Novica, Navajo Knock-Offs, and the ’Net
Novica, Navajo Knock-Offs, and the ’Net
A Critique of Fair Trade Marketing Practices
This chapter explores how Novica, the fair trade artisan organization based in Los Angeles, supports the reproduction of historic Navajo designs by Zapotec weavers from Oaxaca, Mexico. In particular, it considers how such appropriation is compounded by gendered injustice as male Zapotec weavers copy historic designs originally created by generations of anonymous Navajo women. After providing a historical background on commodification, the chapter discusses Zapotec weaving and the contemporary economics of Navajo weaving. It then comments on Novica's support for Zapotec artisans who have appropriated “elements” of Navajo designs in their woven rugs and assesses the negative effects of such cultural appropriation on the ability of Navajo artisans to maintain their livelihoods and cultural traditions of weaving. It argues that Novica, in its desire to promote equitable returns to Zapotec weavers, has inadvertently contributed to the impoverishment of Navajo weavers.
Keywords: fair trade, Navajo designs, Zapotec weavers, Mexico, Zapotec weaving, Navajo weaving, Novica, cultural appropriation
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