LYNN TROTTA
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So much gray area

4/2/2020

 
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You may have noticed that I rarely offer a yes-or-no stance on cultural misappropriation, in part because it’s a super complex, gray area type of situation. 

Are there some things that are 100% obviously taboo? Absolutely! 
Like black-face. Wrong. Uh-uh. No way. 

Other things may feel a little more obscure to some folks, while being extremely obvious to others. 
 

Here’s an example…  Let’s say your grandmother was thrown in jail for making chamomile tea. Then the grandchildren of the people who locked her up, started making chamomile tea and selling it. While you, the grandchild of the original chamomile maker were raised to not do that because it could get you thrown in jail and also because chamomile has special cultural rules around it, including not trading it for money. 

Can you imagine how you’d feel watching those people making money off of a sacred act that your ancestors were jailed for? 

Now make the story about indigenous Native Americans and smudging with sage. Or sweetgrass. Or any number of their  cultural elements widely seen today. 

Yes, first nations peoples were persecuted for religious practices until 1978 in some places. That’s the year I was born. That’s not that long ago. (Hey, I still get carded. Okay, sometimes, I get carded).

Being a cultural orphan myself, the way I personally look at appropriation is not so much about the question “Can I do XYZ?”

Rather, “How would the original people who did XYZ feel about me doing it?”

There are lots of other questions I ask myself while exploring this concept… like do I know of all the cultures where it was practiced and why they did it? 

Do I know the protocols and taboos around it? 
Did I learn the practice from the original source? 
Did I get permission to practice it? To share it? 
Am I profiting off of someone else’s current or past suppression? 
If it feels important to continue the practice, how can I make reparations or amends in the process? 

When it comes to the conversation of cultural appropriation, I don’t pretend to have all of the answers. Hell, I don’t have any of the answers! 

But I find the greatest value in asking the questions. 
Being willing to have the hard conversations. 
Listening for the answers, from others and from within. 

Then acting accordingly. 

We are on a long and winding road of healing ourselves and the relationships between groups of people who have been harmed. Let’s all set the intention to proceed with love and awareness. 

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    LYNN TROTTA

    I'm a nature-based mentor and coach helping sensitive, empathic souls out of anxiety and overwhelm and into a healing relationship with nature.

    ​When we root in a meaningful relationship with the Earth, we find a sense of belonging more beautiful than we ever imagined.  

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When the constant pursuit to do more leads to overwhelm and anxiety, it’s easy to find yourself feeling disconnected, exhausted, and missing the juiciest parts of life. For over 17 years, Lynn has been guiding people to reconnect with nature and ceremony, allowing them to reclaim a sense of purpose and embrace peace.

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I acknowledge that I'm living and working on stolen land. The original peoples of what's now called New York, as well as the rest of this continent, were wrongfully & forcibly removed from their lands, suffered death, physical, and emotional trauma, and their culture intentionally fractured. I understand that Native Americans are still here; strong and thriving. I offer my condolences those the past, present, and future indigenous peoples who experienced harm, at the hands of colonizers, the colonial system, and systemic racism. I promise to do my best to be an ally, abolitionist, and accomplice. To support reparations and healing, in not just words, but in action. I understand that this statement is imperfect and only the first step. 
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