Portraying Indigenous Characters

[mod audrey]

Hi, all,

Given that we now have Indigenous (Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native) canon characters, I would like to bring up the controversy that surrounds the "Magic in North America" lore that Jo created for Pottermore and start a discussion on it. While we can't change much about existing canon within the Wizarding World, it's on us as primarily non-Indigenous allies to minimize the harms caused by our desire to portray these characters.

This piece lays out some of the concerns of Native scholars themselves, and I think that it's a good catalyst for discussion about how we can ensure mindfulness of Indigenous issues and Indigenous ways of knowing while also working within the framework that Jo has given us. This post by Dr. Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) covers some of the issues that she finds with "Magic in North America"; she has additional posts on the matter, too.

Some of the main takeaways here are that the Indigenous peoples of North America:

1. are far from homogeneous and have their own histories, ways of knowing, languages, and cultures that need to be respected and researched.

2. have existed as unique communities (nations, tribes, bands) for centuries, if not thousands of years, prior to European contact and have been systematically oppressed and subjected to all sorts of terrible colonialist practices/historical erasure ever since, including forced removal from their traditional lands and policies of assimilation that have—in many cases—caused intergenerational trauma.

3. need to be recognized, for the reasons stated above, as peoples who still exist and whose real cultures and values, particularly as marginalized peoples, need to be taken into account.

Being in an Indigenous Studies course this year, making sure that everyone is cognizant of Indigenous issues, especially now that we have Indigenous characters as a not-insignificant aspect of the site, is extremely important to me. Keep in mind, of course, that I am non-Indigenous and cannot speak for Indigenous peoples or beyond the limits of my own experiences and awareness of Indigenous rights, which are primarily situated within the Canadian context.

Note: For the sake of keeping this as free of political/religious discussion as is reasonably possible, I can provide additional links/resources upon request over PM or Discord.

[SUZIE]

The Pottermore part of this would have to be discussed with the lore team (@puck and Admin Sora), since we don't consider Pottermore Canon.

As for portraying people from certain places correctly, I think that goes to say you should be doing research on any person that you create whether they be from Ireland, Hawaii, or even England. Long story short, I think it is just part of the general creative process to understand the type of person you are creating, and I am not sure that going into a detailed discussion about it is needed.

In short, just always do your research.

[co-admin lisa]

Hi Audrey

Agree with Suzie — every good writer should be doing some background research on any character they portray. As a friendly reminder, plenty of us have experience either working with or maintain relationships with indigenous people (I work with a school on a reservation to plan trips for example) so please keep in mind that even if we don’t openly share our experiences it does not make us completely naive

If you could provide a link to the research we would appreciate it!

[Deleted]

Hey guys! I just wanted to point out that while we were creating our version of American magical culture, Sora, Ali, and I took great care to specifically include references to Native American culture. I'd highly encourage you all to read the American Magical Culture thread if you haven't already.

The points that are especially relevant to this discussion:
-  Blood purity is even harder to prove among the Native American people as many did not keep records of any kind, though it is known that they did exist before European Wizards set foot on the continent. Due to cultural differences though blood status has never played any role for Native American Wizards. Unless they are distinctly No-Maj born all Native American wizards are considered half bloods.
- The magical community in the United States is quite diverse, but also united. They not only tolerate but accept the magical arts of each other's home countries. This is particularly prevalent in Louisiana (African Voodoo) influence, the countries native residences (the Native Americans), and New York's China Town.
- "While being a magically diverse and accepting place it should be known that one should use caution when among Native American Wizards when it comes to transfiguration of any kind. Animagi (Or Skinwalkers) are taboo in their culture, to the point where one could be completely disowned by not only their family but also their entire tribe if they became an Animagi. Metamorphmagi have also been met with extreme prejudice as well. In past centuries they were killed at birth, so the magical gene has been almost completely eradicated in the Native American community and one hasn't been born in over fifty years." 
- On the other hand, Animal Affinities are unusually high among the Native American people.

I'd like to use this thread as an opportunity to discuss the ways in which we can all make three-dimensional characters, which I believe was Audrey's original goal with this thread. One thing that I noticed after re-reading the culture thread was that it provides retroactive justification for some things my characters already believe - for example, Lysander (who is half Native American), has an animal affinity, and, as stated above, those are particularly common among the Native Americans. However, his girlfriend is an Animagus, which is frowned upon in Native American society, and I will have to use that information to decide why he is still supportive of her decision to become an Animagus.

(For those of you who are curious, Skinwalkers are a part of Navajo mythos, but the staff decided that the Navajo people would have a large enough cultural influence within other Native American groups to justify none of them wishing to become Animagi, especially given the already strict regulations placed upon Animagi.)

[mod audrey]

As @puck said, my intention here is to ensure that we are portraying a marginalized group that JKR herself has portrayed inaccurately—as supported by the views of Native scholars—in the most accurate and appropriate light possible, given those inaccuracies. My intention was never to imply that people are naïve about Indigenous issues, but rather to highlight that the narrative that has been presented about Indigenous peoples in the Americas is highly damaging and that we need to tread carefully, particularly given the criticisms that Jo has faced for what she has established within the Wizarding World. I feel that this is especially significant, too, when we consider that Native Americans, in particular, are commonly stereotyped as having some "otherness" tied to magical abilities. I certainly don't know everything that there is to know about Indigeneity, but I feel confident enough in what I have learned as a non-Indigenous person to know that I feel most comfortable bringing Indigenous voices—which might not otherwise be represented here—to the forefront of this discussion.

As SUZIE said, I agree wholeheartedly that—with any group of which we as individuals are not personally a part—it is necessary for us to do research to play those characters as respectfully as possible. If Jo had created an entirely magical Chinatown, for example, that was rooted in stereotypes about Chinese people, I would feel that a thread addressing actual Chinese values and beliefs would be necessary, too, beyond the realm of understanding that we all should be doing research into our characters' backgrounds.

co-admin lisa, as far as individual scholars go, some of the names that I can provide to you off of the top of my head are Adrienne Keene (previously mentioned), Yale Belanger, David McNab, Bonita Lawrence, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, and Taiaiake Alfred, plus the works of Tracey Deer. I'm not at my computer right now, or I would look to see which online course materials of mine (films and radio shows, primarily) are accessible outside of Canada/outside of my university's system.

---

Piggybacking off of Puck's comments on our site lore, here are some plot/character ideas for consideration:

1. An Indigenous character who was highly respected at Ilvermorny but feels like a complete outsider in an obviously European environment.

2. (And this is kinda related to Puck's Animagus vs. affinity point)… An Indigenous character who has an affinity towards an animal that another character has as their Animagus form and is able to better connect with that person by explaining their connection to their traditional land.

3. An Indigenous character (likely Native American, given site lore) who grew up removed from their culture but learned more about their identity after arriving at Ilvermorny.

4. A non-Ilvermorny transfer who is initially skeptical of Native American Magic but grows to realizes its validity as a form of magic.