[caption id="attachment_19" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Colonialism on the prairies impacted the Blackfoot way of life. Stolen land, forced starvation, residential schools, and other atrocities carried out under the Indian Act are all too often erased or hidden from history. Both marketers and consumers have a responsibility to act and engage respectfully.[/caption] “The physical boundaries of colonialism are not nearly as important as the outposts they left in the mind” are words etched into my Being from my uncle, Narcisse Blood. I was lucky to have been raised by this man as one of my parents. Every year, we have our Sundance Ceremonies, Akokaatsin, when we camp in a circle. We’ve continued almost all of our Ceremonies from time immemorial. We were lucky. The canadian government had made our Ceremony illegal for quite some time. Only in the 1950’s were People able to practise them without fear of being interrupted and arrested by the rcmp. In almost every way they could, the canadian government tried to stop us. We’ve survived disease intentionally spread by infected items. We’ve survived starvation, and prohibition of leaving our reserves. There’s a lot we’ve survived. I find that fascinating for how they speak of us, as if we were “conquered” or lost some war. There was no war that was lost, and no conquering happened. What happened was something far more boring, and time consuming. In history, the canadians paint themselves as heroes. Brave pioneers who tamed the plains. The north west mounted police brought law to the west. The reality is far less exciting. They bought the forts from the whiskey traders. They didn’t chase them away, they just gave them enough money to buy their buildings, and let them go, scot free. They write their history as if out of sheer moral superiority where they demanded to build (what for now is known as) canada. As if it was by their god-given right they DESERVED this country, and everything they brought was a gift. When People bring up what was brought to these lands, allegedly to improve things, my Father adds in “They also brought the devil.” No, it wasn’t sheer moral superiority or that they deserved to live here more than anyone else, but an ability to lie, and continually lie, that is the reason they’re here. For example, we have the town of Cardston, Alberta. Right now, the judge in the case is reviewing the evidence and writing his decision in regard to the land claim made by Blood Tribe, part of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Recounting from oral history, as told to me, a group of Mormons lead by Charles Ora Card had come to where the present-day town of Cardston is. They asked Red Crow, one of the signatories of Treaty 7 and one of the relied upon Leaders of Blood Tribe if they could camp for the winter. Red Crow had given permission, and, in the meantime, Ora had decided to write a letter to send to both the canadian and american governments. He requested to create “a buffer zone” between Blood Tribe and the Blackfeet Reservation, as at the time of the original survey, Blood Tribe’s reserve extended all the way to the canada/usa border to connect with the Blackfeet Reservation. The governments agreed with him, but, he needed Red crow to sign a lease. Originally, this was going to be a 9-year lease, however, someone pulled a fast one and added another 9 onto it, where it became “The 99-year lease” where Cardston was established. They had even erected a stone in town with a plaque that read: “On this spot was the 99-year lease signed,” however, when the 99 years was close to being up they quietly removed the rock and planted a tree in its spot. This is an abridged and sanitized version of events, recounted here only to make a point. Colonization of the west wasn’t based on a bloody battle with a clear brave victor and a beaten conquered loser, no. It was snivelling and scheming little men lying and cheating in order to maximize their wealth and comfort, and while the Land and Indigenous Peoples are cast aside in ongoing violent ways. I do not intend to go into the myriad of historical violent happenings that have occurred, such as being forced onto reserves, the rationing system to prevent us from hunting and making us dependent upon the federal government, the prevention of leaving the reserve with the pass system, and so on and so on. Those are all intricate parts of colonization in this part of the world, that have caused such trauma I will only describe as “The Big Hurt.” Something that hits you so hard it’s felt in generations to come. Something we don’t know how to process to this day.

What I’d rather focus on is the importance of Gardening.

We’re not known as Gardeners, by any means. Writers like Karl May wrote about the adventures of Chief Winnetou, who was a romanticized fictional character. Toxic masculinity paints us as skilled warriors who hunted Buffalo with his bare hands, gnashing meat off the bone, and making ridiculous powerful love every night. There’s no time for Gardening when you’re doing all those manly things, now is there? There’s famous lines from bigots that say “there was no agriculture among the plains indians (or any for that matter)” as agriculture is, for bigots, one of the white man’s defining characteristics and markers of his civility. I could just tell you that we are natural born Gardeners as Blackfoot People, and leave it at that, but I’d rather show you. I want you to see the landscape as it was 500 years before colonization. The grasses of the plains, here anyway, at the time were quite tall. Somewhere around 8 feet tall in some places. The trees from the mountains extended into the plains a good 100 kilometers away from the mountains. The plains were loud, like a jungle. Kodiaks, Grizzly Bears, Buffalo, Beavers, Mountain Lions, Wolverines, Animals of all sorts populated the plains. It really was a jungle. Food was everywhere. See, we didn’t just Hunt and Gather, as if it were stratified positions occupied by gender. The masculine hunting, and the feminine gathering. Not at all. When we hunted, the whole Tribe hunted, when we gathered everyone gathered. It was a gathering of gathering if you will. Everyone took part in the collection (and eating) of food. One of our most important foods is Miini, or what are known as in English, Saskatoon Berries. They’re a lot like Blueberries, except they’re purple, have very distinct woody sort of flavour, a mellow sweetness, and a crunch of hearty seeds inside. They’re quite delicious. An integral part of many Ceremonies is when we serve Berry Soup. Now, many may scoff at talking about Ceremony in public (such as it is), but within Blackfoot Ceremony there is public and private Ceremonies to be had. The feeding of Berry Soup is most definitely public, and if ever you are lucky enough to attend one of our Ceremonies you can experience this for yourself. At any rate, we serve the soup. Before we eat it however; the one running the Ceremony calls for everyone to take a Berry from their soup in their right hand. As they do this, we are all encouraged to pray in our own way. In Blackfoot, we Pray to the Sun, Moon, Morning Star, and Earth, and iihstipaitopiyopah, which loosely translates to “The means by which all Life exists.” Some simply say “source of all life” or “creation.” Some may consider that to be all of these entities working in tandem together, or the reason behind why those entities are there themselves. Whichever way you want to take it, we pray our prayers into the Berry, and dig a small hole with our finger when done, putting the Berry into the ground, rub our hands together and from the crown of our heads let our hands run down each side of our body to touch the Earth, and then place them over our hearts. The final word spoken is Kaamotaani, which means “survival.” It’s the “amen” or “over and out” to our prayer. Curiously, I noticed during our last Sundance that there were concentric rings of Berry bushes growing on our Ceremony grounds, where it occurred to me that the whole point of this exercise is to plant our food source. We leave the Berry as an offering to ensure that we always have food, and this offering ensures a new growth of food wherever we go.

Planting seeds.

Speaking of wherever we go, there is camping and the moving of camp. One of the most important jobs to have in camp was being the Fire Runner. Their sole duty was to collect coals from the fire, and run to the next place where we camp. This person would run ahead, with a Buffalo horn full of coals, and start a fire. By the time the rest of the camp got to the new camping spot, they’d all collect fire from his fire. So, in theory, we had the same fire burning for generations. How this fire runner was chosen was simple, as they would line up youths in a row, and the first to run down a Deer and stab it in the neck would be the Fire Runner, or the Messenger Runner. The Messenger Runner would be the designate to send messages to the other Blackfoot Tribes, wherever they may be. They would run all night with the message, deliver it, sleep all day, and run back to the original camp at night to deliver the response. I imagine, quite exhaustively. When we’d camp in the new site, what we’d do is go collect fire wood. Generally, we’d camp in the low valleys that are hidden from view. The river bottoms of the Coulees. In the area of (what is for now known as southern alberta) the plains is seemingly flat for miles around. However; the landscape will suddenly drop off around 200 feet or so into steep hills and to the rivers. The rivers are hidden, and you can have whole camps of People living in an area and never know it if you were walking on prairie level. The People would camp at the river bottom, and first, collect all the dead branches that have fallen off the trees. Next, using their tools they would pull the dead branches off of the trees that haven’t fallen. Once all the dead fall was collected, and the dead branches were too, as well as 2/3 of the berries and food of the area was collected, the camp would move on to somewhere else in the Territory. See, what they were doing was pruning the trees. This ensured good growth of the trees, and an endless supply of firewood if done correctly. The landscape of the plains was tightly managed and manicured by our presence. The berries over millennia grew with our hands picking them, and grooming the plants. The trees grew with our hands pruning them, and caring for them. No, the land wasn’t wild and untamed at all, but well groomed, and well suited for us, as we were suited for the Land. We are inextricable from it. As epigenetics shows, the environment informs what genetic expression happens in a person, for seven generations, while in turn our presence informs the environment. The nwmp, and more lately known as the rcmp did not bring law to the west. (NOTE: Possible assignment: seek out old advertisements used by the CDN gov’t to bring settlers to the “new land” for a bargain and discuss how the gov’t positioned the prairies and the west as land to be settled by Europeans. Invites discussion about how marketing/advertising shapes perceptions and how European Settlers believed the myth of “terra nullius”.) There already were well established norms and mores and meting out of justice that was complementary to the concept of law. For example, when the Buffalo were sick, there would be moratoriums placed on hunting. If anyone was caught hunting them during this time, they were put to death. This of course seems like a harsh punishment, but, what the poacher is doing is risking the life of all the Buffalo and the life of the entire Tribe by hunting at that time. The People had knowledge of cross species disease, and so if the Buffalo were sick and we were to eat them, we may get that sickness. In turn, it threatens the population of the Buffalo who are already weak. If the entire population is threatened, then we have no food. In turn, the other Plains Tribes most certainly had similar social mores and norms that translated to their survival. Rather than looking at the relationship between Blackfoot People and Buffalo as an exploiter and exploited relationship, one ought to view it as symbiotic. It is in the interest of the Tribe that the Buffalo are healthy, and well kept. This is in part where our name comes from, “Blackfoot.” It’s not us who chose the name, but, our enemies. We would at times burn the plains. Burn the dead grasses to the ground in our Territory before the first snow. As we walked through the soot, our foot wear would become black. This was done for several reasons, the main reason being to attract the Buffalo to come back in the spring, when grasses were lush and plentiful with room to grow and fertilization from the fire. This was not only land management, but, Animal husbandry on a large scale. Not only with us, but with other Tribes and their efforts, it wasn’t a single rancher managing a few cows on an acre of land, but millions of People working together to help manage millions of Buffalo. Our stories of the relationship between us and Buffalo is much more involved than that, but, is for a different paper, and really none of your business. My Grandfather was Cree, Mosom. He fought in World War Two, sometimes as a machine gunner, mowing down a crowd of nazis and driving on ‘cause it don’t mean nothin’. I say that never knowing war of that kind of course. It meant something to him. I think any veteran that has seen war would tell you there ought to never be war to begin with. I’ve never known more powerful anti-war messages than from combat weary veterans. He killed many nazis and fascists, and saved many, many more lives. When they were in europe, they would either volunteer to sign up on a patrol of the land, or, be voluntold. When they flew over in the plane, Mosom had purposely got the lay of the land. Looked about, and understood where he was going. He was raised as a hunter, and provider, and knew how to travel in forests without getting lost. Every time it was his turn to lead a patrol, the men of his group would run to sign up to go along with him. They’d only ever volunteer with his group, and they’d have to be voluntold to go with others. The reason was that his group would always come back unharmed. All of his skills growing up served him well in that war. Other patrol leaders would wander into an enemy camp, others would get lost, and many died out there. He always brought his group back though. His commander would freeze in battle. Unable to do anything. So, Mosom would take over. One time he devised a plan to distract the enemy with gunfire, while he smuggled his group into a separate building one by one. When his commander would freeze, Mosom would steal his lunch. When Mosom came home, he was denied membership to the Royal Canadian Legion. They didn’t allow indians at the time. Funny enough, that he fought so hard against nazis and fascism to come home to live under the same laws that inspired Hitler in the first place. Apparently, Hitler had taken the concept of concentration camps directly from Britain, which is what Reserves and Reservations are. The infrastructure of the Reserve system is the same as the concentration camps of the era. Talk about cultural appropriation. Mosom had said he deserved more medals than he received. His commander had taken credit for a lot of Mosom’s deeds. Even though Mosom was awarded the Purple Heart for bravery, he left europe with a broken heart he never got over. What broke his heart the most was the Children. Hungry Children all over the place. canadian and american soldiers would throw food at them and laugh as they fought over the scraps. Mosom hated those soldiers for it. Yet they came home, calling themselves brave.

What is erasure and why is it important?

When I was a boy, we had to haul water into a cistern, as we had no pipes bringing water to our home in the middle of nowhere. So, Dad and I would drive for a whole day, filling up the water tank to haul water in. Usually, twice a month we’d go and spend the day hauling water. These trips are some of the best times of my life. Just me and Dad traveling together. I’d ask him a question in the morning, and he’d think for a while, then, he’d talk about something way off topic. Start with a story that has nothing to do with the question, or so I thought. Like a backwards Fibonacci sequence his stories would come closer and closer to the point without saying it. Without him having to say the answer, I would already know the answer by the logical steps he provided in the stories. In case I haven’t been clear with you, I was asked to write this article on the erasure of indigenous knowledge, and cultural appropriation of Indigenous knowledge. In the grand scheme, much knowledge of medicine is taken from Indigenous Peoples. The first white researcher to extract the active ingredient is given credit as “discoverer” of the medicine, when really it was well known to Indigenous Peoples. One example is willow as pain relief. Tea is made from willow bark and leaves. However; the first white man to extract acetylsalicylic acid is who is given credit for developing aspirin. Indigenous People the continent(s) over understand that the Earth is a living organism, sentient, and systemic in its needs for life, but no one listened until a white scientist said “I have what I call Gaia theory!” Inuit People for generations said “that boat sunk over there” and not until recently did white People “discover” where the Franklin expedition sunk. Indigenous People contemporarily are saying we have to protect the water, as water is life. White Canadian settlers seem to be saying “in this economy?” See, I am very lucky to have had those trips with my Dad to haul water. He told me all he could about Blackfoot People on those trips. He told me about his Family, my Family. He told me about himself, told me about science, philosophy, history. I had years of trips with my Dad. I was privy to knowledge no one else will ever know, because I’ll take it with me when I go. He’s never lied to me, and I know he never will. He was the most honest with me on those trips than he ever was with anyone because of what he chose to tell me. I learned all about the Residential Schools, and the literal fetus skeletons found in the walls and buried in the grounds of those places. I learned what “The Big Hurt’ was. I was lucky to have never attended a Residential School myself. They closed St. Mary’s in 1988, when I was 3. The intention of those schools, as Duncan Campbell Scott said, was to be rid of indigenous Peoples in (what is for now known as) canada. Scott says: “I want to get rid of the Indian problem. [...] Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no Indian Question and no Indian Department.”¹ See, if the people have no knowledge of who they are, then any jackass can come along in a position of authority and tell them who they are. This jackass can claim he has the rights to this land, by some god that he made up, by some rules that he himself wrote, and lie his way into eating your soul. That’s why it’s important to know who YOU are as an Indigenous person. That’s why it’s important to know your language, know your Ceremony, know your way of Being. As much as I know about Blackfoot People is because I asked questions to knowledgeable People. I learned what made sense. I sought it out, and I had People who I loved to ask. If you don’t know who you are and where you come from than that jackass can point to some book written by some German who has never visited and say “see look! You’re a savage! I’ve come to civilize you.” Some jackass can say you knew nothing without them, and you are nothing without them, and they made life all the better for you by their sheer morally superior noble presence. This jackass brought god and the devil to you, and made sure you know who the devil is first. This jackass can control the narratives. He won’t let you know who you are, he’ll tell you that you’re primitive. What he wants is your Land and Resources. He’ll tell you that he saved you with his iphones and computers. He’ll tell you that you’re lazy and it’s all your fault, you should be accountable. He’ll tell you how your Chiefs lie and steal while he steals your whole fucking country from you. While he steals your lives. Your water. Most importantly YOUR PAST. This jackass controls the narratives, and the only tool you have is to know who you are, know where you come from, know that he is a jackass, and that you are the land and the land is you. You are inextricable and you are part of this. Your DNA is in the Berries, in the soil. The soil is millennia of your ancestors, giving you life, and feeding your ecosystem. You are the embodiment of those People who survived every attempt by that jackass to exterminate you, but he never quite could no matter how hard he tried. You’re more valuable than gold. You’re more valuable than money. You’re more valuable than you will ever know. Than you will ever know. If you don’t know, then any jackass will come along and tell you. It’s your job to not believe any jackass that comes along trying to shape a narrative for you. Even me. Take what I say with a grain of salt, and don’t let it mess you up. Anyone can write a lie down and call it truth, religions the world over are built upon that. Look into the golden plates, giant salamanders, and seer stones in hats that an illiterate Joseph Smith made up because he wanted to marry 12 year olds. Look into it for yourself, if you like. Look into all of it for yourself, if you like. I’m not here to tell you what to do or how to be, or how things really are. I’m here offering you a different perspective, which sometimes we need as People. Erasure of Indigenous knowledge is the destruction of the Land and People in favour of death. That’s really what the stakes are. Now what are you going to do about it? There is of course an important caveat here. Part of the history of colonialism in canada was the ripping of Children away from their communities via the Residential School system, and the 60’s scoop. Many did not survive. I want to include a story here. My Aunt was 11 years old. One day, she and her two friends were called to Mother Superior’s office. Mother Superior told my 11-year-old Aunt that she and her friends were chosen for a holy mission from god. Imagine that. All those years of being a good Catholic, and here was her moment, like Noah, and Abraham, and Job. A holy mission from god. Mother Superior handed them a brown paper bag, and said that the three of them must bring the bag down to the incinerator. Part of this holy mission was to watch it burn. So proudly, and with all of their nobility, they held their heads high, the three of them holding the bag, and calmly walked down to the incinerator, going by their schoolmates knowing they were chosen by god on a mission of the utmost importance. Down the hall they walked, and down the stairs they went. When they got to the incinerator, the three holy Children put the bag in. They watched the brown paper bag burn, and it burned away quickly. Then there were layers of newspaper. Then blood. Inside the paper bag was a freshly aborted fetus. The priest would impregnate the girls and the Nuns. To cover his tracks, they had in-house abortions. Being the good Catholic girls they were, on this holy mission, they stood there and watched it burn. That story never ceases to mystify me, mainly for the reason that my Aunt stayed Catholic her entire life. So devout was she, that she was in an abusive relationship with a man who cheated on her, drank, and would beat her. She stayed with him because she was a good Catholic trying to be a good wife. Eventually, she wrote a letter to the Vatican, pleading to the Pope to grant a divorce. She needed him to grant the divorce, because she didn’t want to be excommunicated from the church, and she wanted to be able to still take communion. She waited years, until eventually a letter came from the Vatican. The Pope had granted her divorce, and she immediately left her husband. One day, I asked my other Aunt, her Sister, with everything she knew about Residential Schools, and the Catholic church, why would she stay? She said “You were given Ceremony, what your People do. This, is all I know. This is my only connection to god, and I can’t leave it.” My god, have I known some holy women in my life. I was a lucky boy to be the favourite of so many of my Aunties. All of them, steeped in Prayer, and love for their Children. Not so many were lucky. Some were taken from their families, some, many, never made it out of Residential School, or out of foster homes. Even today, Children are taken into foster homes, taken form their Family, and when they’re 18 are tossed away because they no longer provide a paycheque for their foster parents. I’ve known too many with that experience. One farmer in the Mormon town of Raymond would take foster kids in from our Reserve, and more or less use them as slave labour for his farm. Made them sleep in the basement, sometimes taking a dozen at a time, raking in around $700 “per head.” His son, who later became a conservative politician had the gall to later say these were his “brothers and sisters.” Not slave labourers. Thankfully, the farmer was caught, and was no longer allowed to be a foster parent. For some of us, there are no good warm memories. For some of us, there is only survival, and what we have to do to survive. When no one cares. Some of us are disconnected from out People, our Language, our Ceremony, at no fault of our own. On the outside, we’ll look as Indigenous as can be, yet on the inside, who knows who we are? Do I even know? Some do their best to reconnect to who and what we’ve lost, and really, if that is at all feasible then best of luck to it. One woman I met one day came from the north. I asked her who her People were, as she was obviously a different Indigenous than I. She said she didn’t know, she was just born there. Like my Aunts, all of this is really up to you. As Indigenous People; we are forced to take on a lot of the world, have to defend entire Tribes, an entire “race” of People. Without even knowing where to start, we are expected to be experts on Indigenous issues, and anti-racism. We are expected to be drunks, addicts, traumatized, or activists. There are a lot of weird expectations born of history, disconnect, and racism, and really none of that is truly yours to bear, if you don’t want to. Like my Aunts you can go be good Catholics, or go to Peru, or go to Egypt. Go to Germany and find someone to spend some time with. Go to the Moon with NASA. There’s so much that you can do with a sense of adventure and the right tools, and if you choose to reconnect to your People, your Language, your Heritage, then more power to you! I’m certain the community needs someone like you. I would be absolutely nothing without my Tribe. I need them. I’m one of the lucky ones. I want you to be lucky too. Kinaihtoaapi In Blackfoot, that means “All the luck to you.” Whatever you decide to do. I’m on your side. By Martin Heavy Head

1. As the author noted, before the 1950s, the Canadian government made the Ceremonies of The Blackfoot and other Plains Nations illegal. Reflect on how in today's consumer culture, Indigenous symbols, rituals, and culture are often used in fashion, home decorating, and design (such as arrows, tipis, and headdresses). How do these represent cultural appropriation?
2. How is the depiction of Canada's "war" to win the west an example of "whitewashing"? What marketing examples exist in pop culture (movies, television, literature, character archetypes) that perpetuate and uphold the false narrative that the west was "won"?
3. Who is Chief Winnetou and how has this characterization created both a pervasive archetype in cultural expressions (movies, television, literature)? How has this narrative contributed to toxic masculinity?
4. Contrast and compare gendered roles as described by the author versus mainstream marketing messages today.
5. The author writes: "We leave the Berry as an offering to ensure that we always have food, and this offering ensures a new growth of food wherever we go." Discuss the significance of food as part of a cultural system. How does this act of giving also align with the Blackfoot Way of Life model?
6. How does the author's depiction of the Blackfoot's relationship to the land conflict with the archetypes and stereotypes of Plains Nations Peoples in marketing? Can you discuss this more broadly in the context of the 15^th Century climate event and cooling of the earth due European colonization of the Americas?
7. Discuss how marketing shapes perception by searching for archived advertisements and old images used by the Canadian government throughout the 19th and 20th centuries that encouraged European settlement of western Canada. How did the government's marketing strategy uphold the myth of "terra nullius"?
8. Discuss how the Plains Nations used norms and mores, encoded into a cultural context, to uphold the perpetuity of both culture, land, and life. How does this contrast with the stereotypes represented in the dominant culture's marketing of Indigenous Peoples today?
9. The appropriation of Indigenous knowledge is an important theme in the author's work. Discuss how Abraham Maslow's work is considered cultural appropriation. What other examples of cultural appropriation are profoundly seen in marketing today?
10. The author writes, "See, if the people have no knowledge of who they are, then any jackass can come along in a position of authority and tell them who they are." Discuss how this impacts self-identity. How is this sentiment also evidenced in consumer marketing messages today?
11. What amounts to our understanding of the word "culture"?
    • Discuss how the removal (or "disconnection" as the author expresses) of one or more cultural features can erode a culture and lead to cultural genocide.
    • Can culture be perpetuated and upheld for future generations if cultural acts are banned, forbidden, removed, or found to be illegal if practiced? How?
    • How does cultural erasure lead to stereotyping?
    • What does "pan-Indigenous" mean? How has cultural erasure now created a climate of unreasonable expectations such that, "As Indigenous People; we are forced to take on a lot of the world, have to defend entire Tribes, an entire "race" of People without even knowing where to start, we are expected to be experts on Indigenous issues, and anti-racism."
12. The author writes, "We are expected to be drunks, addicts, traumatized, or activities." How are these examples of stereotypes and what marketing examples are evidence of these?

[caption id="attachment_34" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The seal population is far from being an engaged species with an estimated 8 million living in the Arctic.[/caption] For decades, animal activists in Canada have petitioned and successfully influenced the Canadian government to limit, if not entirely halt, the commercial seal-hunting industries of the north. These efforts persist despite the fact that Canada’s seal population is healthy and abundant and the animals are neither an endangered or threatened species, as pointed out by scholars Aylan Couchie and Ian Mosby (2017). Meanwhile, in the rest of Canada, roughly two million cows, 20 million pigs, and 1.5 billion kilograms of broiler chickens (or roughly 550 million birds) are killed for consumption. Compare that to the roughly 70,000 seals that were killed as part of Canada’s commercial seal harvest in 2016 — and their population continues to grow steadily as it has for decades. The seal hunt has a long history with European settlers, but an even longer one with the Inuit on whose traditional, ancestral, and current lands the hunt takes place. The well-being of Inuit communities is directly linked to their ability to hunt seal for personal consumption, commercial trade, and for the sealskin itself which is crafted into clothing and accessories for both personal and commercial purposes. So what do animal-rights activists think is the solution? Keeping the seal hunt to Indigenous-only communities, of course. The problem with that kind of thinking is that it ignores the over 100 years of trade the Inuit have engaged in starting with the early European settlers. Lisa Charleyboy (2012), the blogger behind “Urban Native Girl” tells us that before 1983, the average income of Inuit hunters was approximately $54,000; after 1983, when the EU imposed a ban on certain seal skins, that number plummeted to $1,000. It was at this point the most devastating impact of anti-seal hunting activities started to take its toll on the community whose livelihood depended on the commercialization of the hunt. Toronto Star journalist Azeezah Kanji (2017) reported about rising poverty levels in the north and their impact on communities: suicide rates skyrocketed and food insecurity developed as the leading issue in Nunavut where 70% of children live in households rated as food insecure. For those who have yet to try it, seal meat taste “okay”, according to Stephen Marche (2014) of Esquire magazine. “Like an incredibly dense steak with absolutely no fat in it, but seal skin boots and gloves are lovely, beautifully warm, and waterproof. They’re perfect for the slushy, wet winters of, say, Brooklyn or Wicker Park or Portland’s Pearl District” (Marche, 2014). The seal hunt presents many benefits to Inuit and non-Inuit alike:

• seals are growing in population
• seal-hunting is a traditional way of life for Inuit
• seal meat is consumed locally and sold in commercial markets
• seal skin is crafted into clothing for local and commercial markets
• poverty, suicide, and food insecurity has risen dramatically with the seal ban
• Household income has dropped dramatically due to the seal ban
• seal meat has no fat; seal skin products are warm and waterproof

In spite of the facts, Canadians are still more prone to siding with animal-rights activists than the Inuit, who continue to challenge the EU highest courts on reversing the seal hunt ban. One has to wonder, if the facts were widely known, could Canadians be persuaded to demand governments re-examine the seal hunt and promote the consumption of seal meat and seal skin products? By Andrea Niosi

1. Drawing from your understanding of Perception and the Perceptual Process, explain what accounts for Canadians' lack of willingness to consumer or purchase seal meat and seal skin products.
2. How could Canadian consumers better learn about the qualities of seal meal and seal skin products? Select one of the following learning theories to use in your discussion:
   • Classical Conditioning
   • Instrumental Conditioning
   • Observational Learning (modeling)
3. Explain how a marketer could increase consumer involvement in order to attract more Canadian consumers to seal meat and/or seal skin products.
4. Using the Balance Theory of Attitudes, explain how this model could change attitudes and behaviours in order to build a positive relationship between consumers and seal meat/seal skin products.
5. Demonstrate how the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion could be used to change Canadian consumers' attitudes towards seal meat/seal skin products. Be sure to draw on both the Central and Peripheral Routes to Persuasion.

[caption id="attachment_24" align="aligncenter" width="685"] How, as consumers, can we think more critically about advertising images that depict the "ideal" body image?[/caption] Advertising is a prominent feature of culture. In 1949, Hayakawa remarked that trying to ignore advertising is “like trying to do your algebra homework in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.” Today, advertising is with us from the moment we order our morning coffee to the moment we check our social media accounts (one last time!) before falling asleep. The role of advertising in culture is often discussed in terms of a “media effects model,” popularized by McCracken (1986), among others. According to this model, meaning is transferred from advertisements to the goods that we buy, and then to consumers. In this way, media affects consumers by sharing bits of culture – including the [pb_glossary id="179"]norms[/pb_glossary] and [pb_glossary id="262"]scripts[/pb_glossary] we often follow whether we realize it or not. This [pb_glossary id="248"]enculturation[/pb_glossary] process is connected to a familiar topic of conversation – that advertising harms consumers. Body image, in particular, has been singled out as a topic of importance. An argument, now likely familiar to many readers, is that advertising negatively impacts how women (and to a lesser but still notable extent, men) feel about their bodies. The “ideal” bodies in advertising show consumers what Pollay (1986) would call an image of “the good life.” The trappings of this life – domestic bliss, lucrative employment, and never-ending youth – are often unattainable but still vastly appealing cultural touchstones. Advertisers’ ongoing use of ideal bodies is bolstered with the argument that consumers will buy the advertised products as a way of trying to obtain the good life they see pictured. As critics observe, when consumers are surrounded by these images, they may feel bad about themselves. They may also develop unhealthy diet and exercise regimes as a way of trying to shape their bodies into that oh-so-tempting ideal. This story is familiar not only because it is widespread, but because there is a great deal of truth to it. As authors like Richens (1991) and Coffey (2013) have shown, advertisements containing images of ideal bodies do have the power to make consumers feel bad about themselves. They can prompt unhealthy behaviours. However, Thompson and Haytko (1997) argue that the notion of a media effects model is limited. Specifically, it ignores the possibility that consumers can resist or ignore advertising’s messages. Consumers may not have the same kind of power as advertisers, but they are powerful. Here are some ways that you as a consumer can exercise your power, in big and little ways:

1. Be critical: Instead of walking by or scrolling past an advertisement, stop to critique it. How does this advertisement make you feel? What do you like about it? What don’t you like about it? Asking these questions takes you from being a passive recipient of advertising’s messages to being an active consumer.
2. Learn the tools of the trade: Advertisers rely on tools like photo editing and careful selection of models to create the perfect image. Coleman’s (2009) research with young girls shows that when we can spot the tools, the advertisements lose their magic.
3. Start a conversation: The next time a friend critiques their body in front of you, instead of automatically complimenting them or offering a critique of your own body, start a conversation about why we, as consumers, might be critical of our bodies.
4. Use your voice: Thanks to social media, companies are more responsive to consumers’ concerns than ever before. If you see an issue with a campaign, write a post about it, message the company, or start a petition.

The next time you see an advertisement of “the good life,” know that this good life is simply reflecting our cultural norms and scripts. Yet, as a consumer, you have the power to shape those same norms and scripts. By Carly Drake

1. Where have you seen stereotypes used in advertising? What factors do you think contribute to the continued use of stereotypes?
2. Explain the media effect model in your own words. How might consumers relate to images of ideal bodies according to the media effects model?
3. Do you think the power of the media effects model can be limited? Do you believe consumers can ignore or resist advertising's messages, as the author suggests? Draw on your own personal experiences as a consumer and discuss this in the context of your own relationship with body ideal images in advertising.
4. The author states that we as consumers have the power to shape norms and scripts: how have you done this, or how do you plan to do this moving forward as a student, marketer, activist, or consumer?
5. How are norms and scripts evidenced in advertising? Include some examples using advertisements you are familiar with.
6. Discuss ways in which advertising contributes to the enculturation process. Use some advertisements as examples in your discussion.
7. Create a visual collage using advertisements that depict "the good life," as suggested by Pollay (1986).
8. The author states that ideal bodies in advertisements can make consumers feel bad about themselves: discuss this in more detail drawing on the concepts in this book related to "The Self."

[caption id="attachment_29" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Dr. Bonnie Henry, the public health officer for the province of British Columbia quickly became a household name at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic and shared an expression that soon became a message of unity to BC: "be kind, be calm, and be safe."[/caption] It was 4:00pm on Thursday April 23rd, 2020 and the Fluevog marketing team had just updated the John Fluevog website to feature the first-ever shoe designed in collaboration with a customer. Not just any customer, but an actual “Fluevoger” who became a household name at the start of a global pandemic. The “Dr. Henry” shoes were designed as a tribute to Dr. Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s Public Health Officer. Early into the pandemic, British Columbians came to recognize Dr. Henry as a soothing and calming voice in the midst of a troubling and confusing time for everyone. By 4:04pm the website crashed, caused by an overload to the system by eager customers trying to get their hands on the limited edition shoes. At 6:37pm, Fluevog tweeted, “Congrats to those who managed to get a pair of the “Dr. Henry” shoes. We are now sold out. We’re sorry for any stress caused - we clearly underestimated your enthusiasm - but are excited for the funds raised for the @RealFoodBanksBC and promise to be better prepared in the future” (Judd & Zussman, 2020). From Vancouver to Australia, orders were coming in at an unprecedented rate. Could Fluevog have anticipated this kind of reaction? How did they underestimate the allure the Dr. Henry shoes would be around the globe?

The Accidental Influencer

Dr. Bonnie Henry began her career as a family doctor and specialist in public health and preventative medicine. She is the first woman to become the Provincial Health Officer for the province of British Columbia. Her early handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia earned praise from the New York Times, who in June of 2020 ran an in-depth article on Dr. Henry’s handling of the pandemic naming her  identified "one of the most effective public health officials in the world." (Porter, 2020)..

A Mantra is Born

Dr. Henry’s press conference on March 17, 2020, is one few British Columbians will forget. It was on this day that Dr. Henry declared that BC was officially in a public health emergency: schools (and most non-essential businesses) were to be closed and social distancing measures were to be put in place. Dr. Henry also spoke six words that soon became adopted as a guiding statement for the residents of BC in the weeks and months ahead: be kind, be calm, be safe, she said. In an instant, a mantra was born and became one of the most repeated phrases of British Columbians over the next 10 months.

Unconventional Shoes for the Unconventional Consumer

Seen regularly on the feet of Dr. Henry at her daily press briefings were a pair of Fluevog shoes. For those who aren’t familiar with the west-coast brand, these shoes can be best described as whimsical, unconventional, smart, unique, and unconventionally classy. Over the years the brand, headed up by John Fluevog, has created a number of “tribute shoes” to honour those who inspire and face the world with grace and courage to make positive changes. John Fluevog started his career as a shoe maker in Vancouver, BC in 1970. His partnership with Peter Fox lasted 10 years, after which he went solo and opened his own store in downtown Vancouver (“50 Years…”, n.d.).  In the 1980’s, Fluevog continued to expand his stores throughout the U.S. appealing to consumers with a unique and unconventional sense of style and self-expression. By the 1990’s, Fluevog found itself to be at the centre of the Grunge fashion movement, especially along the west coast from Seattle to Vancouver. Fluevog gained a strong footing in the pop culture scene of the 90’s when celebrities such as Madonna,Dee-lite, and Lady Miss Kier wore the shoes sending the brand to new heights of “international fandom” (“50 Years…”, n.d.). In the 2000’s, Fluevog continued to build the brand and make “traditionally-made untraditional shoes” using eco-friendly materials: by this time Fluevog had a well-developed niche market and brand community of “Fluevogers” who had unconventional and unique tastes in footwear and a growing consciousness about sustainability and environmentalism. Fluevog appealed to consumers with the motto, “good soles leave small prints” (“50 Years…”, n.d.). By 2010, FastCompany declared John Fluevog Shoes one of the most Innovative Companies in the Fashion Industry, alongside Timberland, Coach, and Stella McCartney (“Most Innovative…”, n.d.). In 2016, Lady Gaga and Beyonce added their names to the list of celebrities who added Fluevog to their wardrobes, propelling the brand to expand into Europe two years later. In 2018, a special edition original ‘Munsters’ were worn at New York Fashion Week which prompted American drag legend Sasha Velour to claim the brand as, “one of the best pieces of design I have ever seen” (“50 Years…” n.d.).

Fluevog Tributes

Over the years, Fluevog created tribute shoes to honour individuals who inspire:  an entire collection - ‘The Bilbio Family’ - pays tribute to “notable and groundbreaking librarians of past and present” (“Biblio Hayden…”n.d.). Another collection, ‘The Big Presence’ line of shoes pays tribute to, “brave and daring women with bold and gallant designs” (Big “Presence Malala…”n.d.) including a shoe dedicated to Nobel Peace Prize laureate and education activist, Malala Yousafzai. In April 2020, when John Fluevog was asked why he thought a tribute shoe to Dr. Bonnie Henry - a public health officer - was a good fit for the brand he didn’t hesitate to explain: to the shoemaker, Dr. Henry was an “outstanding source of knowledge and reassurance” (Yoshida-Butryn, 2020), and when it came to business he stated that Fluevog “always like[s] to find ways to help and to highlight those who are doing good in our world” (Yoshida-Butryn, 2020).

The Shoe that Broke the Internet

It wasn’t just John Fluevog who noticed Dr. Henry’s footwear during all those press briefings during the spring of 2020: Fluevogers and the media alike took notice. Soon, people were a buzz about Dr. Henry’s health orders and fashion statements. Even ‘non-Fluevogers’ began to take notice. Working with Dr. Henry herself, Fluevog designed a magenta and eggplant bi-coloured heel based on the company’s ‘Operettas’ collection. With input from Dr. Henry, the shoe features patent leather accents, interlacing on the uppers and some of Dr. Henry’s own wise words stamped onto the footsock, reminding us all to ‘be kind, be calm and be safe’. At Dr. Henry’s request, 100% of the profits from the sale of the initial shoe launch supported Food Banks BC. Building on the success - and missteps - of the April launch, Fluevog announced 4 months later that it was launching two more Dr. Henry shoes - this time in black and blue, with 15% of sales going to the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 Response Fund (“Dr. Henry Shoes Return…”, 2020).

When the Shoe Fits

It’s not everyday that a Public Health Officer is asked to enter into a partnership with a fashion brand, let alone a (Canadian) icon of footwear. How did Dr. Henry react when asked about the tribute shoe? “I think it’s a wonderful thing and I’m really appreciative of the work that John Fluevog does in the community. And, of course, he does make beautiful shoes, and it was an honour to partner with him to support a good cause.” (Judd & Zussman, 2020) And while most Fluevogers would delight at the opportunity to lend their name to a small piece of the fashion universe, Dr. Henry’s motivation was motivated to pursue a goal much more personal and important to her. “We know that it has been challenging for many people during this crisis to access food and food security has been even heightened for, particularly for people who were no longer employed or homeless or under housed. Being able to support the food banks is something that is very important to me” (Judd & Zussman, 2020). It would seem that Fluevog was “on brand” all along: an unlikely collaboration for nontraditional consumers, during a truly unconventional time. Kindness, at a time when it’s been most needed. By Andrea Niosi and Pamela Ip

1. How would you describe Dr. Bonnie Henry's motivation to work with Fluevog on the tribute shoes? Discuss this in the context of intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation.
2. Create a perceptual map for Fluevog Shoes and a handful of its closest competitors. Explain how you have selected the axes and where you have positioned Fluevog on the map.
3. Create a profile of "Fluevogers": draw on some of the following concepts in making the profile:
   • Psychographic description
   • Lifestyle & AIO statements
   • Conformity vs non-conformity
4. Using the match-up hypothesis, evaluate Dr. Henry as a "source" (imagining her as a sort of "accidental influencer").
5. Read more about Fluevog's approach to environmentalism: how can their efforts be frame in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals? Which goals do you think they are working towards?
6. Fluevog shoes are both popular and well-known on the west coast of Canada: using concepts of proximity and mere exposure, discuss how the brand has likely gained a stronger following in this region more others.

[caption id="attachment_39" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Air Jordans are an iconic shoe that are highly sought-after by Sneakerheads.[/caption]

Sneakerheads

1. Can you name any similar consumer goods or branded products that have traits to sneakers? Specifically that are:
   1. Collectible?
   2. Resalable?
   3. Strong brand community?
2. Using the information in this case, discuss the differences between a brand community and a subculture?
3. Where do we see evidence of sacralization occurring in the sneaker subculture and brand communities?
4. Discuss how consumer goods become part of “popular culture” and identity 2-3 other goods you feel are also representative of pop culture.
5. What is hype and how has it contributed to the different forms of value discussed in this case?
6. Jimmy Choi is a self-proclaimed sneakerhead: how might his identity be explained using the concepts related to self complexity? What other concepts related to The Self could apply to members of sneaker brand communities and the sneakerheads subculture?
7. What does it mean when the author states that Michael Jordan is a cultural icon? How can this be explained in more detail, using more terms related to culture? What other examples of cultural icons and cultural symbols?

[caption id="attachment_518" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Chief Lady Bird's label design was donated to Indigenous Brew Crew to celebrate Indigenous women and support those organizations who are committed to supporting Indigenous women.[/caption] In March 2021, Anishinaabe artist Chief Lady Bird announced that she had designed a beer label for the “Celebrating Sisters” Project - a collaboration between “Indigenous Brew Day Crew” and “Do Better. Be Better.” The purpose of the collaboration is to celebrate Indigenous women and all efforts focused on supporting Indigenous women in various endeavours. Indigenous Brew Crew was founded by three Indigenous brewers - Mark Solomon, Seguin Sailors, and Eric Saulis, who came together with the same mission: to create a community that would empower Indigenous individuals while de-stigmatizing alcohol (“Celebrating Sisters”, n.d.). There is a long and impressive list of breweries who partner with Indigenous Brew Crew, each of which provide financial support to a cause important to them.

• Red Tape Brewery (New Brunswick Women’s Shelter)
• People’s Pint Brewing Company (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)
• Rorschach Brewing Co. (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)
• Whiprsnapr Brewing Co. (Families of Sisters in Spirit)
• Counterpoint Brewing Company (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)
• Orleans Brewing Co. (Families of Sisters in Spirit)
• Kichesippi Beer Co. (Families of Sisters in Spirit)
• Saulter Street Brewery (Native Women’s Resource Centre)
• Wellington Brewery (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)
• Queen of Craft (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)
• Split Rail Brewing Co. (Nookomisnaang Shelter)
• Katalyst Brewing Company (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)
• Kahnawake Brewing Co. (local food bank)
• Shacklands Brewing Co. (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)
• Dominion City Brewing Co. (Families of Sisters in Spirit)
• Kensington Brewing Co. (Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society)

Spotlight on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Transgender, and Two-Spirit People  (“MMIWGT2S”)

While the campaign is focused on celebrating Indigenous women, it has also served as an important reminder about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, transgender, and two-spirited people - particularly throughout Canada. The National Inquiry into the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls revealed that, “the persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people” (“Reclaiming power…”, n.d.). Systemic racism and colonialism are the key contributing factors to the historic and ongoing violence inflicted on Indigenous people. For Chief Lady Bird, bringing more awareness to the issues of discrimination and stereotyping experienced by members of her community, particularly when it comes to alcohol consumption, felt like something her artwork could do. When asked to participate in this cause-related marketing project, Chief Lady Bird felt it was important to ensure that she examine the partnership, players, and potential impacts very carefully: she wanted to ensure she wasn’t going to be involved in perpetuating harm or feeding into the ignorance about alcohol consumption and the impacts of colonialism in Indigenous communities. “It means a lot to me that the money from these products can help various Indigenous women’s organizations here on Turtle Island”, wrote Chief Lady Bird on her Facebook page, “it’s an opportunity for us to fight these stereotypes and for Indigenous folks who are experts in their field to create meaningful impact with their work” (“Chief Lady Bird Art”, 2021).

Maintaining Artistic Integrity

From an artistic perspective, Chief Lady Bird wanted to create a design that was both empowering and uplifting: an overall creation that wouldn’t blur the lines between sacred stories and the complex issues related to alcohol. The label features a blackbird against a forest green background illuminated by shining stars. Similar to the kind of work that Kyle Williams, a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist does for Kahnawake Brewing Company, no traditional designs, symbols, pictographs, or sacred stories are represented in the artwork (Monkman, 2021). Chief Lady Bird’s artwork was generously donated to Indigenous Brew Crew for the campaign and is being used by Great Lakes Beer (and other breweries) as part of their cause-related marketing efforts. By Andrea Niosi; Chief Lady Bird (editor)

1. Explain how cause-related marketing works and how it may benefit all the different stakeholders mentioned in this case.
2. What kind of common heuristics might factor into the consumer decision making process, specifically during the evaluation of alternatives stage?
3. Drawing from your understanding of sacralization and de-sacralization, explain the careful and deliberate artistic choices made by artists Chief Lady Bird and Kyle Williams in producing artwork for commercial consumption?
4. Define stereotype and explain how it differs from prejudice and discrimination. Discuss how Chief Lady Bird is challenging stereotypes about Indigenous People and alcohol consumption.
5. Using the terms intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, how would you discuss Chief Lady Bird’s participation in this project and the donation of her artwork to Indigenous Brew Crew?
6. Spend some time exploring the Indigenous Brew Crew website. How would you characterize the brand and describe its various brand attributes?
7. What is consumer involvement? Discuss how Indigenous Brew Crew is using cause-related marketing to increase consumer involvement?
8. As a means to raise awareness, increase consumer involvement, and change attitudes about MMIWGT2S, discuss Indigenous Brew Crew’s approach using the Elaboration Likelihood Model.

The Perception of Colour

How are colours experienced from cross-cultural perspectives? KPU students Julie Hartman, Leora Sachar, Sarah Whalley, and Nicole Gasbarri explored the meaning of colours from 3 global perspectives in this H5P content below. (Click on the plus sign to expand the text.) [h5p id="2"]

Three Types of Motivational Conflict

Using H5P's "Image with Hotspots" content type, KPU students Simran Asere, Sandeep Grewal, Tanikka Abraham, and Aman Singh Atwal created this project to demonstrate the three main Motivational Conflicts through a consumer behaviour lens: Approach-Approach; Approach-Avoidance; Avoidance-Avoidance. (Click on the plus sign to expand the text.)