![]() The Baha’i teachings call upon all people to work together to establish that exact sort of universal oneness: Through engagement with each other and with each other’s cultures, we can begin to take ownership to internalize and integrate diverse cultures and see that we can, and should, see ourselves as legitimate heirs to all the treasures of humankind-material, cultural and spiritual. In all of my programs, I incorporate participation in music and dance so that folks can escape the disconnect in which differentness equals otherness. Q: Since cultural appropriation has become such a highly charged, politically incorrect practice, can you think of another term-even if you have to invent one-for recognizing and respecting Indigenous spiritual heritages, both within the Baha’i community, and in society at large?Ī: As we all disengage from the dark place where cultural misappropriation occurs, and collectively move into the light of truth, then we can happily discard these terms that define such a limited mindset. ![]() The Indigenous prophecies attached to this and many other similar misappropriations foretell that sad cultural condition, and point to this mindless ignorance as a sign of the crying need for spiritual renewal. Consequently millions or even billions worldwide now addictively watch these practices, and some even deify and worship the participants! It may have been the first instance of cultural appropriation. In my culture, the Lakota T ȟ ápa Waŋkáyeyapi “Tossing The Ball Up” sport is one of the foundational prayers.Īpparently cultural misappropriation occurred when the European immigrants first witnessed these devotional practices, these team sports, and inappropriately adopted them. In those practices, the ball symbolizes divine favor, and the opposing teams symbolize the dialectic of contrasts in all the realms of God, both seen and unseen.įor example, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) call lacrosse “the Creator’s game.” In the Southeast, the Cherokee “stick ball” is always a part of the Green Corn Dance-the central devotional practice of that region. Throughout the Western hemisphere, Indigenous team sports were, and still are, used as a devotional practice. The earliest Western sporting events, like the Olympics in ancient Greece, relied primarily on contests between individual athletes. Team sports, as we know them today, did not exist outside of the Western hemisphere before 1492. First, let’s look at a little historical information that many may not know. I’m sure you can think of many other examples.Ī: Team sports might represent the best example of cultural/spiritual misappropriation of Indigenous cultures like mine. Q: Kevin, what can we do about cultural misappropriation? Many people have spoken out about athletic teams that have taken on “Indian” names and mascots-such as, in professional baseball, the Cleveland Indians and the team’s mascot, “Chief Wahoo.” Or the Atlanta Braves, with their former mascot, “Chief Noc-A-Homa,” until the 1983 season, along with “Princess Win-A-Lotta,” dropped at same time as Noc-A-Homa, followed by “Tomahawk Chop,” adopted in 1991 and still in use, as far as I know. ![]() As the conversation about Indigenous messengers of God continues in this series of essays, Christopher Buck asks Lakota artist and author Kevin Locke to weigh in on cultural misappropriation.
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