Culture is Not a Costume: The Appropriation of the War Bonnet as a Form of Colonial Oppression

This research examines the way the identities of Native Americans have been stereotyped, altered, and appropriated through the representation of Native Americans in the media created by and in order to serve white settler colonizers and/or non-Native American audiences and consumers. I hypothesize that the acknowledgement of historical Native Americans and simultaneous denial of the existence, legitimacy, and sovereignty of contemporary Native Americans is demonstrated, in part, by the frequent incorporation of Indigenous religious and cultural symbols and artifacts into contemporary fashion. I include a literature review that focuses on the cultural context of headdresses, stereotypes and their perpetuation in the media, as well as the appropriation of Native American cultural artifacts. I also analyze examples of the appropriation of headdresses and the stereotyping of Native Americans in popular media. Findings include that the appropriation, homogenization, and historicization of Native American peoples is tied to the continued oppression and degradation of their basic human rights