We all have our place in society. Sometimes you just have to figure it out on your own.
There aren't enough Native American TG captions. There, I said it! There are so many traditions and folklore stories that have been passed down through tribes that would have to make for some interesting TG fiction. Do we have many Native Americans in our community? I know some of us have used the Trickster mythos, namely Kokopelli, in the past. Many of the tradition stories act much like Grimm fairy tales, with a moral.
Interestingly enough, the Native American way of life seems to have included in many tribes that allowed for variable gender roles, which is now called "Two-Spirit" meaning both male and female traits. Of course, it wasn't always a positive thing, but lumping it in with homosexual behavior was more of a western civilizational development. They still had "shaming" where as a punishment they would dress up a man in women's clothing, but that "Two-Spirit" was not the same thing. Anyone that IS a Native American or knows more about their culture, please leave a comment of email me, as I would definitely like to hear more about it, apart from what they say on Wikipedia and some other general knowledge sites. It is much better to learn from a direct source!
With that said, I tried not to make any racially insensitive jokes, other than what two close friends might goof on each other about. Hence, I threw in a few "mood breakers" as I would call them. In real life, when things get serious, I am usually the one that will break the mood with some wordplay or joke, even if it is tasteless, just to hopefully lighten our spirits. I thought that perhaps that would make this sound more true to life, even though I'm pretty sure that Native American shaman or medicine people could not effect a change like that, especially in two weeks. Regardless of how realistic I was trying to make the caption feel, there still has to be that fantasy element needed for a TG caption.
Of course, none of this would ever have been written if I hadn't found this gorgeous woman. Some of the prettiest young women I've ever met were of Native American descent. The one girl of those that I was lucky enough to date ended up moving up to Canada at some point to live on their grounds for a few years. We've kept in touch over the years, and she's back in the states now. As someone who's ancestors were French (and Canadian French too) I think we might have been the only ethnicity that didn't totally fuck over the Native American population, so I've got that going for me. Well, sorta, as I'm sure we did a fair amount of bullshit to the indigenous peoples too.
By the way, the name Hakan is Native American for "fire or fiery". In Old Norse, it means "high son" and in Turkish, it is derived from khan which means "ruler". I felt it went well with Halona, as an approximation for a gender switch.
This is a blog exclusive, so feel free to comment on it below, or join in the discussion!
The lead singer of Anthrax is half Native American on his mother's side,
PS. If you want to star in a caption with me, leave a male and female name in the comments along with what you think about the caption and or discussion above. I will add each person that does this into the caption, so if 8 people leave comments, I'll put up 8 versions of the caption so you can have your own personal copy. It's all up to you, but the only thing I will tell you is that you were/are a friend of Damien's from college and your female form WILL appear in the caption setting. You will not be naked, but definitely wearing heels. What have you got to lose?
PS. If you want to star in a caption with me, leave a male and female name in the comments along with what you think about the caption and or discussion above. I will add each person that does this into the caption, so if 8 people leave comments, I'll put up 8 versions of the caption so you can have your own personal copy. It's all up to you, but the only thing I will tell you is that you were/are a friend of Damien's from college and your female form WILL appear in the caption setting. You will not be naked, but definitely wearing heels. What have you got to lose?
To be honest, most things I know about Native Americans is from movies and other fiction. So my sources are pretty much subjective.
ReplyDeleteDone in the right way, caps involving Native Americans can be educational, and create a little understanding in this small circle for their ways of life. This may be the reason why there are very few caps with this theme. It is easy to get lost, and make something that confirms the stereotype. To do it right means you'd have to have a decent knowledge of their folklore and traditions. That is why I didn't use Native American folklore in a cap I made for Felicia once when I send her of to live with the Wintu tribe. I didn't even specify wither she became a Native American or not. When I made that cap, that part felt like a minefield, because I didn't know the do's and don'ts in that area. I still don't.
From my point of view you did a great job on this cap, avoiding the pitfalls, but then I'm not a Native American.
I can recall hearing or reading something about a greater acceptance in gender fluidity in some parts of Asia and South America but I'm not sure. I'd have to look into that some time. I didn't know it was the case with some tribes in your part of the world as well.
There aren't enough caps of multicultural basis period. That's why I love it when I'm making a cap with a non-white set of heroines, I feel like I might be busting down a wall. For exampl, I understand why there is a white sissy/black man with larger than you fetus out there... but there are plenty of African American trans women in this world and they can be gorgeous and be any size, because all sizes are beautiful. I'm proud to have had families that are black, Latino, East Asian, South Asian/Desi, Celtic, Italian, Greek, and one Native American cap that wasn't my favorite work from a creative standpoint but I did post it under my MOTB series. My next ethnicity goal is Arab, who I think have tremendously gorgeous women, but is definitely a challenge to get it done without stereotypes and have a respect for that culture. Good job with this one Dee. :)
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure I’ve ever attempted to explore any kind of multiculturalism in any of my caps. If I did, it was completely by accident. I think one problem is that I don’t’ exactly celebrate differences in my caps… I tend to go more toward the ‘fetish’ side rather than the ‘exploration’ side. I don’t’ celebrate feminism or being feminine. So if I ventured into other cultures, I’d probably go the same route… i.e. go for the cheap stereotype. And that’s a place where I’d really rather not go.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a wonderful job in celebrating the native American culture in this cap while also keeping it firmly in the TG realm. I think cap artists like yourself are well suited to this direction. People who can celebrate things with a heartfelt warm side. People like me… those who go for the cheap chuckle or erotic thrill should probably stay away from a subject that should be more on the solemn side.
Thanks everyone that replied. Was hoping an actual Native American could give some perspective, but I wasn't expecting anything, I wanted to strike a balance between respect yet still make it an interesting TG caption. Glad to see that some people agreed that it worked.
ReplyDeleteNo one wants to star in a Dee caption? Hmmmm, I'm not THAT evil, am I?
Sure I want to star in a Dee caption, I just didn't think I had to introduce myself to you ;)
DeleteSo as there is the subject of the meaning of names in the post, Harm means soldier or man of the army, an Helena light or torch.
Not evil, just misunderstood. I though an auto reply meant "Wee I get to be in the cap" And better than I not naked, I'm far too pale for August 10. You can use Evan/Annie as names. :)
Delete