A Short Essay on Cultural Appropriation

Cultural Appropriation. Since the beginning of our predecessors’ quest for control of the lands of the Americas, colonization efforts have served to massively appropriate the lands, art, ceremonial artifacts and practices to the extinction and near-extinction of hundreds of Indigenous cultures. The remaining fragments that the Indigenous peoples have are heavily tied to their religious identity. The appropriation of these last vestiges of a once-thriving people is fueling the final extinction of the original cultures (Young & Brunk, 2012, p. 93). Appropriation is different from cultural exchange in that exchange occurs naturally between two or more cultures whose interactions are on a peer-level. Appropriation occurs when a group with more power takes cultural elements from a group with lesser power without their permission or instruction. We see far-too-many self-professed “White Shamans” whose lineage involves a list of other white people who have learned the knowledge they teach from books written about Indigenous peoples that often blend the religious practices of several tribes while giving credit to almost none of them. These individuals are often referred to as plastic shamans, these people attempting to pass themselves off as shamans, holy people, or other traditional spiritual leaders with no genuine connection to the traditions or cultures they claim to represent (Pagan Wiccan, 2016).

The spirit of appropriation is also relevant to those who work with “dead cultures” such as the Old Irish, Old Norse, and Indo-Iranian hearth cultures. As Starhawk (2011) states, appropriation is “Taking the gifts of the Ancestors without a commitment to their descendants” (p. 59).  This is the premise of much of the awareness we promote at Mountain Ancestors. Rev. William Ashton II (2016) recently spoke of Outdwellers being made by a new power of dominant culture pushing the conquered peoples to the outside away from the fire; his modeling involves making an offering of tobacco to the descendants of this land, those who we have made the Outdwellers, in the hopes that we will one day heal the wounds inflicted by colonialism in the United States. Further, we promote the exploration of the current, modern peoples from the cultures whose Gods and practices we have borrowed or reconstructed in addition to the scholarly pursuit of ancient archaeology and lore, not only as adult education, but also as part of children’s education. We have been working toward peace relations between the pagan community and the Indigenous peoples in the area. There are several local tribes, and it is part of our work to build a bridge of respect and understanding with them in the hopes of building community.

References

Ashton II, Rev. W. (2016). Outsiders. Mountain Ancestors Fall Symposium. 17 Sept 2016. Boulder, CO.

Pagan Wiccan About.com. Plastic Shamans. Retrieved from http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/ControversialIssues/fl/Plastic-Shamans.htm

Starhawk. (2011). The empowerment manual: A guide for collaborative groups. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.

Young, J.O & Brunk, C.G. eds. (2012). The ethics of cultural appropriation. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Part the Mists: A Podcast Interview

Rev. Badger and I attended an ADF festival, more of a retreat, with Columbia Grove, ADF, at Trout Lake Abbey in Washington. The entire event was meaningful. We met some pretty brilliant folks, including Phaedra Bonewits, whom neither of us had seen for ages. 

During the trip, I was honored to be asked for an interview with Arin. They asked me quite a few questions about how I ended up where I am. Also included in this issue are words from several members of the ADF Hellenic Kin.

Enjoy! Part the Mists Podcast.

So begins a new chapter...Married Life!

Today, Rev. William Ashton and I were joined in marriage at our home in Longmont surrounded by friends and family. Our presiding clergy was our own Rev. Derek Wrigley, and the ceremony was lovely. I feel blessed and doubly blessed for the love and support of so many wonderful people. May the blessings of love and compassion fuel the fires of your hearths.

By the waters that support and surround us, 
by the sky that stretches out above us, 
and by the land that extends about us, I offer you blessings. 
May your love run deep as the Waters within the Earth. 
May your spirits soar together as you celebrate your joys.
May your dedication to one another be as mighty as the Mountains upon which we stand, 
And may the fire that burns at the center of all things burn within your hearts for all your days.

What do you feel makes a person an effective leader in ADF?

From Leadership Development 1...

In order to succeed as a leader in ADF, there are many traits of which an individual must already be possessed. There is also a vast difference in the traits required for local leaders and international leaders. On a local level, a leader has a better chance for success when they are able to function within a group setting, and basic leadership training will often suffice. Individuals who wish to serve at an organizational level must be able to perform well with little support and be highly self-motivated. ADF does attempt to provide support in some instances, but this is inconsistent and difficult to maintain. We are an organization of volunteers, and we have a tendency to use this as an excuse to cover up the fact that we often do not give our leaders the tools they need to do their jobs.
In order for leaders in ADF to provide a better place for our folk to commune in fellowship and align our values with the work of the Three Kindreds, it is imperative that we instill a better sense of value in the human resources we have as an organization—and the human element may be the only real resource we have. We currently have a wide variety of leaders who are in various stages of burnout, and until we recognize this, we will not be able to provide the healing necessary for these once high-performing individuals to excel once more. It is time to move from “Fast as a Speeding Oak,” which we have used to allow ourselves to stagnate, to “Why not Excellence?”

Isaac’s vision is still relevant and sound. We are drifting as an organization, and sound leadership is required to keep us on task. Our leadership teams do not operate with collaboration or in consensus, which leads to quite a few folks who feel unheard and left out of some of the most basic but important aspects of ADF functionality. We have leaders who have been stating out loud that they are burnt out, and instead of providing relief to them, we have a track record of providing criticism that has even been coupled with a pronouncement of disappointment. In order to be leaders in ADF, we need to begin leading by example, not following the golden rule of “Do unto others as you would have done unto you,” but the platinum rule, “Do unto others that they would have done unto them” or alternatively stated, “Treat others as they want to be treated” (Allessandra, Platinum).

The number one, single most effective way of ensuring success as a leader, as a person that others will willingly follow, is to treat others with respect and dignity and in the manner they want to be treated instead of projecting onto them how we assume they want to be treated based on our own ego-reaction to their situation. Leaders have followers. If no one is following you, or if people are following you out of fear, are you really leading?

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Situational Leadership Theory

            The Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) was developed by Paul Hershey and Ken Blanchard in the 1970’s and is still a highly utilized if not foundational leadership style. SLT describes how interactions between the manager and the employee evolve over time as the employee gains knowledge and experience in their role.

            Early reviewers such as Claude Graeff (1983) criticize the theory nomenclature for the use of “mature” v. “immature” as a means of describing per performance manifestations of job-created exposure, experience, and skill (p. 285). In response, Blanchard, together with Patricia and Drea Zigarmi (2013) gave the theory a facelift, omitted the diminutive terminology, and simplified the overall description. The drill down still includes four distinctive types of leadership style—directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating—to be used in each situation based on the needs of the employee (Blanchard, Zigarmi, 2013, p. 52).

            The advantage of this style is in the assumed relationship that will build between the employee and their manager as the manager fosters the growth and development of the employees on an individual basis. As an employee shows growth, the manager will be able to provide additional responsibilities and freedoms to increase their opportunities to gain knowledge and experience.

            However, there are significant downfalls to this style inherently and  if applied inconsistently.  First, the theory leaves no instruction to allow the employee to take part in the decisions regarding their current skill levels. If the manager does not have the ability to fully assess the status of the employee in terms of need for support and direction, the employee will not receive the support or instruction necessary to complete tasks. The employee must be assessed and reassessed at the advent of each situation, and the theory does not currently state this. Further, this lack of inclusion may actually inhibit the relationship building between the manager and the employee and even create distance between them. There is also no provision for managing a group of individuals who are working on a like project. This can lead to the high performers and low performers alike finding difficulty in engaging. Lack of engagement is a key contributing factor to a decrease in work satisfaction (Blank, Weitzel, & Green, 1990, p. 593).

            Finally, many tasks require direct supervision based on degree level, training, and legal mandate. Norris and Vecchio (1992) point out the risk of this leadership style, particularly when there are a variety of employees with varying levels of experience from external settings. These individuals all require tailored relationships with their leaders, and those who oversee a large number of employees run the risk of fostering only a portion of the employees while others are without proper guidance and supervision (Norris and Vecchio, 1992, p. 845).

            Overall, Situational Leadership as a leadership style can be beneficial. Though there is significant doubt in the usefulness in a general setting, the benefits of the SLT are best-suited to mentoring and succession planning in a career path among peers.

References

Blanchard, K., Zigarmi, P., & Zigarmi, D. (2013). Leadership and the one minute manager:                        Increasing effectiveness through situational leadership II.  New York, NY: Harper                                   Collins.

Blank, W., Weitzel, J.R., & Green, S. G. (1990).  A test of the situational leadership theory.

            Personnel Psychology, 43(3), 579-597.

Graeff, C. L. (1983).  The situational leadership theory: A critical view.  The Academy of

            Management Review, 8(2), 285-291.

Thompson, G., & Vecchio, R.P. (2009). Situational leadership theory: A test of three versions.                The Leadership Quarterly, 20, 837-848.