Canadian here. A number of years ago my family visited New Zealand, and while falling in love with the country and the culture, I also discovered the Hei Matau - the Maori fish hook.

This has haunted me ever since, and I want to carve one for myself. However, we've spent the last decade starting to understand the relationship between European settlers and the North American Indigenous people.

So what I do in my basement with carving tools is my own business, but I ask honestly if wearing a Hei Matau in public is considered respectful or appropriation. And also if the material matters in this context. (It would likely be from a tagua nut - "vegetable ivory" - although it's possible I could get some whale bone from my coastal friends.)

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[–] swordgeek@lemmy.ca 4 points 4 months ago

Thanks for the info. I'll do some digging.

Edit: it’s very cool that you even asked!

If we've learned anything in Canada in the last 15 years, it's that finding out about a culture before adopting it is kind of important.