‭Introduction:‬

‭ ote: this doc is easier to read with the Google Doc mobile app, or on a‬
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‭computer. I have no idea why the images get distorted when opened in a‬
‭mobile browser, but they just do and I don’t know how to fix it.‬

‭ adȉh, my name is Kit, my pronouns are they/them, and I am‬

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‭Wet'suwet'en. I’ve always been very proud of my culture, and I feel like I‬
‭should make this educational thread to explain an issue involving character‬
‭design that has been popping up every now and then. My experience from‬
‭this has been mostly in the Warrior Cats fandom, so I don’t know how‬
‭much of an issue this is outside of that fandom, but I think this knowledge‬
‭could be applied to other fandoms in terms of character design as well.‬

‭ or those who are unaware of the Warrior Cats fandom (good for you, tbh)‬
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‭the fandom revolves around a children/YA novel series about wild/stray‬
‭cats living in a society out in the wild. There is definitely a good bit of‬
‭appropriation of Indigenous culture and “inspiration” taken from‬
‭stereotypes of Indigenous tribe and clan systems, but for now I’d like to‬
‭focus on one design trait that pops up quite a bit in fanmade designs of‬
‭warrior cat characters: a feather or two behind the ear of the cat.‬

‭ his issue was first brought to light by another twitter user whose name I‬
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‭unfortunately can’t remember, and whose account no longer exists, so I‬
s‭ uspect that they got driven off twitter because the amount of people who‬
‭crawled out of the woodworks to defend this design choice despite multiple‬
‭Indigenous people saying that they were uncomfortable with people using it‬
‭was surprising. Despite that, the decision by most of the artists in the‬
‭warrior cats fandom was, if a feather was needed in the character’s design,‬
‭to put it anywhere except behind the ear, which I think is a good decision.‬
‭However, I still see the character design choice showing up in lots of‬
‭designs, whether it was in a warrior cat design or not, and I was emailing‬
‭another artist talking about this design choice when I decided to make this‬
‭thread, as there isn’t a lot of info on twitter, and much of it is from people‬
‭who aren’t Indigenous.‬

‭ o… to start off, I’d like to begin with the subject of the feather, and the‬
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‭importance it has to Indigenous people. The website Native Hope describes‬
‭the feather’s usage in Native American culture as “a powerful symbol that‬
‭signifies honor and a connection between the owner, the Creator, and the‬
‭bird from which the feather came. It symbolizes trust, honor, strength,‬
‭wisdom, power, and freedom. It is an object that is deeply revered and a‬
‭sign of high honor.”‬

‭https://blog.nativehope.org/the-feather-symbol-of-high-honor‬

‭ o feathers are incredibly sacred to Indigenous cultures. They are an honor‬

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‭to receive, and treasured greatly. They aren’t small, insignificant parts of‬
‭our culture.‬

‭ ith that in mind, let’s move to the issue that is still prevalent in a lot of‬
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‭character designs, and parts of the warrior cats fandom, to this day: cultural‬
‭appropriation.‬

I‭ f you do not know what cultural appropriation is, here is the definition of it‬
‭from the dictionary: “the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the‬
‭customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of‬
‭another and typically more dominant people or society.”‬
‭ asically, it’s someone (oftentimes the colonizer of an oppressed culture)‬
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‭taking parts of someone else’s culture and fitting it into their own.‬
‭Sometimes it’s made into a joke, sometimes it’s bastardized or sexualized,‬
‭but any way it’s done, it is still harmful.‬

“‭ Now, why would it be harmful?” I’m sure someone will ask. “They’re just‬
‭appreciating your/someone else’s culture.” Let me explain why.‬

I‭ f you are not familiar with colonization, it is (dictionary quote) “the action‬
‭or process of settling among and establishing control over the Indigenous‬
‭people of an area.”‬

‭ ultural Appropriation is a part of the process of colonization. It’s the last‬

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‭step of the process, where parts of the colonized culture like practices,‬
‭objects, artwork, terms, etc, are slipped into the colonizer’s society. For‬
‭example, white-owned companies mass-producing dreamcatchers to sell, or‬
‭traditional and sacred Indigenous regalia being created and worn by white‬
‭people. White sage, a plant sacred to Indigenous practices, was almost‬
‭driven to extinction because white people were buying it so much simply for‬
‭the token experience of “acting like an Indigenous person.” And‬
‭stereotypical and inaccurate depictions of Indigenous people were used‬
‭quite a lot in marketing, sports, and advertisements, and some still linger to‬
‭this day.‬

‭ ll of these things were meant to erode the Indigenous culture, to turn it‬
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‭simply into an object of commercial advertisements so that the white public‬
‭did not care about the Indigenous people, because for all they knew‬
‭Indigenous people were long gone, or dying off, or simply a figurehead used‬
‭in advertisements. And it very nearly worked. It is only within the past 20,‬
‭maybe 30 years or so that the governments have actually acknowledged‬
‭how much the Indigenous people suffered throughout colonization, and‬
‭even then it’s only recently that the public as a whole has begun learning‬
‭about what Indigenous people went through.‬
‭ ith that in mind, let’s look at how feathers were displayed in stereotypical‬
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‭Indigenous advertisements.‬

‭(Logo of the MLB Cleveland Indians mascot from 1946-1950)‬

‭(Multiple advertisements for various brands)‬
(‭ "Warrior" cartoon artwork for a hockey mascot from‬
‭www.beyond-mascot-art.com‬‭)‬

(‭ NHL logo for the Chicago Blackhawks, which has been pretty much the‬
‭same since 1927)‬
(‭ Osceola and Renegade, mascots for the Florida State University Seminoles.‬
‭This picture was taken in 2011)‬

‭ s you can see, all of them are rampant in stereotypes, including one that‬
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‭may be familiar to warrior cat artists: the feather behind the ear. Just like‬
‭much of Indigenous culture, the usage of the feather was taken by white‬
‭people and turned into a “fun little” design choice to make their mascots,‬
‭their characters, or themselves seem more “Indigenous”. So the usage of‬
‭feathers behind the ear is a stereotype, as well as cultural appropriation.‬

“‭ But it’s just a feather, Indigenous people don’t have total control over‬
‭feathers.” We don’t. However, the way that artists tend to use the feathers‬
‭in their design is very reminiscent of these stereotypical caricatures of‬
‭Indigenous people. We don’t necessarily mind you adding a feather for‬
‭some reason to your design, but placing it in your character’s hair or behind‬
‭the ear in a way that is similar to these old caricatures is a no-go. Placing a‬
‭feather in your character’s tail, giving them feather earrings, etc? Go for it.‬
‭Beside/behind the ear? Don’t.‬
“‭ But why so much fuss over a drawing?” Because these drawing stereotypes‬
‭is what contributed to the destruction of the culture and ways of life of the‬
‭Indigenous people. They were used to belittle and mock our culture, and‬
‭make us seem like a funny skit in the Sunday funnies of a newspaper. Then,‬
‭when Indigenous people began to become more and more oppressed and‬
‭lose more of their right to stand up for themselves, suddenly it became‬
‭“trendy” to have an “indian aesthetic”, which is why things like‬
‭headdresses, dreamcatchers, and more sacred objects and practices in our‬
‭culture got snatched up by white people. These caricatures aren’t just‬
‭drawings. They very much played a part in the near destruction of Native‬
‭Canadian and American culture. By using these stereotypes of headdresses‬
‭or feathers behind the ear, you are contributing to the process of‬
‭colonization, whether your intentions are pure or not.‬

“‭ If I’m not allowed to put feathers behind the ear, what should I do?” There‬
‭are so many options. If you’re a warrior cat artist, move the feather to the‬
‭chest fur or the tail. Use a flower or leaves or moss instead of a feather. Just‬
‭don’t contribute to a stereotype that serves to remind Indigenous people of‬
‭how so much of their culture was turned into a commercial gimmick or an‬
‭aesthetic for white people.‬
“‭ I have an opinion about this issue that contradicts this document!” If‬
‭you’re not Indigenous, then I don’t want to hear about it. Your opinion has‬
‭literally no bearing on this subject whatsoever, as this stereotype has never‬
‭affected you or your culture, and you ESPECIALLY have no weight in this‬
‭argument if you are white, as it is LITERALLY your people that perpetrated‬
‭these horrible things.‬

I‭ understand that there are some Indigenous people who have no opinion‬
‭on the cultural appropriation debate, but if you are one such person then I‬
‭ask that you be respectful of Indigenous people like myself who are‬
‭uncomfortable with it. Thank you.‬

I‭ am more than willing to explain things I have not made clear, but I will‬
‭not respond to racist or hurtful replies. I can understand if you aren’t‬
‭Indigenous and haven’t heard of these things before and have character‬
‭designs with these traits, and I ask that you use the helpful visual guide‬
‭above to prevent your OCs/Designs from perpetrating a harmful stereotype‬
‭and cultural appropriation.‬
‭Misiyh, thank you for your time.‬