To the Administrator of the Free & For Sale UCSC Page, the original poster of the headdress, and all involved participants
We, the Student Alliance of North American Indians (SANAI), promote the representation of indigenous students at UCSC by providing academic, political and social support to ultimately create a visible community of indigenous students and allies. In response to recent events on social media concerning the intent to sell a handmade headdress we are writing to ask for all involved parties to sincerely apologize and educate themselves on cultural appropriation, insensitivity, and stereotypes.
The Dehumanizing Trend of Culturally Insensitive Costumes
As Halloween approaches, the pages of UC Santa Cruz’s Facebook network have hosted a number of conversations about costumes. One in particular focused on Native American costumes and their popularity contributing to issues of cultural insensitivity. A simple search for “Indian costume” on the Internet is telling — the first page of results on Google Shopping reads “tribal tease Indian,” “tribal treat” and “sexy Native American temptress.”