NeverShoutNever and the Hipster Headdress

Indie Hipster frontman Christofer Drew Ingle of NeverShoutNever, who apparently has an aversion to his spacebar, has decided to sport a huge warbonnet and breastplate in his newest promo shoot.


The picture is emblazoned across the band's myspace, but was also used for several days on the general myspace music homepage, advertising a live Never Shout Never concert stream. Reader Erica sent over that image:

Then, back on the band's myspace page, they're using this image of a headdress-wearing buffalo to promote their upcoming concerts:

and finally, in their new video for cheatercheaterbestfriendeater (again with the spaces), they have this whole upside-down chin thing going on, and one of the "characters" they use? An "Indian." With warpaint and everything:

creepy.

I have about 8 bazillion more examples in my inbox of indie bands who use Indian imagery in their promotional materials, but I thought this one was interesting since it hit a fairly mainstream audience with the myspace music homepage promotion.

So, for the inevitable NeverShoutNever fans who stumble over here and wonder what's so wrong with dressing up like an Indian, read this post: But Why Can't I Wear a Hipster Headdress?

But if you're as adverse to clicking links as you are spacebars, here's the cliff notes version:

Headdress wearing by non-Natives promotes stereotyping of Native cultures. It collapses 565 tribes with distinct cultures, traditions, and regalia into one stereotypical image of a Plains Indian. There are few tribes that actually wear headdresses like the one above. It places Natives in the historic past. We still exist and are still Native, but we don't walk around in headdresses everyday. Headdresses are reserved for those given deep respect in Native communities--chiefs, leaders, warriors--and they have to be earned. It is offensive to see the frontman of a band wearing a headdress, implying he is on equal footing with these honored tribal members. Also, this practice is not "honoring" Native Americans. At all.

(Thanks Micah and Erica!)