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| Western Choker |
*Looks critically at blog* well, I guess it hasn't really grown all that much. But I certainly feel like I've been blogging forever.
The choker itself is rather neat. I've always been partial to Native American stuff (my beading technique, dream catchers...if only they had dragons, alas), so it was fun this time to make something that unrepentantly reflected their color choices, and suggested at their patterns.
On the other hand, I now feel like a hack for doing it, since I know you're not really supposed to mimic Native American crafts and such if you're not of such descent yourself. I'm a bit hazy on the why details, and It always seems a bit odd because certainly no one in Europe cares if I steal their images (Eastern cultures might mind a bit, but I've never really heard it mentioned). But I realize it's just a cultural difference, and that it should be respected even if it doesn't make total sense to me.
So I do my best to respect that, and I try to only steal images and ideas that people won't get upset at me for (I'm rather far down the list for dream catcher abuse, for example), and then I have this choker out on Etsy, and it makes me feel like a disrespectful culture thief, when I've never meant to be.
Hopefully someday someone will buy it, and I won't have to feel bad any longer.
From what I understand, after talking to some Native American's, is that the big deal is people misrepresent their work as being Native American. You can do something that's Native American inspired but you need to make a clear distinction.
ReplyDeleteHi Amy!!! I love the choker. Its very pretty. Speaking from what I know, native americans don't seem to mined at all. As a matter of fact their the first people to support you in your work. Right at this time I'm Doing some beadwork for someone that is native american so he can wear it in a PowWow because he don't know how to bead. I also have done some beadwork for a friend that also is native american because he didn't feel like doing it himself. LOL. But I do notice that if I'm trying to sell beadwork that looks native american that people will ask me if I'm native american, and I tell them that I'm not. they are appt to not buy and that's not native americans that do that. I told this to a friend that is native american because she couldn't understand why I didn't get out there and sell my beadwork. She couldn't believe that, so one day she decided to help me sell my work and it was selling pretty good. She noticed that people would ask her questions about the beadwork and not me and one couple said to her she does really nice work. When she told them that I was the one that did it, they pretty much just walked away. Ya see? Native americans don't really have a problem with it.
ReplyDeleteI've been asked if I was Native American before by people admiring my bead work, but I never realized it was some sort of odd prejudiced thing. How odd. Thanks for sharing your story! It gives me a lot to think about.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Amy! Oh if your wanting to sell beadwork that looks native american. This is how people would like you to represent it as,"western style". LOL. As if All native american style looking jewerly came from the west. Hmm funny.
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