Wednesday, March 9, 2016

J.K. Rowling Enrages Native Americans

         After the release of some of the latest short stories on Pottermore, the Native American community has made it clear that they are not happy with the content.

     J.K. Rowling posted a few new stories depicting Native Americans and their practices and legends. The stories, entitled A History of Magic in North America, were intended to give Harry Potter fans some idea of the setting of the upcoming movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. However, because of the way Rowling depicted some Native American beliefs, many Native Americans have spoken out to let the writer know that they are displeased with her portrayal.

     In particular, a section that talks about 'skinwalkers' has sent some Native Americans on edge. Publicity material and even trailers about this have left many Native Americans feeling as if the writer has been culturally insensitive.

     A Cherokee scholar, Dr. Adrienne Keene, even called out J.K. Rowling via Twitter. She had this to say: You can't just claim and take a marginalized people. That's straight up colonialism/appropriation.

       Native Americans were angered even further by the fact that J.K. Rowling did not respond to any of their concerns.

No comments:

Post a Comment