By Michele Willens — 2013
Forty years after I left school, I’m going back.
Read on www.theatlantic.com
CLEAR ALL
Linda Poolaw loves telling stories. At 79, the Grand Chief of the Delaware Grand Council of North America has a few. Her stories often end in laughter. And regularly, they express pride about her work preserving culture and protecting Native Americans' health.
So many of the little rituals I have each day—like my makeup or skincare routine—do help soothe and/or rejuvenate me. For me, any type of solo practiced routine is good. But I’ve learned that self-care does not, and cannot, sustain me. And I believe that this may be the case for many of you.
There is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation. There are many ways to truly honor and appreciate each of the 566 unique, federally recognized tribes in the US, and that includes adorning your kid’s toes in some comfy mocs (but not their head in a headdress).
Cultural appropriation in fashion plays a huge role in the continued dismissal of indigenous cultures as primitive, dismisses indigenous people as playthings, and perpetuates the idea that we are relics of the past.