An "American Indian Maiden" costume for sale. Image from HalloweenCostumes.Com
Writer Stephanie Land doesn't want her children dressing up like "Indians" for Halloween:
My 8-year-old daughter is obsessed with American Girl dolls. She knows every doll’s name, pet’s name and horse’s name. And she’s particularly obsessed with a doll named Kaya, which is short for Kaya’aton’my, “she who arranges rocks.” A fictional character that came out in stores in 2002, Kaya is from the Nimíipuu, or Nez Percé tribe, and the first Native American doll of the American Girl line since the company began in 1986. But then my daughter wanted to be Kaya for Halloween. I felt a little relief at first. In the last couple of years, she’d graduated to the tier of Halloween costumes that are getting beyond the adorable cats and vegetables, and into the sexualized realm of short skirts and sheer stockings added to just about any genre, ranging from Strawberry Shortcake to career-centralized costumes. But I’d never had to stop and think about her costume falling under cultural appropriation. We live in western Montana, a state that is home to 12 Indian Nations, many people still located on seven reservations. My daughter wanted to dress like a character she was enamored with, but how could I tell her how inappropriate that was and why? There are no kid-friendly terms for genocide.Read More:
Stephanie Land: I told my daughter she can’t dress up as a Native American for Halloween. Here’s why. (The Washington Post 10/10)
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