your life and adapt it to yourself and your world view! That is your Right as a human being; and no one but no one can take that away from you! If they try…take a strong stand against them and refuse to be bullied by them, or back down! We should never bow to tyranny and accept it! We must always fight against it!

And what of us who are of mixed race? Who then decides for us what part of our heritage(s) is right for us to honor? We decide for ourselves!

I am a citizen of this planet! We are all of us citizens of this planet!

****************************************************************************  

Part 2;

Dispelling the great myth;

Contrary to popular modern belief... Native Americans are not the only peoples who have spiritual wisdom or “Medicine Ways”.

Here is a list of things that are not unique to Native Americans but exist in most ancient and modern cultures;

Smudging rituals

Sacred Feathers

Wisdom teachings

Medicine ceremonies

Medicine wheels

Dream Catchers

Sweat Lodges

Sacred Drums and rattles

Sacred staffs and spears

Sacred Jewelry

Sacred Headwear and costumes

Ritual Masks

Medicine Shields

Sacred Totem Animals

Sacred Names

Sacred Dances

Sacred Songs
Sacred Places

None of these things are unique to only so called Native American cultures. These things are found all over the world from ancient times and even today. They are found in all cultures and many different religions in many many various forms, and known by many various names!

************************************************************************

Part 3;

Images of the beauty of cultural appropriation;

WAIT...WHAT'S THIS... "NATIVE AMERICANS" IN CLOTHS OR CLOTHING ITEMS OF OR INSPIRED BY CULTURES NOT THEIR OWN??? OH MY...THE HYPOCRISY IS AMAZING! 

PEOPLE ...WE ARE ALL INFLUENCED BY EACH OTHER, AND THAT IS THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE, OTHER WISE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN PUT ON SEPARATE PLANETS. WE ARE ALL ONE RACE...THE HUMAN RACE!

*************************     

Fashion like everything else evolves and changes over time and is multicultural; just like all of us who are of mixed heritage...which is most of the people on the planet by now! 

******************************    

Certain Propaganda materials annoy me;

for example this sign... 

YES IT IS OK...THAT MAN IN THE SMALL PICTURE HAS THE RIGHT TO WEAR WHATEVER HE WANTS TO. ALSO THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE; ALL CULTURES ARE A TYPE OF COSTUME THAT PEOPLE PUT ON IN CERTAIN LOCATIONS WHICH IDENTIFIES THEM AS A TRIBE OR A NATION. CULTURE IS COSTUME AND CUSTOM AND HISTORY AND RITUAL AND TRADITION! SO YES IT IS OK, IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT SOMEONE DRESSES IN SOMETHING FROM YOUR CULTURE...WELL YOU ARE A RACIST AND YOU NEED TO KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF AND JUST NOT ASSOCIATE WITH PEOPLE WHO ANNOY YOU! 

certain propaganda pictures are wrong... but so amusing; 

for example...

Unlike racist "Native Americans" this cat totally has the right idea! Go Cat Go! We should all learn from this cat!!! 

So there is my rant about this issue....it might and probably will at some point be followed up with other rants that are a continuation of this one....because I love driving a point home and beating on a dead horse; on occasion! Now I am quite certain I will get loads of Hate mail over this post...I can feel the backlash now! I don't really care...I am past the point of caring honestly. I have been attacked so many times for being White, Gay, American, Christian, or because of my beliefs that I refuse to stay silent any longer. I will not Put up with Racism anymore! Here I make my stand. I care not what others choose to say, think, or do! Don't be bullied people...Stand up for yourselves. Your Freedom is in your own hands! Live your Freedom, no matter who likes it or doesn't! 



             LIVE YOUR FREEDOM!!!