A Pocahontas would seem like a fine idea for a Western dress-up event, and because the rider knows horses, to put the character astride what might with imagination be a painted-up Native American horse.
Except, it isn’t. It’s called cultural appropriation and it’s on many peoples’ minds today.
Another example: A parade entry might be a group of men draped in serapes and under large sombreros carrying a sign for a local Mexican restaurant. Anglos. That raises eyebrows, too.
For Krii Black, wife of county commission candidate Paul Black, who was Pocahontas in the Halloween-themed equestrian event (Durango Herald, Oct. 30) and posted photos on social media, our guess is that when it was pointed out to her that this was inappropriate, it produced a forehead-thumping-oh-oh-that-never-occurred-to me reaction.
Dress, and more often a poor choice of language chosen without thinking, can be harmful.
The leadership of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe made clear the tribe’s feelings, saying what took place “perpetuates harmful stereotypes and also disregards the very real struggles faced by the Tribes and Tribal communities throughout the country, including those in Colorado.”
They are using the incident to educate about historical myths, respect for and the preservation of native cultures.
We say Krii Black gave us an in-our-backyard example of how people can be offensive, inadvertently.
Can we all think twice, speak (or dress) once? We have to try.
