“We are taking away the possibility of indigenous peoples reappropriating their culture and keeping it in its integrity,” specifies the speaker in an interview with The sun.
It has now been over a year since Catherine Boivin presented her conference Cultural appreciation: to better appreciate without appropriating almost everywhere in Quebec. On Saturday, around thirty people gathered under the tent of the Espace Parlons-en du festival KWE! in order to better understand this subject described as “delicate” by the host Alexandre Bacon.
“People want to dissect what appropriation is, but also cultural appreciation,” says the multidisciplinary artist.
Many of the people who attend his conferences are great appreciators of First Nations cultures and it is sometimes this love that causes them to fall into cultural appropriation.
“One category of questions I receive is from people who have understood [la différence]but who try to by passer what I said. They want me to make them feel free of guilt.”
— Catherine Boivin, artist and speaker
However, even when we do something out of love, not everything is permitted. Certain actions could harm or hurt the object of one’s love. Thus, the notion of consent often comes up in the speaker’s speech.
“There are limits and we must respect them,” insists the artist who warns the public againstentitlement, notion that she translates as the “I have the right” syndrome.
Catherine Boivin makes it clear from the outset: she approaches this subject from her point of view as an Indigenous person living in Quebec and cannot speak on behalf of other peoples since the issues surrounding cultural appropriation are intimately linked to the history of the communities. and their relationship with their culture.
In Canada, Indigenous people are in the process of re-appropriating the culture from which they were stripped. While they suffered – and still suffer – from this dispossession, they saw non-natives enrich themselves by commercializing their culture, distorting it and reinforcing negative stereotypes in the process.
Even today, platforms like Shein and Temu offer products that mimic the techniques and designs created by indigenous artisans.
Some precautions
Before buying a dream catcher, for example, the speaker invites the audience to ask themselves a few questions: is the craftsman indigenous? Is the owner indigenous? Was the craftsman paid fairly?
At the same time, she warns against “indigenous-inspired” products, self-proclaimed spiritual leaders and words like “totemic” or “shamanic.”
“We don’t have a shaman here,” argues the Atikamekw artist.
Finally, it invites people to learn about the cultural products they acquire.
“Yes, we can buy things because it’s beautiful, that’s for sure, but I think we also have to consider the object, its history and how the people consider this object,” concludes Catherine Boivin.
Catherine Boivin will present her conference Cultural appreciation: in order to better appreciate without appropriating a second time this Sunday June 16 at 3 p.m. at Espace Parlons-en on the Kwe festival website!
