Abstract
This research examines the way the identities of Native Americans have been stereotyped, altered, and appropriated through the representation of Native Americans in the media created by and in order to serve white settler colonizers and/or non-Native American audiences and consumers. I hypothesize that the acknowledgement of historical Native Americans and simultaneous denial of the existence, legitimacy, and sovereignty of contemporary Native Americans is demonstrated, in part, by the frequent incorporation of Indigenous religious and cultural symbols and artifacts into contemporary fashion. I include a literature review that focuses on the cultural context of headdresses, stereotypes and their perpetuation in the media, as well as the appropriation of Native American cultural artifacts. I also analyze examples of the appropriation of headdresses and the stereotyping of Native Americans in popular media. Findings include that the appropriation, homogenization, and historicization of Native American peoples is tied to the continued oppression and degradation of their basic human rights.
Advisor
Navarro-Farr, Olivia
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Recommended Citation
West, Emma, "Culture is Not a Costume: The Appropriation of the War Bonnet as a Form of Colonial Oppression" (2019). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 8590.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/8590
Disciplines
American Studies | Anthropology | Critical and Cultural Studies | Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication | Indigenous Studies | Museum Studies | Race and Ethnicity | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Social and Cultural Anthropology | United States History
Keywords
Native American, War Bonnet, Anthropology, Appropriation, Cultural Appropriation
Publication Date
2019
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2019 Emma West