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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, both to other Native and non-native people. 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. Native belongings or artwork purchased for private collections and museums were described as the remnants of primitive, vanishing cultures.

During the 20th century, advertising agencies 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-representations are significant because they allow Native groups to positively and appropriately market Native American symbols and imagery. This exhibit showcases just some of the ways Native people today represent their culture to the public through commercial endeavors.

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