Schlock-lahoma!

Blogger Carrie Baranet reviews the schlocky tourist merchandise she encountered when she recently visited Oklahoma:

Schlock-lahoma!So, I spent the weekend in Oklahoma. I used to live there so, you'd think I'd be used to it. However, I'm always shocked by Oklahoma's love/hate relationship with it's Indigenous population. They advertise it as "Native America." However, when it comes to respecting actual Native Americans, well, that's a different story. In Oklahoma, nowhere is safe from "Awful."



Comment:  To be fair, not all the items are equally schlocky. Some are genuine attempts at Native-inspired art. Also, the southern Plains tribes living in Oklahoma did have chiefs and tipis, so these images aren't totally stereotypical. But the rest of the imagery--braves, wolves, canoes, eagles, etc.--is the same ol' stereotyping.

For more on the subject, see Tonto Revisited Stereotype Exhibit, Indian Toys and Games, and Indian Kitsch in Wisconsin Dells.