James Luna: Resisting Cultural Appropriation through Art and Performance

James Luna is a Luiseno Indian artist and activist.
He utilizes his body as a medium to critique white art-historical practices.
His artwork and performances draw attention to cultural appropriation and harmful representations of Native Americans.

Music festivals such as Electronic Forest and Osheaga have banned attendees from wearing Native American headdresses. - Aim: To combat cultural appropriation.
Movement to ban Native American mascots is growing in schools and universities. - Relevant example: Governor signing a bill to ban the use of the Redskins mascot.
Adidas has also pledged support to eliminate these mascots from schools.

Artifact Piece (1985-1987): - Performance piece where James Luna laid nearly naked in a display case at the Museum of Man in San Diego. - He labeled his body and personal belongings as artifacts, paralleling the labeling of archaeological objects. - His aim was to challenge exhibition practices that treat Native American culture as extinct, rather than recognizing it as contemporary and alive.
Work critiques the exclusion and misrepresentation of Native culture in the dominant white art historical narrative.
Fernandez-Sacco's Analysis: - In "Blinded by the White: Art and History at the Limits of Whiteness," Luna's work embodies a resistance to whiteness in museum displays. - His body serves as "physical evidence" of ongoing Native presence and identity. - Shocking audience to recognize he's alive, countering the narrative of objectification and extinction.
Luna’s goal: To confront and rewrite historical narratives that marginalize Native people.

Whiteness is often an invisible modifier in museums and society at large.
Luna’s work seeks to expose the violence in display practices that treat humans as objects.
His performances disrupt expectations, prompting a critical dialogue on the role of Native American stereotypes in American culture.

Poem: “I’ve Always Wanted to Be an American Indian”: - Luna critiques white America's fascination with being Native through stereotypical representations. - The poem begins with a white man expressing a desire to be Native American, which Luna uses to highlight the superficial understanding of Native identity.
Cultural insensitivity evident in: - Halloween costumes and runway models donning headdresses. - The use of feathered decor in Thanksgiving celebrations, stripped of context. - Literature on this theme includes: - Philip J. Deloria's "Playing Indian" - Adrienne Keen’s blog, "Native Appropriations"

Luna describes his reservation: - Residents: Sioux, Navajo, Hopi, Cherokee, Mojave, Diegueno, Cupeno, Shoshone, Miwok, Wailaki, Cahuilla. - Size of reservation: 8,541.25 acres. - Population: 355 residents facing various challenges and celebrating significant life events. - The poem juxtaposes statistics with personal narratives to humanize the data. - Cyclical conclusion reflecting on the complexity of Native life amid pain and joy.

Through physical and psychological interventions, Luna challenges the constrictions of traditional art history and exhibition practices.
He effectively expands the narrative surrounding Native identity and cultural representation.