#indigenous myth

[dreamsoffaerie]

women of myth & folklore [3/?] ↣ deer woman, indigenous american protector of women

you with the dark curls, you with the watercolor eyes, you who bears all her teeth when she smiles...

#deer woman #indigenous myth #indigenous folklore #indigenous american myth #indigenous american folklore #mythedit #mythologyedit #folkloreandmythologyedit #folkloreandmythedit #folkloreedit #myth edit #mythology edit #folklore edit #womaf #women of myth and folklore #mine #moodboard #moodboard*

[rightwriter]

Indigenous Storytelling

A lot of the stuff I've posted so far is pretty white western-centric views of telling stories. The whole article is very informative! An excerpt: "Many of the main characters in Plains Indian mythology never end. Not only are they immortal and indestructible—where they may be killed in one story and are right back at it in another—they also age with the listener. Coyote stories for children have childlike morals; for teens Coyote is a much rougher character; and, for elders only, grandpa Coyote is smart, and his stories are deep and filled with complicated plots and plans."

#american indian #indigenous #native american #stories #myths #storytelling #story structure #story #writing #on writing #rightwriter #writing advice #nanowrimo 2023 #preptober #nanowrimo #writer #writing tips

[progressivemillennial]

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! May this be a time of gratitude, joy, and love for you and yours.

I would also suggest making this a time to acknowledge the National Day of Mourning by honoring, remembering, and learning about the death and suffering of indigenous Americans due to settler colonialism and its present-day effects.

Again, I hope everyone has much to be thankful for in these holiday times. I also hope these times can serve as an opportunity to take a clear-eyed look at American history and challenge the myths that serve as the foundation for many Amercians' understanding of our past and present.

#thanksgiving #happy thanksgiving #history #genocide #ethnic cleansing #american indians #native americans #politics #us politics #progressive #imperialism #narional day of mourning #colonialism #settler colonialism #indigenous history #thanksgiving myths #first nations

[detectivenyx]

"twilight was a deeply anti-indigenous text with an abusive power-imbalance masquerading as a romance story written by a mormon and it was weird when white people tried to rehabilitate it" and "a lot of contemporary criticism of twilight boiled down to homophobia and misogyny and wanting to keep some kind of purity in a constantly-changing vampire mythos" coexist.

also donation link to the Quileute Move To Higher Ground initiative

#look im certain that indigenous americans especially from the Quileute nation itself criticised it when it came out. #at the same time they were absolutely drowned out by white men afraid edward would take their masculinity #calling him a faggot and saying he was more a fairy than a vampire because he sparkled in the sunlight #(ignoring that some vampire myths do suggest they are fae but when have homophobic white men led us astray before?) #even so it meant that it was absolutely ripe years later for white women to try to rehabilitate. #and because of all the homophobia and that a lot of criticism at the time WAS just 'how dare women thing be popular.' #because 'uh this is a severe power imbalance' and 'this story characterizes us as 'noble savages' and that's not a good thing' #got absolutely drowned by men afraid a sparkling bloodsucker would uproot masculinity

[princenothinq]

hazbin fans are some of the most shameless people i've ever had the displeasure of knowing. anyways unfollow and block me if u watch any of that shit i dont care for your reasoning ✌️

#so this chick admits to finding r*pe funny #hires a storyboard artist who is a r*pe fetishist and has several scenes where characters get assaulted #made a caricature of her indigenous ex friend #then made HIM get assaulted #because she thinks its funny #uses a closed cultural practice as scary points for a character that is a mixing pot of things that are closed practices and myths already #is also incredibly racist on her own and has drawn fanart of people who proudly do blackface #and has also drawn pedophilic and zoophilic ships of her OWN characters #y'all are despicable lol. the white privilege this reeks of

[darkwood-sleddog]

i do thing it's mighty rich of that recent documentary on joe henderson to call him the "last arctic explorer" in relation to how he works his dogs when there are plenty of indigenous arctic mushers working their dogs in the traditional way without peddling inaccurate and often harmful breed mythology but that's just me.

#dogblr #dog mushing #sled dogs #like if you mean 'last arctic explorer' in the 'this white person is doing a warped version of an indigenous cultural touchstone' sure. #your quarterly reminder that joe henderson peddles inaccurate breed myths that talk about indigenous people as if they are past tense #and has had multiple controversies within the breed community #about his bad pedigree keeping and puppy health #anyways. #i'm just sick of joe acting like he's doing something lost to time when purposeful freight mushing is still done in indigenous communities #especially in canada and greenland #like oh wow i wonder why you a white person had more access to these sorts of dogs #is it because they weren't culled from your community?? is that why?

[nickysfacts]

The Mayans were obsessed with corn!🌽

🌽🌽🌽

#history #corn #maya #maize #mesoamerica #native american history #mayan mythology #mexico #creation myth #central america #mayan history #indigenous people #native americans #food history #princesscore #body modification #ancient history #mayan culture #head bonding #ancient maya #latin america #indigenous history #food #native american culture #mythology #nickys facts

[wakandamama]

I got a bit of a loaded question, sis. And if it's inappropriate you can tell me, but you said you're Black and Cherokee, so I thought you might have a good perspective.

Do you have any suggested authors, books, or articles behind what seems to be this lack of Black and Indigenous solidarity? I was scrolling this morning and I saw this post that literally was two seconds from dropping a slur (the dogwhistles were horns) and I'm like ... well damn. White Supremacy works terrible wonders, bc I would think the circumstances that brought our groups together would cause some sort of solidarity, so I'm always blown away when I see stuff like that. With other groups I'm familiar with the reasons behind it, but I don't want to assume things for this one.

Sure thing! I'm also gonna annotate this with my own story and learned knowledge of the struggles I've encountered while trying to expand the understand of my identity at the end.

This awesome article by Amber Starks

All these articles by Alaina E. Roberts she amazing at inner community discussion on this topic along with just being an amazing scholar and writer

This Guardian article by Caleb Gayle (another amazing scholar and author, just anything he's written on the topic will do but this article really helped me understand why I had issues connecting) that explores a case study of a Black family aving to fight for a claim to their indigenous identity with certain tribes that want to erase their history of participating in the chattel slavery of Black people

Also Gayle's book We Refuse to Forget

The book Untangling a Red, White, and Black Heritage by Darnella Davis

The Book Blood Politics by Circe Sturm

All of Zora Neal Hurston's black anthropology films they are free on YouTube or through her foundation site and the Black Film Archive

This article by Rebecca Nagle that explores the history of Cherokee confederates and the community slow acknowledgement and atonement for them

This blog post leads to many other articles and interviews with other Black Natives and their experiences in different tribes

This Kyle Mays interview about the re-establishment of Cherokee Freedmans status (hey that's me) and it impact

These npr articles 1 2 about The fight for tribal rights of Cherokee Freedmans

kararoselles, choctawchickasawfreedmen, and faithcampos on tik tok are incredible too

---

Okay so boom, me personally I am both Cherokee Freedman and by Blood quantum (ick) am Cherokee. However I claim my rights though the Dawes Rolls my great- grandfather enrolled too after emancipation because his father (and 2 aunts) were Cherokee slaves. I only really started connect with the native part of my identity recently (like 3 years)

Growing up I was told a lot of the family stories and raised to do a lot of old school practices that are crossed with being Black and being Cherokee. You drop me off in prairie land or a river side I'm surviving, (I hate it but I can process a deer) I grew up weaving baskets/wicker and doing beading, I know a lot of family recipes that now that I've expanded my knowledge are meals that are mixed between traditional Native American foods and AA cooking. My great-grandfather helped build Grand Lake in OK. My family is even prominently buried in and care takers for 2 Freedman Cemeteries.

But I was always taught that was just part of my and my family's Blackness. I have no living family that aren't Black in some way. Being Native American was an afterthought because of the generational racial trauma. Multiple of my full blood grandmas weren't allowed to have their grandchildren at their homes or on their land because they were Black. My mother often told me stories that her grandmother would sneak them to her home and land to learn how to forage, everytime they left she would cut her hair off to give to them because there was always the threat that they were going to get reported and her rights would be stripped. One of my ancestors is lost because he was a runaway slave from the Cherokee slave trade, many were denied status at some point

It's a lot and it didn't help that when I learned about this side of me and tired to reach out to the Native American club in my school. The Cherokee people there started being very racist to me and dismissed me. It jaded me, it pissed me off, I am still bitter and will probably be until I die.

Because a lot of the problems I advocated for (such as local climate change, environmental degradation, contaminated water, land stealing, food deserts, ect.) We're movements spearheaded by Native Americans in my area. I was denied say or acknowledgement because my issues were "Black issues". If someone told you "Hey this white rancher who had only been here 12 years is illegal trying to destroy a Native American cemetery so he had more graze land for his cows" the trial authority would be on that. But no, since the cemetery is Black Cherokees and Freedman they don't want to claim jurisdiction to help my family save it.

But, I do recognize that there has been a long and important history of Native and Black solidarity from social justice to environmental things. To just the clear fact that Native American people had everything stolen from them by white supremacy while Black Americans were stolen people brought here. Just as there was chattel slavery of Black people in certain major tribes, there were many that protected and supported escaping slaves. That history and cross culture is mine, I've made it one of my side missions to learn more about my Native side's culture, reconnects as some of my older family members are (mostly through folklore learning and connecting the things I was raised to do to Cherokee practices, participating in tribal news/votes ect.) But I haven't got the energy to connect with the people yet, I haven't gone to any in person Circles or powwows. I've only met other Black Cherokees with the intention to have community and friendship with.

Unfortunately but not surprising, the cause of a lack of solidarity comes down to white supremacy and global antiblackness. But I think that is the cause for a lack of ALL POC solidarity with Black people, especially in America.

------

And for the hoteps that are gonna find this post and try to be fucking weird on it.

NO! BLACK PEOPLE (THOSE DESCENDANTS OF THE SURVIVORS OF THE MIDDLE PASSAGE SLAVE TRADE, DEMOGRAPHICALLY CATEGORIZED AS AFRICAN AMERICANS TODAY, MAJORITY OF US) ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICANS OR OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO THE AMERICAS

Do NOT be a fucking weirdo and deny the legacy of survival, tragedy, perseverance, and love that our ancestors went through in the past to lead to your lineage of today. I am a special and blessed case to have the family records, story keeping, and DNA testing available to claim my indigenous identity that is directly linked in through my Black identity.

DO NOT BE WEIRD ON THIS POST, THOSE STONE HEADS WITH THICK LIPS ARE NOT WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN MISLED TO THINK THEY ARE. CHEROKEE NATION WAS A DICK BEFORE HOPKINS WAS ELECTED. PLEASE RESEARCH YOUR LINEAGE BEFORE YOU HOP ON MY POST BECAUSE I WILL EMBARRASS YOU WITH THE RECEIPTS OF MINE

#black people #black culture #Black History #indigenous culture #indigenous people #black rights #indigenous rights #indigenous history #sources #afro indigenous #i believe im solidarity but now that 7/10 times POC Solidarity is a myth #unfortunately antiblackness makes the world go round

[cyndrastic]

I WARNED YOU ITS SELKIE AU TIME

Here’s Craig!! Ignore that i drew him kinda young here, this was just a doodle, he’s like early 20s in this au

Anyway plenty of people know about female selkie myths: they go on land, get their skin stolen by a man, and they’re forced to marry and live with him till they either 1: die or 2: find their skin and return to the sea

but there are male selkies with a bit of a different lore >:)

male selkies follow the same rules with skins as women do: they shed their skin to become human, and without it, they can’t go home. But, according to mythology, if a heartbroken or unhappy woman cries 7 tears into the sea, she summons a selkie to fall in love with her and take her back to his underwater kingdom.

the stories range on how much of this is the woman’s free will vs. mind control, and no one seems to agree on how long a male selkie can stay on land, but this is kinda important to this au. Not the main focus, but i wanted to mention it anyway cause i found it cool.

but yeah expect more of this cause i’m brainrotting very hard atm <3

#also the ‘Sámi’ above Craig is the indigenous group that is generally responsible for the myth of selkies #they came to the Irish and Scottish isles in kayaks and animal skins (especially seals) #for some reason that made people think they were animals in disguise as people?? idk man #so most of the selkies in their human forms in this au will have clothes based on traditional Sámi/Inuit clothing #(also if im like appropriating or smth lmk but i’ve done a crap ton of research to make sure im not being ultra offensive or anything) #south park #south park au #south park fanart #cyn art #craig tucker #sp craig #craig sp #creek selkie au #<- new name tbd i’m bad at naming things

[troythecatfish]

#native american #bigfoot #sasquatch #video essay #history #history posting #american history #indigenous history #indigenous communities #indigenous heritage #indigenous issues #social justice #cryptid #cryptids #cryptozoology #myths #mythology #native american mythology #native americans #mythology and folklore #critical thinking #tumblr recommendations #recommend #recommendation #youtube #youtube content #youtube recommendations #youtube video #video recommendation #youtube link

[salvadorbonaparte]

I just remembered how my friend’s dad told me with a serious face that my tribe is full of cannibals and that there were savages hiding in the woods we lived near. Like wtf. I didn’t know how to respond

Build a time machine, kill Christopher Columbus

#We read some of his stuff in my Monster Studies class #Because of the whole Unknown Cultures are Monstrous theme throughout history #And he's the one who spread the rumour that Caribbean native people are cannibals to justify enslaving them #And it spread to All American Indigenous People are Cannibals myths #And tbf cannibalism does exist in some cultures around the world like on Papua New Guinea #But it's ritual cannibalism #There's this hugely controversial and misunderstood film I like called Cannibal Holocaust #And it's about an anthropologist travelling to the amazon to find a missing documentary film crew #And he finds out they have been cannibalised but then he recovers their film material #And it turns out they tortured and killed the locals to portray them as bloodthirsty savages so they definitely had it coming and were #Actually killed in self defense #And yeah the film is not perfect but it really nails the colonial era myth making still influencing people today #Asks

[sanguinarysanguinity]

This is a central pillar of the Western liberal myth of a level playing field: recognizing Indigenous peoples have legitimate grievances stemming from awful things that were done in the past, but [believing that] the advent of modern democracy means we are now all equals and we have an obligation to behave as such.

Chelsea Vowell, Indigenous Writes

#chelsea vowell #indigenous writes #settler colonialism #indigineity #first nations #metis #Canada #also relevant to the #United States #(although this book is not about the US) #(but hoo boy the US loves this myth too) #(and dollars to doughnuts the US Supreme Court is gearing up to use it to annihilate tribal sovereignty) #(seriously I have So Many Feelings about this quote)

[mochinomnoms]

ARENT TADPOLES,,,like, a solid dark green color,,

wait are eels even green i uhm apologies late night rambling

🇫🇷

I thought that tadpoles were translucent and turn color when they get bigger like eels do. But Imma be honest, I only know as much as I do about morays because I hyperfixate hard and idk much about frogs.

When I get really interested in something I become google for it aksdalkjsdkl

#mochi asks #🇫🇷 anon #i know a lot about transformers for example since ive been into it for like 10 years #its a curse and blessing #same for the history of food but specifically mexican american food in the southwest #for example did you know that hot chocolate was originally from mexico and more bitter #and also did you know that the development of flour tortillas as we know is an extremely recent thing #though most people think of tortillas as the ones from mexico #spain did have a similar flatbread by that name originally that eventually was used to refer to the corn flatbreads made by the indigenous #so now tortillas are synonymous with mexico rather than spain #also tequila can only be made from a very specific blue agave plant that has to be grown from tequila jalisco mexico and distilled too #otherwise its considered mezcal and not tequila #tequila as mexico's national drink is also a recent concept even though mezcal has been drunk by people for hundreds of years #one last thing #the story that tamales were originally made of human meat is a myth and they were often eaten with animal meat seeds fruit and seasonings #ancient mexica women would made them and it was a big ordeal within the family and can take days to make many of them #which is a tradition that still holds up in many modern mexican families today! #okay im done now yall didnt ask for that alskdjalksdjalksj

[kuramirocket]

"My father, root of my blood, do not let weakness and fear stop the warrior spirit of our eagles from flying. Our men cannot abandon their desire to defend these lands so our children may live in the eternal garden of happiness that our gods promised. May the hand that will stop the enemy not be weak and never desire to press in friendship those hands that have been washed with the blood of our brothers."

- Erendira (who became a symbol of indigenous resistance when she led the Purépecha uprising against the Spanish invaders).

From Feathered Serpent Dark Heart of Sky Myths of Mexico by David Bowles

#🇲🇽 #indigenous #native #david bowles #feathered serpent dark heart of sky myths of mexico #quotes #purepecha #indigenous resistance #mexico #mexican bookblr

[c-vs-the-world]

Hey uhm y'all? W*ndigos and sk*nwalkers are not just a pop-culture/horror genre thing and it's very disrespectful to Native American culture to use them as such. There's a reason I don't use their full names or talk about them (irl and online), and media that view them as sexual, cute, or fun "monsters" is disgusting. If you use the names as jokes or characters or whatever (especially if you're not indigenous) please stop and reconsider.

#Srsly #Pls stop guys #it's so uncomfortable #It's so degrading and humiliating to see people do this #Especially white people who use these things as normal media who hold actual significance to my culture in these way #W*ndigos and sk*inwalkers are NOT cool #native american #native american culture #Indigenous #Indigenous culture #I'm just asking for y'all to not keep this shit up #There's so many people rn taking them and turning them into this romanticized and sexualized thing when in all actuality #They are terrifying and a huge part of our myths

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Elizabeth Weiss

Published: Dec 29, 2023

The integrity of science museums has been a subject of ongoing concern, primarily voiced by academics and journalists who have expressed apprehension over the undue influence exerted by corporate interests and religious pressures. For example, George Monbiot of the UK’s The Guardian, in April 2021, expressed dismay that the London Science Museum was accepting funding from Shell, alleging that this shaped certain elements of their climate change exhibit. Similarly, in 2006, Robert Pennock, writing in Museums & Social Issues highlighted a case where the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History initially supported a creationist film after receiving $16,000 for facility use. The Smithsonian later withdrew its support and refunded the money, following publicized claims by the filmmakers that the Smithsonian was open to Intelligent Design–a concept with an “aim to redefine science by allowing an appeal to supernatural beings and powers.”

This incident, reported in The New York Times, likely prompted the Smithsonian to reevaluate its sponsorship policies in a way that, according to Christián Samper, is “consistent with the mission of the Smithsonian Institution’s scientific research.” Pennock also cites the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's refusal to show a film on volcanoes because it included references to evolution that contradicted biblical accounts of Creation.

Pennock emphasizes that science museums have a duty to uphold scientific integrity by maintaining loyalty to facts and evidence. He argues that science itself should be considered a stakeholder in these institutions, and those managing them have an “ethical duty to safeguard scientific integrity.” As educational centers, Pennock asserts that science museums also bear the responsibility of teachers.

In the past two decades, science institutions have faced challenges from another source: indigenous religions. Unlike Christian fundamentalist beliefs, these indigenous beliefs often receive enthusiastic support from academics, scholars, and mainstream media journalists. This support might stem from a desire to oppose Western civilization and align with the “victims” of modernity as part of an effort to “decolonize” museums. Alternatively, it may also be linked to a trend of virtue signaling, which has allowed the misconception that “indigenous knowledge is science” to take root in academic circles.

I recently reported on this trend in City Journal, discussing New York City’s American Museum of Natural History’s Northwest Coast Hall. One exhibit features a display case with a warning label about the “spiritually powerful” objects contained in the case. This exhibit blurs the line between fact and fiction by presenting creation myths as history. It also asserts that artifacts are imbued with spirits that release “mist” visible only to elders, implying that the objects should be repatriated.

What surprised me was the reaction in discussions with other scholars and in comments on the City Journal page. Many seemed to think these deviations from science were not a big deal. For example, one commentator said: “Let Native American [sic] have their day in the museum. I don’t see a huge amount of harm.” One colleague suggested this was merely to entertain urbanites, doubting that New York businessmen visiting the exhibits would ever convert to these animistic beliefs. However, the museum is intended to educate, with hundreds of thousands of impressionable schoolchildren passing through each year. More critically, presenting these religious myths as facts deviates from the museum’s mission: “To discover, interpret, and disseminate—through scientific research and education—knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.” They have completely abandoned scientific integrity.

A similar but less prominent example of this abandonment can be seen at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History–the same museum that faced the Intelligent Design film issue previously mentioned. In the temporary exhibit “Our Places: Connecting People and Nature,” there is a display case featuring a clan hat from Alaska. The accompanying information, titled “Restoring Connections, Building Relationships,” tells museumgoers that the hat on display is a replica of an original hat curated by the museum for 135 years. The original hat was too fragile to display, so Smithsonian staff collaborated with Kiks.ádi clan leader Ray Wilson from Sitka, Alaska, to recreate it. They used 3D-scans of the original hat and then “digitally repaired” the hat. Next, following the Tlingit cultural protocol, the Smithsonian staff made a new hat with wood, deer hide, sinew, and ermine skin. This replica of the original hat demonstrates how science and technology can aid in reconstructing historical artifacts.

However, in 2019, the Smithsonian and its indigenous collaborators conducted a Tlingit ceremony in Alaska to “put spirit into the new hat – making it a living sacred object (at.όow), just like the original.” This last action and its portrayal as factual is an abandonment of scientific integrity. The indigenous collaborators are equating religion and science in a manner not dissimilar to the Intelligent Design filmmakers, who also seek to redefine facts through appeals to the supernatural.

Some may still argue that such exhibits and their associated descriptions have little effect on the actual science conducted by museums or taught to children. However, I contend that these exhibits are just the tip of the iceberg. A deeper investigation into behind-the-scenes activities reveals how indigenous religious beliefs threaten scientific progress, mar the scientific environment, and lead to discriminatory practices. I will now provide some examples.

The Willamette Meteorite Agreement of 2000 resulted in the American Museum of Natural History “recognizing the spiritual relationship of the Grande Ronde Community to the Willamette Meteorite.” This agreement allows the tribe to perform ceremonies in the museum, celebrating this spiritual connection. Additionally, it forbade the museum from removing any part of the meteorite for trade with other museums, a practice once common for diversifying collections for exhibition and research. These scientific exchanges benefited both museumgoers and researchers. However, indigenous religious beliefs have restricted these practices. Moreover, the publicity and support for this agreement has led other museums to adopt similar practices. For instance, the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon handed over their piece of the meteorite to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. 

The negative influence of indigenous beliefs on science is also evident during tribal visits, such as when the Tohono O’odham Nation visited the American Museum of Natural History in 2021. During their visit, the tribe reviewed the items that were being curated, discussed the history of the collection, and “ritually cleansed ceremonial pieces” at the museum, which was closed to the public during the visit. Additionally, in November 2021, David Grignon, the tribal historic preservation officer from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, “ceremonially cleansed sacred items” in the museum’s Division of Anthropology “smudge room.” For a scientific museum to have a “smudge room” is akin to a chemistry lab having an alchemy room. Museum spaces should be dedicated to scientific research, curation, and exhibits–not to religious activities.

However, none of these examples are as shocking as the protocols established to curate so-called “objects of power.” These protocols were introduced at the 2021 annual joint conference of the American Institute for Conservation and the Society for Preservation of Natural History Collections. Developed in collaboration with Northwest Coast cultural advisors at the American Museum of Natural History, Amy Tjiong and colleagues outlined the necessary steps for curators and researchers when handling these “objects of power,” defined as objects “used in association with traditional/spiritual healers’ practice, sacred ceremonies, or warfare.” The new protocols include the need to “greet” the object and “explain” to it that permission has been granted from community representatives. The objects must also be clearly tagged, covered with “muslin,” and glass cabinets should be “covered with brown paper to prevent disturbance and unintentional encounters.” Lastly, bundles of “Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus, a shrub used to contain power)” should be hung in doorways and cabinets where these “objects of power” are stored. 

To further promote the myths that surround these objects, museum staff decided to heed warnings by their indigenous partners. For instance, museum staff were told to “Be wary of any object that incorporates human hair.” This guidance influenced the handling of a Haida orca headdress: “Community members instructed the museum not to put this headdress on view. Museum professionals were warned that handling can be dangerous.” Consequently, this object is not currently on display.

Most absurdly, museum staff and indigenous partners debated over whether to display a whistle. According to Clyde Tallio from the Nuxalk Nation, “Whistles are so powerful they have caused intercultural conflicts.” Museum protocols explain that, “Nuxalk elders say whistles would not normally be on display, but instead are traditionally stored in boxes.” Because of this, Tallio advises that whistles should not be observed directly, but should instead be placed in closed boxes with an accompanying photo and text explaining its sacredness. However, museum staff decided to take extra precautions: one Nuxalk Kusiut whistle was “removed from display entirely, as it is a summoning tool for supernatural beings.” 

Are museum staff actually buying into these beliefs, or are they appeasing their indigenous partners to continue curating and studying artifacts? The influence of repatriation ideology, movements, and laws, notably the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, are increasingly depleting museums and universities of Native American “human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony.”

Perhaps museum staffs know or suspect that if they don’t play along, their indigenous partners will suddenly demand everything back. Regardless of the reason, it seems difficult to trust any science coming from people who take seriously the concept that whistles can be used to summon “supernatural beings.”

Perhaps most offensively, they caution, “DO NOT APPROACH” objects of power “if you are feeling discomfort, i.e., if you are in a physically or emotionally vulnerable state (including menstruation and pregnancy).” This clearly sexist warning abandons science and implies that women, particularly during menstruation and pregnancy, are emotionally unstable and weak. Allowing religious beliefs to be taken seriously in a place of science hinders scientific progress, enables discrimination, obstructs the teaching of science to those who partner with museums, and casts considerable doubt on the quality and objectivity of the research coming out of these institutions.

Carl Sagan wrote a book promoting science, skepticism, and critical thinking titled “The Demon-Haunted World.” Museum staff might benefit from reading this book, recognizing that the “demons” mentioned in the title can’t be summoned with a whistle. Because they’re not real.

==

If it would trouble you to have Xian creation myths presented in a science museum, it should equally trouble you to have indigenous superstitions, myths and supernatural creation stories presented in a science museum.

#Elizabeth Weiss #science museum #natural history museum #superstition #supernatural #indigenous ways of knowing #other ways of knowing #indigenous myths #Tlingit #creation myths #creationism #religion is a mental illness