Indigenous Olympics Link Roundup Part 2

(Image via http://www.ryanmcmahoncomedy.com)

Here are a few more links examining the Indigenous presence in the games!

• Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples & The Vancouver 2010 Olympics – Unprecedented Inclusion?- Ryan McMonohon Comedy

The argument I’ve been hearing is that with the “inclusion” of First Nations in the games marks the NEW start to a world wide relationship with us as Aboriginal Peoples living in Canada.  The term “unprecedented involvement” has been thrown around quite a bit and I wonder what that means exactly?  Are we involved because we danced in the Opening?  Are we involved because there is an Aboriginal pavilion at the games where “the world” can see us perform, sing, dance, rap, etc.?  Are we involved because we had to be because the Games were taking place whether we liked it or not and to be “a part” of it made more sense than not; at least we get to represent ourselves right?

To me, Canada had a chance to REALLY change the way the world sees “US” and how THEY (Canada) sees “US.”  I can’t help but go back to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and how Canada has participated in adopting (actually, NOT adopting) it.  Currently 143 countries have signed it and 4 haven’t.  The countries that haven’t signed are Canada, the US, New Zealand and Australia.  Australia has recently signed and New Zealand and the US are currently said to be close to signing. That leaves Canada.  To show TRUE appreciation for it’s Aboriginal Peoples and while on the world stage – could Canada have done more to let people know where they stand?  Should they have?  I mean, we did get to “dance” at the Olympics, but shouldn’t we ask for more?

• Vancouver Olympic Logo: a smiling marker of death?- NPR

Irniq is put off by the Olympic logo because of its human form. Its fat legs and outstretched arms make it look a little like a hockey goalie, and the head has a hint of a smile. Irniq says his people rarely stacked rocks to resemble humans.

"It's a symbol of the fact that someone may have, um, committed suicide or someone may have murdered somebody at that spot," he says.

If people are interested in looking at an example of an inukshuk that's not associated with death, he says, they should look at the flag of Nunavut, which features a more traditional inukshuk.

• Native Artist Alano Edzerza Works with ASICS to Design Netherlands Olympic Team

Alano Edzerza, owner of Vancouver’s Edzerza Gallery and the acclaimed artist who carved the 10-meter native art mural at Vancouver's GM Place (an arena to be used for the Olympics), together with ASICS, has unveiled their ground-breaking collaborative design for the Netherlands Olympic team uniform. 

The designs were unveiled at a fashion show hosted by ASICS at Arnhem’s Olympic Papendal Hotel and Conference Centre (Papendallaan 3, Arnhem, NETHERLANDS). The event was streamed via a feed and is available on demand at www.edzerzagallery.com and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-YYmIlJdrQ

(Thanks Marjorie, Ryan, and Leon!) 

Indigenous Olympics link roundup

As promised, I've tried to pull together some informative links/articles/blog posts about the Indigenization of the winter Olympics. This is by no means exhaustive (not even close!) so if anyone has more, please send them my way!

• An Indigenous Olympics?- Toban Black via Sociological Images

(AK note: this is a fantastic, well researched, well written piece, I wanted to quote the whole thing here! definitely a must read.)

 Some have found the cartoonish Olympic marketing imagery to be a mockery of native traditions.  For example, critics have argued that the 2010 Olympics committee has edited and re-packaged native culture — which also has been ripped out of its traditional contexts. The Committee is highlighting Arctic indigenous imagery — yet Vancouver, the centre of the Games, is a temperate city.  Arctic indigenous peoples did not live there — or on the nearby Whistler and Cypress mountains, where some Olympic events will be held. Other indigenous populations who did live in that area of British Columbia also are not represented in the marketing iconography.

The Olympics branding denies noteworthy differences among native groups spread across these areas. Passing theatrical gestures to native peoples during the open ceremonies could be considered to be more respectful, but Olympics marketers otherwise have been mixing up North American native traditions into a soup-like caricature. Natives have been consistently oppressed, but the various peoples who are considered to be native (in some way, or to some degree) certainly are not ‘all the same.’ Tacking Arctic imagery on to Vancouver-area Games implies that there is only one native essence (in North America, if not beyond this continent).

•  2010 Olympics Token Tribute- Urban Native Girl Stuff

"So when I watched the Olympics opening ceremonies after the original broadcast I did feel proud that Native peoples were being included and celebrated in the production. I also am happy that it is the first time Indigenous people have been recognized by the International Olympic Committe as official host partners in any games.

But I can't help feeling like it's a little token. There is not doubt that Canada doesn't want to share it's long legacy of genocide toward the Native people of this country. This is why many Native people are asking for attention to our issues today, especially our stolen lands. The effects of this colonization are very much alive today. We have so many health, poverty, education, social issues which have many people living in third world conditions right here in Canada, in our backyards."

•  Native Representation Strong at 2010 Olympics- Indian Country Today

During the games, the pavilion, an 8,000-square-foot building, will include entertainment provided by Native performers. There will also be plenty of aboriginal food and merchandise for sale. The pavilion will not be the only place in town with an aboriginal presence. In fact, there is no escaping aboriginal involvement and it will be rather prevalent in almost all aspects. For example, the games’ official logo is named Ilanaaq the Inunnguaq; ilanaaq is the Inuktitut word meaning friend.

Also, the games’ three official mascots – Miga, Quatchi and Sumi – were inspired by traditional First Nations creatures. Miga is a mythical sea bear, Quatchi is a sasquatch, and Sumi is an animal spirit. The athletes who win a medal will take home some hardware based on the designs of artwork of Vancouver-based aboriginal artist Corrine Hunt. And there are scores of other aboriginal designed products that are part of the games’ merchandising program.

•  Olympics Met With Mixed Emotions by First Nations- NPR

To some, this means the Olympics are being held on stolen native land. But Phillip says if the Four Host First Nations want to allow the games on their land, that's their right. Not that he's happy about it. His organization has kept its distance from the Olympics, and he's even refused to take part in the tribute to native culture in Friday night's opening ceremony, which he calls "Disneyesque." "I don't think it's proper for me to stand there and hold hands with government officials and be part of the misrepresentation of the well-being of our people," Phillip says.

• 'Authentic First Nations' 2010 Olympic Souvenirs made in China- NBC Olympics

Canadian aboriginals eager to promote their culture at the upcoming Winter Games on their ancestral lands lamented on Wednesday that some "authentic First Nations" souvenirs were made in China, Italy or Thailand. These include native art and traditional clothes.
Tewanee Joseph, director of the Four Host First Nations, representing area aboriginals, says it is not a problem. "The design was created by authentic First Nations," he told AFP. "The Four Host Nations created the whole aboriginal mark of the Games and we are truly authentic aboriginal people."

There are so many more, but I didn't want it to be too overwhelming. Maybe I'll do a few more roundups throughout the week.

(Thanks Nancy, Sociological Images, Lisa Charleyboy, and anyone else who gave me links!)

The Simpsons stereotypes Alaska Native cultures, again.

 

On the most recent episode of the Simpsons,  Homer and Marge gain a spot on the US Olympic curling team and head to Vancouver for the games. When they arrive in the city, Homer is greeted by an Alaska Native/Inuit woman (in Vancouver?) and they engage in about 10 seconds of guttural noises back and forth as the background goes all swimmy and mystical, then he drives away. 

After the jump, a couple more screen shots and linking it back to the Simpsons Movie (where this character was first introduced).

Admittedly, I was tipped off, so I sped through most of the episode until I got to this scene, and stopped watching after it, so I'm not sure if this was given more context later, but I'm almost positive it was just intended as a quick nod to the Simpsons Movie.

 

This is during their back and forth, notice how the background is all Dali-like and the inclusion of the psychedelic clouds and birds. 

This is a close-up of the character (who goes un-named in the movie as well). She has no teeth, a deep, masculine voice, and speaks in broken english.

I'm going to refer back to an email my friend Holly (who is Inupiaq from Anchorage) sent out after the Simpsons Movie came out, talking about the scene in which this character is introduced:

I'm not sure if you have seen it yet, but there is a scene with an Alaska Native woman who looks like a man, and who is highly sexualized by her breasts, yet remains hideous and ogre-like. The scene ultimately makes a mockery out of Alaska Natives, as audience members laugh at her. All the beauty of a culture is gone. Millions of people, who do not know about Alaska Natives are going to see this movie and laugh. There are enough problems with race and misunderstandings of other cultures in America without movies that create stereotypes about cultures that they do not know anything about.

The scene with the Inuit woman starts at 58 min. In which she gives Homer “fire water.” An insulting stereotype emphasized onscreen by the makers of The Simpsons. In the next scene at 1 hr 2 minutes, the Native woman appears in the Northern Lights and her oversized breasts bounce and point in the direction Homer needs to go in order to save Springfield. Considering how many Native women are victims of sexual assault and rape it is an outrage that a movie would further sexualize a group which is additionally humiliated.

 Holly sums it up beautifully, and brings to light the many issues at play behind the images in the movie and the episode, and I think this will serve as a good bridge for a discussion this week about the role of Indigenous peoples in Olympic advertising, marketing, and ceremonies of the Vancouver games.

The whole episode is on hulu, if you really want to watch it.

Full episode on hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/125173/the-simpsons-boy-meets-curl 

Background article on violence against Alaska Native Women in the Anchorage Daily News:
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/crime/story/8825231p-8726532c.html

More information on violence against Alaska Native women from Amnesty International:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/Womens_Human_Rights/Summary/page.do?id=1021170&n1=3&n2=39

(Thanks to Anna for the tip, and Holly for the analysis!)