New Think Before You Appropriate booklet aimed at designers and creators

Indigenous cultural heritage
Published: 
Jan 14, 2016

It seems like nearly every other week a non-Indigenous designer is denounced on Twitter, Facebook, and in the media for imitating and commodifying Indigenous cultural heritage in their work. 

The issue of cultural misappropriation has been one of the central concerns of IPinCH's Commodification of Cultural Heritage working group. In May 2013, the working group got together for a three-day symposium and workshop titled Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Commodification, and Self-Determination held at the UBC Liu Institute in Vancouver.

The workshop concluded with a collective brainstorm about concrete steps that could be taken to further protect Indigenous cultural heritage from harmful commodification practices. One of the ideas brought forward was to find ways to proactively and directly address the marketing and design industry. 

From this came the Think Before You Appropriate booklet, a short document that encourages designers and other creators to think more critically about cultural appropriation and examine their own practices, hopefully helping nip misappropriation in the bud. It may also be a useful pedagogical tool for educators, particularly those teaching in design schools.

About the Guide 

People and cultures have always exchanged and borrowed ideas from each other to create new forms of art and symbolic expression. Whether intentionally or not, most if not all human creations reflect varied sources of inspiration.

Why, then, are some products negatively labelled “cultural appropriation” or their creators accused of disrespecting the very cultures they found inspiring? And why do products inspired from Indigenous cultural heritage seem to spark particularly strong reactions and pushback?

This guide unpacks these important questions. It provides advice to designers and marketers on why and how to avoid misappropriation, and underlines the mutual benefits of responsible collaborations with Indigenous artists and communities. 

The booklet is now available for free download on the IPinCH website. A companion blog, which will use misappropriation stories as opportunities to showcase Indigenous designers and their positive collaborations, is under development. 

Download the guide >