Chris Hemsworth Has Apologised To Native Americans For An Ugly Bit Of Cultural Appropriation
"I now appreciate that there is a great need for a deeper understanding of the complex and extensive issues facing indigenous communities."
Chris Hemsworth has thrown his support behind a group of Native American protestors, while at the same time apologising for a past instance of cultural appropriation.
A Canadian festival has banned Native American headdresses
The actor posted on a photo to Instagram on Friday of himself and Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi. The pair were holding a sign featuring the words “We stand with Standing Rock”, in reference to the protests currently being waged by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe over the Dakota Access Pipeline. The protestors say that the pipeline will contaminate their only water source and desecrate sacred sites.
But the actor also used the post to express his regret over an incident that he said “has been bothering me for some time.”
“Last New Year’s Eve I was at a ‘Lone Ranger- themed party where some of us, myself included, wore the traditional dress of First Nations people,” he wrote. “I was stupidly unaware of the offence this may have caused and the sensitivity around this issue. I sincerely and unreservedly apologise to all First Nations people for this thoughtless action.”
“I now appreciate that there is a great need for a deeper understanding of the complex and extensive issues facing indigenous communities,” he continued. “I hope that in highlighting my own ignorance I can help in some small way.”
The idea that it’s not okay, especially for white people, to appropriate the traditional dress of indigenous people shouldn’t be that hard to understand. It’s not like Hemsworth deserves to be showered in praise for finally wrapping his head around this. Still, good on him for offering a genuine apology off his own back. Let’s hope people stop making the same mistake he did.