Summary
BSA has endemic brownface cosplay. It’s most prominent in Order of the Arrow (OA), an honor society for Scouts.
This practice is unacceptable and invites questions on BSA’s commitment to good character. It needs to end quickly.
Any path forward for OA that includes Native American-themed activities, performances, or art must meet strict criteria to assure appropriateness. It must avoid even the appearance of cultural appropriation.
Background
OA generally includes qualifying Scouts aged 12-20. It has a great purpose, and it might increase engagement in Scouting.
OA has a dark side. A good deal of its Native American-themed programming is brownface cosplay.
Cosplay is costumed role-playing (more info). OA’s cosplay is brownface because it is a stereotype of Native American cultures.
Where it happens
When I was a youth, OA’s core ceremonies were phony riffs on Native American culture. They employ the noble savage stereotype while appropriating indigenous language and themes, especially of the Lenape people.
Even much of Native American dance events and competitions were clownish, white-boy amalgams of Native American-ish ideas and stereotypes with only a thin veneer of legitimacy.
Even back then, prominent voices were asking why BSA allowed OA to do this. I don’t recall “cultural appropriation” being used, but the concern was similar.
BSA’s bumbling national office has a leadership vacuum. It’s filled by throwback reactionaries who “white”-wash cultural appropriation concerns, allowing the brownface-cosplay problem to persist.
Here’s a 2021 example:
An April 2023 OA call-out ceremony featured a war bonnet, possibly the most prominent symbol of cultural appropriation:
Why the cosplay is bad
Society has taken an unambiguous stance opposing cultural appropriation of oppressed minorities. That is, regrettably, the entirety of OA’s core ceremonies.
If BSA is to be taken seriously as an exemplar of character, it needs to exceed societal standards. At a minimum, BSA must not permit any brownface cosplay.
Today’s youth are increasingly uncomfortable with this practice. Just in my own troop, multiple youth have shared discomfort with OA’s brownface cosplay.
Next steps
OA has made a little progress. For example, it banned brownface cosplay at Arrow of Light ceremonies in 2018.
Much more is needed. OA must assure that every last Native American-themed activity or component is in the context of a respectful collaboration: Native American-themed performance art must only be authorized when it complies with an agreement that is a product of an active, local relationship with a tribe. Allowed performances may only reflect that tribe’s traditions. Native American-themed static works are only authorized when they are accurate historical representations of tribes or their practices and backed by rigorous evidence. Static works are limited to personal use or exhibits. They may not be used for any other purpose, including but not limited to symbols used by the OA or any lodge or chapter, without explicit authorization from every tribe the work represents.
That a performance-art agreement is time-limited and within the context of an “active relationship” with a tribe are crucial. One-and-done agreements discourage relationship. They also risk generational disagreements should later tribal leaders bring new viewpoints. Therefore, any agreement must have an expiration, and I recommend it be no more than three years.
The stipulation to have an agreement with a tribe avoids the “I know a Native American and he said it’s OK” dilemma. This lacks validity because no single person can speak for a tribe. (Whether a member of a tribe performs according to that tribe’s practices is an internal matter for that tribe.)
Also, use of Native American-themed proper nouns need review. This largely includes lodge and chapter names. Generally, they, too, should be subject to an agreement with a tribe. This is a difficult matter, so I recommend the policy be prospective with a two-year grace period. This means all new names may have no resemblance to any indigenous-related concept except outside of an agreement struck with a tribe, and that current outside-of-an-agreement indigenous-like names would need to be corrected within a two-year period.
Because names are more durable, longer agreements relating to names may be OK. Also, national-scope agreements might be acceptable, unlike performance-art agreements, which must strictly be local.
This may change OA
Here’s where we need to be prepared: We hope this will produce beneficial relationships with tribes. However, tribes might be generally be uninterested in these agreements. If so, Native American-themed activities could become rare enough that the OA would need to drop its emphasis on indigenous-themed activities.
While this may be difficult for some, this is an acceptable potential outcome. Tribes own their own culture and traditions. It is their prerogative whether others may employ the culture and tradition.
In the end, Native American theming is unnecessary for OA to thrive as an honor society for Scouts.
Closing thought
Let’s end with a closing thought: If the Order of the Arrow’s main thematics were an appropriation of Christian communion services, would society tolerate that? Of course not. The same honor must apply to the traditions of Native Americans.
If you have any doubt on my brownface cosplay allegation, please read Indian Country Today‘s Boy Scouts ‘have been one of the worst culprits’ of cultural appropriation by Vincent Schilling.
A note on arrows
Archery started 60,000 or more years ago in Africa and is not exclusive to any one society. It is generally not appropriation to use bows, arrows, or arrowheads in our words, themes, or activities. This provides a path for the Order of the Arrow to continue the use of arrows, arrowheads, and similar themes.
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