this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
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I have used this phrase a lot, but in the last couple of years I’ve seen usage of this phrase by folks who aren’t Native Americans start to come under fire. I think it’s because it appropriates and makes light of Native American culture.
I think what and how it is used for or interpreted as should be a factor to determine whether it is appropriation of Native American culture.
I’m not a native english speaker, and often times the term in my mind can mean zodiac animals. I’m not saying they are the same thing. English is a common language, and people from other cultures may interpret the word differently.
Hence I sometimes wonder whether there are other cultures across the world that use similar terms (eg totem symbolism), or whether such term can mean different things to other cultures. A blanket ban of the specific combination of these two words in english based on ~~one~~ some cultures may seem unfair to others if this is true. If anyone knows or has issues with the logic, please correct me.
EDIT: see the discussion in the comments https://lemm.ee/comment/1954510
EDIT 2: per below comment, Native American shouldn’t be treated as 1 culture.
Yeah, I agree, my bad, just edited it. Do you know whether the concept/word of spirit animal exists in only a small subsets of Native American cultures, or in all cultures related to Native Americans?