Commodifications of Cultural Heritage

“Commodification” means transforming something into a product for commercial purposes, an item to be bought and sold in the market. Intangible cultural heritage is frequently used in the commercial sector, incorporated into company names, branding, logos, and products. Tangible cultural heritage may also be commodified, such as in the case of artworks intended to be sold commercially. 

Such use is considered an appropriation when done without permission, and can cause significant cultural, spiritual, and economic harm. 

Awareness of how the appropriation and commodification of cultural heritage affects Indigenous peoples is much needed—Indigenous heritage is too often viewed as “public domain,” free for the taking. What tools and strategies can Indigenous communities and scholars use to deal with appropriation and commodification concerns and opportunities? 

This theme covers complex topics such as the use of Indigenous heritage expressions in the entertainment, clothing, and giftware industries; the role that government and legislation has in regulating cultural appropriation and commodification; the processes by which disempowered communities can counter appropriations; and the impact of treating cultural artifacts and human remains as commodities, whether in medical science or museums.

Photo by Solen Roth. Illustrations by Eric Simons. 

Events

Cultural Commodification, Indigenous Peoples & Self-Determination Public Symposium and Workshop When Indigenous cultural heritage is turned into commodities, issues of appropriation are inevitably raised, along with debates surrounding identity, property, and sovereignty.

Blog Posts

Appropriation (?) of the Month: How the Culture of Connoisseurship Impacts Navajo Weavers Today By Kathy M’Closkey	Appropriation (?) of the Month: Differentiating "Northwest Coast-style" from Northwest Coast art and design By Solen Roth
Appropriation (?) of the Month: One Design with Two Labels — Peshawari Chappal vs. Robert Sandal By Tariq Zaman	Appropriation (?) of the Month: First Nation Totem Poles By Robin R. R. Gray
Appropriation (?) of the Month: Bullroarers By George Nicholas	Appropriation (?) of the Month: Alcohol and Indigenous Imagery By George Nicholas
Remix, Copyright, A2K, and Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights By Sarah Carr-Locke	What To Say or Not To Say to Create a Meaningful Dialogue By Solen Roth
Marilyn Strathern – “Can we still talk of ‘cultural property’?” By Solen Roth	Notes from The Otsego Institute By Solen Roth
Reflections on Commodification By Solen Roth

Fact Sheets

Appropriation and Commodification of Cultural Heritage: Ethical & IP Issues to Consider

Readings

Commodifications of Cultural Heritage Bibliography (2010)

Teaching Resources

Think Before You Appropriate: A Guide for Creators and Designers Posted Jan 12, 2016 People and cultures have always exchanged and borrowed ideas from each other to create new forms of art and symbolic expression. Whether intentionally or not, most if not all human creations reflect varied sources of inspiration.	Commodifications of Cultural Heritage Video Viewing Guides Posted Jun 17, 2014 As a follow up to the 2013 Cultural Commodification, Indigenous Peoples & Self Determination Public Symposium, Marina La Salle and the Commodifications of Cultural Heritage Working Group developed viewing guides to accompany the nine videos from the event.
Commodifications of Cultural Heritage - Themed Syllabi Posted May 15, 2014 The Commodifications of Cultural Heritage Working Group has gathered a selection of related university-level syllabi, with course topics ranging from cultural law, art law, cultural property rights and museums, repatriation and more. These syllabi are shared for educational purposes with permission of the authors.

Videos & Podcasts

Bridge Duty — Interview with George Nicholas George Nicholas and Bridge Duty's Christine Bruce discuss cultural appropriation in its many forms, and IPinCH's efforts to encourage more sensitive approaches to the use of Indigenous cultural heritage.	Teepees and Trademarks: Aboriginal Peoples, Stereotypes and Intellectual Property Speaker: Vanessa Udy Vanessa Udy explores the ways in which aboriginal peoples in Canada and the United States have used intellectual property laws to promote their cultural heritage and to protect it from negative stereotypes and cultural appropriation.
IPinCH Conversations / Cultural Commodification, the Law and Ethics Speaker: Catherine Bell In this video, legal scholar Catherine Bell chats with IPinCH Project Ethnographer Alexis Bunten following the IPinCH "Cultural Commodification, Indigenous Peoples & Self-Determination" symposium & workshop.	Commodification of Inuit Symbols and Potential Protection Mechanisms Speaker: Violet Ford The commodification of Inuit cultural symbols has been increasing. Much of this commodification is derogatory and is misappropriated without permission of the Inuit community.
Local Contexts: Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Cultural Heritage Speaker: Kim Christen Withey This presentation introduces Local Contexts, an educational website that includes an introduction to a set of innovative traditional knowledge (TK) license and labels being developed in a response to Indigenous communities' needs.	Ookpik - The Ogling Owl at 50 Speaker: Susan Rowley Fifty years ago the Canadian Government selected Ookpik to represent the country at the 1964 trade fair in Philadelphia. An overnight sensation, the Canadian Government moved quickly to trademark Ookpik for the Fort Chimo Eskimo Co-operative.
Opening Remarks Speaker: George Nicholas This presentation provides an introduction to the issues associated with intellectual property and cultural heritage, as well as contextual information related to the complex processes known as “commodification”.	Symposium Closing Remarks Speaker: Victor Guerin Closing Remarks by Victor Guerin, Artist and Cultural Representative, Musqueam Indian Band.
Symposium Welcome Speaker: Victor Guerin Victor Guerin, Artist and Cultural Representative of the Musqueam Indian Band, welcomes symposium guests to the Musqueaum ancestral territory and offers a prayer and song.	The Limits of Cultural Commodification Speaker: Alexis Bunten The scale, scope, and kinds of things that can be commoditized are expanding in the global framework of late capitalism.
Traditional Identity: the Commodification of New Zealand Maori Imagery Speaker: Deidre Brown	Managing Cultural Commodification from an Indigenous Perspective Speaker: Maui Solomon This presentation draws on examples from New Zealand and the Pacific to describe an Indigenous framework for protecting traditional users and their traditional knowledge.
Traditional Art, Contemporary Artists and Pan-African Cultural Policy Speaker: Nicole Aylwin	On First Nations and the Vancouver Olympic Opening Ceremonies Speaker: Ashley Julian and Brian Noble
The Native Northwest Coast Giftware Industry (Olympic Case-Study) Speaker: Solen Roth