“Let me try to unpack this. Again, I don’t mean to be insensitive or tone deaf, I’m just trying to understand your point of view better: if someone wears an inaccurate costume, e. g. for Carnival in Germany or to sell more bikes, but does so because they have positive connotations with their costume. Do you take offense at e. g. the inaccurate portrayal, that the costume feels like a caricature to you, or is it just the commercialization of something that is dear to you?”
it is cultural appropriation for profit.
It is insulting to indigenous people that are still highly discriminated against today. Indigenous people have the highest level of poverty, the lowest levels of services and health care. In the United states 52% of indigenous people do not have clean water or sanitation. Indigenous women are constantly going missing and are being murdered by non-indigenous men. Murder is the 3rd highest cause of death for indigenous women.
“Costumes”. These are traditional clothes that have deeply meaningful meanings to the people. They are not halloween costumes! (I realize you did not say that!!!)
Honour, culture and earning the right to wear such clothing. Not all indigenous people have earned the right to wear a headresses or certain clothing yet if your and ignorant person of white privilege (yes stereotype) you have the right to a full headress and war paint.
“Does that somehow approximate how you feel when you see a white person in a bad costume?”
The word costume really does not agree with me. This is traditional honoured ceremonial clothing.
This reminds me of black face and I hope we all can agree that that is not culturally acceptable in any way these days.
I do not have the right to wear such cultural clothing. I have not earned it and also am classified as Metis as the Government defrauded my great grandfather of his status around 1911. Of note My grandfather and his brother are the only 2 Canadian indigenous men that successfully sued the government for this fraud. Unfortunately it was settled out of court so I am still fighting to get our status back.
“Does that somehow approximate how you feel when you see a white person in a bad costume?”
Again its not a costume. Its ceremonial clothing that someone has earned the right to wear. If a person is wearing it they should have earned the right to wear it and it should have been awarded to them by the people regardless if they are Indigenous or white!
I appreciate your questions and your point of view! Communication is how we change the world!