anybody, for any price. This is just another in the very long series of thefts from Indian people and, in some ways, this is the worst one yet.? [From "Spiritual Hucksterism: The Rise of the Plastic Medicine Men," in Ward Churchill, Fantasies of the Master Race: Literature, Cinema and the Colonization of American Indians, (Monroe, ME Common Courage Press, 1992) p. 217 Originally published in Z Magazine, Dec 1990] Cultural appropriation is a theft from a people, and also a distortion, a lie spread about a people. It is an assault on the cultural integrity of Native people, and ultimately threatens even the survival of Native people.

Three Traps That Non-Indians Fall Into

When we live in the history of this theft and domination, how do we get to a place of positive connection or cultural sharing? Unfortunately, sincerity is not enough. There are three different traps we can fall into as we attempt to reckon with Native American people.

DENIAL

The first trap is denial European settlers on this continent had a view of a divinely ordained progress: it was their destiny to take over Native lands. This view is currently maintained through the premise that Native Americans benefit by being assimilated into White culture. For people who are enjoying the privileges of White society, there can be a strong tendency toward this belief. But for Native people, the view is different. They can see the wounds and scars of oppression every day.

Denial also creates the myth that Native people don't exist anymore. They are often referred to as the dying race. If Indians are seen as only part of the past, White people can justify moving on, living only I the now. We can justify taking or using artifacts from Native culture as a way of preserving them. When Native people break the silence about injustices, or even assert their existence, they cut increasingly destructive silencing.

Cultural denial has similarities to the process of denial in individuals. When someone is an abuser, and hurts a victim, there is a psychological propensity to scapegoat the victim, and to deny one's own culpability. There is a belief that if the victim can be destroyed, the guilt can be destroyed.

Even if justice-minded people don't get caught in this trap of blatant denial, there are two other traps which are more subtle. These traps can obscure situations of cultural exploitation and make them appear honorable.

WANTING TO BE INDIAN

One of these traps I refer to as "wanting to be Indian." In fact, American Indians have a name for people in this trap, the Wannabe Indians. This trap is an