From Representation of Native American

I was interested sometimes to see a English American kid dressed like an American, I mean, Native American in different occasions. If those kids, dressed like a cowboy, I wouldn't feel weird. But the fact is when a English American dressed like somebody they used to hate, despise, look down upon, it is rather sad. I saw many American statues, I mean Native American statues or mascots erected in front of many schools in USA, or in sports events. I wonder what would the real American, I mean Native American think?

I don't care about how those people think though. I just want to describe a phenomenon I randomly noticed. I don't think most USAn American would mess up their identity with the American, I mean Native American. But the phenomenon, is that as Englishes and other Europeans came and took over America, they needed a way to distance themselves from the English and other European cultures. By using some exotic cultures from continental America, it achieved some means for that purpose. Since American cultures have distinct visual appearance from English and European cultures. But I am not sure when did dressed like an American, I mean Native American first appeared.

It is a thought after the recent movie from Taiwan, R.O.C. There were one more occasion I noticed the same thing. It was at least 5 years ago when my mom and my sister went to a Jehovah convention in California. It was a a 3 days Global convention. There was a chance for people around the Globe to dress up in their native garments. I saw the pictures of sisters from Taiwan, R.O.C., they dressed up like they were from Taiwan's Native Tribal culture. I am not sure if they were actually Taiwanese, or Native Tribal Taiwanese. But that certainly made a huge visual impression in the convention. I heard my sister said that people all want to take pictures with them. There is another example. I just saw few pictures from a person's collection today. She was taking some pictures in some USA city. There were people from Taiwan R.O.C. doing some promotion of Taiwan R.O.C. And on the stage, There was. A group of people representing Taiwan R.O.C., a bunch of people all dressed up like real Taiwanese, I mean Native Taiwan tribal people. I know, it is naive to say that people from Taiwan R.O.C. took over identity of Native Taiwanese tribal culture. But it is hard to deny that by doing this, they are visually severed from main stream Chinese Culture. As people of Taiwan R.O.C. like to say they have a diverse cultures, but the only best way to say they are not Chinese is to use a culture, which most of the people from Taiwan R.O.C. does not really understand. I mean, Taiwanese, or Native Taiwanese Tribal people has small percentage in Taiwan, R.O.C. Most people don't share they garments historically.

I am afraid all this sounds offensive. But that is not what I want. If it sounds offensive, it is only because I am dumb. What I really want to express here is to say that as diverse as Taiwan R.O.C. claimed, it should not be afraid to fully visualize the representation of its truly dynamic people. The Taiwanese, I mean Native Tribal people, the people from Mainlanders throughout history, and people who moved from Mainland in the past century, and people who were born from all those mixed up. It is then the real representation. Trying to be merely different would only make the case worse. As Taiwan R.O.C. move forward, all the people above came together to make the Taiwan R.O.C. what it is now.

But of course, my personal view as I sit in my house all day long, not going out and to really see the world. My view was exhaustively limited and narrow. I am merely a ghost in a nutshell. I must have unrealistic feeling and view of the world. I can totally understand the representation thingy. And I am definitely going to see the movie. I can understand that by doing all what they are doing now, they might actually united all the people in Taiwan R.O.C. It keeps the harmony and unity. I always over think...