Free .pdf books by native authors!

So while combing through the interwebs for .pdf books on unrelated subjects, I happened upon zinelibrary.info- an anarchist collective dedicated to the free distribution of radical literature. They have a lot of titles by authors mentioned in this post, as well as many others covering relevant topics. Here are a few that I think may be of interest:

• Custer Died for Your Sins- An Indian Manifesto by Vine Deloria, Jr.
• God Is Red: A Native View of Religion by Vine Deloria, Jr.
• Acts of Rebellion: The Ward Churchill Reader
• From a Native Son: Selected Essays on Indigenism 1985-1995 by Ward Churchill
• Since Predator Came: Notes from the Struggle for American Indian Liberation by Ward Churchill
• Struggle for the Land: Native North American Resistance to Genocide, Ecocide and Colonization by Ward Churchill
• Perversions of Justice: Indigenous Peoples and Angloamerican Law by Ward Churchill
• The Bloody Wake of Alcatraz- Political Repression of the American Indian Movement During the 1970’s by Ward Chruchill
• The Case of Leonard Peltier by Arthur J. Miller and Pio Celestino (zine)
• 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance (zine)
• Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation? (zine) 
• Not an Indian Tradition: The Sexual Colonization of Native Peoples by Andrea Smith (article)
• Headdress (a small zine on native appropriation)
• Colonization and Decolonization: A Manual for Indigenous Liberation in the 21st Century (zine)

Of course, there’s an entire “indigenous” section of the site (not limited to North America!) as well as a section on race. Happy reading! Time to check some books off my reading list!

-Kirby

There needs to be a bit of clarification about what constitutes "cultural sharing" vs. cultural appropriation.

…because all too often, I see people respond to accusations of appropriation by stating, “but culture was meant to be shared!” And while that’s all well and good, there is a huuuuuuge difference between sharing, and 99% of the crap that gets posted at this blog.

Ever been to a powwow? If not, I highly recommend attending one at some point in your life. Not only are they great fun, but they’re a great example of sharing culture. Typically, powwows are open to the public, as a way to introduce non-natives into the traditions and cultural aspects of different tribes. The indigenous community welcomes you at a powwow. We want you to see our rituals, watch our beautiful dancers, buy our handmade goodies, and try our magical delicious life-changing fry bread. That is cultural sharing: one group inviting another to partake in their traditions.

This shit? Has fuckall to do with cultural sharing. See, the word “sharing” implies a give and take, and I assure you that actual ndn people had nothing to do with any of this. No, what this is is non-native people seeing an aesthetic they like, taking it for themselves, and then crying about “but-but… shaaaring!” when people ask if they could, I dunno, not steal our traditions for their own personal gain? There is nothing revolutionary or artistic about Urban Outfitters using Navajo motifs for their own profits, and there’s nothing revolutionary or artistic about a skinny white girl running around in a knockoff war bonnet.

If you insist on standing up for this kind of thing, do so, but don’t you dare try to defend it as “cultural sharing.”

-Kirby