Princesses We are not all the same
Ask anyone on the street to describe how a First Nation man and a First Nation woman used to look like, and they will most probably all have the same physical description. The man is bare chest with long hair, war paint, and a feather on his head. The woman… well she looks like Disney’s Pocahontas. The reality is that before colonization every tribe/nation had its own sense of “fashion”, meaning its own set of aesthetics and its own definition of beauty. Not all wore fringy deer skin skirts and feathers. While some groups found tattooing to be an embellishment on one’s body, other groups saw flat heads as beautiful and visually pleasing. Some had very unique and distinct hairstyles, while others saw piercing as a mark of prestige. Bottom line: we are not all the same.
Standards of beauty – now, there’s a truly subjective issue! While it’s an easy enough task today to consult fashion archives from recent years, the challenge becomes far more complex to try and chart as elusive a topic as shifting concepts of beauty among indigenous peoples, especially as they applied to a distant past when oral tradition was the primary form of history. Add to that the need to approach such an elusive subject with numerous different Aboriginal nations, each with its own, often-complex history, customs, tradition – and therefore, inevitably, standards of beauty. It’s a safe bet that some grey areas may well remain, even under the most arduous scrutiny. Yet, these quibbles aside, the subject remains an interesting one which undoubtedly deserves attention, if only to debunk some myths that have lingered on for far too long! Keywords: race, indigenous, ethnicity.
Primary Title
- Princesses
Episode Title
- We are not all the same
Date Broadcast
- Monday 6 September 2021
Start Time
- 19 : 30
Finish Time
- 20 : 00
Duration
- 30:00
Series
- 1
Episode
- 3
Channel
- Maori Television
Broadcaster
- Maori Television Service
Programme Description
- Standards of beauty – now, there’s a truly subjective issue! While it’s an easy enough task today to consult fashion archives from recent years, the challenge becomes far more complex to try and chart as elusive a topic as shifting concepts of beauty among indigenous peoples, especially as they applied to a distant past when oral tradition was the primary form of history. Add to that the need to approach such an elusive subject with numerous different Aboriginal nations, each with its own, often-complex history, customs, tradition – and therefore, inevitably, standards of beauty. It’s a safe bet that some grey areas may well remain, even under the most arduous scrutiny. Yet, these quibbles aside, the subject remains an interesting one which undoubtedly deserves attention, if only to debunk some myths that have lingered on for far too long! Keywords: race, indigenous, ethnicity.
Episode Description
- Ask anyone on the street to describe how a First Nation man and a First Nation woman used to look like, and they will most probably all have the same physical description. The man is bare chest with long hair, war paint, and a feather on his head. The woman… well she looks like Disney’s Pocahontas. The reality is that before colonization every tribe/nation had its own sense of “fashion”, meaning its own set of aesthetics and its own definition of beauty. Not all wore fringy deer skin skirts and feathers. While some groups found tattooing to be an embellishment on one’s body, other groups saw flat heads as beautiful and visually pleasing. Some had very unique and distinct hairstyles, while others saw piercing as a mark of prestige. Bottom line: we are not all the same.
Classification
- G
Owning Collection
- TV & Radio
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Indigenous women
- Feminine beauty (Aesthetics)--Social aspects
- Documentary television programs--Canada
Genres
- Community
- Documentary
Contributors
- Angie-Pepper O'Bomsawin (Director)
- Louis-François Grenier (Writer)
- Luc Lainé (Producer)
- Orlando Arriagada (Producer)
- Cayenne (Production Unit)
- Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (Production Unit)
- Canada Media Fund (Funder)
Subjects
- Indigenous women
- Feminine beauty (Aesthetics)--Social aspects
- Documentary television programs--Canada