4 Key Checks: Cultural Appreciation vs Cultural Appropriation

As a person of colour, of full Indian heritage, of first generation of family born on another land, I have watched, observed and reflected on the unconscious and conscious cultural dialogue that happens between not only people of different backgrounds, but also between ourselves and the shamanic traditions that we know and love. Being born into a culture that has been deeply and systematically appropriated I have taken an interest in understanding the cultural appropriation issues that First Nation and Indigenous communities face to ensure I work in a good way. This journey, viewed through my unique lens, has led me to develop four key checks designed to ensure we are working in right relationship when learning from shamanic traditions. Both in our private practice or our professional lives.

Key Check #1: IDENTITY

The journey always begins within. Before reaching for the medicine of another culture, we must ask: What is my relationship with my own bloodline, my family story, and my own identity?

• Ancestral Peace: Have you made peace with your family circumstances? Is there ancestral healing that needs to be undertaken? Often, the urge to reach for other cultural traditions stems from a disconnection or trauma within our own lineage.

• The Medicine of Home: Do you understand the specific medicine your own ancestors carry? Every bloodline has its own wisdom. Understanding why your soul chose your specific family and story creates a foundation of stability.

• Belonging: Research from ethnographic authorities suggests that when we are 'ancestrally homeless', we are more likely to unconsciously 'colonise' other traditions to fill the void. By healing our own roots, we move from a place of 'taking' to a place of mutual respect.

This is a really key piece of work, because if you are in peace and balance with your own ancestors and your own identity then it's very likely it will put you in a good space to show the appropriate care, consideration and respect when working in other cultures and traditions.

Key Check #2: INITIATION

When we use a sacred word, object, or healing technique, we must be radically honest about how we were initiated into it.

• Spirit vs. Ego: True initiation happens through a lineage teacher or directly from Spirit. It is a profound, often difficult, life-altering experience. It is not a choice made because something 'feels good' or 'looks cool'.

• Depth of Connection: Initiation is a commitment to a practice, not a casual date. It requires a weight of responsibility, dedication to learning and recognition that its spiritual medicine may remain a mystery.

• Ethical Transmission: In many Indigenous cultures, certain rites are 'closed' or require specific permissions. If you haven't been invited or initiated through the proper cultural protocols, using those tools can cause further injury to those Indigenous cultures.

Key Check #3: CONTEXT

Every mantra, sacred song, healing technique, or ritual tool has a home. Do you truly understand the environment it was born in?

• Cultural Boundaries: Do you know the origins, the sacredness, and the specific taboos associated with the practice? Without understanding the boundaries, we risk being unintentionally disrespectful or even harmful.

• Socio-Political Awareness: Understanding context also means acknowledging the history of the people who held these practices. If a culture was once punished or killed for practicing their faith, and we now use those same tools for profit without acknowledging that history, we perpetuate a cycle of harm.

• Holistic View: A practice is rarely a standalone 'tool'; it is usually part of a wider ecosystem of belief, culture, and land.

If you don't understand the lines and the boundaries of what you are working with, then you may be operating with it in a way that would be seen as disrespectful so understanding context is really important.

Key Check #4: CREDIT

If we are using wisdom that is not ours by birthright, we must be vocal about its source.

• Honouring the Lineage: Whether in private prayer or when holding space for others, we must credit the people and the land that birthed the practice.

• The Silent Implication: Even if you don't explicitly claim a practice as your own, failing to name its source creates a silent implication of ownership. This is a form of 'spiritual erasure'.

• Financial Reciprocity: Top authorities on decolonising spiritual spaces suggest that credit should also be tangible. If you are profiting from a practice originating in a marginalised community, consider how you are giving back to those communities directly (e.g., through reparations or supporting Indigenous-led causes).

By checking our identity, initiation, context, and appropriately crediting, we ensure that our path is one of integrity rather than consumption. 

If after reading this you would like to share your own thoughts, learnings or have feedback I would love to hear from you.

Written by Suneet Kaur, Shamanic Practitioner & Medical Herbalist