Loading…
14
Dropped $60 on a dream catcher in Santa Fe because a shop owner said it was 'blessed' and now I feel dumb
I was in Santa Fe last month and this shop owner told me the dream catcher was blessed by a local elder, so I handed over $60 even though my gut said no. Later I found the exact same one online for $12 and it was made in a factory, so the 'blessing' thing was clearly just a sales pitch. Is buying stuff like this from tourist shops disrespectful to actual native traditions, or is it fair game if the shop owner is the one selling it?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
elizabeth4385d ago
My mom fell for the exact same kind of thing at a flea market once, bought a "hand carved" wooden bowl that still had a sticker on the bottom from some store. I have also paid way too much for stuff just because a guy in a hat sounded convincing, so no judgment here. The whole blessed by an elder line is a classic tourist trap move and honestly that part is on the seller for making stuff up. The real question of whether it disrespects native traditions is a bigger deal, and plenty of native folks have written about how mass produced dream catchers kinda water down the meaning behind them. Fair game or not, the shop owner is the one cashing in, but that doesn't mean you have to feel great about the $60 lesson.
6