Escaping Winnetou campaign at Survival International, the broschure is downloadable at the link.
Text German version below. Video at Vimeo.
We were contacted to give some commentary on the topic, which has returned to the stage as a new film of racist troupes and stereotypes was recently released. The willful insistence of Germans of this type to not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but to introduce and reinforce their use in a new generation is on full display, even as normalized racism and white supremacist ideology is on the rise.
The simple fact of the matter is: You cannot make “better” racist films by “updating” material and still using the same troupes, characters, names and Eurocentric, whitecentric structures and producers. This is impossible. Racism is racism. Organizations, museums or anything else that have used Natives for profit, interest and personal gain aren’t suddenly better because they share some stats or information about Natives today. That absolves you of Nothing and is purely self-delusion.
As in the previous post, about our 14 August interview at Deutschlandradio Kultur, we shared there continues to be individuals and groups working positively with Natives. In healthy, non-racist, non-Eurocentric collaborations and cooperation with Indigenous peoples. They Never make the spotlight because that would show it is possible Not to be racist and still enjoy Native peoples and cultures. That shows how wrong the way such filmmakers and producers, hobbyists, and “Indian” shows actually are, that it is self-gratifying even arrogant behaviors, and facets of rape culture: “We will use you for our pleasure whether you like it or not, and even if you say ‘please don’t do this’, we will do it anyway!” A terrible mindset.
Survival International has created a brochure gathering information and data on persistent cultural appropriation and racist practices in Germany, particularly with Native and Indigenous peoples. It is the explanation and introduction for their current campaign, Escaping Winnetou, which will presumably last the next months.
We were asked if we might like to be part of it, but we’ll see in the future what that looks like, as they had not offered or defined a specific way for us to do so. That’s always a frustrating aspect, because effectively, it’s a structural way non-Natives are still narrating and presenting Indigenous peoples.
Visit the site, watch the video, but more importantly, think about how you can help change our societies for the better each day. Sometimes that’s not easy, even in small ways, but it’s possible and necessary that every single one of us try to do so.
Red Haircrow 
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