July 23, 2010

Kiowa Gordon in a headdress

The latest news about a Twilight werewolf:

Actor Kiowa Gordon says he owes his career to 'Twilight'

By Jeff ViceGordon said his mother and manager, Camille Nighthorse, has been responsible for his cultural upbringing.

And that will certainly be on Gordon's mind when he appears in Utah this weekend. He is one of the celebrity participants in the Native American Celebration Golf Tournament in Lehi July 23. And on July 24, Pioneer Day, he's appearing at the 16th annual Intertribal Competition Powwow in Liberty Park.

Gordon will be signing autographs in the afternoon and will be joined by other Native American entertainers, including his mother and actor/stuntman Patrick Shining Elk.

Gordon said he is "looking forward to enjoying the traditional music and entertainment."

In fact, he said he is a fan of many different music styles. He describes his band, Touche, as "progressive metal."

He and Touche got to perform at the red-carpet premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" earlier this year.
Then there's this photo accompanying the article:



Comment:  Wow. Does that look as phony to anyone else as it does to me? A 20-year-old in a headdress and a sleeveless shirt--because chiefs like having buffed bodies. A Hualapai Indian in a headdress from a region a thousand miles distant from his own. A "chief" on a horse next to a cactus.

I don't care if you're a Native celebrity like Kiowa Gordon or Q'orianka Kilcher. Don't wear a headdress unless you've earned the right from a Plains tribe where it's part of the culture. Otherwise, it's stereotypical.

For more on the subject, see The "Honor" of a Plains Chief and Why Hipster Headdresses Aren't Okay.

4 comments:

dmarks said...

The colors are overall a bit Ronald McDonaldish. So, Rob, how about adding the Ronald McDonald headdress graphic?

Anonymous said...

I was a bit surprised to see Kiowa in a headdress like that, being that it looks so cheap and gaudy and obviously inappropriate for him to wear. What surprised me more though is that his mother is credited with having taken the photo. A teenager blowing off respect & tradition isn't terribly rare - but I would think his mother would know better. I wonder what her thinking was on that?

jean said...

Coachella much?

Rob said...

Kiowa's mother is also an actress. I suspect she thinks more about stardom than about stereotypes.