Avoiding Cultural Appropriation with your Mermaid Costume

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Ballycastle Ireland.

I have never been. but my nanny (aptly named, Angela aka Annie) I have her ashes and I'd like to take some of them back there. She always wanted to go back for a visit but never got to.

Wow what a great place. I hope you get to go.

[Mermaid Sirenia]

Has anyone here actually had their DNA done by a company like Ancestry or something? A lot of people in here seem to know exactly what percentages they are of specific cultures and I would love to know the same. Is there a specific service that anyone can recommend, I didn't know if someone had had a positive experience with one company or a negative with another.

I don't ever claim to be anything because I have no proof of anything. I have been told there is Irish and Native American in my blood somewhere but I am at a complete loss as to where it came from or how much. My family is no help on this subject because they will say things but have no proof. I would love to know my actual results, if I go through with the testing I would be more than happy to share here just for funzies. I'm sure I will get tossed a wrench and find out we're actually Italian or some such thing.

I'm actually getting it done! Ancestry does a spit one, so I'm looking forward to see my results!

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

[Lucinda]

Other people think its so cool to be native, but when actual native people are protesting the construction of an oil pipeline that threatens their water supply and ancestral, sacred lands then where's the show of solidarity from people of other ethnic groups?

Image from; https://www.facebook.com/N8vBeauties/?fref=nf

[Mermaid Miradis]

I would like to do this too, but I don't want a scam test. I wonder what can give us the certainty that a specific company is not just inventing stuff?

[Vrindavana Starfish]

I would like a DNA test just for curiosity. But even if it confirmed that my great grandfather was Huron Indian, I still wouldn't feel comfortable claiming to BE a Native American, because I have no connection to that part of my ancestry. I can only say I have Native ancestry, but I know nothing of the ways of my tribe except what I read on wikipedia. Still, it would be an interesting thing to find out. I have a suspicion my parents had no idea what their actual history was, and picked things that sounded cool to them.

[Spindrift]

There was a recent picture on Facebook of a mer who had makeup for Chinese New Year. I think people mistook that for geisha makeup when it was actually Cantonese opera makeup and she was actually part chinese :P agreeing though that geisha makeup :edit: geisha anything on anyone is tacky.

Wait, was this me or someone else? :x Although in the pic i posted the makeup is hardly noticeable since it was on so lightly.

[AniaR]

I think it was Canadian Mermaid Marie... When i shared this blog she left me quite the comment. I think she thought I was passive agressivly trying to attack her. The truth was, I had not even seen her photo. I just rarely get fanpages showing up in my news feed. My blog was entierly inspired by stuff we have been talking about on mernetwork.

[MermaidAphrolila]

I wrote a blog on this topic:

My latest blog: Using Your Own Culture for Your Mermaid Costume Inspiration. A look at how we can avoid appropriating others and looking back at our own history for awesome inspiration. Also, some background on mermaid myths around the world! http://rainamermaid.weebly.com/blog/...me-inspiration

Hey Raina! I really want to read your blog post, but it's giving me a dead link :'( </3.

Either way, I just wanted to commend you for writing about this and bringing up such an important topic!

PS. I'm from Pakistan (citizenship wise; though I was born in this tiny Americanized compound owned by an oil company in Saudi Arabia from birth until about 11 years old), my ancestry is from India, and I grew up all over the world so I never really know how to respond to "where are you from?" without feeling like I'm lying to myself, and them, without word vomiting like I'm doing now xD.

[AniaR]

hmm im not sure why the link isnt working, I'll look into it

[AniaR]

oh it's because I bought a domain. This should work: https://www.mermaidraina.com/blog/us...me-inspiration

[inanna]

in reference to the photo collage, johnny depp actually worked very closely with the comanche, who felt he did a good job of honoring them and was not stereotypical nor disrespectful. i heard he was spiritually adopted, but i don't know if it's true.

i was unable to go to standing rock, but i did spread awareness and hoped people could go to help.


me, personally, i am mixed. on my mother's side i have basque/spainiard/native/german/scottish blood, and on my father's side i have white/mexican blood, with rumors of native though i am not sure.

i was raised with spanish speaking relatives so i mostly identified with the hispanic culture, but i also celebrated the jewish holidays, wore my clan's tartan, and played in tipis with my native corn dolls. admittedly as an adult i have been left a little confused. i didn't do the sword dances, but i have been very proud of my scottish heritage. my family never spoke much about our native blood, but i found an interview with my late great-great-aunt who told a story of our native ancestor who had dealings with the conquistadors.

i am slowly learning my native culture, from the legends to the traditions and everything inbetween. i am teaching myself the language, with the help of a dictionary that has audio clips for pronunciation. i wear my hair in the traditional chongo, and i would like to obtain some traditional clothes. i am interested in the blanket weaving, but i don't have a loom. there is also the silver smithing, but i don't have the skills for that.

in regards to appropriation, i feel wearing the tartan of my scottish clan is me expressing myself, same with wearing the native styles of dress. i would love to integrate little bits of things into my mersona, but nothing major since it would go against my personality.