The Tribal Fetish
Romanticising And Adopting Indigenous Culture And Aboriginal Identity For Profit.
An Australian perspective on Nanette Croce's article, Aboriginal Wannabes. How is it that Aborigines can be so hated and so idealised simultaneously?
Aboriginal Wannabes dealt with the American phenomenon of Westerners claiming Indian ancestry to boost their careers, cashing in on a kind of public indigenous fetish and hunger for the exotica of aboriginal identity. I found this deeply shocking, and was initially sceptical until I followed her links to the literature about it. I just couldn't understand how somebody would be advantaged by indentifying with a marginalised group. But then I thought about the differences between Australian and American colonial perceptions of Aboriginal identity, and it all fell into place.
Icons on Posters
In both countries people have posters of famous Native Americans like Sitting Bull on their walls to give their pad a "spiritual" feel. However, nobody in either culture has posters of Australian Aboriginal people. This is because of a kind of stone-age stigma that is attached to us, tainting us with a "racially" and culturally inferior image to other Indigenous peoples.
"The Black DJ"
Australians love indigenous people from other countries. The renowned "black DJ" Monty Prior was hired by a big-time Aussie night club, because he had such a huge following. At least, that was until the club owners met him, wherein they immediately cancelled his contract. They explained to him that they had assumed he was Maori or African, and couldn't possibly hire an Australian Aborigine because it would bring down the image of the club. Nothing personal. Australia is a place where it is cool to be indigenous, as long as you're not an Indigenous person from here.
Redskins and Blackfellas
We don't name things after Indigenous icons like Americans do. You have the "Redskins", but we don't have a football team called "Blackfellas". That would not seem exotic or warlike or tough to the dominant culture here - just a bit pathetic and vaguely disgusting.
Therefore, I would still maintain that it is not an advantage to identify as Indigenous in this country. I hate going through all the crap I have to go through with racism from both non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people, only to be told by every third person I meet that I must enjoy a lot of benefits from identifying as Indigenous (wink, wink). I have written about this extensively in articles like Right To Self-identify.
Aboriginal Haggotry
However, I must also admit that there is indeed quite a fetish for Aboriginal exotica in Australia in some social circles. Many people and organisations collect Aboriginal art and friendships avidly. Yes, friendships. You always know if one of these people has Aboriginal affiliations, because they will mention it in the first five minutes of conversation. However, even in these "Ab Hag" circles it is hardly an advantage to be Indigenous, as these people are vexing in their cultural demands and paternalism. It's no fun to be worn as a badge by somebody to prove their liberalism or radicalism or alternativism or philanthropy or whatever. It's no fun to be romanticised (even by yourself!)
The Alternatives
On the bright side, every now and then you meet somebody (could be any ethnicity) in Australia who just couldn't give a stuff about any of it, and has managed somehow to miss all the dominant cultural assumptions about Aborigines that most learn as children. That's like a breath of fresh air. Even more rare, and therefore precious, is the critically conscious individual who is aware of all the inequities and social baggage, and quietly sets about dismantling it without their ego needs intruding on the process. There's no romanticising of Aboriginality here, but no judgements or assumptions either.
We need at least a million more people like that in this world. Could you be one of them?
