Appropriate Culture or Cultural Appropriation

Appropriate Culture or Cultural AppropriationUnmanaged Trauma Erupts

Right at the very end of the End Chamber a hanging rock formation reaches down from the ceiling to a metre off the ground. This striking natural relief, as you might expect, is adorned with black drawings and engravings: four lions, one horse, two mammoths, one musk ox and a composition creature - half human and half bison - referred to as the Sorcerer. Beside it there is drawn the front view of a woman's lower body with long tapering legs. Her pubic triangle and her vulva are clearly drawn. The Sorcerer's figure folds around and faces in to the pubic triangle. This is certainly a powerful composition, perhaps symbolizing a relationship between a mortal woman and a supernatural animal spirit. .”

The painting depicts shapeshifting and it does look like women have been doing it for a very long time. It is likely, given how long ago this was done, that a little bit of the person who did those drawings is in the DNA of every person alive today.

We all share common ancestors at this time in the world, and the part of everyone’s story includes ancestors that had shapeshifters in their midst. There are of course, many reserved words that are not ours to use, but this isn't one of them. To suggest otherwise is the opposite of cultural appropriation, perhaps cultural imperialism? It is a reasonable question however, how I tie together trans people today and the shapeshifter nation. That explanation is for another day

But in this time of reconciliation, the wounds of history are very close to us. We have taken so much from the Indigenous community. What has kept them resilient through all of this travesty is their spirit, their connection with their traditions and their ancestors. It can feel like any work by the part of outlanders to find their own path back to their traditions is a continuation of our history of theft, and in some ways the worst. The elite of this world maintain control by inciting us to struggle with each other based on the illusion that it is the material world that matters and we had better get our hands on our share. How do we know our path is authentic and respectful of others?

Another story, Slavery was introduced into what is now the US in 1619. Slavery was an essential component in the aggregation of

capital at the beginning of modern capitalism. This essentialness is the core of the need for reparations. Cotton was an incredibly important commodity and plantation masters developed the specific skill of beating the workers in a way that maximized their output without damaging them. This made America extremely competitive in the production of cotton which was in high demand in Europe.

Sort of like how Apple uses near slave labour to assemble the phone you are likely reading this on. They too have made exceptional fortunes by exploiting labour, while we enjoy the benefits. Like how Canadians have benefited from the apartheid system we have maintained in place for our Indigenous peoples.

Recently our Indigenous partner in 0_CHI, the Victoria Native Friendship Centre hosted a voter awareness evening with OARH Victoria (Organizing Against Racism and Hate) another organization we both are part of. One of the Indigenous people from the centre shared that they had only voted for the first time a few years ago.

So here is where the stories come together. Those slaves who were regarded as 3/5 human, and as property, and were liberated in 1865, could vote by the year 1870. Indigenous people in Canada got that same right in 1960, 110 years later.

Don’t get me wrong, they could have voted before, if they gave up every right they had as an Indigenous person. It is hard to imagine how we justified forcing that choice on anyone.

So in her family there were people who gained the right to vote in her lifetime. Not something in a history book about another time. A story her grandmother told her mother and her. I know it might seem like one small outrage in a history of many much more damaging acts of the Canadian apartheid system, but this is where I find the spirit to continue to move forward in my reconciliation work. It is in hearing the story of someone I know and care about and how our thoughtlessness and inherent privilege affected their life course.

So when young Indigenous people vent their

anger and frustration and it feels like I am the target of that trauma, I simply recall the story above and know that while I don’t like it, I do understand the source of it. Reconciliation is a task that will take us several generations.

My metaphor is it is like we were caught cheating on our spouse in a ‘non-open’ relationship and we have many sessions ahead of us that are going to be painful, but we simply have to do it. There actually is little choice. The courts are going to decide the outcome otherwise and there are lots and lots of assets involved.

We are Treaty Peoples and the TRC calls us all to move forward in relationships of mutual respect. The online callout culture and the bullying that goes with it do not reflect this call of how to live and we need to figure out how to change it.

All British Columbians need to become better aware of the huge change we will see over the next decade through the treaty process and the re-enfranchisement of Indigenous people.

The treaty process is incredibly complicated and was stalled for decades by our governments, but it has crossed the tipping point. One good place to bookmark and subscribe to their news letter is BCTREATY.CA

But the incredible resilience of Indigenous people is finding its roots and the community is growing exponentially. If you are uncertain about this, I suggest that you visit the VNFC, perhaps on one of the language nights and you will see what I am referring to. _______________________________

But back to my story.

Let us know what you think.Letters@XQQ.ca