08/24/2026
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“How can I tell the difference between appropriation and appreciation in my purchases?”
I LOVE that this is becoming part of public discourse, because there is sooo much confusion around purchasing Indigenous-made items, which impacts many Indigenous small businesses.
I’d like to share with you Indigenous appropriation vs. appreciation in your shopping habits, as this confusion often comes from how we’ve been taught to view culture.
It requires unlearning the colonial paradigm and embracing relational stewardship.
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Here are 5 distinctions to help guide your purchases:
1 // Sacred Stewardship vs. Supporting Livelihood // In the colonial paradigm, people often treat sacred ceremonies and public art as the same— stuff to be taken. Sacred traditions are protected inheritances held in trust by the community within Indigenous knowledge, while the purchase of Indigenous-made art is an act of supporting an individual artisan’s livelihood and sovereignty.
2 // Protocol vs. Patronage // Colonial culture treats all Native-looking items as public domain for anyone to use or imitate. Indigenous sacred knowledge often requires specific protocols, permissions, and lineage, whereas buying a piece of art from a Native person is a transaction of patronage—you are invited into a relationship of mutual support.
3 // Appropriating Identity vs. Investing in Innovation // The colonial mindset often sees borrowing sacred patterns or practices as personal expression. Indigenous ways of knowing recognize the difference between that act of appropriation (which steals the power and meaning from the community) and purchasing goods, which is an act of investing in the living innovation, talent, and economic futures of Indigenous people.
4 // Inheritance vs. Exchange // Sacred traditions are an inherited responsibility that cannot be sold or owned by an outsider. In contrast, the items Native people create and sell are expressions of their personal creativity and business, meant for exchange. Confusion happens when folks fail to see that they can support the Native person (the artist) without needing to take the culture (the sacred practice).
5 // The Take vs. The Trade // The colonial paradigm often confuses consumption with connection. To clarify: Appropriation is taking a sacred element that belongs to the collective, which violates the relationship. Purchasing from a Native artist is a trade that respects the artist's agency to share their work with you, honouring both the creator and their economic independence.
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Followers, tag your favourite Indigenous business company for folks to support
