Spotlight on Students: A Discussion on Cultural Appropriation

This post highlights the work required of my SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology students. Students were given the opportunity to research and identify an example of cultural appropriation and explain how the cultural elements could be appreciated instead. Several students were given the opportunity to have their exemplary work featured on the blog, and the students who provided permission have their work featured here in this and the following blog posts. Please show your appreciation for their work through the comments. 

 

Figure 1: The children's blanket created by Lynda Teller Pete that was culturally appropriated

 

By: Maryah Hoback-Blair 

As we discussed, cultural appropriation can be detrimental to a culture, individual, or group. An example of cultural appropriation that sticks out to me is one involving a Navajo member and weaver. Lynda Teller Pete is a member of the Navajo nation that weaves children's blankets with distinct patterns and designs. In 2011 she entered one of her pieces into the Santa Fe Indian's Market (Figure 1), and after the market she found a replica of her blanket on a website. This website did not give Lynda credit for her design or work and had the blankets listed at a lower price and were not made out of the proper material. This company was contacted and later put a warning on their website to clarify that the products are not Indian produced or a product from a particular Indian group. In the Article Cultural Appropriation - From a Navajo Perspective she explains that each color and pattern she wove into the blanket has significant meaning and tells the story of her people. She also goes on to say that they are her work and designs and tells the story she wants it to. 

This is an example of cultural appropriation because the website did not give credit to Lynda for her design and was posting products that had patterns associated with Indian nations but did not credit those nations. It is also a problem because the website was selling products that mimicked patterns from Indian nations but did not have members of that group collaborate on the products. Instead of the blankets and other products telling a story as they traditionally do in Navajo culture, they became quick selling, trendy items the company could make a profit on. 

To appreciate one's culture without appropriating it an individual can get their products directly from someone within a said culture and can also try to understand the significance of the product or symbol. We can also decide if how the symbol or product is being used is appropriate or not. Ultimately, if you think it is wrong do not do it and if you have questions ask people within the culture. 

Reference: Doyon, D. (2023, June 14). Cultural appropriation – from the Navajo perspective. Weave a Real Peace. https://weavearealpeace.org/cultural-appropriation-from-the-navajo-perspective/

Figure 2: Sweat lodge, Kiowa camp on the Washita, illustration from the Annual report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1880.

 By: Marlee Brown 

An example of cultural appropriation that I have found that is not presented in the lecture or the book is the cultural appropriation of American Native sweat lodge rituals (Figure 2). A specific example of this is in 2009, a self-help and wellness guru, James Arthur Ray, killed three people during a "Spiritual Warrior" seminar in Sedona, Arizona, which had a total of 50 participants (Fonseca, 2011). These participants, led by Ray, sat in a sauna-like tent made to be a false sweat lodge. A sweat lodge is a sacred ritual in some American Native cultures in which a group of people sit in a wood structure covered in material and use hot rocks and water to create steam to sweat out bad energy and connect with ancestors (Barefoot Windwalker, 2002). Ray did not research or understand the purpose of sweat lodges. Ray had tried to push the participants to break through their struggles and obstacles. He wanted them to die, just not physically. The sweat lodge ritual is made to connect with ancestors and is a sacred experience for American Natives (Barefoot Windwalker, 2002). It is a humble spiritual connection, not a contest to push oneself to the absolute limit. That would be appropriating native culture for personal gain. 

Cultural appropriation is the act of using and/or taking another culture's elements and using that culture for a personal reason not associated with that culture (Welsch, et al., 2017). Usually, the person appropriating is a part of a more dominant culture and is using the more oppressed culture without permission, respect, or full understanding of that culture. In my example I used above, the guru did not consult any native tribes before this fake sweat lodge. He just did it; this is massively disrespectful. The three individuals who lost their lives died from direct acts of the bad sweat lodge. He had no intention of being respectful or honorable about profiting off native culture. 

I definitely think that someone can appreciate culture without appropriating it. If the individual consults a person of that culture for help understanding or doing a complete in-depth research assessment to the best of their ability, that person is putting in the effort to appreciate not appropriate. Most of all, to appreciate a culture, there must be respect and a desire to learn. Even if a person gets caught appropriating a culture, there is a need to apologize respectfully and learn from that experience to better understand that exact culture. 

    Resources

Barefoot Windwalker. (2002). The Native American Sweatlodge, A Spiritual Tradition. Barefoot's World. Retrieved September 9, 2025, from https://barefootsworld.org/sweatlodge.html

Fonseca, F. (2011, June 22). Self-help guru convicted in sweat lodge deaths. NBC News. Retrieved September 9, 2025, from https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43501833

Welsch, R. L., Vivanco, L. A., & Fuentes, A. (2017). Anthropology: Asking Questions About Human Origins, Diversity and Culture. Retrieved September 1, 2025, from https://platform.virdocs.com/read/581908/49/#/4/4