INSIDE NMAI
........................ CULTURAL APPROPRIATION:
SO NOT A GOOD LOOK A
BY JOSHUA VODA
stroll through the East Gallery of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York is a sensory-rich exploration into Native identity and artistry. Cur-
rently it plays host to the exhibition Native Fashion Now, a vibrant collection of garments, apparel and accessories that together com- municate resilience and determination while appealing to one’s appreciation of beauty and cultural significance. Visitors,
especially those from North
America, may come away with eyes a bit more trained to see Native influence in fashion and design within their everyday lives. But many questions arise. How can one know some- thing is actually Native? Is it Native-created, Native-inspired or simply a rip-off? How can you determine cultural authenticity when you find fashion that expresses Native motifs? The list is practically never-ending and many times not easily answered. This April, the Museum investigates these
types of questions and more when it hosts the daylong special symposium, Native/ American Fashion: Inspiration, Appropriation and Cultural Identity. The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), State University of New York is co-sponsoring the event. During three separately themed sessions, the symposium features discussion and presentations from Native and non-Native historians, fashion designers and artists working in the fields of fashion, art, law and indigenous studies. “Appropriation of style and form has been
an ongoing dynamic in the fashion industry since the very beginning,” says Museum as- sociate curator Kathleen Ash-Milby (Navajo), organizer of the New York presentation of Na- tive Fashion Now. “Issues surrounding the ap- propriation of Native American material cul- ture have surfaced periodically in the fashion world for decades, but you could argue that
48 AMERICAN INDIAN SPRING 2017
the misuse of sensitive cultural material over the past five to 10 years has struck a new low. The issues are quite complex, and the sym- posium seeks to surface and interrogate the many facets of this practice in order to begin to educate both the public and the industry.” In Expressing Cultural Identity Through
Fashion, speakers will focus on the historical context of the spread of ideas related to de- sign and dress. Presentations include Native groups of North America, but will also exam- ine the phenomena in a global context. FIT associate professor Amy Werbel will moderate the session. It will feature Daniel James Cole, New York University and FIT professor and co-author of The History of Modern Fashion; Timothy Shannon, chairperson of History at Gettysburg College; Anna Blume, FIT profes- sor of the History of Art; and Sherry Farrell Racette (Timiskaming First Nation and Irish), University of Manitoba associate professor. The second session, Problematics of Cul-
tural Appropriation in Contemporary Fashion, will more directly address cultural appropria- tion and its effects; Ash-Milby will moder- ate. Susan Scafidi, Fordham professor and academic director of the school’s Fashion Law Institute, will bring legal perspective to the session, including the limits and applications of intellectual property laws. Joe Horse Cap- ture (A’aninin), director of American Indian Initiatives at the Minnesota Historical Society, will discuss the extreme appropriation of 19th century Plains dress and cultural practice by European hobbyists. Adrienne Keene (Chero- kee), Brown University professor and author of the blog Native Appropriations, will look specifically at use of Native forms and designs in contemporary fashion. “I feel that it is incredibly important for
the world of mainstream fashion design to recognize the importance of working with Na- tive communities and Native designers to ap-
David Gaussoin and Wayne Nez Gaussoin (Diné/Picuris Pueblo), Postmodern Boa (detail), 2009. Stainless steel, sterling silver, enamel paint, and feathers. Model: Tazbah Gaussoin. Peabody Essex Museum, 2016.32.1.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID GAUSSOIN AND THE MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE
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