Native Spiritual Appropriation : Words of Power, Relations of Power - Creating Stories & Identities
Cultural appropriation is a very wide spread and essentially timeless phenomenon. Cultural appropriation is defined as “the taking- from a culture that is not one’s own- of intellectual property, cultural expressions or artifacts, history and ways of knowledge” (Ziff and Rao 1997: 1). This includes all aspects of spirituality, sacred items, values, stories and rites. Appropriation is closely linked to power relations and politics. With the rise of popularity of shamanism and neo-shamanism in Western society, the Indigenous people of North America (and Australia) are voicing their concerns, disapproval and opinions with regards to Western people appropriating Native ceremonies, rituals and sacred beliefs. Through the discourse of countering appropriation the Indigenous, people are (re)gaining and (re)creating an identity which had been neglected, suppressed and assimilated during the course of colonization. It is through the medium of writing in the academic, as well as non-academic, and the sharing of practices with other Natives (Pan-Indianism) that an identity is created. Native authors are challenging the status quo and engage, contribute and advance the debate of spiritual appropriation, power relations and neo-colonialism. The arguments and opinions with regards to spiritual appropriation presented here range from cultural genocide, sexual abuse, neo-colonialism, and disrespect to concern of improper use that can be dangerous for the user/practitioner. By engaging in the debate Indigenous culture is engaging in the healing process (Episkenew 2009).  By participating in the debate of spiritual appropriation the Indigenous people are actively engaging in (re)defining their identity. It is this active engagement that allows healing to take place. The thesis brings together some of the current, Native authors and examines their opinions. The importance of the story and the word as creating identities is explored. By using diverse literature, some texts focusing on medicine, sociology, religion and consumer culture the debate of spiritual appropriation and the link to identity and politics is made more explicit.
Spiritual appropriation Neo-shamanism Shamanism Identity Indigenous resistance Healing process