Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Appreciation?
The topic of cultural appropriation seems to be everywhere, with people on either side of the discussion having very strong feelings about the topic. There are those who are more isolationist, believing that, if something belongs to another culture, then those outside of the culture should not touch it in any way. On the other end of the aisle, there are those who believe that everything can be shared, and they can utilize any part of the culture as they see fit.
According to Amerique Phillips and Alexis Baker, in their article for @theu (10/30/2017), cultural appropriation can be defined as the “cherry picking” or selecting of certain aspects of a culture, and ignoring their original significance for the purpose of belittling it as a trend." Cultural appreciation, on the other hand, is "honoring and respecting another culture and its practices, as a way to gain knowledge and understanding." There is a big difference between appropriation and appreciation.
In the Pagan community, this discussion has been running strong as well. There have been numerous discussions on the use of white sage, elements of Afro-Caribbean religions such as Hoodoo, and whether certain deities can even be worshipped. An excellent article on Patheos Pagan by River Enodian (1/15/2019) gives some examples of what appropriation and appreciation might look like. I would like to add one thing to her given examples - the act of profiting off rites or practices without the blessing of the community that created the practice.
My personal stance, as High Priestess of the Order of the Torch and the Thyrsus, tends to lie with Enodian's article. If we learn about the history and significance of the rite we are performing, and do so with the utmost respect to the original tradition that created the rite, then I don't see anything wrong with utilizing it. We are taking the time to expand our knowledge of another culture, doing our research (hopefully by reaching out to one who is from the culture in question) and learning to perform the rite properly with the background needed to fully appreciate what we are doing. In my mind, this helps to preserve the rites and traditions in question, and we are exposing ourselves to other groups of practitioners we would not have had the opportunity to meet; being taught these practices is a sign that they have blessed our use of them.
One of the big acts off appropriation I see as troubling is the profiting off certain ritual items (white sage, etc.) or rites (via publication) without the permission of that culture. Profiting and passing this off as something it isn't is just plain wrong, in my book. However, there are several shops here in Northeast Ohio that have taken steps to get around this - for example, going directly to a reservation to purchase sage bundles.
The topic of Hoodoo is a very complicated one. Many rootworkers believe that only people of African-American descent can practice Hoodoo, and anyone who is not of this ancestry cannot practice these traditions without appropriating them. However, there are some who initiate non-African-Americans into their tradition. Again, I believe there is nothing wrong with learning as much as you can about a tradition. With practicing Hoodoo, I would tread cautiously and make sure any works you read are written by an initiate.
One thing that Yejide mentions on her Spirit Roots blog is that people are free to use Hoodoo rites and spells for inspiration, but not use the exact recipe that would make it 'Hoodoo.' She uses the example of a honey sweetening jar spell - someone of non-African-American descent can do a similar working using a similarly sweet substance. If honey plays a big part in your cultural tradition (for example, I am Graeco-Roman, and Roman by ancestry; honey played a huge part in offerings to certain deities as well as cooking), I might still use honey, but change up the other ingredients to make it more Graeco-Roman. In Yejide's opinion, you are using Hoodoo as your inspiration but it becomes something non-Hoodoo with your addition of local (or tradition-specific) ingredients. I definitely appreciate her opinion here, and think it is a good path to follow if you do not have access to an experienced rootworker that will teach you.
When it comes to working with deities that are not a part of the culture you are from, my personal stance is to learn as much as you can about the culture and rites, in order to honor these deities appropriately. However, if a deity chooses to manifest and want to work with someone outside of their original culture, we shouldn't ignore the call just because the deity belongs to a pantheon/culture that falls victim to cultural appropriation. We might be dealing with a case of a past life or ancestral tie, or the deity might have lessons to share. We should be cognizant of the culture they come from and honor them through the signs, symbols, and rites that are meaningful to them. How would a Hindu practitioner, for example, honor one of their deities? Would they call the quarters of a Wiccan circle? Or would they make offerings such as puja and perform mantras in honor of their chosen deity?
Cultural appropriation versus appreciation is tricky to navigate. As conscious practitioners we need to be aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it. Each practitioner needs to come to this conclusion on their own, through contemplation and analysis of intentions.