For this post I’m going to step outside of my regular agenda and bring up an issue this isn’t just underreported, but it is also denied the time to become reported at all. I’ll be called a fun-sucker, Debbie-downer, and maybe even over-reactive, and that’s ok because it means you were paying attention to what I’m saying.
It's that time of year again, and that means besides candy and cavities I could be in for yet another embarrassing night (and I don't mean my antics as a college student either).
Halloween is a time where girls can dress however they want, and guys can pull ridiculous stunts just because they’re wearing a mask. But one thing that I know is most likely going to happen (as it has in my last 21 years of life) is that someone will be wearing a costume of what they think is Native American. You’ve all seen them, the slutty tan colored felt skirts, the fringed top, feather in the hair, and war-paint of the face costumes of the “Pocahotties” and “Squanto.” They’re just costumes, right? Wrong. These costumes are a mockery to the 500+ Nations in this country alone, as well as reminders of the thousands of years of genocide, abuse, neglect, robbery, and displacement that Native American people have suffered through. They are reminders that we are not really people, but rather something that others can put on and take off for parties, Halloween, or for a chance to gain the ever-so-searched-for American Identity.
Last Halloween, I took it upon myself to count how many of these costumes I came across. The number reached 58. I came to see that this costume was not just something that people put on because they wanted to; I came to see that this costume is popular which makes it widely misunderstood. The ignorance that had to have been instilled in these people’s minds must have been so huge a part of their brains that neither their morals nor consideration of others could trump it.
If you are familiar with the St. Lawrence University campus, then you would know that it is full of lively and well voiced students all capable of doing more than just a little research. This campus is packed with some of the best scholars that you would ever find, but for some reason when it comes to costumes they could all be complete ignoramuses. Also, if you are familiar with our campus, then you would know of The Hill News which is a student publication that runs stories written by the students for the students. It is a very good paper that includes an array of stories by soon-to-be journalists, and is also very well written and distributed. Last year, however, a certain fiasco took place within the Hill News that not only caused a campus wide discussion, but also caused a campus wide display of ignorance.
I had taken it upon myself to call attention to an event that had taken place within one of the few sororities on campus; a Cowboys and Indians party. What is so wrong with that? Well, how would a Slaves and Slave-Owners party go down? Or how about Hitler and Friends? Maybe throw in a Wife-beaters and wives hoe down? What is wrong with those, but not with a party that invokes the history of genocide within America? This party was an issue because it made a mockery of some of the worst moments in the history of America and Native American people across the country. It made a mockery of an entire people, not just the 1.5% of Native Americans that we see today, but of the 98% of them that died during those tragic times.
What I hope that I can bring to your attention during this festive time, is to keep in mind one thing and one thing only: We are a culture, and not a costume.
Niawenkowa tsi wesewatkahtho tsi nahoten wakien enkiron,
Okiokwinon