greengammagirl: dailydot: Native Americans are not happy with J.K. Rowling’s new story Two d

greengammagirl:

dailydot:

Native Americans are not happy with J.K. Rowling’s new story

Two days ago, author J.K. Rowling released a new story, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, on her blog Pottermore. Controversy soon followed, as Rowling immediately faced backlash over the alleged misrepresentation of Native culture in a story that draws from real Colonial Massachusetts history.

This is for all you fucks on Tumblr dot hell happily busy sorting yourself into Ilvermorny houses, completely erasing real Native cultures in North America and ignoring the fact that Rowling is harming real living, breathing, already hurting peoples. 

Native Americans have for months been trying to talk to Rowling on social media, exhausting themselves trying to explain to her that she is misrepresenting Native cultures, appropriating Native cultures, and Rowling has completely ignored them.

What Rowling is done is unforgivably racist and privileged. The power imbalance is nauseating. 

So if you’re excited about Ilvermorny, step the fuck back and go read what Dr. Adrienne Keene and Debbie Breese have been writing for months about how harmful this process is.

You can find them both on Twitter at @NativeApprops and @debreese. Read, listen to Native voices on this, don’t derail, don’t center yourself in the discussion, and don’t harass or minimize their very legitimate concerns.

Fuck you, Harry Potter fandom, for remaining so ignorant. These are not your cultures to play with and gaslight.

Didn’t know this and now I know. Pass it on.