Sunday, October 10, 2021

Native cultures

Native cultures are not interchangeable.  Every single Native culture is distinct and unique, though many share similarities, so lumping them together doesn't work.  While many North American cultures have some of the same practices, the vast majority are by no means common to them all.



Kokopelli is not "Native American" — he's Hopi.

Totem poles are not "Native American" — they were made by tribes of the Northwest Coastal region.

Dreamcatchers are not "Native American" — they came from the Ojibwe.

War bonnets are not "Native American" — they came from the tribes on the Plains.

I have no idea if cedar flutes are used by any other tribes, but the one I bought in Cherokee, North Carolina, is from one specific group.  Can you figure out which tribe?  Yes, the Cherokees.  Full disclosure — I added the beaded feathers to the felt bag that I keep it in.

Kokopelli is a fertility god and is said to be playing a flute, but his flute seems flared at the bottom.  Mine is not.

1 comment:

Helen's Book Blog said...

Far too many people think of Native Americans as a monolith and that they lived "back then" rather than having thriving communities today.