July 16, 2010

Tribal girls in Hot 'n' Fun video



Comment:  A girl dress in a Plains headdress tries to hitch a ride. Later young women show up dressed in fringe, feathers, headbands, and other pseudo-Indian accouterments. They end up gyrating wildly around a fire--your classic tribal dance.

Furhter cementing the Native feel, Nelly Furtado appears in some sort of buckskin outfit with Indian earrings. And tribal masks provide the transitions between scenes.

The message, of course, is the song's title. Acting like an "Indian" means acting like a primitive savage means being "hot 'n' fun." Tribal people are all about uncontrollable animal impulses: sex, lust, rage, killing, etc.

The lyrics make it pretty clear what N*E*R*D* thinks of Indians:With this hypnotizing bassline, please feel free to lose your mind,
And get high, get money, get sex, get real, all intertwined
And:People don't want to think no more, they just want to feel
They want to let go
Yeah...rational, civilized people think. Wild, crazy Indians feel. Nice.

Needless to say, it's racist to equate Indians with primitive tribal rites. I.e., with savagery. People have been doing it for 500+ years and it's still wrong.

For more on the subject, see:

"Sexy Squaws" at Neon Indian concert
Kesha goes tribal at Bamboozle
Cartoon:  Natives are best strippers
White girls play Indian at powwow
Why hipster headdresses aren't okay

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