i honestly don't know why can't armenian celebrities just embrace and spread out our own culture instead! not that this concerns every armenian celebrity, but our culture is so rich and could be beautifully incorporated into pop music...
Why couldn't Cher embrace her Armenian heritage? She could implement bits of Armenian folk music into her music. For example: System of a Down, all of the band members are of Armenian descent and they implement bits of Armenian folk music into their music. (They're also a metal band too, Armenian folk music and metal surprisingly marry together rather well).
@@sophie_drachen in the 1960's she would not have gotten a contact with music executives that are all white. It was not a good time. It was difficult for real natives to get recognized by the music industry. But she is pretty and that outfit is way more sexy than anything us real native American women would wear , our traditional dress is more modest. But she was willing to look sexy and wear culturally appropriated outfits so they promoted it. Having an ltainan last name rather than an Armenian one was also helpful.
This is becoming a common theme. One idea that comes to mind is to get a bunch of people together to invite her for a week or two to help her "get back to her roots" and learn the music. Would've been very difficult back in the decades but now the only real obstacle would be her cooperation. Hoping for the best to all who believe in this idea.
She wouldn’t embrace Armenian heritage because it’s not American. In the 70s, it would have alienated her audience more to claim immigrant from that part of the world. Ironically, claiming Native American stereotypes as a metaphor is her subversive way of telling her story without seeming unAmerican… but she is right to denounce it today.
1:34 It’s understood that Sacheen was a ‘pretendian’ as well. I have to say, while Cher’s portrayals were problematic, I will say as someone who is mixed white-Latino, whoever wrote Half-Breed had some kind of understanding of the struggle people of mixed backgrounds face when it comes to feeling like we don’t fully belong to either groups.
Would you be okay with it if they wore one and explained the culture behind it, and wore it in the ‘correct’ way (whatever would be correct for that particular tribe’s war bonnet?)
@@Ashethetics no, there is no acceptable way for non Indigenous people wear these. Just being Indigenous doesn't mean I can wear one, it has to be eared. If you wear one that's just racist and nothing can undo that
Romani people and Native peoples have little in common culturally, but a lot in common socially: constant cultural erasure, voracious culture vultures and always being ‘the fifth wheel’ when people typically discuss race and ethnicity in the public sphere. I can’t stress enough the love I’m sending you for making this video my friend, you’ve put a grateful smile on my face this afternoon.
@@KRstar78 i made that comment bc honest had just uploaded this and i wanted a lot of likes 🤷 sorry. i do want to see cher embrace her armenian roots more, considering armenian-americans hidden, but vast influence on american pop culture
When it comes to older media it's important to judge it in the context of when it was released. It doesn't matter if it's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or a Cher song, judging it by 2024's expectations is fundamentally unfair. These three songs were actually on the border of taboo for their themes of biracialism (interracial marriage was only legalized a few years prior), teenage pregnancy, spousal rage from the perspective of the woman, and a number of other reasons, were actually fairly progressive for their time: the early 1970s. Sure a lot of it has aged poorly in the last 50+ years, but I guarantee a bunch of the entertainment/media we're consuming now is going to age just as poorly 50+ years from now. The question is: does it still have value? And what value does it have despite its inherent flaws associated with the culture it was created in?
Yes well, the context in the 1970s was shaped by the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the transition from the Civil Rights era to wider social justice movements, and the decade saw significant Native American calls for change and protests. Key events included the occupations of Alcatraz, Mount Rushmore/Crazy Horse Mountain, Wounded Knee, and the Bonneville Power Administration building, the Trail of Broken Treaties Caravan, the Longest Walk protest march, the creation of Survival Schools, the first National Day of Mourning, and Sacheen Littlefeather's controversial appearance at the Oscars (a very, very, very flawed messenger but her message is the point). The context of the 1970s was loud and clear, especially when it came to Native Americans' calls for fairer representation and against discrimination and the fetishization of their culture. There were many very active groups and vocal actions throughout the decade, but in pop culture it's common to be willfully blind and exploitative. At the same time, the Roma/Romani/Traveler communities were still just over 20 odd years removed from a literal genocide, so the exoticization and stereotyping of these groups-portraying them as criminals, mystical manipulators, sexually promiscuous (leading to negative associations like adultery, teen pregnancies, and parental negligence in Cher's songs, no less)-were as damaging then as they would be now, but as you pointed out, the cultural climate of the time allowed such stereotypes to persist and be accepted without reservations by dominant groups, and criticism was more easily waved away. The important takeaway to me today is that Cher has since acknowledged said criticism, reflected on and adapted her work, reinterpreting her racially exotifying songs in a way that aligns better with the values of contemporary mainstream culture, in which we acknowledge profiling and fetichization as harmful to the communities that are the object of it (she now skips some verses, rephrases others, and has shelved a few songs entirely). If she's able to reflect on ther own body of work with a critical eye and, it should be doable for the public too.
Oh and on a side note, anti-miscegenation laws were often specific and most were not really relevant here: throughout U.S. history, 10 states banned marriages between Whites and Native Americans (11 if we include Oklahoma, where the law was vague enough to sometimes invalidate marriages, though its primary aim was to prohibit Black-White unions). This meant that marriage between Whites and Natives was legal in most states for the majority of U.S. history, and in 44 of them throughout the entirety of the 20th century (since 4 of the 10 states that had banned them repealed their laws as early as 1887). Miscegenation between Whites and Natives was common enough that the Bureau of Indian Affairs tracked it and mesured degrees of native heritage, and I'll leave it to you to look up "Cherokee princess myth" or "Indian princess myth" to get an idea of how common it was for Whites to claim some prestigious (though imagined) Native ancestry as early as the mid-1800s, especially in the South. It was also a very, very common cinematic trope, with many western movies with Native womenserving as a love interest for a White hero (though often not one that lives through the end of the movie...). In contrast, 41 states historically prohibited interracial marriage between Whites and Black people, and many also exlplicitely and specifically banned Black-Native, Black-Asian and/or Black and Filipino unions (there was also less than a handful of states that prohibited White-Asian interracial relations). In essence, these anti-miscegenation laws were primarily designed to contain and control ‘Blackness', though they would also be more anti-POC in some places. The point of all that rambling is just to say that Native-White miscegenation was, though relatively rare and by no means easy to live, not nearly as shocking in 1970s as we may think, and rather well-anchored in the White American cultural mythos at that point (though I'd imagine it's different to say "my great-nan was an Indian princess so I'm of royal bloodline and fuly White but also native to this land" than "my dad in an First Nation Joe Schmo").
You are incorrect. It was always seen as racist. The only difference is being racist was acceptable to white people....still is too many and I would hate to see some future populations excusing trumps etc "as not to be judged because it was normal".
In 1977, Cher released an album called Cherished, one of the tracks literally referenced Half Breed with lyrics such as “I was craddled by a Cajun Mama Deserted by a Cherokee dad” however the album flopped so no one really talk about it now
Um... what?? If you're going to speak on something, at least get your facts straight. I literally just went through the entire "Cherished" tracklist on Genius, and at no point does Cher EVER sing about being "cradled by a Cajun Mama and deserted by a Cherokee dad". Not even in War Paint and Soft Feathers, the song that is the most thematically similar to Half-Breed. Here are the FULL lyrics to War Paint and Soft Feathers: [Verse 1] They were from two warring tribes So their love could never be He was a painted Apache And she was a Cherokee He was stealing her father's horses When he saw her standing there Moon braided bits of silver All through her long black hair [Chorus] War paint and soft feathers Love was meant to be Even though he was Apache She was a blue-eyed Cherokee War paint and soft feathers Under the pale moonlight Doing what tribal laws forbid As drums brought the silence of the night [Verse 2] His strong arms circled round her waist His headband touched her brow They were of two different tongues But their lips met anyhow Next to a small oak tree Crossed spears forbid their love There'd been no peace between their tribes Long as eagles soar above [Chorus] War paint and soft feathers Love was meant to be Even though he was Apache She was a blue-eyed Cherokee War paint and soft feathers Under the pale moonlight Doing what tribal laws forbid As drums brought the silence of the night [Verse 3] Now the leaves have fallen to the ground Over and over again From the small oak tree grown taller Where once crossed spears had been A young man rides his pinto horse And he stands there tall and free The son of a wild Apache And a blue-eyed Cherokee [Chorus] War paint and soft feathers Love was meant to be Even though he was Apache She was a blue-eyed Cherokee War paint and soft feathers Under the pale moonlight Doing what tribal laws forbid As drums brought the silence of the night [Outro] War paint and soft feathers Love was meant to be Even though he was Apache She was a blue-eyed Cherokee War paint and soft feathers Under the pale moonlight Doing what tribal laws forbid In that particular song, she is referring to two indigenous characters in the song, an : "Apache and a blue-eyed Cherokee". The song has nothing to do with Cher or her background. Half-Breed literally begins with Cher singing that "her father married a pur Cherokee" and was thought to be a more autobiographical song. I know it's easy to just make shit up about people you don't like, but you look foolish doing it, because all you're doing is contributing to the idea that anyone with valid criticism is just "a petty hater", because you're so confident I'm talking out of your ass and not bothering to fact-check it.
@@cannibalisticrequiem Next time just google the line you're looking for and the song will pop right up. No need to scan every song because you might miss it. Like you did in this case.
To be fair, that whole album was an attempt for her to earn another #1 hit with storytelling songs, like Half-Breed. Especially Pirate and War Paint & Soft Feathers
@@cannibalisticrequiem You’re spreading misinformation. It’s on genius. Cherished, Track 9, Verse 3 [Verse 3] Just some poor white trash From a bayou town and a driftwood shack I was cradled by a Cajun Mama Deserted by a Cherokee dad Then at seventeen a Georgia drifter came And we made it to L.A And when I called my agent today The conversation went this way
I think it's because white American corporate execs (hopefully, not all of them, but enough to be an issue) didn't and still don't perceive Caucasian cultures as something that would be as marketable as a dozenth adaptation of Snow White or Cinderella. It doesn't help that there are hardly (if any) calls for appreciating the heritage of the countries located in this region. Even the word Caucasian itself is wrongfully tied to all white people as a whole, instead of tying it to the people living within the Caucasus.
There sure are a whole lot of movies and songs about being Italian and Irish from the US for a country that doesn't perceive Caucasian cultures as marketable.
@@Crawlingdreams418 💯 it was not a time of inclusivity. Armenian was too foreign for the European executives at the time. Also that costume was sexy and they could get behind that. Our native American regalia is much more modest. Bono they could pronounce. Nothing more than Smith and Jones for last names was tolerated.
@@perfectallycromulent The OP was referring to the correct meaning of Caucasian, i.e. of the Caucasus. Neither Italy nor Ireland are located in the Caucasus.
You're right. The only time a truly more European ethnic focus or tradition is when pop culture or Hollywood uses paganism, which is broad, is usually on horror media or heavy rock or metal music Unless there are more positive or nuanced media of specifically European culture used for pop culture that i don't know of, they only ever get famous through horror and rock media The only positive European ethnic representation I can think of is Yaelokre, a recent music project by an artist of the same name, who uses their Nordic and Filipino cultures as inspiration for their storytelling in music.
I never knew she was half Armenian. I saw her old looks wearing Native American looking clothes and always assumed she was half Cherokee based on the song Half-breed too
That faux native American out fit is bob Mackey as well. He did her costumes since the 70's. Sachsen little feather was not native American. She lied as well and was Mexican, she claimed Navajo but was wearing a buck skin dress to the Oscars. Navajo women wear velvet dress with silver and toriquouse belts. So she didn't do her research either. The other was Buffy Saint Marie who is Italian and British. These women all jumped on the native American culture as a way to stand out in the crowd. It's all cultural appropriation. The hippies wanted to use native American culture as an excuse to use drugs. We didn't lay around smoking pot all day, we had other things to do. 🙄
@kcurran9913 ,check out the documentary here from Canada about her. Buffy. She has an Italian parent and a British one. Her brother has been trying to expose this since the 60's she threatened to say he was a child molester if he kept telling the press she is 100% European. It's called like the 4th estate. She just says she is Cree because she has friends in that tribe 'that adopted her' it's not a formal real adoption, just something you say as a close friend of the family . She is a liar and a pretend indian 'pretendian'. Her awards should be taken away. It's really not fair when they should have gone to real indigenous persons. Zuni tribal member here. 🙂
@kcurran9913 buff is Italian and British the doc the 5th estate from Canada tells the story . She has been a liar since the 60's. Her brother has tried to expose this..she Buffy threatened him that she would claim he is s pedo and sue him if he kept it up. Her awards should be taken away from her and given to real indigenous people. Zuni tribal member here. 🙂
@kcurran9913 we do know about Buffy. She is ltianian and British. Check out the documentary from the 5tg eastate it's from CANADA. She claims 'cree' but it's not a real adoption. It's just something kind that was said because she is a close friend of the family. See what she did when her brother was trying to tell the truth. There has been talk of talking away her awards. As a Zuni tribal member myself I can understand that move.
It's really sad when mixed-race people are often marketed as one race--or in situations like this where their "exotic" looks make them a proponent for stereotyping another culture. I definitely feel like if she'd been born a few decades later, the issues with this wouldn't be nearly as bad.
What I (a mixed race man) have found is that many people will portray mixed race people as "exotic" and highlight the features deemed desirable by western beauty standards (dark hair, large lips, almond eyes, etc) while also being able to ignore the traits many people of color have that are considered undesirable. Basically, they can ogle at certain features while not having to bother appreciating anything out of the norm. Idk if I worded this right I'm so tired
@gaywizard-u7v I get what you mean. While mixed people have often faced discrimination for being seen as "half-breeds," they've also been fetishized for what they "can bring to the table," simultaneously uplifting mixed people but also making them something to oogle from an aesthetic/scientific standpoint.
Cher being half Middle Eastern could’ve been good enough for the ethnic tropes she was attempting to capitalise off of. Armenia has such a rich and beautiful culture, and a very sad history that isn’t too dissimilar to the Native Americans, so why wouldn’t she just sing about Armenia? I suppose it wasn’t trendy in the 70s…
@@NaudJacob Armenia is in the Caucasus, between Eastern Europe and the Middle East but it has way more influences from the Middle East than from Europe, especially from Iran as well as Middle Eastern Christianity (Syriacs, Assyrians, the Maronites in Lebanon etc). Armenia is a Christian country that neighbours Azerbaijan, a muslim country that was heavily influenced by Persia/Iran. Even the name of country is from Old Persian and it means fire (“azar") guardian ( “baijan”).
Great video! Love how you tied in the political movements and set the cultural context. I love Cher! But I do remember back then she would play up her being Native American, it was a common misconception back then that she actually was. She had a very different look from the typical blonde hair blue eyed standards back then. According to reports Cher has less than 5% of Native American ancestry and it’s not even verifiable lol. (So even the small percentage she claims to have could be a hoax). It’s a wonder why Cher and her team didn’t capitalize on Armenian culture, given that she is half Armenian and Armenian culture is so rich and understated. Her resistance to accept that it was insensitive to continue to wear sexed up costumes of Native American clothing rubbed me the wrong way but I’m glad she came around. I love the storytelling in all of these songs but I always thought Half Breed was one of her weakest tracks, I don’t know why she fought to hold onto it so much. Also loved how you gave nuance and didn’t approach this from a “cancelling” angle but a genuine discussion.
There was no "typical blonde hair blue eyed standard" when Cher got popular. The most famous female act in the US and the rest of the world was The Supremes. And brunettes like Linda Ronstadt managed to be popular while remaining honest about their ethnic backgrounds. Cher was an opportunistic asshole.
@perfectallycromulent I think you are having a selective view of Hollywood during that time period. People like Linda Ronstadt and The Supremes were the exception not the rule.
Because it was extremely popular at the time to LARP as Native American. Loon at the Canadian version of cher for example, Bobbi st Claire or whatever. White Turk larped as Cherokee for like 50+ years and still does it today.
I agree with you that Half-Breed doesn’t make much sense from a Native perspective. It’s my understanding that Native Americans are generally some of the more accepting groups when it comes to being of mixed heritage. It’s so much more relatable when a person is mixed with groups that are more demanding about how you look/talk/act and have those hard expectations
I think context is important for sure. Which you bring up at the end very well. But also! 1. I'm not Cherokee, but I'm still indigenous. It doesn't matter that " Oh, Cherokee accept through the mother's side. " --- Not every person or group within their nation. is accepting. There can be classism amongst any group. I know it's still mildly a thing people flaunt at others to put others in their nation down because of how their family hasn't branched out so they have more authority in their brain. It's dumb. 2. My mother chose not to live on the reservation, but her siblings stayed. And the amount of people she knows who were told that they were some form of native american in their lineage found out it was a lie. It was a thing that drunk parents spun I assume and their children believed and sometimes their children told their children because they never assumed it could be a lie. 3. Plenty of indigenous people love these songs actually, because whether you think it is a good look today or not, these were stepping stones towards acceptance and genuine interest. Did it start how we wanted? No. Did it get us on a better path? Yes.
Finally a wise comment among a lot of bullshit including the video in itself. Everyone nowadays has such a cynical way of seeing things even suggesting that Cher was a bad person for this, which seems more innocent from her part, to say the least. She never mocked anything and maybe she did think she was part cherockee. At least she could relate to a nomadic/gypsy and mixed race experience but people do not see that, right? Everyone nowadays wants to make music that belongs only to their culture not realizing that every single culture is a mixture of different cultures. This cultural appropriation branwashing has gone too far. What if people do a song about this to show respect or appreciation for a culture? Their cynical little brains can't get that.
Everyone saying she should have used her Armenian heritage as a gimmick obviously has no idea of what was happening in the 60s and 70s with the Middle East. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, etc were all big issues at the time. Not to mention the unpopularity of the Vietnam War. It was safer to chose something American but still mysterious to most.
When I first met my now-BFF back in '81 and we were getting to know each other, she said she was Cherokee. I said "Oh, like Cher?" and oof! did I EVER get read for filth on THAT one.
@@blazingstar9638 She was perceived as native american for a long time... the fact she was part Armenian was the 'deep dark secret' ...but there's this weird phenom in the US of white and black families passing down stories of the family being part native only to find out from dna tests that those stories are wrong... unless the dna tests are wrong? Has native dna really ben studied and understood as closely as white european dna?
I read somewhere that a great deal of Americans think they have Native American ancestors….and it seems to always be Cherokee. My own grandfather insisted we did, but when we did genetic testing, not a native gene to be found.
@@mathewsydney8929 from what I've read, it's not really DNA that proves that someone is indigenous. You need to be acknowledged by an indigenous community and have familial and direct cultural ties of some sort. And ofc it's different from nation to nation how they define belonging, legally and conceptually, but they generally don't use DNA or blood quantum.
Sorry but "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" has absolutely nothing to do with the Romany people. It's obvious in the context of the song that the term "gypsies" is quoted as an expression of the small minded bigotry of the towns where the traveling show made it stops. It is not intended as a literal description and to present it as such is an exercise in projection. Consequently, it is inaccurate to describe it as an ethnically themed song or to equate it with "Halfbreed" on that score. This kind of trimming of the facts to fit a preferred narrative can only undermine legitimate criticism of cultural appropriation.
The “Reveal” was by Jacqueline Keeler, a journalist who’s been called out by many Native people for targeting mixed race Natives and claiming they’re not Indigenous even when they are. Sacheen’s sisters made it seem like they always knew Sacheen was a “fraud” when they themselves admit their Mexican-American father always said they were native and they “found” out they weren’t when Keeler contacted them. Keeler is also pretty notorious for targeting Indigenous people not from the United States (Sacheen was Yaqui, a Native people in Mexico, as well as Apache). So I would take her work with a grain of salt.
@@tapadhleibh3052 There were disputes over her background even during her life, Roger Ebert had disputed Littlefeather's Native American ethnicity in 2004 in an obituary for Marlon Brando, stating that after her attendance at the Oscars she was "identified as Maria Cruz, an actress who was not an Indian". In addition, her family did not have any actual tribal ties, which is a necessary part of actually being indigenous. I also don't know where you claim her sisters knew they were native. And why would they lie to Keeler?
@@tapadhleibh3052 Being Native American, means more than just ancestry, including partial ancestry. You can't just claim indigenous heritage off a DNA test, you have to have documented lineage and community recognition for that to be the case.
@@user-rn6en5vq1m unfortunately her sisters deleted or privated their Twitter accounts so I can’t find their old tweets anymore, but apparently they were angry at Sacheen’s success and that they weren’t invited to her funeral. And it could be possible that I’m wrong and she was a faker. But many people in Latin America have been detribalized forcefully and don’t have the opportunity to officially reconnect with their roots. The last thing I’ll say is Keeler has been unreliable in the past and her sisters clearly had at least some resentment towards her. I’d just take that to mind.
Eh, I wouldn't be too hard on the hippies - they were overly mocked by conservatives because how dare you fight the 50's culture, but also, they were a reaction to the 50's and the decades before. When lashing out against that, its going to be at least a little cringe in the end. Also, as you said, it helped get the idea of Native Americans into the popular mind.
@@xBINARYGODx sorry no, the hippies wanted to take drugs and appropriated native American culture like all we did was smoke pot all-day long. We raised children and fed our families made household items . Not drug addicts. Plus they could have rebelled without putting on our feathered headdress. There are other ways to do that plus Cher's outfits were way more sexy than our regalia which is modest. This dress is tacky and disrespectful. Yeah it put a backwards overly sexualized version of native American culture into people minds. So then people could dress as us for Halloween not what we wanted. Not our truth not our story at all. It was done to sell records and a sexy image of Cher nothing more. As an artist and native American woman myself I'm not at all grateful to her or the hippies.
the hippies from back then are some of the most staunch conservative right wing people today, it's wild af, but not surprising, it was just an aesthetic for them when they wanted to do recreational drugs and stuff.
I'm mixed-ethicity and honestly 'half-breed' was such a powerful song for me growing up. The story may be mythical, but it was the song that made me love Cher. It still speaks volumes and you could argue the inaccuracies make it more authentic to the mixed experience. I'm not saying it's okay to be misinformed, but it can be hard to know everything about your identity when there are language and cultural barriers in place. One side tells you one thing, the other disagrees, it can be tough to sort out truth and tall tales. Especially back in the 70s when Cher performed the piece and even in the 00s when I was a kid. A multi-ethnic home is like a different tribe by itself and you only really get glimpses of what it's actually like to live in each culture. I'm still thankful for this bold and brash depiction because complex identities weren't always well understood or represented in the past.
I’m guessing you were raised by the white parent which would explain why you justify a racist song and find it “powerful”. I suggest unpacking the racism’s your white parent taught you to accept as normal. Also don’t use the word tribe like that, you sound as racist as Cher.
I'm a lot younger than Cher. I actually found out who she was earlier this year & have been listening to a lot of her music this year. Both solo & w/ Sonny Bono. Cher was actually the 4th artist on my Spotify Wrapped Top 5 artists this year. Cher Is music legend. She's a true icon that's inspired so many other artists. My favorite Cher songs are: 1.) Music No Good Without You 2.) Believe 3.) Strong Enough 4.) Dark Lady 5.) Gypsies Tramps & Thieves 6.) Half-Breed 7.) Woman's World 8.) The Look 9.) Bang Bang 10.) If I Could Turn Back Time 11.) I Found Someone 12.) Song For The Lonely 13.) Love & Understanding 14.) Shoop Shoop Song 15.) Body To Body Heart To Heart 16.) Hell On Wheels 17.) RunAway 18.) Real Love 19.) Love One Another 20.) Love Is A Lonely Place 21.) Take Me Home 22.) All Or Nothing I never knew that Cher wasn't actually a real native American before I watched this video. I find it interesting that Cher who for the most part isn't Native American (I say for the most part because she's only 1.16% Native American) would sing about Native American people & their experiences. I still like those songs because of the storytelling. Thanks Honest For making this video.
I'm really curious about how actual Native Americans feel about Half-Breed. I love the song but I can totally understand why a none Native American person should not sing a song like that,
The phenomenon of non-Natives claiming to be Indigenous is called Pretendianism (as in 'pretend Indian'). It is extremely common. Celebrities usually use it as a tool to further their careers. Non-celebrities do it, too. At one time, it was common for white Southerners to claim to be mixed with Native as a way of proving how long their family had been in the South, the implication being that when they arrived there was no one else in the rural areas to marry but Natives, and thus the statement was meant to validate their "Southernness." It was also common for people of other minority groups to claim to be Native because, while they still faced incredible prejudice, Native Americans were perceived with slightly more respect than other minority racial groups in certain areas of the US (specifically, as it relates to Cher, several Armenian immigrants may have felt social pressure to do this.) So, some pretendians might actually have been told that they were Native by their family even though it is untrue. Not everyone who's lying knows that they are lying.The situation is further complicated by the assimilation and genocide faced by Indigenous groups, as there absolutely were people that resisted being forced onto reservations, and not all tribes are federally recognized, and inheritance of legal status as a tribal member is a complicated process which is unique to the rules of each tribe. Therefore, "proving" if you are Native or not isn't always simple. A common mindset though, is the importance of a cultural connection and being claimed by the people that you claim (i.e., do you know anything about the tribe you say you are, and would anyone of that tribe know you/your family to attest to the claim?) Specifically, to your point about how Natives feel about celebrities like Cher claiming to be Indigenous, there is usually a sense of betrayal and resentment. Native Americans are so underrepresented, and every pretendian takes space that should be inhabited by an actual Native person. To add insult to injury, Natives tend to be supportive of the work of Native celebrities, so in a sense the perception is that they profited off scamming the Native community by claiming a tie that doesn't exist. Of course, Native Americans are not a monolith and different people have different opinions. Some are deeply offended, others don't care as much. I would encourage you to look into the situation with an artist named Buffy Sainte Marie if you would like to know more. She claimed to be Native for decades and was a hero to many. When it came out that she isn't, many of those that grew up being inspired by her found it devastating.
@@marysmith1377 amen. Plus that outfit is way too sexy and our native American regalia is much more modest. So she was willing to put that on. Which I'm sure the European executives could get behind..I think it looks tacky. As a Zuni tribal member I can understand the move to recall the awards Buffy Saint Marie has won. This was not an inclusive time period. As us natives were working hard to be recognized and be included in our own story telling it was intrusive for other non natives to claim that as their indenty just to stand out as more exotic. I am happy in my work in background on tv commercials and film.. I'm happy to be a real Native American women representing my people.🐀💓
As an indigenous american from the arapaho and kickapoo tribes, I really appreciate this and must tell you this is why I never liked cher and despise hippies
@@mistyblue8913 amen sister. The hippies found outer did a little pot for religious reasons and said see it's okay to be stoned all day long . It was an excuse to use drugs . This was just PR for Cher and to sell records. In an overly sexualized version of native American women. Our regalia is much more modest. As a Zuni tribal member I can say I have not appreciated this.
@@alexeios are you of European background. Please don't tell people how to feel. Yes time marches on. And people may feel different about culture appropriation at differ times in their life but it's up to each person to grieve and grow. You can't just tell people any one to get over it. It won't happen on your time limit it just won't. You have to learn patience
5:06 Correction: Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves was not a #1 single in the UK, it peaked at #4 there. Cher's first solo #1 hit in the UK was her 1991 cover of The Shoop Shoop Song.
Native American born and raised on tribal land. Thank you Cher for wearing our Navajo, Zuni Jewelry! our jewelry, art, etc. is beautiful! Our art looks beautiful on every race, background, etc because our art is BEAUTIFUL. Thank you for supporting Native artist, Silversmiths, etc. Ya'll are stressed over something so little...but not using brain for serious topics going on in the world. If you are not Native and purchase from our artist, silversmiths thank you for the support. HAGD.
To be fair, songs like 'Half Breed,' Paul Revere and the Raiders' recording of "Indian Reservation," the movie 'Billy Jack,' and even Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" were very influential in raising White America's collective conscience toward oppressed and marginalized groups during this time. It's important to consider what was happening in America during these years: the very unpopular Vietnam War was still going on- and there were protests, draft card burnings, the Kent State shooting, and lots of civil unrest. Despite this, music artists were reluctant to record any songs directly related to the killings of innocent Vietnamese people overseas. After all, American music was being heard over the radio by US troops stationed in East Asia. So artists instead began recording songs pertaining to the mistreatment of Black and Indigenous people,-whose own personal histories of genocide and persecution mirrored those of present day Vietnamese.. It was still a new thing to hear the plight of Indigenous People expressed in a sympathetic light, as both US History and Hollywood had always portrayed them as violent and immoral savages. As someone who grew up listening to these songs, my own perceptions of both Black and Native American culture and oppression were greatly affected. The concept of appropriation was not an issue during this time. In fact, the act of donning clothing or headwear was considered an expression of solidarity and respect toward America's Indigenous Tribes. While it is completely possible to disrespect and exploit another culture - and we can find plenty examples of this practice, both in past and present behaviors-modern society has become too quick to unfairly label and characterize other behaviors as 'examples of cultural appropriation' and 'white saviorism.' In these examples, the same individuals who helped bring visibility and awareness to marginalized groups are later criticized and condemned for these same actions. In other examples, accusations of appropriation are made towards people for their choices of garments, tattoos, and jewelry. The implication is that simply wearing an outfit that is traditionally associated with another culture is disrespectful and racist. As someone who has traveled all over the world, I've noticed that this phenomenon exists only in the United States and in some small parts of Europe, but nowhere else. In other countries, vendors' entire livelihoods are dependent upon selling hats, clothing, and body accessories to foreign tourists. It is not considered demeaning or offensive in Africa and Asia for white people to wear their traditional garments. In fact, it is highly encouraged, as doing so is not only viewed ss a sign of goodwill, but as a practice which greatly benefits their economies. Though well-intentioned, sometimes our regimented 'Americanized' perspectives are not reflective of the rest of the world's - and they can end up causing more harm than good. . .
Appropriation was an issue at the time, white people just decided not to listen. It didn’t raise consciousness, white people just gave pathetic folks like you the story you preferred with all the maintained stereotypes. It lead to a lot of really toxic friendships and toxic workplaces.
I would say whether or not she faked having Native heritage is still highly debated as the woman who spearheaded it, Jacqueline Keeler, is highly criticized for her tactics and for anti-Blackness. That's all I'll say on the matter
@@halo2d Sacheen little feather was Mexican 100%. while she was alive she claimed Navajo, but wore a buckskin dress to the Oscars. That is not the regalia for that tribe which wears velvet skirt and blouse. She wanted to stand out as something other than just mexico. Her family had no idea why she ever claimed native American heritage. While Mexicans have native American roots in Mexico it is not looked well to claim to be indigenous. They want to say they are more Spanish and therefore more European. In the 60 and 1970s it was not easy to be anything other than European in music or acting. It's was inclusive yet.
Mexican not Italian. Was it wrong for her to portray herself the way she did? Yes. Is she most likely Indigenous herself with her Mexican background ? Also yes.
@@pjano476 Exactly! I'm reading some pretty ignorant comments here saying she's 100% Mexican. First of all, Mexican isn't a race ffs and newsflash most Mexicans are indeed of indigenous background!
Marie Louise Cruz (Sachsen Littlefeather) is not Native American of U.S.A either. She was Hispanic and and Mexican-Mexican(indigenous) which is super common from Mexico. There are not reservations there like in the U.S. She lied about her childhood saying she was impoverished like how so many celebrities do pretending they were so poor and lifted themselves up for the American sweetheart story. She also wanted to feel more exotic by saying she was part Apache.
(Not related to Sacheen but) Apache historically mixed a lot with Mexican people especially in New Mexico. That's not uncommon. I have both Apache and Chichimeca for that very reason.
@ just because they’re Apaches in Mexico, whether today’s Mexico or what used to be Mexico and what is now U.S., doesn’t mean she herself was Apache. She lied. She said her dad was non-Hispanic white and her mom Apache when she is Hispanic and indigenously Mexican but her sisters said they had no affiliation specifically with the Apache tribe. They were in a middle class area that is normal to America. Rappers lie saying they were from impoverished conditions, too.
Cher resents the idea of being identified as Mexican American. So this is how colonialism wins. Divide and conquer. Keep indigenous people at each other’s throats. Even if they are the same people. Spanish, English, French are all colonial languages. So is it our colonialism is better than your colonialism? Meanwhile colonialism takes what it wants. It will have you kill other indigenous peoples and maybe give you a medal.
That was heartbreaking. I’m still reeling from that. There’s still a part of me that wishes it could be disproven, but I believe there’s nothing she can say.
Exoticism was so incredibly commonplace and accepted in society pre-internet. It would be hard for younger people to even imagine how pervasive and encouraged it was. Actors swapping races and ethnicities, songs about other cultures, artwork assimilating, and what would now be called exploiting and appropriating was EVERYWHERE. There was little to no cancel culture. It was all looked upon as a gimmick or a stchtick to sell products. People bought into it. Very few found it as odd at the time.
Nobody questioned it at the time... in fact, is was the cool, hip, leftist thing to do back then. ppl were unaware and often thought they were honoring the cultures/people they were appropriating from. Thankfully we know better now but it's unfair to project our sensibilities onto our grandparents' era... For pete's sake, how are our grandchildren going to judge us? Pretty harshly I imagine.
I think its crazier because it doesn't seem like she added to discourse on the mistreatment of Native American people I know it was the times but its still weird.
Im about to watch the video, but something tells me since that was around the time the history of native people were becoming a little more acknowledged record execs were trying to be like “you’re native _enough,_ play it up to show we’re not white supremacists and we love diverse cultures!” And she didn’t really have a choice in the way that female celebrities never got to control their own image. But who knows, I’m gonna watch the video right now
Ok. Let's put some things into perspective y'all seem to be ignoring. - It was the 1970's. You have to look at this through lens of the time. Not what we all understand and know now. - It was a costume. It had no greater meaning to anyone working on that show than that it looked great on camera and she kinda fit a stereotype in terms of looks. - She has publicly addressed the controversy of having worn those bonnets and stopped wearing them in concerts back in the 2010's. - Just because you place great meaning on something does not mean other people are. It probably never occurred to Mr. Bob Mackie (the designer of her get-ups) that what he was doing at that time was culturally insensitive. It was just part of a look. - We have much more access and understanding of things with the world wide web. Again, this idea for a "costume" was over 50 years ago when there were different cultural norms. I understand the conversation about cultural appropriation however you also have to factor in other variables. It's not always black and white or necessarily nefarious.
What you fail to get is that ALL of these songs are of women, and women could identify with all of the characters in the song. As a young teen girl, I could identify with her as a woman who is alienated, and adrift. I wasn't alone. Many of my female friends also liked her songs and felt a personal connection. Dark Lady - women get revenge on a cheating husband.
She never wanted to make a song called " Passing" about a mixed race black woman who navigates her existence in between the two worlds. Looking one way ( pure white) but knowing her true heritage ( Maternally African indigenous)
Mass majority of Mexicans have some percentage of ingenuous blood. Most Mexicans are technically Native American, bc Mexico is apart of North America and as you should know the US bought most of the southern states from Mexico. Not all Mexicans are obviously 100% ingenious bc they were colonized by Spain, but they are close to what mix individuals are considered in Canada which is called Métis.
@@Capibaracapibara1992 it was 50 years ago and it took her 50 years to retire tne song and actually address the issue at hand..let that sink in. It’s still a conversation worth having.
As a Native American woman, I’ve never liked Cher for this exact reason. I don’t like her or any white woman wearing our racial identity as a costume. I don’t give af ab your “intentions.” Thanks for speaking on this and bringing light to the subject
But common, that's not real appropriation, that's Las Vegas. As a hard rock fan, I could also mention Queen's "White Man" (hardly a major hit though), Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" (the original video shows British World War II fighter planes), Europe's "Cherokee" (the video depicts tipis the Cherokee never livid in), or Manowar's "Spirit Horse of the Cherokee". There were even issues around album photos (The Cult - "Wild-hearted son"). In some cases, let the courts decide, in others that's legitimate historical material. What, must indigenous North and South America be written out of music history? And in some cases, it did raise the consciousness of the listeners. Then we also need to be careful about "Native American" clothing. I mean if we're just going to ban some paint and feathers, I feel sorry for the Rio Carnival.
She could’ve easier pushed her Armenian heritage considering they went through a very recent genocide when Cher was at her peak but instead she cosplayed a culture that wasn’t even hers. How odd
Armenian heritage is always hidden away but, man, if someone has a single ounce of Italian blood, the whole world knows about it... more Armenian representation, please!
On the topic of artists claiming indigenous ancestry and profiting off of it I HIGHLY recommend the cbc documentary that investigates Buffy Sainte-Marie, it’s actually very enlightening
I don’t care if anyone is offended or not,sports teams take Native American names,there were wrestlers portraying Indian characters in the ring,dark skinned Latinos portrayed Natives in western movies.I as a white rural southerner gets stereotyped.These Cher songs were some of her best work,I listened to them today.
There have never been two songs that got my button finger moving faster to change the station on my car radio than Gypsies and Half Breed. Her going into the Rock HOF was further confirmation that it's become a bad joke.
As we look back on Cher, does anybody else sit and think to themselves, "Oh, THIS is what the Kardashians are going for"? Also, as a music producer myself, I can tell you Cher probably is not to blame for these ethnic and cultural insensitivities. Remember, it's the industry we're talking about. Even today, most pop stars are not in control of their material. Their songs are written for them by other talented but less famous people, then signed off on by the record label. Their wardrobes are picked out by other executive decision makers. Do you really think Cher chose every one of those outfits? I doubt it. The people in charge of her career probably just greased the palms of some seedy designer and stuck it on her, like a comission.
How did you do all this research and not find out that Sonny is the same a sunny? Like, I would expect that you watched some of the clips and interviews and their own television show.
When you take in the context of the times this was perfect marketing. As a African-Americans kid growing up in the seventies I remember AA's claiming to have some Native American ancestry. Must have been some kind of trend. But statistically only 0.8% of African-Americans have any.
A lot of people lied about their ancestry to appeal to the public back then. Sometimes their manager made this decision. People have even changed their names. Not suprised about Cher.
native american ancestry is found in the americas, not just in the USA, America is the continent, not the country, same as native european = europe, native african = africa, native asian = asian, native american = AMERICA
I believe at this time Armenian would have barely been given the option to be ‘white.’ Considering Italians and Greeks were often not considered white, I would imagine Armenian would have been placed in that category as well.
What is considered white is just a matter of opinion. Middle Easterners have been supposed to pick white on the US census, although they’re adding it as a separate category in 2030. What makes Middle Easterners “not white” is that they’re predominantly Muslim, but since Armenians are mostly Christian and live pretty close to Russia they would probably be considered “white ethnics” like Greeks
In the US, they are 'legally' white. In the US census, 'white' includes ppl of western Asia and northern Africa are included: Turkish, Armenian, Palestinian, Egyptian... if you read and fill out US census forms correctly, all those ethnicities fall under 'white.' (weird, I know, but I don't make the rules... our weird government oligarchs do)
HIPPIE: Hey, man! Don't let him bring you down, now. There's a lot of young people in this country, just like myself, who really know where the Indian's at. And don't worry. Soon we're all gonna be out here on the Reservation, livin' like Indians, 'n' dressin' like Indians and doing all the simple, beautiful things that you Indians do. Hey - got any peyote? - Temporarily Humboldt County
All of the false virtue signaling and condemnations of Cher, are truly sickening! You people weren't alive, back then, and have ZERO context for what Cher was doing. I was there! I remember, most vividly, the zeitgeist of the times, back then. A.I.M. (American Indian Movement) was just getting started. They needed all of the exposure that Native Culture could get. Having a Super Star highlight them, was just the push they needed, for the dominate culture to sit up and take notice of their cause. So, keep your uninformed, PC, psyco babble to yourselves!
You're being absurd! We should all be traveling back in time to punish our great-grandparents for not recycling! How dare they not know what we know now!
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
i honestly don't know why can't armenian celebrities just embrace and spread out our own culture instead! not that this concerns every armenian celebrity, but our culture is so rich and could be beautifully incorporated into pop music...
system of a down is armenian
@@jaykeii i know, hence me saying that this doesn't concern every armenian celebrity
dw when i release more music im def coming to represent armenia
AND you have the kardashians who are half-Armenian but obsessed with blackfishing
@hossainbinjubaiyer7721 i was referring to the kardashian's as well, although i can't lie and say that they've never showcased their heritage
its giving cher-okee
Clever.
Best comment
NOT CHEROKEE 😭😭
that's so good. sell that. don't let the basics steal it
Cher-okee princess
Why couldn't Cher embrace her Armenian heritage? She could implement bits of Armenian folk music into her music. For example: System of a Down, all of the band members are of Armenian descent and they implement bits of Armenian folk music into their music.
(They're also a metal band too, Armenian folk music and metal surprisingly marry together rather well).
Because she was estranged from her dad
I'd like to see a nu-metal band where they're all half-black and half-white.
@@sophie_drachen in the 1960's she would not have gotten a contact with music executives that are all white. It was not a good time. It was difficult for real natives to get recognized by the music industry. But she is pretty and that outfit is way more sexy than anything us real native American women would wear , our traditional dress is more modest. But she was willing to look sexy and wear culturally appropriated outfits so they promoted it. Having an ltainan last name rather than an Armenian one was also helpful.
This is becoming a common theme. One idea that comes to mind is to get a bunch of people together to invite her for a week or two to help her "get back to her roots" and learn the music. Would've been very difficult back in the decades but now the only real obstacle would be her cooperation. Hoping for the best to all who believe in this idea.
She wouldn’t embrace Armenian heritage because it’s not American. In the 70s, it would have alienated her audience more to claim immigrant from that part of the world. Ironically, claiming Native American stereotypes as a metaphor is her subversive way of telling her story without seeming unAmerican… but she is right to denounce it today.
1:34 It’s understood that Sacheen was a ‘pretendian’ as well.
I have to say, while Cher’s portrayals were problematic, I will say as someone who is mixed white-Latino, whoever wrote Half-Breed had some kind of understanding of the struggle people of mixed backgrounds face when it comes to feeling like we don’t fully belong to either groups.
As a native woman this is a great video!!! I really resent the war bonnets place in pop culture - it’s never represented and worn properly .
@@wholl891 the dress is tacky and way more sexy than our regalia. this is all PR for Cher and to sell records. Not our story our our Truth
I see it as little children trying to play grown-up. Monkey see, monkey do.
@@wholl891 they do look very cool and are often very intricate and beautiful, especially non-authentic ones (ones made for fashion, like Chers).
Would you be okay with it if they wore one and explained the culture behind it, and wore it in the ‘correct’ way (whatever would be correct for that particular tribe’s war bonnet?)
@@Ashethetics no, there is no acceptable way for non Indigenous people wear these. Just being Indigenous doesn't mean I can wear one, it has to be eared. If you wear one that's just racist and nothing can undo that
Romani people and Native peoples have little in common culturally, but a lot in common socially: constant cultural erasure, voracious culture vultures and always being ‘the fifth wheel’ when people typically discuss race and ethnicity in the public sphere. I can’t stress enough the love I’m sending you for making this video my friend, you’ve put a grateful smile on my face this afternoon.
What culture erasure when they barely embrace their own cultures? Too busy trying to be something they're not and americanized/westernized
Same with Jews too
@@גלעדסוירזנסקי jew is a religion, you guys are not special, its like if catholics 700 years from now decided to be an ethnic group LMAO
cher should produce something armenian! she's half-armenian!
Sure, weird that didn't happen.
She doesn’t identify with that background, she was not close to her father, and they were estranged
That's not playing the race card. 🤣
@@KRstar78but she identifies with identaties that aren't hers?
@@KRstar78 i made that comment bc honest had just uploaded this and i wanted a lot of likes 🤷 sorry.
i do want to see cher embrace her armenian roots more, considering armenian-americans hidden, but vast influence on american pop culture
She walked so Ariana could run
So true! Ariana went through so many different cultural looks.
LMAO
Cher is part Native American
Ariana copied MY Generation's Styles
What has she appropriated?@@FinalFantasyFan300
🤭
When it comes to older media it's important to judge it in the context of when it was released. It doesn't matter if it's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or a Cher song, judging it by 2024's expectations is fundamentally unfair. These three songs were actually on the border of taboo for their themes of biracialism (interracial marriage was only legalized a few years prior), teenage pregnancy, spousal rage from the perspective of the woman, and a number of other reasons, were actually fairly progressive for their time: the early 1970s. Sure a lot of it has aged poorly in the last 50+ years, but I guarantee a bunch of the entertainment/media we're consuming now is going to age just as poorly 50+ years from now. The question is: does it still have value? And what value does it have despite its inherent flaws associated with the culture it was created in?
Yes well, the context in the 1970s was shaped by the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the transition from the Civil Rights era to wider social justice movements, and the decade saw significant Native American calls for change and protests. Key events included the occupations of Alcatraz, Mount Rushmore/Crazy Horse Mountain, Wounded Knee, and the Bonneville Power Administration building, the Trail of Broken Treaties Caravan, the Longest Walk protest march, the creation of Survival Schools, the first National Day of Mourning, and Sacheen Littlefeather's controversial appearance at the Oscars (a very, very, very flawed messenger but her message is the point). The context of the 1970s was loud and clear, especially when it came to Native Americans' calls for fairer representation and against discrimination and the fetishization of their culture. There were many very active groups and vocal actions throughout the decade, but in pop culture it's common to be willfully blind and exploitative.
At the same time, the Roma/Romani/Traveler communities were still just over 20 odd years removed from a literal genocide, so the exoticization and stereotyping of these groups-portraying them as criminals, mystical manipulators, sexually promiscuous (leading to negative associations like adultery, teen pregnancies, and parental negligence in Cher's songs, no less)-were as damaging then as they would be now, but as you pointed out, the cultural climate of the time allowed such stereotypes to persist and be accepted without reservations by dominant groups, and criticism was more easily waved away.
The important takeaway to me today is that Cher has since acknowledged said criticism, reflected on and adapted her work, reinterpreting her racially exotifying songs in a way that aligns better with the values of contemporary mainstream culture, in which we acknowledge profiling and fetichization as harmful to the communities that are the object of it (she now skips some verses, rephrases others, and has shelved a few songs entirely). If she's able to reflect on ther own body of work with a critical eye and, it should be doable for the public too.
Oh and on a side note, anti-miscegenation laws were often specific and most were not really relevant here: throughout U.S. history, 10 states banned marriages between Whites and Native Americans (11 if we include Oklahoma, where the law was vague enough to sometimes invalidate marriages, though its primary aim was to prohibit Black-White unions). This meant that marriage between Whites and Natives was legal in most states for the majority of U.S. history, and in 44 of them throughout the entirety of the 20th century (since 4 of the 10 states that had banned them repealed their laws as early as 1887). Miscegenation between Whites and Natives was common enough that the Bureau of Indian Affairs tracked it and mesured degrees of native heritage, and I'll leave it to you to look up "Cherokee princess myth" or "Indian princess myth" to get an idea of how common it was for Whites to claim some prestigious (though imagined) Native ancestry as early as the mid-1800s, especially in the South. It was also a very, very common cinematic trope, with many western movies with Native womenserving as a love interest for a White hero (though often not one that lives through the end of the movie...).
In contrast, 41 states historically prohibited interracial marriage between Whites and Black people, and many also exlplicitely and specifically banned Black-Native, Black-Asian and/or Black and Filipino unions (there was also less than a handful of states that prohibited White-Asian interracial relations). In essence, these anti-miscegenation laws were primarily designed to contain and control ‘Blackness', though they would also be more anti-POC in some places. The point of all that rambling is just to say that Native-White miscegenation was, though relatively rare and by no means easy to live, not nearly as shocking in 1970s as we may think, and rather well-anchored in the White American cultural mythos at that point (though I'd imagine it's different to say "my great-nan was an Indian princess so I'm of royal bloodline and fuly White but also native to this land" than "my dad in an First Nation Joe Schmo").
You are incorrect. It was always seen as racist. The only difference is being racist was acceptable to white people....still is too many and I would hate to see some future populations excusing trumps etc "as not to be judged because it was normal".
Great point!
In 1977, Cher released an album called Cherished, one of the tracks literally referenced Half Breed with lyrics such as “I was craddled by a Cajun Mama
Deserted by a Cherokee dad” however the album flopped so no one really talk about it now
Um... what?? If you're going to speak on something, at least get your facts straight. I literally just went through the entire "Cherished" tracklist on Genius, and at no point does Cher EVER sing about being "cradled by a Cajun Mama and deserted by a Cherokee dad". Not even in War Paint and Soft Feathers, the song that is the most thematically similar to Half-Breed.
Here are the FULL lyrics to War Paint and Soft Feathers:
[Verse 1]
They were from two warring tribes
So their love could never be
He was a painted Apache
And she was a Cherokee
He was stealing her father's horses
When he saw her standing there
Moon braided bits of silver
All through her long black hair
[Chorus]
War paint and soft feathers
Love was meant to be
Even though he was Apache
She was a blue-eyed Cherokee
War paint and soft feathers
Under the pale moonlight
Doing what tribal laws forbid
As drums brought the silence of the night
[Verse 2]
His strong arms circled round her waist
His headband touched her brow
They were of two different tongues
But their lips met anyhow
Next to a small oak tree
Crossed spears forbid their love
There'd been no peace between their tribes
Long as eagles soar above
[Chorus]
War paint and soft feathers
Love was meant to be
Even though he was Apache
She was a blue-eyed Cherokee
War paint and soft feathers
Under the pale moonlight
Doing what tribal laws forbid
As drums brought the silence of the night
[Verse 3]
Now the leaves have fallen to the ground
Over and over again
From the small oak tree grown taller
Where once crossed spears had been
A young man rides his pinto horse
And he stands there tall and free
The son of a wild Apache
And a blue-eyed Cherokee
[Chorus]
War paint and soft feathers
Love was meant to be
Even though he was Apache
She was a blue-eyed Cherokee
War paint and soft feathers
Under the pale moonlight
Doing what tribal laws forbid
As drums brought the silence of the night
[Outro]
War paint and soft feathers
Love was meant to be
Even though he was Apache
She was a blue-eyed Cherokee
War paint and soft feathers
Under the pale moonlight
Doing what tribal laws forbid
In that particular song, she is referring to two indigenous characters in the song, an :
"Apache and a blue-eyed Cherokee". The song has nothing to do with Cher or her background. Half-Breed literally begins with Cher singing that "her father married a pur Cherokee" and was thought to be a more autobiographical song.
I know it's easy to just make shit up about people you don't like, but you look foolish doing it, because all you're doing is contributing to the idea that anyone with valid criticism is just "a petty hater", because you're so confident I'm talking out of your ass and not bothering to fact-check it.
@@cannibalisticrequiem Next time just google the line you're looking for and the song will pop right up. No need to scan every song because you might miss it. Like you did in this case.
To be fair, that whole album was an attempt for her to earn another #1 hit with storytelling songs, like Half-Breed. Especially Pirate and War Paint & Soft Feathers
@@cannibalisticrequiem You’re spreading misinformation. It’s on genius. Cherished, Track 9, Verse 3
[Verse 3]
Just some poor white trash
From a bayou town and a driftwood shack
I was cradled by a Cajun Mama
Deserted by a Cherokee dad
Then at seventeen a Georgia drifter came
And we made it to L.A
And when I called my agent today
The conversation went this way
as it should have. flopped.
I think it's because white American corporate execs (hopefully, not all of them, but enough to be an issue) didn't and still don't perceive Caucasian cultures as something that would be as marketable as a dozenth adaptation of Snow White or Cinderella. It doesn't help that there are hardly (if any) calls for appreciating the heritage of the countries located in this region. Even the word Caucasian itself is wrongfully tied to all white people as a whole, instead of tying it to the people living within the Caucasus.
There sure are a whole lot of movies and songs about being Italian and Irish from the US for a country that doesn't perceive Caucasian cultures as marketable.
@@Crawlingdreams418 💯 it was not a time of inclusivity. Armenian was too foreign for the European executives at the time. Also that costume was sexy and they could get behind that. Our native American regalia is much more modest. Bono they could pronounce. Nothing more than Smith and Jones for last names was tolerated.
@@perfectallycromulent The OP was referring to the correct meaning of Caucasian, i.e. of the Caucasus. Neither Italy nor Ireland are located in the Caucasus.
@@7poppiesist exactly
You're right. The only time a truly more European ethnic focus or tradition is when pop culture or Hollywood uses paganism, which is broad, is usually on horror media or heavy rock or metal music
Unless there are more positive or nuanced media of specifically European culture used for pop culture that i don't know of, they only ever get famous through horror and rock media
The only positive European ethnic representation I can think of is Yaelokre, a recent music project by an artist of the same name, who uses their Nordic and Filipino cultures as inspiration for their storytelling in music.
I never knew she was half Armenian. I saw her old looks wearing Native American looking clothes and always assumed she was half Cherokee based on the song Half-breed too
Yeah, she had me fooled too.
That faux native American out fit is bob Mackey as well. He did her costumes since the 70's. Sachsen little feather was not native American. She lied as well and was Mexican, she claimed Navajo but was wearing a buck skin dress to the Oscars. Navajo women wear velvet dress with silver and toriquouse belts. So she didn't do her research either. The other was Buffy Saint Marie who is Italian and British. These women all jumped on the native American culture as a way to stand out in the crowd. It's all cultural appropriation. The hippies wanted to use native American culture as an excuse to use drugs. We didn't lay around smoking pot all day, we had other things to do. 🙄
Cultural appropriation doesn't even exist. The ones who came up with it reject even their own hair and then try to "gatekeep" 😂
Yeah I'm surprised honest didn't mention the fact that she lied. As with Buffy, we don't know for sure.
@kcurran9913 ,check out the documentary here from Canada about her. Buffy. She has an Italian parent and a British one. Her brother has been trying to expose this since the 60's she threatened to say he was a child molester if he kept telling the press she is 100% European. It's called like the 4th estate. She just says she is Cree because she has friends in that tribe 'that adopted her' it's not a formal real adoption, just something you say as a close friend of the family . She is a liar and a pretend indian 'pretendian'. Her awards should be taken away. It's really not fair when they should have gone to real indigenous persons. Zuni tribal member here. 🙂
@kcurran9913 buff is Italian and British the doc the 5th estate from Canada tells the story . She has been a liar since the 60's. Her brother has tried to expose this..she Buffy threatened him that she would claim he is s pedo and sue him if he kept it up. Her awards should be taken away from her and given to real indigenous people. Zuni tribal member here. 🙂
@kcurran9913 we do know about Buffy. She is ltianian and British. Check out the documentary from the 5tg eastate it's from CANADA. She claims 'cree' but it's not a real adoption. It's just something kind that was said because she is a close friend of the family. See what she did when her brother was trying to tell the truth. There has been talk of talking away her awards. As a Zuni tribal member myself I can understand that move.
It's really sad when mixed-race people are often marketed as one race--or in situations like this where their "exotic" looks make them a proponent for stereotyping another culture. I definitely feel like if she'd been born a few decades later, the issues with this wouldn't be nearly as bad.
What I (a mixed race man) have found is that many people will portray mixed race people as "exotic" and highlight the features deemed desirable by western beauty standards (dark hair, large lips, almond eyes, etc) while also being able to ignore the traits many people of color have that are considered undesirable. Basically, they can ogle at certain features while not having to bother appreciating anything out of the norm.
Idk if I worded this right I'm so tired
@gaywizard-u7v I get what you mean. While mixed people have often faced discrimination for being seen as "half-breeds," they've also been fetishized for what they "can bring to the table," simultaneously uplifting mixed people but also making them something to oogle from an aesthetic/scientific standpoint.
Cher being half Middle Eastern could’ve been good enough for the ethnic tropes she was attempting to capitalise off of. Armenia has such a rich and beautiful culture, and a very sad history that isn’t too dissimilar to the Native Americans, so why wouldn’t she just sing about Armenia? I suppose it wasn’t trendy in the 70s…
She is part Armenian, part Native American, and other
Armenia is not in the Middle East.
@@NaudJacob Armenia is in the Caucasus, between Eastern Europe and the Middle East but it has way more influences from the Middle East than from Europe, especially from Iran as well as Middle Eastern Christianity (Syriacs, Assyrians, the Maronites in Lebanon etc). Armenia is a Christian country that neighbours Azerbaijan, a muslim country that was heavily influenced by Persia/Iran. Even the name of country is from Old Persian and it means fire (“azar") guardian ( “baijan”).
@@RhiannonSenpaithanks ChatGPT. My point stands. It’s not in the Middle East, and yes I’ve been there.
@@NaudJacob I didn't use ChatGPT lol. Armenia is closer to the Middle East than to Europe both geograpgically and culturally.
Great video! Love how you tied in the political movements and set the cultural context. I love Cher! But I do remember back then she would play up her being Native American, it was a common misconception back then that she actually was. She had a very different look from the typical blonde hair blue eyed standards back then. According to reports Cher has less than 5% of Native American ancestry and it’s not even verifiable lol. (So even the small percentage she claims to have could be a hoax). It’s a wonder why Cher and her team didn’t capitalize on Armenian culture, given that she is half Armenian and Armenian culture is so rich and understated. Her resistance to accept that it was insensitive to continue to wear sexed up costumes of Native American clothing rubbed me the wrong way but I’m glad she came around. I love the storytelling in all of these songs but I always thought Half Breed was one of her weakest tracks, I don’t know why she fought to hold onto it so much. Also loved how you gave nuance and didn’t approach this from a “cancelling” angle but a genuine discussion.
Yes. This is why I love his channel so much.
There was no "typical blonde hair blue eyed standard" when Cher got popular. The most famous female act in the US and the rest of the world was The Supremes. And brunettes like Linda Ronstadt managed to be popular while remaining honest about their ethnic backgrounds. Cher was an opportunistic asshole.
@perfectallycromulent I think you are having a selective view of Hollywood during that time period. People like Linda Ronstadt and The Supremes were the exception not the rule.
Because it was extremely popular at the time to LARP as Native American. Loon at the Canadian version of cher for example, Bobbi st Claire or whatever. White Turk larped as Cherokee for like 50+ years and still does it today.
I agree with you that Half-Breed doesn’t make much sense from a Native perspective. It’s my understanding that Native Americans are generally some of the more accepting groups when it comes to being of mixed heritage.
It’s so much more relatable when a person is mixed with groups that are more demanding about how you look/talk/act and have those hard expectations
I think context is important for sure. Which you bring up at the end very well. But also!
1. I'm not Cherokee, but I'm still indigenous. It doesn't matter that " Oh, Cherokee accept through the mother's side. " --- Not every person or group within their nation. is accepting. There can be classism amongst any group. I know it's still mildly a thing people flaunt at others to put others in their nation down because of how their family hasn't branched out so they have more authority in their brain. It's dumb.
2. My mother chose not to live on the reservation, but her siblings stayed. And the amount of people she knows who were told that they were some form of native american in their lineage found out it was a lie. It was a thing that drunk parents spun I assume and their children believed and sometimes their children told their children because they never assumed it could be a lie.
3. Plenty of indigenous people love these songs actually, because whether you think it is a good look today or not, these were stepping stones towards acceptance and genuine interest. Did it start how we wanted? No. Did it get us on a better path? Yes.
Finally a wise comment among a lot of bullshit including the video in itself. Everyone nowadays has such a cynical way of seeing things even suggesting that Cher was a bad person for this, which seems more innocent from her part, to say the least. She never mocked anything and maybe she did think she was part cherockee. At least she could relate to a nomadic/gypsy and mixed race experience but people do not see that, right? Everyone nowadays wants to make music that belongs only to their culture not realizing that every single culture is a mixture of different cultures. This cultural appropriation branwashing has gone too far. What if people do a song about this to show respect or appreciation for a culture? Their cynical little brains can't get that.
@@alejandrogiraldoorozco4075 he literally said the opposite. You really looking to be mad at something
Everyone saying she should have used her Armenian heritage as a gimmick obviously has no idea of what was happening in the 60s and 70s with the Middle East. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, etc were all big issues at the time. Not to mention the unpopularity of the Vietnam War. It was safer to chose something American but still mysterious to most.
The way all of these songs are my favorite Cher songs 😭😭
Dark Lady is a top 3 Cher song for me. 🐈⬛🖤
@@honestboy I wonder what the other 2 are?
@@honestboyJust like Jessie James is my favorite. ❤❤😂😂
fr.
Cher’s 80’s arena rock era is my favorite era of her music career and I think her most consistent quality wise!
Great retrospective. You always add so much detail and nuance.
When I first met my now-BFF back in '81 and we were getting to know each other, she said she was Cherokee. I said "Oh, like Cher?" and oof! did I EVER get read for filth on THAT one.
Haha I had no idea people actually thought Cher was Cherokee. Just cause doin stuff like that was pretty popular/normal with boomers back then
@@blazingstar9638 She was perceived as native american for a long time... the fact she was part Armenian was the 'deep dark secret' ...but there's this weird phenom in the US of white and black families passing down stories of the family being part native only to find out from dna tests that those stories are wrong... unless the dna tests are wrong? Has native dna really ben studied and understood as closely as white european dna?
I read somewhere that a great deal of Americans think they have Native American ancestors….and it seems to always be Cherokee. My own grandfather insisted we did, but when we did genetic testing, not a native gene to be found.
@@mathewsydney8929 from what I've read, it's not really DNA that proves that someone is indigenous. You need to be acknowledged by an indigenous community and have familial and direct cultural ties of some sort. And ofc it's different from nation to nation how they define belonging, legally and conceptually, but they generally don't use DNA or blood quantum.
Sorry but "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" has absolutely nothing to do with the Romany people. It's obvious in the context of the song that the term "gypsies" is quoted as an expression of the small minded bigotry of the towns where the traveling show made it stops. It is not intended as a literal description and to present it as such is an exercise in projection. Consequently, it is inaccurate to describe it as an ethnically themed song or to equate it with "Halfbreed" on that score.
This kind of trimming of the facts to fit a preferred narrative can only undermine legitimate criticism of cultural appropriation.
I just want to add, Sacheen Littlefeather, was revealed after her death to not actually be Native American, but Hispanic.
The “Reveal” was by Jacqueline Keeler, a journalist who’s been called out by many Native people for targeting mixed race Natives and claiming they’re not Indigenous even when they are. Sacheen’s sisters made it seem like they always knew Sacheen was a “fraud” when they themselves admit their Mexican-American father always said they were native and they “found” out they weren’t when Keeler contacted them. Keeler is also pretty notorious for targeting Indigenous people not from the United States (Sacheen was Yaqui, a Native people in Mexico, as well as Apache). So I would take her work with a grain of salt.
And being Hispanic doesn’t mean you can’t be Native American. Native Americans aren’t just in the US.
@@tapadhleibh3052 There were disputes over her background even during her life, Roger Ebert had disputed Littlefeather's Native American ethnicity in 2004 in an obituary for Marlon Brando, stating that after her attendance at the Oscars she was "identified as Maria Cruz, an actress who was not an Indian". In addition, her family did not have any actual tribal ties, which is a necessary part of actually being indigenous. I also don't know where you claim her sisters knew they were native. And why would they lie to Keeler?
@@tapadhleibh3052 Being Native American, means more than just ancestry, including partial ancestry. You can't just claim indigenous heritage off a DNA test, you have to have documented lineage and community recognition for that to be the case.
@@user-rn6en5vq1m unfortunately her sisters deleted or privated their Twitter accounts so I can’t find their old tweets anymore, but apparently they were angry at Sacheen’s success and that they weren’t invited to her funeral. And it could be possible that I’m wrong and she was a faker. But many people in Latin America have been detribalized forcefully and don’t have the opportunity to officially reconnect with their roots. The last thing I’ll say is Keeler has been unreliable in the past and her sisters clearly had at least some resentment towards her. I’d just take that to mind.
Yes! More 20th century artists, please! Great job on this one
Eh, I wouldn't be too hard on the hippies - they were overly mocked by conservatives because how dare you fight the 50's culture, but also, they were a reaction to the 50's and the decades before. When lashing out against that, its going to be at least a little cringe in the end. Also, as you said, it helped get the idea of Native Americans into the popular mind.
@@xBINARYGODx sorry no, the hippies wanted to take drugs and appropriated native American culture like all we did was smoke pot all-day long. We raised children and fed our families made household items . Not drug addicts. Plus they could have rebelled without putting on our feathered headdress. There are other ways to do that plus Cher's outfits were way more sexy than our regalia which is modest. This dress is tacky and disrespectful. Yeah it put a backwards overly sexualized version of native American culture into people minds. So then people could dress as us for Halloween not what we wanted. Not our truth not our story at all. It was done to sell records and a sexy image of Cher nothing more. As an artist and native American woman myself I'm not at all grateful to her or the hippies.
the hippies from back then are some of the most staunch conservative right wing people today, it's wild af, but not surprising, it was just an aesthetic for them when they wanted to do recreational drugs and stuff.
@@RogueError617 history really does repeat itself
I'm mixed-ethicity and honestly 'half-breed' was such a powerful song for me growing up. The story may be mythical, but it was the song that made me love Cher. It still speaks volumes and you could argue the inaccuracies make it more authentic to the mixed experience. I'm not saying it's okay to be misinformed, but it can be hard to know everything about your identity when there are language and cultural barriers in place. One side tells you one thing, the other disagrees, it can be tough to sort out truth and tall tales. Especially back in the 70s when Cher performed the piece and even in the 00s when I was a kid. A multi-ethnic home is like a different tribe by itself and you only really get glimpses of what it's actually like to live in each culture. I'm still thankful for this bold and brash depiction because complex identities weren't always well understood or represented in the past.
I’m guessing you were raised by the white parent which would explain why you justify a racist song and find it “powerful”. I suggest unpacking the racism’s your white parent taught you to accept as normal. Also don’t use the word tribe like that, you sound as racist as Cher.
wow, Cher walked so the kardashians could run. this is so so trashhhhh
neither seem proud or want to acknowledge their Armenian heritage
I'm a lot younger than Cher. I actually found out who she was earlier this year & have been listening to a lot of her music this year. Both solo & w/ Sonny Bono. Cher was actually the 4th artist on my Spotify Wrapped Top 5 artists this year. Cher Is music legend. She's a true icon that's inspired so many other artists. My favorite Cher songs are:
1.) Music No Good Without You
2.) Believe
3.) Strong Enough
4.) Dark Lady
5.) Gypsies Tramps & Thieves
6.) Half-Breed
7.) Woman's World
8.) The Look
9.) Bang Bang
10.) If I Could Turn Back Time
11.) I Found Someone
12.) Song For The Lonely
13.) Love & Understanding
14.) Shoop Shoop Song
15.) Body To Body Heart To Heart
16.) Hell On Wheels
17.) RunAway
18.) Real Love
19.) Love One Another
20.) Love Is A Lonely Place
21.) Take Me Home
22.) All Or Nothing
I never knew that Cher wasn't actually a real native American before I watched this video. I find it interesting that Cher who for the most part isn't Native American (I say for the most part because she's only 1.16% Native American) would sing about Native American people & their experiences. I still like those songs because of the storytelling. Thanks Honest For making this video.
I'm really curious about how actual Native Americans feel about Half-Breed. I love the song but I can totally understand why a none Native American person should not sing a song like that,
The phenomenon of non-Natives claiming to be Indigenous is called Pretendianism (as in 'pretend Indian'). It is extremely common. Celebrities usually use it as a tool to further their careers. Non-celebrities do it, too.
At one time, it was common for white Southerners to claim to be mixed with Native as a way of proving how long their family had been in the South, the implication being that when they arrived there was no one else in the rural areas to marry but Natives, and thus the statement was meant to validate their "Southernness." It was also common for people of other minority groups to claim to be Native because, while they still faced incredible prejudice, Native Americans were perceived with slightly more respect than other minority racial groups in certain areas of the US (specifically, as it relates to Cher, several Armenian immigrants may have felt social pressure to do this.) So, some pretendians might actually have been told that they were Native by their family even though it is untrue. Not everyone who's lying knows that they are lying.The situation is further complicated by the assimilation and genocide faced by Indigenous groups, as there absolutely were people that resisted being forced onto reservations, and not all tribes are federally recognized, and inheritance of legal status as a tribal member is a complicated process which is unique to the rules of each tribe. Therefore, "proving" if you are Native or not isn't always simple. A common mindset though, is the importance of a cultural connection and being claimed by the people that you claim (i.e., do you know anything about the tribe you say you are, and would anyone of that tribe know you/your family to attest to the claim?)
Specifically, to your point about how Natives feel about celebrities like Cher claiming to be Indigenous, there is usually a sense of betrayal and resentment. Native Americans are so underrepresented, and every pretendian takes space that should be inhabited by an actual Native person. To add insult to injury, Natives tend to be supportive of the work of Native celebrities, so in a sense the perception is that they profited off scamming the Native community by claiming a tie that doesn't exist. Of course, Native Americans are not a monolith and different people have different opinions. Some are deeply offended, others don't care as much. I would encourage you to look into the situation with an artist named Buffy Sainte Marie if you would like to know more. She claimed to be Native for decades and was a hero to many. When it came out that she isn't, many of those that grew up being inspired by her found it devastating.
@@marysmith1377great analysis!
It would've been a great song for Redbone to sing.
@@marysmith1377Oh yeah, my mother is from Kentucky, and thought we had Native American admixture.
@@marysmith1377 amen. Plus that outfit is way too sexy and our native American regalia is much more modest. So she was willing to put that on. Which I'm sure the European executives could get behind..I think it looks tacky.
As a Zuni tribal member I can understand the move to recall the awards Buffy Saint Marie has won.
This was not an inclusive time period. As us natives were working hard to be recognized and be included in our own story telling it was intrusive for other non natives to claim that as their indenty just to stand out as more exotic.
I am happy in my work in background on tv commercials and film.. I'm happy to be a real Native American women representing my people.🐀💓
As an indigenous american from the arapaho and kickapoo tribes, I really appreciate this and must tell you this is why I never liked cher and despise hippies
the top in your profile is cute
wah wah wah and the world kept spinning. it was decades ago. get over it
@@mistyblue8913 amen sister. The hippies found outer did a little pot for religious reasons and said see it's okay to be stoned all day long . It was an excuse to use drugs . This was just PR for Cher and to sell records. In an overly sexualized version of native American women. Our regalia is much more modest. As a Zuni tribal member I can say I have not appreciated this.
@@alexeios are you of European background. Please don't tell people how to feel. Yes time marches on. And people may feel different about culture appropriation at differ times in their life but it's up to each person to grieve and grow. You can't just tell people any one to get over it. It won't happen on your time limit it just won't. You have to learn patience
@ no thanks. people should really learn to get over things.
Remember the time Cher stole the identity of a robot with Do You Believe In Life After Love?
She’s been trending on South African TikTok because she covered a Nguni song and it sounds so wrong😂😂😂.
That click song is so hard to listen to shem 😂
5:06 Correction: Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves was not a #1 single in the UK, it peaked at #4 there. Cher's first solo #1 hit in the UK was her 1991 cover of The Shoop Shoop Song.
I love Cher, she is always so down to earth and real. A true American icon.
Native American born and raised on tribal land. Thank you Cher for wearing our Navajo, Zuni Jewelry! our jewelry, art, etc. is beautiful! Our art looks beautiful on every race, background, etc because our art is BEAUTIFUL. Thank you for supporting Native artist, Silversmiths, etc. Ya'll are stressed over something so little...but not using brain for serious topics going on in the world. If you are not Native and purchase from our artist, silversmiths thank you for the support. HAGD.
Was is giving "Ethnic hip 💅🏻"
Mhm 💅🏼
To be fair, songs like 'Half Breed,' Paul Revere and the Raiders' recording of "Indian Reservation," the movie 'Billy Jack,' and even Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" were very influential in raising White America's collective conscience toward oppressed and marginalized groups during this time. It's important to consider what was happening in America during these years: the very unpopular Vietnam War was still going on- and there were protests, draft card burnings, the Kent State shooting, and lots of civil unrest. Despite this, music artists were reluctant to record any songs directly related to the killings of innocent Vietnamese people overseas. After all, American music was being heard over the radio by US troops stationed in East Asia.
So artists instead began recording songs pertaining to the mistreatment of Black and Indigenous people,-whose own personal histories of genocide and persecution mirrored those of present day Vietnamese..
It was still a new thing to hear the plight of Indigenous People expressed in a sympathetic light, as both US History and Hollywood had always portrayed them as violent and immoral savages. As someone who grew up listening to these songs, my own perceptions of both Black and Native American culture and oppression were greatly affected. The concept of appropriation was not an issue during this time. In fact, the act of donning clothing or headwear was considered an expression of solidarity and respect toward America's Indigenous Tribes.
While it is completely possible to disrespect and exploit another culture - and we can find plenty examples of this practice, both in past and present behaviors-modern society has become too quick to unfairly label and characterize other behaviors as 'examples of cultural appropriation' and 'white saviorism.' In these examples, the same individuals who helped bring visibility and awareness to marginalized groups are later criticized and condemned for these same actions. In other examples, accusations of appropriation are made towards people for their choices of garments, tattoos, and jewelry. The implication is that simply wearing an outfit that is traditionally associated with another culture is disrespectful and racist. As someone who has traveled all over the world, I've noticed that this phenomenon exists only in the United States and in some small parts of Europe, but nowhere else. In other countries, vendors' entire livelihoods are dependent upon selling hats, clothing, and body accessories to foreign tourists. It is not considered demeaning or offensive in Africa and Asia for white people to wear their traditional garments. In fact, it is highly encouraged, as doing so is not only viewed ss a sign of goodwill, but as a practice which greatly benefits their economies. Though well-intentioned, sometimes our regimented 'Americanized' perspectives are not reflective of the rest of the world's - and they can end up causing more harm than good.
.
.
Hollywood portrayed them as they were/are.
@@SlickArmor As white people smeared in face bronzer?
Appropriation was an issue at the time, white people just decided not to listen. It didn’t raise consciousness, white people just gave pathetic folks like you the story you preferred with all the maintained stereotypes. It lead to a lot of really toxic friendships and toxic workplaces.
Sacheen Littlefeather was an Italian American actress and not of any traceable First Nations descent
I would say whether or not she faked having Native heritage is still highly debated as the woman who spearheaded it, Jacqueline Keeler, is highly criticized for her tactics and for anti-Blackness. That's all I'll say on the matter
@@halo2d Sacheen little feather was Mexican 100%. while she was alive she claimed Navajo, but wore a buckskin dress to the Oscars. That is not the regalia for that tribe which wears velvet skirt and blouse. She wanted to stand out as something other than just mexico. Her family had no idea why she ever claimed native American heritage. While Mexicans have native American roots in Mexico it is not looked well to claim to be indigenous. They want to say they are more Spanish and therefore more European. In the 60 and 1970s it was not easy to be anything other than European in music or acting. It's was inclusive yet.
Mexican not Italian. Was it wrong for her to portray herself the way she did? Yes.
Is she most likely Indigenous herself with her Mexican background ? Also yes.
@@pjano476an article by the Hollywood reporter says genealogical research finds native ancestry
@@pjano476 Exactly! I'm reading some pretty ignorant comments here saying she's 100% Mexican. First of all, Mexican isn't a race ffs and newsflash most Mexicans are indeed of indigenous background!
Oh, Honest. Oh, how I love your videos.
Marie Louise Cruz (Sachsen Littlefeather) is not Native American of U.S.A either. She was Hispanic and and Mexican-Mexican(indigenous) which is super common from Mexico. There are not reservations there like in the U.S. She lied about her childhood saying she was impoverished like how so many celebrities do pretending they were so poor and lifted themselves up for the American sweetheart story. She also wanted to feel more exotic by saying she was part Apache.
(Not related to Sacheen but)
Apache historically mixed a lot with Mexican people especially in New Mexico. That's not uncommon. I have both Apache and Chichimeca for that very reason.
theres apaches in mexico, hence the loteria game having an apache smh your ignorance is crazy
@ just because they’re Apaches in Mexico, whether today’s Mexico or what used to be Mexico and what is now U.S., doesn’t mean she herself was Apache. She lied. She said her dad was non-Hispanic white and her mom Apache when she is Hispanic and indigenously Mexican but her sisters said they had no affiliation specifically with the Apache tribe. They were in a middle class area that is normal to America. Rappers lie saying they were from impoverished conditions, too.
Cher resents the idea of being identified as Mexican American. So this is how colonialism wins. Divide and conquer. Keep indigenous people at each other’s throats. Even if they are the same people.
Spanish, English, French are all colonial languages. So is it our colonialism is better than your colonialism? Meanwhile colonialism takes what it wants. It will have you kill other indigenous peoples and maybe give you a medal.
We need a Buffy Sainte Marie video 🙏🏾
Also, they way I have all of these albums on vinyl and had to wrestle with all the feels
That was heartbreaking. I’m still reeling from that. There’s still a part of me that wishes it could be disproven, but I believe there’s nothing she can say.
Exoticism was so incredibly commonplace and accepted in society pre-internet. It would be hard for younger people to even imagine how pervasive and encouraged it was. Actors swapping races and ethnicities, songs about other cultures, artwork assimilating, and what would now be called exploiting and appropriating was EVERYWHERE. There was little to no cancel culture. It was all looked upon as a gimmick or a stchtick to sell products. People bought into it. Very few found it as odd at the time.
Nobody questioned it at the time... in fact, is was the cool, hip, leftist thing to do back then. ppl were unaware and often thought they were honoring the cultures/people they were appropriating from. Thankfully we know better now but it's unfair to project our sensibilities onto our grandparents' era... For pete's sake, how are our grandchildren going to judge us? Pretty harshly I imagine.
I think its crazier because it doesn't seem like she added to discourse on the mistreatment of Native American people I know it was the times but its still weird.
It's interesting how counter culture Sonny Bono ended up being a conservative politician.
I think he was always a poser... cosplaying as a hippie for the grift... I mean, listen to his music... not exactly Deadhead approved.
Im about to watch the video, but something tells me since that was around the time the history of native people were becoming a little more acknowledged record execs were trying to be like “you’re native _enough,_ play it up to show we’re not white supremacists and we love diverse cultures!” And she didn’t really have a choice in the way that female celebrities never got to control their own image. But who knows, I’m gonna watch the video right now
Ok. Let's put some things into perspective y'all seem to be ignoring.
- It was the 1970's. You have to look at this through lens of the time. Not what we all understand and know now.
- It was a costume. It had no greater meaning to anyone working on that show than that it looked great on camera and she kinda fit a stereotype in terms of looks.
- She has publicly addressed the controversy of having worn those bonnets and stopped wearing them in concerts back in the 2010's.
- Just because you place great meaning on something does not mean other people are. It probably never occurred to Mr. Bob Mackie (the designer of her get-ups) that what he was doing at that time was culturally insensitive. It was just part of a look.
- We have much more access and understanding of things with the world wide web. Again, this idea for a "costume" was over 50 years ago when there were different cultural norms.
I understand the conversation about cultural appropriation however you also have to factor in other variables. It's not always black and white or necessarily nefarious.
I do not think she was trying to disrespect it. In ways she honored their culture and hardships, imo.
What you fail to get is that ALL of these songs are of women, and women could identify with all of the characters in the song. As a young teen girl, I could identify with her as a woman who is alienated, and adrift. I wasn't alone. Many of my female friends also liked her songs and felt a personal connection. Dark Lady - women get revenge on a cheating husband.
She was a faux Italian when she won an Oscar for "Moonstruck."
cher definetly tanned her skin and took this persona to the bank im sure her team told her to cosplay as native american to kake more money
I hope you talk about her resent attempt to cover the 'click song'. As a South African I was offended.
Recent? It was from the 60s.
I love Dark Lady so much I’m sorry lol
Cher's dad was Armenian... so there may be Romani heritage but it sounds dubious if for no other reason than being written by a white guy....
23 seconds ago is crazy
fr
Little Feather who picked up the Oscar for Marlon Brando wasn’t Native American either.
I think she was a little
No, her dad was proven to be Native descent (Yaqui) but only recorded from Mexico.
1:55 you switched the vowel sounds in Sonny Bono's name, you silly goose lolololol
Love Cher! Snap out of it 💅😌✨
She never wanted to make a song called " Passing" about a mixed race black woman who navigates her existence in between the two worlds. Looking one way ( pure white) but knowing her true heritage ( Maternally African indigenous)
What a coincidence you just made this I was binge listening and obsessing and talking about Cher for the past three days 🤣
isn’t Sacheen Littlefeather not actually native american either? 😭😭😭😭 i saw an exposé a while ago about it
Whaaaaaat? 😭
@ look it up. she lied her whole life. her own family came out after she passed away a year or two ago.
Because she's part southern Indigenous not Northern
Heh when she did nqonqotwane (the click song) I choked laughing😭
I was traumatised and yet amused shem😂
“Little Feather” wasn’t Indigenous American.
I really thought she was indigenous American OMG
Her mother was of Cherokee ancestry.
@@CalopsitaVanderbilt1911 if they claim cherokee, then that means they have no native american ancestry LOL
Thank you for speaking on this, including AIM! 🧡
That person who accepted the award for Brando was not Indian
THANK you for calling us Romani and not Gypsy. I really appreciate your awareness and thoughtfulness.
1:24 Saddly, she was Mexican, not indigenous.
(Not all) some Mexicans are natives too. What does mexican have to do with indigenous
mexicans are individual to the u.s too. u do realize the colonizers bought most of Texas and the west coast from mexico
Mexicans literally look like the indigenous people of their country except for the places with strong Spanish influence still
Mass majority of Mexicans have some percentage of ingenuous blood. Most Mexicans are technically Native American, bc Mexico is apart of North America and as you should know the US bought most of the southern states from Mexico. Not all Mexicans are obviously 100% ingenious bc they were colonized by Spain, but they are close to what mix individuals are considered in Canada which is called Métis.
Most Mexicans have indigenous ancestry
She would *seem* like a good person. But yeah, all the appropriating was too much, she did that so often🤦♀️..
girl is was 50 years ago!
@@Capibaracapibara1992so? It was still wrong then. we First Nationers DESERVE RESPECT
@@Capibaracapibara1992 soooo? am I supposed to change my comment?
Because not !
@@Capibaracapibara1992 it was 50 years ago and it took her 50 years to retire tne song and actually address the issue at hand..let that sink in. It’s still a conversation worth having.
@@Capibaracapibara1992ok & !?! like it being 50yrs ago makes it less problematic 🙄
As a Native American woman, I’ve never liked Cher for this exact reason. I don’t like her or any white woman wearing our racial identity as a costume. I don’t give af ab your “intentions.” Thanks for speaking on this and bringing light to the subject
But common, that's not real appropriation, that's Las Vegas. As a hard rock fan, I could also mention Queen's "White Man" (hardly a major hit though), Iron Maiden's "Run to the Hills" (the original video shows British World War II fighter planes), Europe's "Cherokee" (the video depicts tipis the Cherokee never livid in), or Manowar's "Spirit Horse of the Cherokee". There were even issues around album photos (The Cult - "Wild-hearted son"). In some cases, let the courts decide, in others that's legitimate historical material. What, must indigenous North and South America be written out of music history? And in some cases, it did raise the consciousness of the listeners. Then we also need to be careful about "Native American" clothing. I mean if we're just going to ban some paint and feathers, I feel sorry for the Rio Carnival.
She could’ve easier pushed her Armenian heritage considering they went through a very recent genocide when Cher was at her peak but instead she cosplayed a culture that wasn’t even hers. How odd
To be fair, she didn't grew up with her father or around Armenian culture...So she probably doesn't know much about it herself.
I agree. However, it’s my understanding that America as a whole has never really been sympathetic towards or at least interested in Armenians.
She didnt know about the people or cultures she would attach herself to and emulate. She didn't grow up around them either... @@Ilona231
Armenian heritage is always hidden away but, man, if someone has a single ounce of Italian blood, the whole world knows about it... more Armenian representation, please!
she appropiATE
That joke inappropri-ATE, and now I'm deceased...⚰️
No
@@Pin.k_Angel yes, you are watching her with your twitter woke eyes
@@Capibaracapibara1992 I don’t use twitter
What country are you from?@@Capibaracapibara1992
On the topic of artists claiming indigenous ancestry and profiting off of it I HIGHLY recommend the cbc documentary that investigates Buffy Sainte-Marie, it’s actually very enlightening
I don’t care if anyone is offended or not,sports teams take Native American names,there were wrestlers portraying Indian characters in the ring,dark skinned Latinos portrayed Natives in western movies.I as a white rural southerner gets stereotyped.These Cher songs were some of her best work,I listened to them today.
Many true indigenous people allowed it because she told the stories respectfully
There have never been two songs that got my button finger moving faster to change the station on my car radio than Gypsies and Half Breed. Her going into the Rock HOF was further confirmation that it's become a bad joke.
Cher is the only 60s artist I’ve listened to her music is good and I love that every album is different
As we look back on Cher, does anybody else sit and think to themselves, "Oh, THIS is what the Kardashians are going for"?
Also, as a music producer myself, I can tell you Cher probably is not to blame for these ethnic and cultural insensitivities. Remember, it's the industry we're talking about. Even today, most pop stars are not in control of their material. Their songs are written for them by other talented but less famous people, then signed off on by the record label. Their wardrobes are picked out by other executive decision makers.
Do you really think Cher chose every one of those outfits? I doubt it. The people in charge of her career probably just greased the palms of some seedy designer and stuck it on her, like a comission.
She did it with style
How did you do all this research and not find out that Sonny is the same a sunny? Like, I would expect that you watched some of the clips and interviews and their own television show.
When you take in the context of the times this was perfect marketing. As a African-Americans kid growing up in the seventies I remember AA's claiming to have some Native American ancestry. Must have been some kind of trend. But statistically only 0.8% of African-Americans have any.
The fact that Littlefeather was lying about her Native American heritage, lecturing people about how they treat Native Americans, is so ironic.
Cher can do whatever she wants.
Really interesting subject matter!!
Cher started out as a backup singer and was considered part of The Wrecking Crew before she got famous with Sonny
Well done for putting this together
It would have been cool if she highlighted her Armenian heritage into her music, which would have also lent that 'hippie' sort of fashion
Glad someone is talking about this.
A lot of people lied about their ancestry to appeal to the public back then. Sometimes their manager made this decision. People have even changed their names. Not suprised about Cher.
the way the Dark Lady is animated in the music video 😬 yeesh
Wow I never knew this. And I don’t think a lot of people from her era know either lol
Oh….jeez……captain hindsight. If only we all had that.
While discussing how most hippies were middle class, perhaps a photo of John Lennon, a working-class lad, isn't the best choice.
It’s pronounced sunny bro… 🤦🏽♂️ all these kids want to do history videos and can’t even get the damn names right… 🤦🏽♂️
Sacheen Littlefeather was not native American.
Cher was. Fun fact: not all descendants of the few who survived stayed on the Rez.😊
Ancestry doesnt end at the colonial border
@punkinhoot no she wasnt
native american ancestry is found in the americas, not just in the USA, America is the continent, not the country, same as native european = europe, native african = africa, native asian = asian, native american = AMERICA
I know Cher is half Armenian, so are Armenians considered White or are they considered Middle Eastern?
white
I believe at this time Armenian would have barely been given the option to be ‘white.’ Considering Italians and Greeks were often not considered white, I would imagine Armenian would have been placed in that category as well.
What is considered white is just a matter of opinion. Middle Easterners have been supposed to pick white on the US census, although they’re adding it as a separate category in 2030. What makes Middle Easterners “not white” is that they’re predominantly Muslim, but since Armenians are mostly Christian and live pretty close to Russia they would probably be considered “white ethnics” like Greeks
They were Christian in a Muslim-dominated region.
In the US, they are 'legally' white. In the US census, 'white' includes ppl of western Asia and northern Africa are included: Turkish, Armenian, Palestinian, Egyptian... if you read and fill out US census forms correctly, all those ethnicities fall under 'white.' (weird, I know, but I don't make the rules... our weird government oligarchs do)
It's good of her to finally retire a controversial song from live performances. The shelf life of this gimmick is up.
Dam i was told years old 😳 i didn’t know cher had more music
She has like 50 years of music 😂
HIPPIE: Hey, man! Don't let him bring you down, now. There's a lot of young people in this country, just like myself, who really know where the Indian's at. And don't worry. Soon we're all gonna be out here on the Reservation, livin' like Indians, 'n' dressin' like Indians and doing all the simple, beautiful things that you Indians do. Hey - got any peyote?
- Temporarily Humboldt County
All of the false virtue signaling and condemnations of Cher, are truly sickening! You people weren't alive, back then, and have ZERO context for what Cher was doing. I was there! I remember, most vividly, the zeitgeist of the times, back then. A.I.M. (American Indian Movement) was just getting started. They needed all of the exposure that Native Culture could get. Having a Super Star highlight them, was just the push they needed, for the dominate culture to sit up and take notice of their cause. So, keep your uninformed, PC, psyco babble to yourselves!
Be quiet
You're being absurd! We should all be traveling back in time to punish our great-grandparents for not recycling! How dare they not know what we know now!
@@laurindadiabre37 What's wrong? Upset that your utter ignorance of that time, doesn't fit your present racist narrative?