Native American Headdresses

Art is a form of self-expression. Painting, drawing, singing, dancing, acting, and other likewise media are ways that people are able to communicate to the world who they are and what they are all about. But what about tattoos? Where do these fall?

Are they a form of self expression that has no limits or are they something more because they are permanent and cannot be changed? How much does it matter that these are forever while the other works can come in and out of the public eye, never having to undergo a painful process to be removed? Looking at tattoo trends shows an upswing in Native American inspired tattoos.

While designs such as the dreamcatcher, which is a more popular symbol found monetized though jewelry, and were used by some Native American culutres as a way to protect the dreamer from bad dreams or evil spirits, are not seen as such a big form of cultural appropriation anymore, it and other tattoo designs such as arrows and headdresses have specific cultural meanings that should not be ignored. Each symbol represents something about the culture it comes from, and appropriating a culture takes away ignores, and disregards the cultural meaning of the symbols.
Putting Native American symbols on yourself as a tattoo communicates that you have earned the right to that marking, when you likely haven’t ( pihtawikosisân). The images are part of a culture, and it is disrespectful to Native Americans to get a tattoo of their culture without at least taking the time to researcha symbol’s meaning.
Not only do those getting the tattoo have the responsibility to discover the cultural meaning behind the tattoo, but the tattoo artists also need to know what the cultural symbols means, or educate the person getting tattooed on the cultural significance of the tattoo, before agreeing to give them as permanent tattoos. This will allow the appropriation of these symbols to become appreciation and prevent a culture sacred to many from being turned into a business venture.
Even though these Native American symbols – the dreamcatcher, arrow, and feather headdress – have an aesthetic appeal to many people today, the symbols’ creation was for cultural significance and meaning, not simply visual beauty. While the aesthetics of the symbols did matter, these symbols also may represent rites of passage, accomplishments, ora tribal belief. Each of these symbols carries a very specific meaning. So what do each of these tattoos mean?
The dreamcatcher is an interesting one as it is most commonly associated with Native American culture, and consequently becomes a hot topic for this discussion of appropriation versus appreciation to begin. As far as the cultural implications of the dreamcatcher go, it was not popular until the Pan-Indian movement in the 60s and 70s, where multiple tribes gathered together to make a unifying force in the hopes of protecting their land from the government (Sara).
The Pan-Indian movement took multiple tribes and treated them as a singular unit, appropriating the culture by treating it as a singular entity. This led to the Native American stereotype that is present in culture and media today. Dreamcatchers in of themselves are thought of as catching bad dreams and protecting the dreamer.
This idea stems from a Lakota legend, where a spider weaves the web, leaving a hole in the middle to allow good dreams to pass through and bad dreams to get caught in the web, and that dreamcatchers represent hope for the future (Sara). Dreamcatchers will commonly get used as trinkets for people, such as rearview mirror ornaments, necklaces, or other jewelry. These may get done as tattoos because dreamcatchers are viewed as good luck charms and people will want that on their body.
This is problematic because it removes the dreamcatcher from its origin and treats it simply as an item for sale. It contributes to monetizing a culture and appropriating cultural significance by using it as simply a fashion statement. Looking at the origin of the dreamcatcher gives the tattoo more significance, as now its wearer will be able to explain what the tattoo means rather than knowing nothing about it.
Yet, it is important to know that people will rightfully associate the tattoo with a Native American heritage, and that it may result in adverse effects for the tattoo wearer, who will now have to answer questions about their heritage and may become embarrassed by those questions. This should dissuade non Native Americans from getting the tattoo, as knowledge about the tattoo does not give the right to get it. Similarly, the cultural meaning of the arrow symbol is a more complex issue than many people know.
Rather than looking at the arrow as a cute way to show that life goes on or that anything can be reached, it is important to know what the Native American cultural meaning of the pictogram is so that the tattoo is not poorly chosen.
While the meaning of the arrow symbol differed across many tribes, for the Iroquois, “Crossed arrows were symbols of friendship. A broken arrow was a symbol of peace” (“Symbols and Meanings”). This gives the arrow a greater meaning, allowing it to have a relational meaning and also able to communicate a message. Additionally, the Iroquois tribe represented themselves with five different arrows, where five represented strength and one represented weakness (Two Wolves).
It is important to know that each tribe held a different meaning for the arrow, but that all of them had complex meanings that are important to consider when selecting a tattoo, especially one with many varied meanings. This does not necessarily give just anyone the right to get these tattoos, but does show that there are intricate meanings to each of the tattoos and that one definition may not work for each tribe. The meaning of the arrow was societally important, and this was similar for headdresses.
Headdresses for the Sioux Indians were crafted feather by feather, and each feather was awarded to a warrior when he did something brave (Indians.org). Different tribes would create different styles of headdresses, and would use feathers from crows, hawks, and eagles, where the eagle was considered a messenger from god in many cultures. The feathers used indicated what powers the person would acquire. If there were eagle feathers, then the person would acquire wisdom and duplicate the strength and power of the eagle (Tribal Directory).
The headdresses varied among different tribes. The Dakota Sioux had some of the more elaborate headdresses and each feather was cut a different way to indicate how the person the warrior fought against was murdered (Pambies). This shows that each feather held significant meaning for the warrior who wore the headdress.
The culture placed emphasis on how skilled of a warrior the man was, as seen in the details of each feather. Headdresses were not an article of clothing worn by any Native American, and treating it as such is appropriating the culture. With detail going down to the cut, color, and type of feather, it is important not to assume all feather headdresses are the same. When looking to get a feather headdress asa tattoo or part of a tattoo, there is the same appropriation attached to it as when electing to wear one.
The various colors of these symbols held meanings of their own. Each tribe would associate greater meaning to various colors. For example, the Navajo tribe gives blue, white, yellow, and black higher meaning because these colors represent sacred mountains to them. Many tribes used the medicine wheel to represent the circle of life; birth, growth, maturity, and death. Its colors, red, yellow, black, and white; were used in Native American symbols to represent similar ideas (“Color Meanings”).
The color yellow, which represents death on the medicine wheel, would be used on warrior face paint to indicate strength as a warrior. The colors are as much a part of the meaning as the symbol itself, as they connected to the culture and could give the symbol additional meaning. There are many facets to the meaning of these symbols, and it is important to know these before any permanent tattoo or other artwork is placed on the body.
There are people out there getting these tattoos and not realizing that they are being culturally insensitive. Cultural insensitivity does not only occur when looking at Native American culture, as can be seen in famous white female Hollywood stars donning dreadlocks. However, the issue becomes greater with tattoos because people will be less bold in starting media fire about how they are appropriation. While people may be out there thinking that they are appreciating the culture by getting it placed all over their body, this is not always the case, especially when there is often no research conducted beforehand.
Brianna Fragoso has a picture of Native Americans and people who are not wearing such costumes that best states this idea, even including underneath it the phrase “Culture not Costume,” indicating that a culture is not to be looked at as simply a fun way to dress up sometimes. She describes appropriation, saying that it “strips away the bad parts,” leavinga “sugar-coated version with no consequences.” This means that appropriation ignores the history and reality of a group of people.
This is seen in mainstream fashion festivals. With tattoos as a subset of fashion, they are relevant to each other. Tattoos share the similar issue of fashion where when someone outside of the culture wears one, it may be viewed as trendy or beautiful, but when someone of the heritage and belonging to the culture has one, it may be viewed as primitive or negatively. Cultural appropriation goes further than ignorance.
Rather, it touches on the fact that glorifying only what looks aesthetically pleasing gets rid of the value of a culture and demeans the people with that culture to simply living muses for artwork. People are then looked at as simply their appearance. They are no longer humans. Their ideas and cultural realities are stripped away. Yet, cultural appreciation is knowing what something means and respecting how it is meant to be worn or used and sticking to those axioms.
Even though these tattoos are mainstream in today’s culture, this is not the first time that these symbols and images have become popular, and it is crucial to know the history of these symbols’ popularity when looking at the issue today. Popular icons have used Native American symbols to create a unique, recognizable trademark.
A member of the band The Kings of Leon had a dreamcatcher tattoo, and this inspired Kathleen Walsh to get the same tattoo (Walsh). This shows that popular icons influence what people do, and have a role in how the stereotypes and removal of cultural significance plays out in society. If a famous face gets a significant tattoo, it is important to include the meaning of the tattoo when talking about it, so that fans can be educated on the issue rather than have no more understanding.
Celebrities have a responsibility to know the meaning because they are constantly in the public eye and have fans who will copy what they do without thinking twice. One way to learn the meaning is to ask a Native American who is willing to share their culture. Celebrities are sometimes seen as experts or being more aware of issues, and, due to this, need to know what they are actually spreading around. When they have a tattoo that bears cultural significance, they should mention why they got it, including if they are part of the culture or if there is another, important reason. Yet, they cannot ignore its meaning.
In fashion, there are companies, such as Paul Frank, who host costume parties focused on dressing up as Native American. This party included many tribal articles, most notably headdresses, mixing them all together as though they were part of one tribe (Smith). The appropriation of monetizing a culture is most problematic in these contexts; it strips the personality from the tribes and treats them as one singular tribe.
Even more disturbing is that Paul Frank’s PR team’s response to outrage of the incident stated how they were trying to be diverse and that they are removing photos because of complaints (Smith). When the culture is turned into another fashion line and then the line is popularized, people will not stop to think about what they are doing by wearing the culture. The meaning gets lost because it is disregarded. Popularity separates the object from any of its ties.
In this case, it is Native American clothing being removed from the cultural meanings. In other cases, it could be treating Native American tattoos as just a means of self-expression, exempt from meaning, and therefore separated from culture. The disregard for the implications of dressing up as another culture was lost on the fashion company. This makes it so people are not encouraged to speak up about these issues or listen to those whose input would be the most valuable in how to respond and react to this issue in the media or culture.
Getting these tattoos or other cultural elements for fashion’s sake is only looking at the idealized version of Native American culture, ignoring the adversity the tribes faced (Medina). Doing so treats history as non-existent. The idea of dressing up as a Native American was popular even back in America’s Revolutionary Era (“Feather Headdress”).
This was most apparent during the Boston Tea Party, when those participating dressed up as Native Americans. It was done as a way to rid themselves of the blame but was incredibly offensive, as well. This shows how the idea of dressing up as another culture is not new, but does not make it okay to continue doing. Having parties in today’s culture where this is common and celebrated, with or without remorse, is not acceptable behavior for anyone.
In festivals like Coachella, there are people who will wear what they see as Native American attire because it looks really cool (Medina). Just because large venues are full of people treating a culture as a fashion trend is not validation that it is okay for anyone to be doing this. People need to talk about this issue rather than brushing it off, saying that Native Americans are overreacting to their culture being used in these manners.
It is important to know what Native Americans are saying about the tattoo issue as well as what they would like people to do about it. They are the experts on themselves and should be listened to when voicing an opinion on the matter. Tattoo artist Rain James Lee Two Wolves points out how many times, the idea that Americans have of Native American culture is Pan-Indianism, a combining of aspects of several tribal cultures into one culture.
This is often used by Native Americans themselves to prevent their culture from being misused. They do not do it simply to prevent knowledge of their culture. Rather, their culture is sacred to them and they would rather be overprotective of it than not at all. Rationale for this can be found in blogs. Several Reddit blogs have looked at this issue of Native American symbols as tattoo art and offer varying points.
There was one blog by user tukktukkk who wanted to get a Native American symbol as a tattoo. Riobravoyo’s response to tukktukk’s post about getting a Native American tattoo and not being Native American himself mentions how he has friends who are Native American and would find it offensive if a Non-Native American were to get a symbolic tattoo.
This highlights and important part of the discussion – Native Americans do not want just anyone getting their culture tattooed on them, and this is important to note when choosing a tattoo. Going through blogs shines light on what is actually being said about the issue, and gives an open platform where people will readily give their views. This provided insight on what people want to be done about getting these tattoos, especially the point that it can be offensive to get the tattoo.
Even more important is to get these tattoos from an artist who knows the meaning behind the tattoo, as not all of them will. Tattoo artists Nick from Zealand Tattoos and Vinh Huynh were willing to answer questions about Native American tattoos and their meanings, but then responded by saying that they did not feel they had enough knowledge to provide extensive enough responses. This illustrates how the tattoo issue is on both sides of the business, where both sides may be lacking knowledge. It would not be best to get a tattoo ofa cultural symbol from someone who does not know about it or is not part of that culture.
BlackShadow Rose, another Reddit user, made a post discussing how getting tattoos simply “for fashion” is problematic, and uses a tattoo done by an admired artist, David Hale, to begin the conversation. A comment on the post about cultural appropriations and the role it plays in the tattoo artwork explains how it goes more into cultural significance and matters of power rather than simply admiration or ignorance (BlackShadow Rose).
Saying that it is more important that the tattoo is liked than that the people’s whose culture it is are okay with the tattoo communicates appropriation. It says that because the tattoo wearer has more power in society or in another realm, that any other views are insignificant. In fact, those other cultures are very significant. Without them, there wouldn’t be anything to appropriate. The irony in ignoring the culture is that the culture provides the sought after tattoo design.
Native Americans are pointing out that it is not the symbol itself that makes the tattoo offensive, but rather the disdain for the cultural meanings behind the tattoo. One of the most common issues that they will address is who has the right to get these tattoos. Symbols such as the headdress are meant for people who have accomplished a specific set of things.
This is true for many Native American symbols, as they were associated with passing specific achievements and monetizing the symbol cheapens the achievement ( pihtawikosisân). Ignoring that there is meaning to these is what is seen as most bothersome because it treats the Native American culture as insignificant. It also treats the rite of passage as unnecessary. Furthermore, it adds to the marginalization of people who are less than 2% of the United States population (Medina).
It is their culture and their culture needs to be addressed. Looking at a tattoo simply as a fashion statement is disrespectful and not a valid reason for appropriating a culture. Not everyone who looks at Native American symbols thinks that it matters what Native Americans have to say about their culture being appropriated.
This is a problem as it takes away the importance of their perspective and expertise on their own culture. Wehca states in a response to a Reddit article that getting a Native American tattoo may be problematic, “especially if you’re going to deal with Native Americans where you live” (Tukktukk). The discourse futhers, with tukktukk stating that he doesn’t care about what they think because he likes the tattoo and that is all that matters.
Treating the opinion of Native Americans as an inconvenience is disrespectful and says that the desire to get a tattoo is more important than the opinions of an individual whose heritage is being turned into art. This is another version of cultural appropriation. The transformation of supremacy is seen in this mindset and perpetuates older issues of erasure. In a response to a Reddit blog titled “Feather Headdress,” a user says that images such as a feather headdress could be viewed as offensive by Native Americans. Native Americans getting offended cannot be ignored simply because it may dissuade someone from getting such a tattoo.
If anything, this is exactly why their opinions matter. As well, the feather headdress is an image that is frequently tattooed on people and may be furthering the monetization of a culture, therefore appropriating a culture even if the tattoo was chosen because of appreciation for the meaning behind the symbol. Monetization of a culture is using a culture for business purposes, such as for making money and ties into appropriating the culture.
Very little has been done to fix this issue because people like to get the tattoos and the voices of Native Americans get drowned out by the people who care if they have a trendy tattoo rather than caring if it is offensive or not. Yet,a view from Reddit user [deleted] is that only the person getting the tattoo should care if the tattoo could be viewed as racist, because the beauty of the artwork is more important than possible repercussions of it (“Feather Headdress”).
He uses this to tell the blog maker that she should get the headdress tattoo because she’ll like the tattoo and it doesn’t matter if anyone thinks it is racist or problematic. Now, knowing full well that a tattoo is racist and still getting it is problematic because the wearer of the tattoo is now inherently a racist.
Not knowing the meaning and learning about it afterward is one thing, because a tattoo is permanent. Knowing that the tattoo is offensive to get and still getting it is faulty reasoning that should not be used by anyone wanting a tattoo. Yet, some people do change their minds when they realize the meaning behind their tattoo and work to do better, showing that there are also people out there who care about the opinions of Native Americans on this matter.
This helps the subversion because there are people out there who are not Native-American who are trying to help spread the issues with their tattoos so that not only Native Americans will have to fix the problem. Kathleen Walsh got a dreamcatcher tattoo when she was 18 simply because she thought it looked cool. As she got questions about her heritage, she began to feel ashamed and eventually looked up the dreamcatcher she got on her back, which she discovered was from the Ojibwe tribe and has also been used between multiple cultures (Walsh).
She did her research and decided that it was a mistake to have gotten the tattoo, but that she now knows better, illustrating how people simply need to get the facts before they get a tattoo so that they do not havea permanent mark on their body that they then feel permanently ashamed by.
A Reddit response by cokcok is very argumentative, saying that getting a tattoo of a Native American wearinga headdress is a stereotype since this is the limited presentation that Native Americans have (“Feather Headdress”). As this response shows, people are out there trying to help fix this issue, and their voices are valid because they are doing their best to fix the problems they see. Unfortunately, their voices are commonly outweighed by the desires of the person wanting the tattoo and so the rationale that such a tattoo is a bad idea gets discounted because it is not what the person desiring the tattoo wants to hear.
Tattoos are often a form of self-expression, but the cultural meanings of Native American tattoos matter and should be taken into account when getting a tattoo. Though not everyone is aware of the meanings, this is not an excuse for making up rash reasons behinda tattoo design, such as for aesthetic appeal or because they just really want it. Callinga dreamcatcher tattoo something as simple as a “good luck charm” (Walsh) strips the symbol of any meaning, discounting that there is a culture behind the tattoo.
Looking at a cultural symbol as nothing more than aesthetically pleasing rids a heritage of meaning and importance, as well as implying that selfish wants outweigh cultural implications. When told to look up the meaning of the tattoo, the author of “Feather Headdresses” stated that doing so “doesn’t really fit the theme of what I’m doing,” and it is rash rationales like this that prevent necessary progress from anyone, Native American or not, from being made in the tattoo issue.
It is not about the aesthetics of the tattoo. That is not why there are people out there saying that these tattoos shouldn’t be gotten on a whim. It is because these tattoos do have a  meaning. There have been comments saying that the look of a tattoo is what’s most important, and responses saying that these are trendy and thoughtless are discounted (BlackShadow Rose), leading to the idea that people do not look at the viewpoint of the Native Americans because it makes the tattoo less appealing.
Yet, it is their culture. They do have the right to tell people to not get a tattoo that appropriates their culture. They are the voices to listen to about this issue. It is time to start giving their voices more prominence in these debates. Listen to those people who don’t want their culture demeaned into tattoo designs. After all, I’m sure you’d want the same thing if it were your culture being appropriated and monetized.
Works Cited

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“The Do’s, Don’ts, Maybes, and I-Don’t-Knows of Cultural Appropriation.” Pihtawikosisn, WordPress, 30 Jan. 2012, http://apihtawikosisan.com/2012/01/the-dos-donts-maybes-i-dont-knows-of-cultural appropriation/.
“Feather Headdress Tattoo Offensive?” Reddit, Reddit Inc, 12 Aug. 2014, https://www.reddit.com/r/tattoos/comments/2dc7z6/feather_headdress_tattoo_offensive/#bott om-comments.
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Nick. Personal Interview. 3 October 2016. Pambies. “The Indian Headdress.” The Indian Headdress, Tripod, http://pambies.tripod.com/headdress.html.
Sara. “Dreamcatcher Tattoos.” InkDoneRight, Ink Done Right, 2 Oct. 2015, http://www.inkdoneright.com/dreamcatcher-tattoos/dreamcatcher-tattoos-2-2/.
Smith, S.E. “Paul Frank Hosts Racist ‘Dreamcatchin’ Party, Surprised When People Protest.” XoJane, Time Inc Style Network, 10 Sept. 2012, http://www.xojane.com/issues/paul-frank hosts-racist-dreamcatchin-party-surprised-when-people-protest.
Tukktukk. “Do You Have a Traditional/Native American Tattoo – Do You Regret It? Do You Fear Any Repercussions?” Reddit, Reddit Inc, 18 Oct. 2014, https://www.reddit.com/r/tattoos/comments/2jlyh6/do_you_have_a_traditionalnative_america n_tattoo/#bottom-comments.
Two Wolves, Rain James Lee. Personal Interview. 2 October 2016. Walsh, Kathleen. “IT HAPPENED TO ME: I Have a Culturally Insensitive Tattoo.” XoJane, Time Inc Style Network, 8 June 2015, http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/cultural appropriation-tattoo#!