Cultural Appropriation and People Who are OK with it.

I was invited into a facebook group by Mandi See (<< YouTube channel) In this group, someone asked a question about cultural appropriation and incorporating aspects from cultures not your own into your practices. I responded with my usual "research the culture", "be respectful", "understand what the concept is and why it's used in the way it is", etc.

For the most part, people agree with me, but what gets my goat are people who DISagree with me. Someone decided to come in with "well, it's my path, so I can do what I want and no one has the right to tell me I'm doing it wrong".

Well, in a sense, she's right...no one can tell you what you're doing wrong in your path, BUT...one CAN tell you you're misusing a cultural aspect, especially if that person is using a concept from your own culture, and you find it offensive.

Take the Totem, for example. In the past I've discussed how not everyone has a totem; that it's not what these silly quizzed online state it is...that it's symbolic of the founders of certain tribes, and if you're not a part of a tribe, then you have no totem. But there are people out there who seem to be adamant that they can do what they want, without understanding the concepts behind what they are doing. That it's ok to believe the Totem is a favorite animal and that they are now somehow represented by that animal, and thus will use the word "Totem" to describe this representation.

This is no different than someone claiming to be Pagan, walking around in a traditional Native headdress and saying that it's somehow a part of their Pagan system, and therefore are allowed to wear it wherever they want, and no one has the right to tell them what they can and cannot do with their path. This kind of mentality is damaging to the Pagan system, not helpful. You're disrespecting other cultures because you find it "gitchy" and want to add it to your system without realizing the cultural significance and importance of that concept. You cheapen it when you incorporate it and use it the way YOU want, instead of how it was intended to be.

If you don't want be offensive to the systems from which you borrow concepts, it's **VERY** important for you to research the concepts you want to incorporate into your beliefs and understand what they TRULY are before adding them and making full use of them.