tabaotsi

I just need some doodle ideas so I can get use to drawing people again.

I've been stuck in Fem!Romano mode as of late due to my askblog on Tumblr.

So any suggestions would be nice! <3

I've been on an unoffical hiatus from the latest Whotalia comic and since I'm soon to enter winter break (along with a suspicion of a new tablet for Christmas), I plan on updating with new pages December and January, especially since I just found my notes as I was mucking out my room getting packed up and all.

I'm not having a solid timeline of when I'll have things done as I am also not heading straight home, but spending Christmas and New Year's with my boyfriend and his family. So I'll work on it when I get the chance.

But yes, letting people know I didn't forget about it and since it's been pretty much a year since I started mucking around with Whotalia I thought it'd be appropriate to do an update for the comic.

So stay tuned!

Ciao babies!

Tabaotsi

There were two young boys who lived with their families and enjoyed days together exploring the area around their home, riding horses, and causing general mischief.

One day, they were suddenly uprooted from their home and were taken to a stone building with other children their age. They were told what to say, what to learn, how to dress, how to look. When they disobeyed, they were often beat and left in the prison. They would switch out in stealing vegetables and potatoes from the gardens and feed each other.

But as each day went by, they felt their identities leave them without speaking what was true to them, sharing the knowledge they have learned back home, were even forbidden to think of home.

One day, enough was enough. In the dead of night, they plotted and managed to escape the stone building, hid in fields, homes of friends, until they were able to make their way back home.

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This is the story that my Great Grandpa Tom told me and my siblings about his time at the Steward Indian School outside of Carson City Nevada, where many children were sent from their homes on the reservations to get an education and to assimilate into "American Life". While the idea to have Natives Assimilate into society for the better survival of the people may as well been of good intent, I can't help but look at Indian Schools in a dark light, despite what good they have done, based on the experience that my Grandpa has told us.

Not long after he left the school did he join the US army and was sent over to Europe in September 1944.

I can't really recall anything he ever said about that time. I only ever heard anything about it once my sister sat down and talked with him for a paper she wrote for school, and a little more from my dad at his funeral.

I mostly wanted to talk about my Papa tom is because it is Native American History Month and Papa Tom has been the Patriarch of my family as far back as I can remember and has been a big influence on us grandkids.

I wanted to share a little bit about my grandpa as part of my usual november thing for Native American Month and as a reminder to enjoy your grandparents while you can, especially if they put in the big effort to be a part of your life, like my grandpa had. You'd be surprise with how much you missed once they're gone.

My TV special of the day.

EDIT: Never mind... it's working again... that was just weird....

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or are people having issues with seeing their notes here?

I cant open my inbox or read the unread messages.

WTF DA?

It's almost Halloween, where it can be very fun or be a tad bit aggravating.

Aggravating in my case as every year, i see those few obnoxious people that go around rocking Craft Store headdresses or SEXY Pocahontas, or... well... you get the picture.

It's almost November, and long time followers know that for the entire month, I leave up a journal entry for Native American Month, and I leave articles and links for you all to ponder and reflect on for the Native peoples. I'll put up that specific entry on November 1st.

But to kick start this year, let me present the argument to try and talk you out of that "Native" costume you might be considering for Halloween. Since many similar aritcles that I have come across are extremely angry (and rightfully so), I'll try to make my argument less so, but not guaranteeing anything.

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The Native American people may be one of the most underrepresented minorities in the US (and elsewhere in North America), however, that does not mean that we are a silent bunch. Coming from a household that may have enjoyed the Disney Pocahontas movie (Pocahontas will always be MY Disney Princess), got a good chunk of the merchandise, and yet never dressed up as her for Halloweens Past , there are lines to be drawn. It's one thing if there is some sort of character created from a movie, book, TV series, etc., and you do your best to craft your costume to the best of your ability (which better be a damn good job and make it easier to explain who you're suppose to be). That's one of those odd gray areas that the cultural society create.

However, the sort of costumes that has been infamous this time of year are the ones that are more reflective of the Old Western Movies, in which the Native Stereotype flourished, where the Headbands, feathers, war paint, loincloths, buckskins, all were taken completely out of their tribal contexts and used only to establish the identity of the "Bad Guys", "Savages", "Red Indian", and enemy to our Cowboy hero's.

One documentary, "Reel Indian" may help put this into more perspective.

Since a vast majority of costumes in recent times reflect that particular movie era, along side the growing "Sexy Trend" which just adds fuel to the Native Woman "Squall" stereotype, you are not helping your case if you chose to side with the argument that all you're doing, besides throwing together a last minute Halloween costume, is appreciating a culture through their costumes.

... do yourself a favor and just flat out admit you had a moment of cultural ignorance. Because you're setting yourself up for another argument.

With the headdress in particular, many Native "relics" are misused and misinterpreted as "the Red Indian casual wear where it'd be easier to identify who they are".

THAT IS NOT THE CASE WHATSOEVER!

Each regalia has various meanings throughout the tribes, as not one tribe are exactly the same. It's common place enough to know that it's a high honor to be in possession of Eagle Feathers, which are items that are EARNED through means of war, the good of the tribe, etc., and a war bonnet (headdress) is an object worthy of respect to the one that has done enough deeds to earn each and every one of those feathers to create the headdress.

Even today's powwow regalia has meaning, mostly in the stories told how each costume piece came to be or what they were to represent.

Even if the pieces that you do wear are in fact Native American made, they shouldn't EVER be worn for something as trivial as Halloween.

As much as I am a big promoter of buying Native items from Native Craftsmen, please please PLEASE do not misuse the products you buy just so you can play "dress up". That is highly disrespectful.

If you do have that fascination with the "Tribal Fashion Trend" but you don't want to evoke the wrath of social justice people, here are some links to blogs that I recommend that source the artists when available and how to get you out of the hot water a little (all are by Native Artists):

fyeahindigenousfashion.tumblr.…

fyeahnativeamericanart.tumblr.…

And then a blog that shows what NOT to do:

this-is-not-native.tumblr.com/

( I really like this blog because while they do keep a watchdog alert on extreme inappropriate use of Native tags, objects, etc., they also discourage harassment from their followers to the person who did the post. When the poster tries to argue with the Admins, the admins are rather animate about being the more reserve and polite in explaining why it's wrong, as well as providing frickin' good articles to back it up.... though they do have their sarcastic moments, but seriously, love the work they do! Some people's posts are just disgusting!)


Overall, just be sensitive to what you decide to do for Halloween. And not just for the Native American costumes, but all the stereotyping insensitive costumes (like Blackface, Lazy Mexican, Terroist, etc.)

Racism and Insensitivity are big problems in today's society and an issue like the sort of costumes to wear for Halloween may be insignificant to bigger issues, but it is a place to start.

So please keep this in consideration.