Cultural appropriation
The taking of another culture's sacred or cultural forms, such as smudging, dreamcatchers or shamanic workshops, without consent or credit.
Also: appropriation, spiritual appropriation, plastic shaman
Indigenous writers and scholars criticise the sale of sacred items and ceremonies by outsiders. Examples they cite include smudging with sage packaged for wellness shops, dreamcatchers (from the Ojibwe asabikeshiinh) sold as decoration, and weekend courses offering shamanism or sweat lodges to paying strangers. In 1993 Lakota leaders signed a declaration against what they called the exploitation of their ceremonies. The 2009 deaths at a sweat lodge run by James Arthur Ray in Arizona drew attention to the dangers. Debates continue about where learning and exchange end and taking begins. Many Indigenous teachers say the best step is to learn from the community directly and to buy from its makers.