#NativeTwitter
ali 
When using the term ‘Pretendian’, a mashup of ‘pretend’ and ‘Indian’, many Indigenous peoples will recognize it while some non-Natives may be left wondering. There are at least two different avenues leading to a Pretendian. We’ll be looking at the two most common. One will be familiar enough immediately. The second, not so much so … Read more
For all the times that I’ve seen offensive tattoos with Native-esque symbols or items, there has always been one thing clear — there are at least two people at fault for the offense. The person getting the disrespectful image, and the tattoo artist who inked it on them. Some time ago, I took the time … Read more
Thank you for taking the time to check out NTVTWT.com and my blog here. Entries are longer than would be feasible for a tweet or a tweet thread. I hope to share with you thoughts, tidbits about my family and important issues in urban and reservation life. As many things in between as well. A … Read more
Ali Watson and Johnnie Jae have submitted a SXSW Panel Picker proposal for the 2019 SXSW conference. The topic is “Playing Indian and Other Racist Nonsense“. With this panel, we propose to address the harm of trends such as Pretendian-ism, or the act of pretending to be Indigenous, such as claiming to be Cherokee or … Read more
If there’s one thing that Indigenous people can count on from a number of non-Natives it’s cultural appropriation. Despite countless examples of how offensive such a practice is, there are still those who disregard that respect and do it anyway. The average person can often fly under the radar anywhere else online, but when it … Read more
For better than a year apparently, Chicago based business Aloha Poke Co has sent cease and desist letters to any business with ‘Aloha’ and ‘Poke’ in their name, according to tweets and reports. It seemed to have recently been boosted into a wider audience with a Facebook video though the actions by this company appear … Read more
Sometime in February of 2018, Japanese jewelry and accessory designer Mic Moto posted on his Facebook Page a set of pullovers with a skull with a mustache wearing a headdress. One of the slogans on a design reads, “too many chiefs, not enough Indians”. I posted a tweet about it and made a comment in … Read more
Deadspin shared a story of a number of majority Native players in three Lacrosse teams in a Dakota league who shared instances of racism. Subsequently, the league expelled the three teams. Read the article here on Deadspin. Three native teams booted out of a lacrosse league by white officials. The teams aren’t allowed to play … Read more
At the end of March, Illinois high school Maine West featured a ‘passing of the warbonnet’ type ceremony with one student giving the next a pale blue faux Plains style headdress. #NativeTwitter was quick on it and very soon after, some of the high school’s Twitter accounts either blocked Native and ally accounts or went … Read more
Cultural appropriation by non-Natives is not something new. It’s something that Natives have tried educating about for decades. Sometimes some people or businesses ‘get it’. Many times, that’s not the case. As with Jaxx Layne’s Boutique. Example: Purse was $48!! Now $25!!!! 😎 pic.twitter.com/stt0fZ5GTo — Jaxx Layne’s Boutique (@JaxxLayne) March 28, 2018 I support real … Read more