Washington:
"Twilight" is a series of
vampire chronicles written by Stephanie
Meyer.
In "Twilight,"
the Quileute are Indians whose
(fictional) ancient treaty
changes young Quileute males
into vampire-fighting wolves.
The storyline has made all things labeled Quileute wildly popular. Quileute "hoodies" are being sold along with Quileute charms, tattoo jewelry, and more. The earnings from "Twilight" merchandise is nearly $1,000,000,000.
Despite all the hype, however,"Twilight's" effect on the tiny Quileute Nation is largely ignored. The Quileute tribe has received little payment from others' profits, yet half the tribal members live in poverty. Worse, their culture and tribal laws are disrespected.
While"Twilight" products often
include the Quileute name, the
Quileute tribe itself is largely
excluded from he commercial
empire. But his is probably
legal.
Except in specific cases, the
law does not protect
native peoples’ collective
cultural property.
It only
protects items claiming a tribal
origin.
These
products
must, indeed, be made by that
tribe.
Meanwhile, a tour company hauls bus loads of " "Twilight" fans onto the 1.5 square mile Quileute reservation near La Push.
MSN.com recently apologized to the tribe for videotaping a "Twilight" virtual tour. The video entered the reservation, and without tribal permission, began filming. The trespassed on a tribal cemetery to film Quileute graves, including those of esteemed tribal leaders. These images were set to macabre music and posted on MSN.com.
The
Quileute contacted NBC and
explained the tribal laws that
govern
Quileute territory. One laws
says that burial grounds and
religious ceremonies are “sacred
and not to be entered. " Had MSN
treated the tribe as a sovereign
government, it might not have
broken that rule.
MSN.com quickly removed the Quileute images.
The Quileute are eager to share their tribal culture. When hordes of “ "Twilight" fans showed up in 2008, the Quileute, as a sovereign Indian nation, could have closed its reservation. But tribal members chose not to do so. They want to participate in how their culture and property is treated. They also believe that respecting tribal sovereignty could bridge cultural gaps between Indian communities and outsiders.
Quileute For Kids
The real Quileute Indians
are not werewolves, but they do
consider wolves their tribal
ancestors.
http://www.bigorrin.org/quileute_kids.htm
Quileute Nation:
http://www.quileutenation.org/
Native
Village Home Page