The Ojibwe, from the Great Lakes region, often named their clans after animals. It’s from the Ojibwe word ‘doodem,’ meaning clan. But the word ‘totem’ is not Salish or Haida. Totem poles are a Pacific Northwest tradition, found in nations from the Haida to the Coast Salish. However, the concept closely resembles ‘totem animals’. The term ‘spirit animal’ isn’t traditional to any tribe or culture, as far as I’ve found. This should be the end of the conversation. “Non-Natives do not get to define or decide what is or isn’t racist or harmful to Native people or the degree of relevance of certain issues, only Natives can.” “There’s genuine harm in these actions,” notes Heather Davidson, who’s Dena’ina Athabascan and Unangan (Aleutian), in Teen Vogue. But more importantly, stop using ‘spirit animals’! If Natives say it’s racist, please listen to them instead of their argumentative white detractors. Non-Native Narratives Normalize Negative Native Stereotypesįirst, I apologize for failing to find a synonym for ‘stereotypes’ that begins with the letter ‘N’. Here’s a quick rundown of why it’s harmful. So what’s the big deal about using the term ‘spirit animal’? Isn’t it respectful to celebrate someone else’s culture? I love animals and Native Americans! Okay, let’s just stop there. My dearest I love you so so much but the “spirit animal” thing in S3E7 is super disrespectful to the Native nations and traditions that concept comes from. Adrienne Keene swooping in to gently correct the misstep. Luckily, the internet is there to illuminate and inform, with experts like Dr. “my spirit animal today is an adolescent corgi… just being a happy pupper. Apparently no one who works on the show got the memo that non-Natives appropriating the concept of ‘spirit animals’ is racist-especially when used in a flippant, diminutive way (e.g. In a sequence of quick cuts, the gang goes off about their ‘spirit animals’, one after another in succession. But a glaring editorial oversight in episode seven left Natives and our advocates reeling from racist microaggressions. The new Queer Eye is afoot, setting hearts aglow with what some (white) critics are calling “the soul-soothing, wholesome content that we’ve come to expect”.
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