Originally published at: Listen to the blood-curdling screamy sound of an ancient Aztec death whistle - Boing Boing
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Who the hell is this white girl bringing an Aztek death whistle to Burning Man? And tomorrow’s Ren Faire, apparently. Am I the only one uncomfortable with this?
It can certainly be seen as problematic.
I said something on a Daily Kos thread about loving my curly-toed slippers from India. Another poster said she’d only wear them were she from India herself, and mentioned cultural appropriation.
I did not reply, but reckoned that had the seller wanted only fellow Indians to buy and wear them, their goods would only be available on ebay dot IN, and worldwide shipping would not be offered. 
Cultural appropriation is wretched. Learning about, respecting, and enjoying items and aspects of other cultures is the opposite. I can’t even begin to imagine the blandness of my life had I stuck only to modren European culture, and American culture, whatever TF that means. 
I have watched lotsa videos of Central and South American makers, vendors, and owners demonstrating their death whistles. Mindblowing, spooky stuff! They are amazing!
Please also audite et vide the Celtic carnyx:
Not to sound too new age crispy, but those low frequency tones really do go straight to my third eye. Live, they might affect me like heavy bass normally does at shows w/conventional modren instruments, pounding on my chest and belly. 
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A lot of on-line claims about cultural appropriation in my experience usually come from the US. It is quite problematic when US americans for some reasons make themselves out as guardians for another culture. One common example is surrounding kimonos. Japanese people do not mind westerners wearing them and japanese manufacturers of kimonos ceirtanly would like to sell more. There is a lot of on-line angst surrounding them however.
Sometimes the online discourse makes me uneasy when ideas about cultural appropriation turns into some kind of cultural essentialism.
Being aware of what cultural appropriation is good. But it should not turn us away from appreciating, enjoying and being inspired by expressions of other cultures than the one we were born in to.
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It is worth noting that kimono are very ceremonial and extremely expensive. It is the equivalent of putting on a ball gown. Usually, when foreigners talk about “kimono,” they are actually talking about this.
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Some are. But I am talking about the real deal. And also, japanese people usually do not mind if one use clothing such as haoris as part of casual dress
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Oh, yeah, nobody minds when people wear wafuku, and you can rent out real deal kimono for a day at many major tourist destinations. I just wish that people would get the terminology straight.
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Is this a reboing? I think this is a reboing.
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I do recall there was an Aztec death whistle post months ago.
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Sounds like a collective guilt reaction. Gosh, why on Earth would Yankistanis feel guilty regarding another people and their culture?
Oh, wait…
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What’s really weird is the focus on cultural appropriation from Asia while ignoring all of the things appropriated from Black Culture in America or from Mexican Culture next door (including cowboy culture, which was a lot more Black and a lot more Mexican than in the movies).
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Oh hey cultural appropriation.
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Not to mention:
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