Advertising Indigeneity

Appropriation and Representation in Native American Commercial Activities

Native People of the United States have a long history of selling the products of their labor, including food, daily goods, and artwork. Before European colonization, robust exchange networks and markets moved goods throughout the continent. Non-native collectors became interested in Native art during the nineteenth century, but artists at that time had little control over how their goods were presented.

During the 20th century, advertisers took advantage of public interest in Native people by appropriating their imagery and reducing them to harmful stereotypes. Though many of these antiquated representations persist today, Native people have combatted stereotypes and misappropriation in part through representing their own cultures in commercial activities. Self-representation allows Native groups to control their own symbols and imagery, including profiting from them.

Antiquated Perspectives

In the 1800s and early 1900s, Euro-Americans scrambled to collect the craftsmanship of Native cultures, which they falsely believed were facing impending extinction. Though Native peoples suffered due to the realities of settler colonialism, they found ways to adapt to changing environments and preserve their culture. One way Native people adapted to the changing realities of colonial capitalism was selling traditional art. Often, this was done

in tourist settings, where artisans would display the process of making goods for an audience. However, this process was often exploitative, as craftspeople were set among environments that invited exoticism.

Famed Hopi potter Nampeyo (1859-1946) sold many of her pots directly and through non-Native third parties. The popularity and proliferation of her work shows the long-standing demand for authentic Indigenous

goods. Photo taken in Hopi, Arizona by Charles M. Wood, sometime between 1908 and 1910. Courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian.

For more information on Nampeyo, follow the links below:

National Museum of the American Indian

Museum of Northern Arizona

Arizona State Museum

Tribal Enterprises

The expansion of “Indian” casinos in the 1990s brought Native people’s economic activity into the public eye. Casinos are a popular tourist attraction for non-Natives, though the ethics of gambling have been questioned by Native and Non-Natives alike.

In recent years, other tribal enterprises, or businesses collectively administered by a tribal entity, have rapidly expanded into almost every economic sector. Today, tribal enterprises operate in fields like consulting, manufacturing, and construction. The objects you see here are a sampling of the consumer goods available to the public through these enterprises.

Modern Native Art

The tradition of Native Art is alive and vibrant today. In the past, artists like Nampeyo had to rely on physical tourism to sell her art, which was often sold secondhand for exorbitant prices. These secondhand sellers often supplied buyers with much of the cultural information

about Nampeyo and her work. Today, online marketplaces have allowed Native people to speak directly to consumers. They can share cultural information without a middleman and control what cultural information is shared. Non-native Americans who are interested in the aesthetics of Native American art can purchase authentic products today under conditions of greater freedom and economic self-determination for the artist.

Symbols in Sports

Native American symbols and imagery are ubiquitous in American sports branding. In the past, these harmful stereotypes painted Native people as aggressive or uncivilized. Several sports organizations have clung to these harmful portrayals, such as the Kansas City Chiefs. Others, however, have developed more nuanced portrayals in collaboration with Indigenous nations. The Seminole Tribe of Florida, for example, allow Florida State University to use their symbols and name for the “Florida Seminoles” team and even participate in a famous pre-game tradition. Similarly, the Spokane Nation has developed a relationship with the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team that allows the team to respectfully use specific imagery approved by the nation.

The Seattle Seahawks’ logo specifically references an eagle

mask created by the Kwakwaka’wakw people of Vancouver

Island. Although they were not consulted when the

logo was originally created in the 1970s, the

Seahawks helped return the mask to the

Pacific Northwest, where it could be

used by the people who created it.

The Mohegan Tribe acquired the

WNBA’s Orlando Magic in 2003,

renaming the team the Connecticut

Sun. With this, they became the

first Native American nation to