Every Halloween, it is a chance for people to get creative with costumes, but for Native Americans, seeing their culture turned into a costume highlights a persistent problem of cultural appropriation.
According to the Native Governance Center, cultural appropriation is defined as, “a particular power dynamic in which members of a dominant culture take elements from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group.”
Ethan Molina, president of CSUN’s American Indian Student Association (AISA) delves deeper into what cultural appropriation means. “I would say, [it’s] the taking of someone’s culture. And also because specifically for native folks, it’s like a mockery of their culture. And a lack of sensitivity to those cultures,” said Molina.
There is a long history of Native American culture being appropriated during Halloween. .. Costumes advertised as “Indian Princess” (or Pocahontas), “Indian Warrior”, or “Indian Chief” are quite common. Costumes described as “sexy” or “hottie” cause greater harm as Native American womens are 2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in the United States, according to a 2021 report from Amnesty International USA.
That same report states that 1 in 3 Native American women will become a victim of sexual assault during their lifetime. This is compounded by an ongoing epidemic of missing and murdered Native American women at an alarming rate.
Christian Mota, the Treasurer for AISA, thinks that non-native people wearing Native American attire like headdresses should be banned.
“The main point about it is that it’s not a costume. It’s regalia. It’s attire that’s very important and significant to a culture,” said Mota.
“When you start to dress up as that culture, you disrespect that culture. Because you are doing something you don’t even understand the significance behind that headdress, and that becomes a whole issue.”
Native American headdresses have deep cultural and significance. Traditionally worn by chiefs and warriors during important ceremonies, the feathers on the headdresses symbolize acts of bravery or great achievement, and they must be earned.
Tomiear Ortega, a member of AISA, explains that while there is a “thin line” between cultural appropriation and appreciation, there is an important distinction.
“The things we will wear are, like, very sacred to us. We wouldn’t just wear [headdresses] as a costume for Halloween. There is a very thin line with people trying to show appreciation indirectly,” said Ortega.
Online campaigns and hashtags such as #NotYourCostume and #MyCultureIsNotYourCostume has raised significant awareness of cultural appropriation in recent years.
Cultural representation holds significant importance for many individuals, including Mota.
“I feel like culture means a lot because it’s part of your identity. Culture is something a lot of people are still trying to protect due to past issues such as colonization,” said Mota. “That deeply impacts your culture… Some people struggle to live, conceive and reconnect with who they are or who their identity is. Culture means a great deal.”
