Tag Archives: Indigenous

14 September 2022Access AmericaCanada, Cancel Culture, CBC, Cultural Appreciation, Cultural Appropriation, Drew Hayden Taylor, Germany, Indigenous, Karl May, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Native, Natives, Ravensburger Verlag, Searching for Winnetou, The Young Chief Winnetou, WinnetouHenrike Kattoll

When in Doubt, Ask a Native Author! The Winnetou Debate

By Maryann Henck

After a storm of protests from enraged parents concerning issues of (mis)representation and cultural appropriation in the new children’s movie, The Young Chief Winnetou (2022), the German publisher, Ravensburger Verlag, withdrew the companion book and puzzle to the film. Soon thereafter, the main German TV station (ARD) announced they would no longer broadcast the popular Winnetou movies from the 1960s based on Karl May’s novels. Everyone seems to have their take on the current controversy; yet, there’s been some criticism regarding issues of paternalism due to the lack of Native voices in the debate. That’s why the American Studies Blog has gone directly to the source and interviewed Drew Hayden Taylor acclaimed Canadian Anishnaabe author, frequent flyer to Germany, and creator of the documentary, Searching for Winnetou (2018).

Please activate javascript to watch the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvM4V6HLJAI

20 April 2022Access AmericaBioneers Conference, Botany, Braiding Sweetgrass, Climate Change, Earth Day, Environmental Biology, Human Rights, Indigenous, Indigenous Knowledge, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Natural World, Plant Science, Plants, Potawatomi Heritage, Potawatomi Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Skywoman, SUNY, SUNY CollegeHenrike Kattoll

A World Where Science and Indigenous Wisdom Collide: Some Food for Thought on Earth Day

By Savita Joshi

Robin Wall Kimmerer’s presence is magnetic. Stepping out to the podium at the 2014 Bioneers Conference – an annual forum for topics like climate change and human rights – her silver hair hangs loosely, framing a pair of leather earrings decorated with small pink flowers. She greets the crowd with a large smile, and when she speaks, the room falls silent and the audience listens closely:

“Let us begin today with gratitude … of food to eat, of sweet air to breathe this morning, the preciousness of water, the companionship of clouds, and geese, and sugar maples. Gratitude for each other, for the privilege of our work together, and for the original peoples in whose homeland we meet, and for the more-than-human beings with whom we share the earth.”

Please activate javascript to watch the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumEQcRMY3c

Such poetic and tender, prayer-like words come as a surprise for some when they realize that these are the words of a scientist and professor.

24 October 2018Creativity CornerAnishnawbe, Canada, CBC, Cultural Appreciation, Cultural Appropriation, Czech Republic, Documentary, Drew Hayden Taylor, First Nations, Germany, Indigenous, Karl May, Karl May Festspiele, Leuphana, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Native, Natives, Searching for Winnetou, WinnetouSebastian Reimann

In a World Created by an Indigenous God: A Native Writer’s Take on Karl May’s Winnetou

By Maryann Henck

It goes without saying that the Germans’ unrivalled fascination with the Native people of North America is not exactly a well-kept secret. Case in point: the annual Karl May Festivals in Bad Segeberg and Elspe. But I’ve always wondered whether this fascination might be mutual. Spoiler alert: It is.

In 2017, Anishnawbe writer Drew Hayden Taylor set out in search of Winnetou. What he found ranged from the amusing to the unsettling. In other words, the perfect material for his documentary film, Searching for Winnetou, where the fine line between appropriation and appreciation becomes a bit blurred. Curious about the making of? Then click on our exclusive interview with the writer. Read more »