#and not treating indigenous tribes as monoliths???

[60000beesinatrenchcoat]

Some dreamworks producer circa 2000: yeah so it’s an animated horse narrating, just like an old west movie for kids

Bryan Adams and Hans Zimmer (about to make the most bitchin soundtrack in cinema history): mhm, yeah yeah, horse movie, cartoon, easy

#worm speaks #worm should not speak #spirit and its soundtrack made baby worm a horse girl #wait that was already a tag?? #did someone already make this post?? #and I reblogged it????? #oh well nothing is original #I am just rewatching the best movie of 2002 rn #spirit ALSO made me anti-colonialist #also just now looking at the IMDb did I realize #spirit is voice by Matt Damon #and to be clear #I have criticisms of the narratives at play #but for 2002??? #characterizing western settlers as the bad guys #and not treating indigenous tribes as monoliths??? #criticizing industrialization of natural land?? #how did They expect me to not end up a radical after watching this two million times between the age of 2 and 12?????

[fennec-archives]

I have a question for indigenous tumblr: would you say you’re uncomfortable with someone displaying a world of Warcraft hoard dream catcher in their home, given the racism in the game?

Side note: lily is Cherokee, and dream catchers come from the Ojibwe tribe. I don’t want to claim something is cultural appropriation but this strikes me as perhaps disrespectful.

The issue I have with lily is that she handwaves the voices of indigenous people connected to their culture. If you are removed from a culture like that, your job is to not take up too much space. You are listening and learning and approaching with respect. This doesn’t feel that way, and it’s not even from the culture she claims to be connected with. She’s treating indigenous peoples as a monolith.

#lily orchard #lily orchard racism

[gendiebrainrotreceipts]

wrt two spirit stuff, it's a word made up in the 90s to describe a bunch of different cultures gender roles for homosexuals. not all tribes have them

I live by a reservation - I have a friend who is the local culture's "two spirit" but it's not like. a gender identity- it's more a religious role, and you can't identify into it, it's given to you by elders. it's very much assigned and involves certain spiritual obligations. she's a lesbian, no they/them pronouns and views herself as a woman given a very specific role within the tribal community. she gets mad about TRAs talking about it bc 1. it treats indigenous culture like a monolith, 2. treats a sacred religious role as the same as nonbinary or transgender, and 3. none of these people tend to talk about MMIW or homophobia and sexism present in the culture.

other cultures have different variations of this, primarily reserved for gay men but many (like hers) also apply it to lesbians as well. it's not always inherently negative (in her case, it's a respectable position), though it frequently is, but yeah. two spirit is a catch-all, it's racist to group in vastly different traditions under one name, and most indigenous ppl I know IRL are really frustrated by the mainstream conversation about it. just wanted to share

Thanks for the info, very informative and interesting

#radfem safe #gender critical

[houseofzoey]

There are certainly indigenous people that will partake in ceremonies of other tribes, and intertribal gatherings definitely happen. Comradery, solidarity, and sharing what traditions have survived colonialism and oppression are very important to contemporary relations between indigenous tribes/natures.

That's not what this is. This is PC saying that tribe doesn't matter. The unique culture, its history, the meaning of the celebrations and ceremonies - those are irrelevant. The only thing that matters is ~*energy*~. And because indigenous cultures are treated as monolithic mystism and inherently magical, and indigenous ceremonial grounds are full of positivr energy.

#house of zoey #redeemed #rage from a native studies major

[kingslayerstew]

labeling 'berbers' as 'spicy white' is genuinely so ignorant i will not deny there are white imazighen but 'amazigh' says as much about race as 'latino' or 'asian'. its a label that groups people by language rather than ethnicity, along with the fact that we are indigenous to north africa. berbers are not one single ethnic group concentrated right by the mediterranean of southern european looking white people. some imazighen are, most are not. imazighen are a very large and diverse group of people! when referring to certain amazigh peoples or tribes, use the name of said group. generalizing us and treating us like a monolith is already racist, using that to lazily group us with white europeans when in europe many many many imazighen experience racism from those exact people takes it to another level.

#speaking in broad strokes abt an ethnic group you dont know that much about is never a good idea

[vanilla-cigarillos]

Cleansing 101

Why is Cleansing Important: Cleansing is critical if you believe in the power of intention, because it helps to rid yourself of negative energy. This can be cleansing yourself, other people, your home, etc.

Within this post, I’ll be including ways to cleanse, however I want to stress that cleansing can differ per person and you can pick whatever you’d like. Magic works the best when it’s true to who you are and your intentions, so choose whatever is right for you!

Water Cleansing:

Using water is a very easy and common way to conduct a cleansing. It can be as simple as using a shower to wash away negativity, or using ceremonial water that has been charged or blessed in any way. Within showers/baths you can also ritualize them with salts, baths, and safe-to-use herbs and oils.

Blessed or charged water can also be used to cleanse the spaces around you. Throwing or sprinkling water is common to see in many practices, and witches who utilize more modern tools may keep (as an example) sun charged water in a spray bottle to use whenever needed.

Essential Oils Cleansing:

Many believe in essential oils being important for cleansing themselves and other people. Witches may use essential oil rollers to draw sigils on themselves or others to induce cleansing, and drops can be put onto objects to cleanse them of negative energy. 

Smoke Cleansing:

Smudging vs. Cleansing A very important discussion happening within the Pagan/Wiccan community right now is the difference between smudging and smoke cleansing. Smudging has very important roots in various Indigenous (used as an umbrella term to cover a wide range of tribes and their cultures, not meant to be a blanket term treating them as a monolith) traditions. Appropriating smudging into your pagan practices outside of appropriate contexts is offensive. The act of smudging should be given the treatment it deserves as a sacred, closed practice.

Image source: https://greenmanmeadows.com/smudging-vs-smoke-cleansing/

I also encourage those outside of any Indigenous community to abstain from using white sage and palo santo in their practices. These two are incredibly endangered due to harmful harvesting practices and heavily overconsumption. These are sacred to closed cultures and their ritualistic traditions, it is not our place to take resources from them.

Smoke cleansing itself can be done with a bundle of herbs either held in hand or placed within some sort of fireproof bowl (typically an Abalone shell). To cleanse yourself or someone else with smoke, many start either at the head or the feet and work their way across the body with a movement of said smoke. In an upcoming post I’ll list important information to know about smoke cleansing for any pet owners out there looking to get into the practice! 

#witch #witchy #wicca #witchcraft

[northerngoshawk]

Happy FFWF! What are the most difficult and most rewarding parts of the writing process for you?

the most difficult part of writing for me, especially considering the, ahem, fic I'm writing right now (you know which one i'm talking about), is research.

because atla has such a mixture of different cultures, i want to be able to pay respect to those cultures in my fic, whether it be small details or significant plot points that move the story forward. thus, i'm having to research various aspects of those different cultures to find ways to incorporate them into the fic.

this particular point in writing is really, really difficult for me, because 1. i have to make sure that the sources i'm looking up are legitimate sources and not just Wikipedia, and 2. i have to make sure i don't treat the various diverse cultures as a monolith. in particular with the Water Tribes, which are based on the Inuit/Inupiak cultures, there's always the fear that if i refer to some other Indigenous people's culture that's not Inuit or Inupiak, i'll be accused of portraying Indigenous people as a monolith when that's not what i'm trying to do. plus, while i might add nods to other cultures, i'm a tad bit worried that if it's not a significant plot point and just for worldbuilding, people will accuse me of trying to shoehorn other cultures for brownie points... which is also not what i'm trying to do.

as for the most rewarding part of writing for me, it's seeing it all come together. for me, i find that it's as i write that i see everything intertwining and solidifying, and sometimes when i write, i suddenly notice a connection i can make or an allusion i can throw in that really brings the fic together. it's the details that really make a fic, and while i don't think a lot of people might easily catch onto those little crumbs, it's satisfying, knowing they're there for the few observant enough to catch them.

thanks for the ask!

#chocomd #northern answers #ffwf #ffwf answer

[thealexchen]

I’m excited for the atla live action, but I’ve heard there was a lot of colorism involved in the casting process, so I don’t know if I can support it. I’m conflicted

Hi anon, that's a very valid concern and I totally get where you're coming from. I know, for example, that there's a lot of debate on Twitter over Kiawentiio and Ian's casting and prioritizing lighter-skinned/white-passing Indigenous actors, and the whole controversy about Ian's race.

The casting for this show was always going to be imperfect and complex. You could also argue that casting a Cherokee actor and Mohawk actress for Inuit-coded characters risks conflating all Indigenous tribes together and treating them like a monolith, just like with Asians. And they haven't even cast Toph yet; I'm sure that there will be debate whether they cast a sighted or legally blind actress. These characters are just so specific in their appearances, skin tones, and abilities that translating it perfectly to live action (age, voice, martial arts, acting ability, personality) is a very tall order. Overall though, I still want to support it because if it's successful, this could possibly be the biggest North American production with a completely non-white cast ever, and there are plenty of Asian crew members behind the scenes compared to the very white (and male) cast and crew in the original cartoons.

#anon #answered asks #avatar the last airbender #atla live action #netflix

[zukkacore]

Whitewashing in AtlaLok: the Western & Christian Influence on s2 of LoK

Ok, so i’m not a big brained expert on all things indigenous or even all things asian but I do think bryke's christian & western worldview seeps so far into season 2 of LoK that i think out of every season it’s by far the most unsalvageable out of everything they’ve ever done in the Atlaverse and is a very insidious kind of whitewashing. I know that sounds hefty but here’s what I mean

For the record, I’m a mixed filipino person & while there is religious diversity among filipinos, more than i think ppl realize or that the catholic majority is willing to let on, when we were colonized a large percent of the population was indeed forced to convert to catholicism so that’s my background, & i don’t know everything about taoism or the what the tai chi symbol represents but the way Bryke westernize the concept of Yin and Yang is honestly… kinda bewildering. They get so many details about yin & yang wrong?? & Yes, it’s possible they could’ve been trying to create their own lore that differentiates itself from the traditional depictions of Yin & Yang, but in the end i think it doesn’t matter b/c the lore they invent is a very obviously western interpretation of the concept of “balance”.

The most important and honestly worst change they make is that concepts of “light” and “dark” are completely oversimplified and flattened to represent basically “good” and “evil” (which, the light and dark side are a bit more complex than representing just “peace/order vs. Chaos” like the show might imply but we don’t even have time for that, but is funny how they get the genders wrong. Like. Traditionally, light is usually coded masculine and dark is usually coded feminine, but never mind that, that’s just a tangent). This really simplifies the nuance of the s2 conflict and makes it a lot less interesting, not to mention just—misrepresents a very real religious philosophy?

And for the record, a piece of media going out of its way to do "the show, don’t tell" thing of stating in the text that “oh, light and dark are not the same thing as good vs. evil” without actually displaying that difference through the writing is just lip service, and its poor writing. A lot of pieces of media do this, but i think s2 of LoK is particularly egregious. The point of this philosophy of balance is that you aren’t supposed to moralize about which side is “good” or “bad”, or even really which one is “better” or “worse”. Even if the show states the concepts are not interchangeable, if the media in question continually frames one side (and almost always its “chaos/darkness”) as the “evil” side, then the supposed distinction between “light vs. dark” and “good vs. evil” is made moot. And besides the occasional offhand remark that implies more nuance without actually delivering, Vaatu is basically stock evil incarnate.

This depiction of conflict as “defeating a singular representation of total evil” isn’t solely christian, but it is definitely present in christian beliefs. And I think those kinds of stories can be done well, but in this case, in a world filled entirely of asian, Pacific Islander & inuit poc, to me it feels like a form of subtle whitewashing? B/c you’re taking characters that probably wouldn’t have christian beliefs, and imposing a christian worldview onto them. Not to mention removes what could have been an interesting conflict of any nuance and intrigue… and honestly, sucks, because I do think s2 has the bones of an interesting idea, mostly b/c there are potential themes that could’ve been explored—I know this b/c they were already explored in a movie that exists, and it’s name is Princess Mononoke! It has a lot of the same elements—tension between spirits and humanity, destruction of nature in the face of rapid industrialization, moral ambiguity where there are no easy or fast answers and both sides have sympathetic and understandable points of view. (Unsurprising b/c Miyazaki is Japanese & Japanese culture has a lot of influence from Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, etc)

Bryke’s western & christian worldview also totally seeps into the characterization of Unalaq, the antagonist of the season which is a real problem. I’m in the middle of rewatching s2 right now and what struck me is that….. Unalaq comes across kinda ecofash AND fundamentalist which is 1) seems like an odd combination but maybe it really isn’t? 2) i think is a really tacky choice considering that the water tribes take the majority of its inspiration from inuit and polynesian indigenous cultures.

I honestly forgot abt this but Unalaq gives this whole lame speech abt how the SWT & humans as a whole suck b/c of their lack of spiritual connection & it was really eerie to me b/c "humans are morally bankrupt and they must be wiped out/punished for their destruction of the environment" is total ecofash logic bc it blames all of humanity for damage caused by those in power—be they capitalists or whoever. It’s a worldview that blames the poor and powerless for something they have no say in, and has real eugenics undertones bc with every implication of culling, there has to be someone who appoints themself the job of culling—of who is and isn’t worthy of death.

This belief also struck me as......... kinda christian in it's logic as well which is WEIRD b/c once again........ their cultural inspirations are DEFINITELY not christian...... The whole "man is inherently evil and must spend their whole lifetime repenting/must face punishment for it’s wickedness" thing and the way that christianity treats humanity as born with original sin or inherently corrupt—as well as above or separate from nature are really stronger undertones in Unalaqs worldview....... which isn't really an indigenous way or thinking.

I'm generalizing of course but from what I have seen from the indigenous people who speak on this is that (feel free to point out or correct me if i’m mostly generalizing abt Native Americans and not other indigenous cultures & there are some differences here) is that while native tribes are not monolithic and do vary wildly, there are a lot of common threads and that reverence and respect toward nature and your surroundings is an important tenant of indigenous beliefs. (I specifically remember the hosts on All My Relations saying essentially that we humans are a part of nature, we are not separate from it, and humans are not superior to animals—I’m paraphrasing but that is the gist of it)

So, yeah, I think it’s just really distasteful to write an indigenous character who is characterized in a way that’s way more in line with a christian fundamentalist & wants to bring about a ragnarok style apocalypse end of the world when that isn’t really a tenant of our beliefs? (btw, the way the end of the world is framed is also kinda fucked up? If i were being charitable, I could say that maybe s2’s storyline is a corruption of the hindu depiction of the end of the world, but even that sounds mildly insulting for reasons I won’t get into b/c i am Not The Expert On Hinduism. I will say that once again, the framing of the concept is all wrong, the show views the idea of apocalypse through a very western lense)

To wrap this up, I think the depiction of Unalaq could *maybe* work b/c he is the antagonist, so someone who strays from the NWT cultural tradition in a way that makes his view of morality more black and white wouldn’t be a *horrible* idea for the bad guy of the season. Especially because the introduction of capitalism to the A:TLA universe could probably cause a substantial shifts to… idk, everything i guess, b/c capitalism is so corrosive. Like. Sometimes people are just traitors. I do think it would be interesting to portray the way capitalism manifests in a society without white christians. Like… I do think there are a lot of ways secular christianity and capitalism are interlinked. But Unalaq is not portrayed as an outsider, he’s portrayed as hyper-traditionalist in a way that’s vilified? I guess rightly so, he does suck, but it’s just hard to conceptualize how a person like Unalaq comes to exist in the first place. In the end, I don’t really think it makes sense, in a world without white people, I don’t really know where this introduction of black and white christian morality would even come from in the avatar world?

TL;DR, Bryke applying western christian morality & world views to non-white characters in a world where white people have NEVER existed to affect our beliefs is a subtle form of white-washing. It imposes simplified “good vs. evil” world-views & cultural beliefs onto its characters. Any attempt to represent or even just integrate our actual beliefs into the A:tla lore are twisted and misrepresented is a way that is disrespectful and saps out any nuance or intrigue from the story, and alienates the people its supposed to represent from recognizing themselves within the final product. And Finally, on a more superficial story level, these writing choices clashe with the already existing world of ATLA--and is honestly just poor world-building.

#shut up Janelle #lok #Atla #lok crit #legend of korra

[memecucker]

Why do you think cultural appropriation is a good thing? How would you refute the claim it has killed indigenous cultures?

1) I think cultural appropriation is a neutral thing because it is an inevitable to happen as it is inevitable that languages adopt vocabulary of other languages. That said while I think it’s a neutral thing overall I do think attempts to suppress it are a bad thing because they come from a faulty imagining of what constitutes “culture” and the valuing of “cultural preservation”. If we can say that there are two ways to ‘preserve’ butterflies one of which is allowing them the space to thrive in a sanctuary and the other is pinning their dead bodies to a cork board cultural appropriation discourse leans heavily towards the latter.

2) “How would you refute the claim it has killed indigenous cultures” is a poorly phrased question and thus can’t be given a straight answer. Suffice it to say that simply saying “indigenous cultures” and treating the concept as a monolith does no one any good but frankly if you mapped out a grid of the ways colonial and colonized interacted with each other and the directions of “permitted” cultural exchange and flow the adoption (ie appropriation) has of colonized customers by colonizers especially when disconnected from everyday survival is by far the rarest form of interaction and the one least connected to domination. What are there more of- churches to Jesus Christ in Mexico or temples to Quetzalcoatl in Spain?

Additionally, this mindset of “cultures proposer best when just left alone” can frequently be counterproductive to not just survival of indigenous cultures but also the explicit wishes of indigenous people! For example there’s those posts asking people to please buy from indigenous artisans and to not think of cultural appropriation when buying the items they are openly and obviously selling to outsiders and I’ve also talked about Whang-od of the Butbut tribe of the Kalinga people in the Philippines who is the last surviving master of Kalinga tattooing and her opening up of certain designs to outsiders of her tribe has helped spark a rebirth in the once suppressed custom by lessening the stigma wider Filipino culture had towards indigenous tattooing which was the main reason for its massive decline.

3) and just to be clear the phrase “cultural appropriation” is used in all contradictory ways and when I use it I’m not referring to things like dressing up as racist caricatures on Halloween because that sorta stuff doesn’t even fit within sny framework of the concept I’ve actually encountered. Things like mocking racial caricatures are intended to set up the racialized Other as a type of grotesque, it is meant to establish a distance with the culture of said Other by showing it as monstrous and inhuman rather than a case of hyperfamiliarization/‘mongrelization’

[wiisagi-maiingan]

i’ve just realized i’ve never known an indigenous person with any amount of dyed hair, and i know that hair is very culturally important for indigenous people, and i was wondering if you’re not supposed to dye it? or like, i know indigenous cultures aren’t a monolith, so is that a thing in any tribes? sorry if this is a weird question, it just occurred to me and i keep thinking about it, and if having native characters with like,, purple streaks in their hair is racist

There's specific indigenous cultures, particularly in Turtle Island but idk about anywhere else, that see hair as very sacred. One of the most common beliefs you'll see is that hair is an extension of your soul, and should be treated as such, particularly in regards to cutting it. In many of those cultures, hair is only cut under specific circumstances, usually to mourn someone, and the cut hair is disposed of with a specific ceremony.

With that being said.

There's plenty of indigenous people with dyed hair! I, personally, have bleached parts of my hair and intend to dye it later. Many Native people I know have also dyed their hair (including a lot of unnatural colors, like purple and green). We also cut and style our hair in a ton of different ways. I've worn mine long and straight enough to sit on, had plenty of pixie cuts, have even shaved my head completely a few times, and it's currently shoulder length and partially blonde.

There are definitely indigenous people who don't believe in altering or wearing their hair outside of traditional circumstances, but that's not a universal belief by any means. Even in cultures with those practices, you'll still find plenty of people who don't follow them for whatever reason.

There's also indigenous people who don't dye or bleach their hair because of other reasons; feeling closer to their heritage and community, social stigma, pressure from family, risk of permanent damage, etc. Native hair tends to be very thick and luxurious, with a lot of deep and rich color. It's absolutely gorgeous and something I'm very proud to have inherited, and no Native with that hair wants to risk damaging it.

[concerningwolves]

I just saw your post about a new book on monsters and was wondering if you had any good recs for other monster books, or mythical/folklore creatures in general that you'd like to share? I've always had a passing interest but have recently really wanted to learn more!

hello nonny!

if you’re just after more general books about monsters, then I recommend Bullfinch’s Mythology and Myths & Legends by Vic Parker.  

Bullfinch’s is fairly old — my edition is from 1964 — and the text is heavier than M&L, but it’s good for providing a look at monsters both with their heroes and without. Be warned though, the book covers only Classical mythology (Greek and Roman), the Age of Chivalry (old English knights, King Arthur, welsh tales), and some French legends, so it’s western-centric. It also talks about Greek and Roman pantheons interchangeably, which I find a bit baffling, but there we are. I mostly read it for the Arthurian stuff, anyway. The biggest attraction of Bullfinch’s is, for me, the way it draws on a range of sources (poems, epics, sagas) from different authors at different points in time, so you can see how the monsters and their myths change and grow. 

M&L was my childhood. But! Despite being for younger readers, I still take great pleasure in it. I adore the illustrations and the monster profiles. Another bonus of M&L is its broad coverage of myths from around the world, ranging from Indigenous peoples of Australia and New Zealand to ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Persia, and then Japan, China, and different religions, too. Also doesn’t treat Africa as a monolith and provides a look at various tribes. It isn’t perfect (talks about the beliefs of first nations people only the past tense, for example, despite them being living religions in many cases), but it’s an excellent starting-point if you just want to know about monsters. 

Branching out of monsters into the supernatural and monstrous, The Element Encyclopaedia of Ghosts and Hauntings by Theresa Cheung is good for quick reference. It’s mostly about psychic phenomena, but also contains sections on Greek daemons, death omens in cultures from around the world, and a few urban legends and cryptids. 

I also think Wikipedia’s lists of monsters is a nifty starting point (it’s where I started as a tiny gremlin child, using my first instances of unfettered internet freedom to browse wikipedia like the fully-fledged nerd i would one day become). The references can point you toward further reading, and the articles provide quick facts about many monsters. 

If anyone else has any recommendations, please let Nonny and I know!

#misadventuring in mythology and folklore #book recs #Anonymous #monsters & monstrosities

[pinayelf]

i’m making a filipino oc for an original story of mine and i’d like to know a couple of things pls: how do i avoid stereotypes, male filipino names + surnames, and is there any traditions + celebrations i should incorporate into my writing? i tried googling everything as best as i could but i felt like it would be kinda unreliable? i just wanted your input bc this blog is one of my regulars/faves ❤️☺️ thank you sm!

Okay sorry this took so long, I wanted to wait until I got on the PC to answer. This is really long so! *cracks knuckles*

Disclaimer: The Filipino experience isn’t monolith, I am speaking from someone who was raised Catholic, is Tagalog and Ilonggo, and lived in an urban area until we moved to the United States. So you should also listen to other Filipinos as well.

 Also, context is super important and I’ll lay that out below.

Stereotypes

Just in general avoid the super strict tiger parents, there is a whole thing about Asian communities and valuing education but that is for us to explore and expand on, not non-Filipinos and non-Asians

Avoid the cold, stoic Asian person

Don’t exotify or fetishize, if the character is attractive it’s not because they’re so “exotic” and “different”, they are attractive because they are.

Treat the character like a human - honestly that’s what helps the most when writing. You just have to add a bit more effort with the context. 

If something about your writing makes a Filipino person uncomfortable listen to their critique!

Names

Now this part is A Lot lol, which is why I put the read more. So, again, this is dependent on context.

If you you are writing a historical piece that’s pre-colonial:

Languages and dialect differ from each tribe. Before the Spanish came, the Philippines were made up of different tribes living across the Island. 

Research which people you want the character to be from. 

But also indigenous Filipino names are very hard to find - for example my mom’s side is descended from the Tagalog people and even in my own research it’s pretty hard to find pre-colonial stuff. 

Here is a list of indigenous Tagalog surnames as a resource. 

If you are writing modern times:

A lot of Filipino names are westernized and or heavily inspired by Spanish names

A lot of Filipinos have Spanish last names because they colonized us

Filipinos also like giving their kids unique names, but I really don’t know how to explain this right lmao, so just stick with generic things

Like some names that are popular with Filipino boys: Mark, Anthony, John, Joseph, Daniel

A large percent of the Philippines is Catholic so a lot of people are named after saints too

A Filipino guy could be named “Luke Santiago”

There is also a large population of people with Chinese ancestry in the Philippines, but I don’t feel like I can speak on this because it isn’t my heritage, so I’m sticking to what I know

Here is a page on how etymology works in Philippines and some history behind it. 

Traditions

Mano po when meeting elders. You press the back of their hand onto your forehead while saying “Mano po”. It’s a sign of respect

Since I was raised Catholic I am sticking with traditions/celebrations centered around it

Holy Week is a big deal in the Philippines. I would spend the whole ask talking about it, so here’s a good page.

Even here in the US, Filipinos still participate in Holy Week traditions. I no longer do, I’m not Catholic anymore, but my parents still do all that. Some churches with large Filipino congregations also hold events related to Holy Week. 

Santacruzan - This is celebrated widely back in the Philippines and Filipino communities here. My sister joined one some time ago.

Filipino Christmas festivities - Filipinos celebrate Christmas until January 6th, because it ends at the feast of the Three Kings. My dad keeps the decorations up until the 6th. Filipinos also hang parols, a large decorative star for Christmas, it represents the star that helped the three wise men find Jesus.

New Year’s is also a big celebration. My dad buys 12 round fruits every New Year’s Eve because it’s supposed to mean luck. At 12 AM of the New Year my dad opens all the lights and bangs pots and pans together to welcome the New Year. There’s this funny one where if you jump at the strike of 12 you get taller apparently. I used to do it all the time (lol it doesn’t work I’m 4′11 and my mom always teases me).

Karaoke does happen at Filipino parties, yes lol. We have a karaoke machine. 

I don’t know about other Filipino families in the US, but we personally don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. And also cause my parents think it’s dumb considering the history of it.

I can’t think of anything else now, but if any other Filipino wants to add on feel free! And as I said, there are different experiences. I am speaking as a diaspora Filipina!

#necromancing-magi

[stopmakingliberalslookbad]

a little late to the party but would you happen to know how come mixing cultures of different african tribes for wakanda is seen as empowering and amazing while any other mixture of such type with other cultures (i.e. mixing japanese and chinese, treating indigenous people as a monolith) would be seen as inappropriate?

Search me. But to be fair, Wakanda is fictional.

#q and a #media #race #black panther #wakanda

[largiloquent]

Hey Steph! You've given me LOTS of great advice dealing with Native American ocs, so how about you talk about it some here~?

Hoof! Can try!

But, absolutely, I have to preface this with I am not a First Nations person. I am half Ibero-Hispanic, but this is not a culture I grew up in. I can do all of the research I can to my little heart’s desire, but the fact is that I will never be able to write a 100% authentically indigenous person. I could potentially get close! But that’s not my culture, I don’t belong to a tribe, I’m never going to know all of the ins and outs. But that said, I always try my hardest to respect the culture I am writing my character into, regardless of culture, but especially so for First Nations cultures, which already have a history of being erased, being portrayed inaccurately, and being portrayed offensively. 

But in no order, here’s my tips:

Respect. First and foremost, treat these cultures with respect and understanding. Do not separate things into Us and Them, but We. 

Understand that your character is not a representative of their entire culture. The burden of representation should not fall on this character’s shoulders. They are not here to serve as a tool of education. They are a person, first and foremost, who was raised within a First Nations culture. They should have their own points of view, opinions, and experiences. As with all cultures, maybe there’s parts of that culture your character agrees with. Maybe there’s parts they disagree with. 

Don’t just use wikipedia. Find as many primary resources as possible--resources directly from First Nations people. Find articles written by First Nations peoples, see if the tribe has their own website, their own youtube channel, things like that. Read interviews and articles, go to First Nations periodicals. 

Listen. Don’t pay lip service. Empathize and listen to what First Nations peoples have to say. Listen if someone of a tribe says “you’re doing this wrong.” Be ready to change something. 

Understand that in researching different tribes, you are going to find a LOT of bogus websites. And some websites that seem legit but are written from a non-indigenous point of view. Indigenous tribes are a favorite for scammers and bullshit healers to steal from and then proclaim as their own. “Native American crystal healing cured my cancer!!!” and things like that.

Dreamcatchers are very much a heavily debated idea within many First Nations groups, especially as it has become one of the symbols of the Pan-Indian movement. Learn the history of dreamcatchers, how they have been used, and your character’s thoughts on them. 

The same goes for a lot of common portrayals of Native Americans, like long hair and paint and so forth. You’re going to have a rainbow of different opinions--especially over different generations.

Don’t write what you don’t know. Really. This is incredibly important here. And understand that there may be things you will never be able to write about. Many tribes have elements that are prohibited to those not belonging to the tribe--even from other Native American tribes. And as an outsider, you will never be able to know about that or learn about it, and that’s just how things are. Respect that. Consider it much like an incredibly special, private family tradition that holds generations of importance for your family.

War bonnets are military regalia. Sacred military regalia. Having one is the same as having medals of honor. If you wouldn’t disrespect a soldier’s medals of honor, don’t disrespect the war bonnet.

You are going to need to do a LOT of research about reservations, if your character lived in one or has experience around them or people they know who live on the,. Especially there, find first-person experiences about living on them. Get ready for a lot of heart-ache.

Just buckle yourself the fuck in because you’re going to have mountains of research. Everywhere. 

First Nations people are not a monolithic culture. There is no one “Native American culture.” There are 566 federally recognized tribes in the US alone. Minus federally unrecognized tribes, minus tribes of Canada and Mexico and many other countries. Every single one is unique. 

Like I said, buckle the fuck in.

Just be ready to get something wrong, no matter how genuine your want is to create an accurate, sincere First Nations character. And sometimes people will get mad at you. Be ready for that, but also be ready to defend yourself--you WILL get non-indigenous peoples asking stupid questions like “why don’t they look more traditional???” and “shouldn’t they be such-and-such and this-and-that.” If you don’t think you can handle that, then don’t write a First Nations character.

Have fun? :’D But no really, it can be so much fun to find out these new things about these cultures and their histories, and if you’re big into anthropology, you will have a lot of fun breaking old ideas you had about these cultures and discovering the genuine experiences of First Nations peoples. 

#askneonflight

[script-a-world]

Hi there. I'm working on a world largely inspired, culture-wise, by our own. There are nations based on ancient cultures, so a nation based on Ancient China, one based on the Maias and so on. I am however unsure whether I should include all ethnicities - for example a nation based on Jewish traditions? On Native American tribes? I feel like that would be too much but I don't want to exclude them either. I have: East + South + Central Asian, Norse/Sami, Celtic, Greek, Latinx, African and Arab.

Constablewrites: I think the issue here is that a lot of the cultures listed aren't monoliths. Like, "Native American tribes" encompasses hundreds and hundreds of unique and varied cultures and practices that frequently bore very little similarity to each other. If you're drawing on too many different resources, you're just not going to have space to treat them with the nuance and depth they'd require, and that's where stereotypes get perpetuated.

Keep in mind that our planet of seven billion people and tens of thousands of years of history is just not something you can replicate in detail in a fictional environment. Fictional worlds are by their nature going to be smaller and more abstract than the real thing, and that's largely okay--especially if you're doing this for a specific story that will presumably follow specific characters. I probably don't need to go into detail on the workings of the British peerage system if I'm writing a story set in an Arkansas high school, ya dig?

One way you might expand your representation is to dig into cultures that would exist within your nations (especially since the nation-state is an extremely recent invention in historical terms; people were much more likely to identify as part of a particular village or tribe than a nationality). If the land was colonized by outsiders, there would have been indigenous people who would have had something to say about that. Perhaps there might be a nomadic group like the Roma who don't quite belong to a particular nation.  You might have a diaspora situation with a large-scale migration out of one nation into others.  Just be prepared, if you're representing a minority culture, to do the research and consult with sensitivity readers from that group.

Mirintala: Definitely keep in mind that last bit above about sensitivity readers. It’s very helpful to have someone familiar with that culture read over what you’ve written. Tumblr is full of people who could help.

#culture #pylons #Anonymous