Halloween 2021: Can We Not With Cultural Appropriation?
By: Alisha Keig
Image from @indigenousalliancemovement
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Honestly, spooky season in general is the best time of the year. You’ve got apple cider donuts, trips to the pumpkin patch, all the candy you can eat, and the best Trader Joes snacks to look forward to! But the thing that continues to haunt me, yes even in 2021, is we still have to deal with people wearing problematic costumes. Why? because racism and white supremacy continue to terrorize Black and brown people the way the Sanderson sisters terrorized the children of Salem. (Note: please indulge me in a few Hocus Pocus references).
What is Culture?
First a quick lesson on Culture. Zaretta Hammond defines culture as the following:
“Culture, it turns out, is the way that every brain makes sense of the world. That is why everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, has a culture. Think of culture as software for the brain’s hardware. The brain uses cultural information to turn everyday happenings into meaningful events.
Culture is a way of making meaning of the world around us based on our different schema or background knowledge and experiences. Culture is generational, it’s passed down, it’s learned behaviors, and it’s sacred in many ways. Hammond also provides us with the image of a culture tree to help us understand that culture exists in levels:
Surface Culture: Surface culture represents the leaves of a tree. Some examples of surface culture are observable elements like food, dress and holidays. This type of culture is high touch, meaning folks from different walks of life can typically find commonalities between these categories. For example, at Beloved, one of our warm welcome icebreakers is “How does your family cook rice?” We ask this question because rice is a staple food in many communities and has strong cultural ties to how it's prepared, which also makes it an ideal food to help folks connect across differences. Hammond says this type of culture has a low emotional charge meaning when there are cultural breaches (clashes between two cultures that result in harm), there can be quick reconciliation.
Shallow Culture: Shallow culture represents the tree trunk and branches. Some examples of shallow culture are unspoken rules and social norms like concepts of time, personal space, and nonverbal communication. Understanding culture at this level takes more time and a stronger relationship between people. Shallow culture is associated with a strong emotional charge meaning cultural missteps at this level may take longer reconciliation because the categories here are attached to how folks move through the world.
According to Hammond, surface and shallow culture are fluid. Just like leaves or fruit respond to the changing seasons or shifts in climate, surface and shallow culture can morph as we gain new social connections, intermarry (e.g. a Jewish person and a Christian person sharing December holidays), and change our environment (e.g. move to a new city, a new region, or a new country).
Deep Culture: Deep culture is the roots of the tree. Some examples of deep culture are cosmology or beliefs about the origin of the world, definitions of kinship, and notions of fairness. At this level, there is an intense emotional charge because of the profound relationship necessary to unearth a person’s core values and belief systems. Deep culture affects how people make sense of the world and their sense of self within the world. One’s deep culture is foundational to everything they do, say and think.
Cultural Appropriation VS. Appreciation
You might think from the levels and definitions of culture that Halloween and costumes fall into surface culture (i.e. holidays and dress) which would mean that this whole conversation shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Actually, dress and attire in general are inextricably connected to belief systems, group identity and cultural norms which actually locates this conversation within deep culture.
For example, wearing traditional indigenous American garb (like headdresses, feathers, beads, and moccasins) as a costume is extremely disrespectful because indigenous regalia is reserved for ceremonial purposes. It’s also extremely problematic due to the fact that Indigenous children were stolen from their families, forced into residential schools, and violently stripped of their traditional clothing and language. This article drives this point home stating that cultural appropriation in the form of “costumes” is just another form of indigenous erasure and it aids in misogindigena (unique discrimination that indigenous women face) which reproduces dangerous stereotypes against indigenous women. Basically, this is a form of colonization-lite and cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation is the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of an element or elements of one culture (typically a marginalized culture or identity) by members of another (typically a dominant culture or identity). Cultural appropriation happens in too many places including in fashion, on tiktok, in sports, and spiritual and physical practices, and can be psychologically detrimental to marginalized communities. Appropriation is a product of privilege as it allows people in power to "act" or dress like a member of a marginalized community in the most stereotypical ways. Meanwhile, people within those communities are vilified and oppressed for those same actions and behaviors. For example, as more white women gather the courage to rock cornrows and box braids (Note: this will rip your hair out, please don’t do it), Black women are still fighting to wear their natural hair and protective styles in the workplace.
Cultural appreciation, on the other hand, is a way to celebrate, uplift, and invest in communities. For example, instead of buying a racist, overpriced costume from Party City, you can invest in Indigenous makers, artists, and small business owners throughout the year. Or instead of painting your face like a sugar skull, you can learn about the rich history of Dia de los Muertos and think about ways to honor people you’ve lost in your life. Zaretta Hammond calls the process of blending practices across cultures creating a cultural mosaic.
Well Then, What Do I Wear?
If you’re struggling with what to do next, here is a non-exhaustive list of cool costumes and not-so-cool costumes for your reference:
It’s important to interrogate our own individual behaviors and to also have conversations with friends, coworkers, and family members about what is appropriate and what is appropriative. We must disrupt our internalized systems of oppression and help others see when they are causing harm. A conversation like this is what we, at Beloved, would call a quick win (something you can do in the next five minutes that has a big impact) and a pivotal step toward creating an anti-racist world where all people are respected, comfortable, and included.
And remember folks, if Max Dennison could be a rap singer without wearing black face, so can you! Have a Happy Halloween!
For Further Reading:
The Dos and Don’ts of Cultural Appropriation | The Atlantic
What Is Cultural Appropriation? Here's Why the Practice Is So Harmful—and How You Can Avoid Doing It | Health
There’s a Big Difference Between Cultural Appreciation and Appropriation — Here’s Why It Matters | HealthLine
Appreciation and Appropriation Outside the Classroom | Learning for Justice
How a Conversation With My Kid About Costumes Led to an Appropriation Lesson for Us Both | The EveryMom
Redface, like blackface, is a sin of white supremacy | The Undefeated