Thoughts on co-opting cultural property

[gurdymonkey]

Posted this morning to the sca-jml yahoogroup this morning: "Earlier this year, I entered my formal karaginu mo ensemble in the Historical Masquerade at Costume Con 26. As this required a stage appearance, I examined a number of online videos of traditional and classical Japanese dance forms beforehand and copied a gagaku composition onto a blank CD. It was not until the tech rehearsal that I blocked my "routine." Said routine involved dragging 70 yards of fabric around the stage for 60 seconds or so, in a manner that would best display the features of the costume. Period.

Imagine my mortification when several people asked me afterward whether I had studied traditional Japanese dance. I told the truth: No, I had not studied nihon buyo (because a few hours with Youtube does not constitute study). I was showing off the costume, not performing a documentable Heian dance routine. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for the compliment, but what you just saw was a complete fabrication.

Yesterday it was my privilege to attend a re-creation of the "Gosechi no Mai," an 8th century dance performed specifically by women of the court for the harvest festival. As I watched the two women from Hara Sho Kai perform, I was intensely aware of the difference between what I did six months ago and what these women were doing. I know now how much I got right. I know now how much I got wrong.

There is no comparison. There cannot be.'"

My observations were prompted by several posts by a relative newcomer who nonetheless keeps volunteering (or being volunteered?) to demonstrate/perform everything from tea ceremony to the latest whim, specifically dancing with a sword.

Her enthusiasm is a truly wonderful thing, but it seems she really has no idea what she is proposing to do or how to begin to go about it.

For the purposes of the masquerade, what I did was appropriate, effective and managed to completely fool several people who may or may not know a thing about nihon buyou. I would not have dreamed of presenting the exact same "routine" at an SCA event. I KNOW I don't know enough.

Comments

[bovil.livejournal.com]

She won't provide her source, and I politely called her out on it.

I think it's going to turn out to be a psychic friend.

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

Thank you for doing that. I'm just catching up with that thread and her vagueness is really irritating.

[danabren.livejournal.com]

Oh dear - is that the same girl as the one who was determined to teach tea at an event?

[bovil.livejournal.com]

Yes.

[danabren.livejournal.com]

Alas. She means well, bless her heart.

[firehauke.livejournal.com]

Cultural appropriation raises interesting questions in all facets of the SCA, really.

And in my 'other' life, that of a Pagan. I can make up my own stuff as a Pagan, but a lot of it is influenced by other cultures, and not necessarily the ones I can lay claim to (totally European).

In the SCA we justify it by saying we're showing what it was like back then; but is it still appropriation when Anglos are 'doing' Japanese or Chinese or Indian things?
Garners much thought.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

I MUST be able to go to events in my kingdom and be able to look people like the Baron of the Far West and Duchess Tamsin in the eye without a qualm because I have done my best to portray their real-life ancestors as correctly as I know how to do. MUST. As in it is my duty. And yes, it's also my duty to do so with my European persona as well.

We do all our forebears a disservice when we get lazy and decide it's easier to make stuff up about them.

[firehauke.livejournal.com]

Yes, that is true, and I certainly agree to that point of being as honest with your recreation as you can. I would love to do more in terms of honestly recreating a Viking 'slice of life' whenever I wear my apron dress (or is it more portraiture for the day?)...

My statement of 'making it up' comes from my spirituality - no one believes like I do, and there are no books on it, it's a mismash of certain ideas, but without a strong sense of appropriation. While I could convert to Buddhism, I'm not sure I should pick out the parts I like best for my own use. The same with Christianity. Just because I like singing hymns doesn't mean I'm Christian (if that's the only reason I go to church, anyway).

I could never consider anything about my spirituality Celtic or Euro-centric when it really has nothing to do with anything found on the Euro-Asian continent.

If I'm recreating a piece of life from 500 years ago or 1000 years ago, I will do my best (within my means) to accurately portray that life for that event.

... and at 1350 hours...

[sasha-khan.livejournal.com]

... it's Uncle Eff for the win!

Me, if we had a pool grid would have picked genetic memories over reintarnation, conveniently forgettingnthat this is an SCA-centric group with interesting demographics.

Silly me.

Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Her posts are so darned vague and incomprehensible it's hard to be sure what she's claiming.

Surely if she was Japanese in a past life she would've demanded that Mistress Laurel Let-Me-Help-You-Make-This-Crap-ass- Halloween-Costume-Keemono commit seppuku for suggesting something so insulting as the abomination this woman ended up wearing.

Re: Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

[erink.livejournal.com]

She'd at least know not to wrap a kimono backwards.

Re: ... and at 1350 hours...

[bovil.livejournal.com]

I kind of wish he had waited to do that until after we had finished needling her about what is and isn't documentation and research. As it is, she'll probably run off crying about the meenies who don't believe her special revealed truth.

[reynardine.livejournal.com]

I was just catching up with my emails from the past week or so and saw what she was saying. *shakes head* I thought your post was a very polite way of pointing out that if we ever want to be taken seriously, we need to do our homework. So maybe what we produce isn't perfect, but if we can document where it came from and how it may have been done (using credible sources), then at least others might have more respect for our choice of culture.

(Does that even make any sense? I'm rather out of it today!)

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

(Snarky reply deleted. It was mean. It was very, VERY mean.)

[takadai-no-tora.livejournal.com]

But it's her "prosona" right? Pre-some date or other twit. I'm with you, I wish I could reach through the internet and swcream at her.