Land-Based Practices (and Cultural Appropriation)

[Heka]

...which is why balloon releases, and other synthetic crud I've seen done(not necessairly offerings, but part of modern rituals) pretty much infuriates me.

This drives me up the wall. Absolutely hate it. People are just idiots. They did this at a wedding. I complained loudly to everyone nearby, but hubby stopped me bitch ing at the bride and groom. I just tied my balloon to the post and proceeded to get pissed. Arseholes.

[Shahaku]

On the note of gardens more or less as offerings. I'm planning to put in some natural gardens in the next few years in our yard (we have a decently big one). One thing I want to do is a bug house. Kinda like this:



And I'm also planning to put in natural prairie/butterfly area.

And a labyrinth like this:



I'd honestly never thought of it as dedication/offering work until Thal's comment but. Yeah. That's going to be my yard. Natural play areas for the kiddo. A pond. A porch. Waterfall! Some trees. That sort of thing. I actually have a plan laid out on my computer. We'll see how it goes and what all I can talk my husband into.

[Rae'ya]

...which is why balloon releases, and other synthetic crud I've seen done(not necessairly offerings, but part of modern rituals) pretty much infuriates me.

Ugh, yes! You may as well go and throw rubbish directly into the bush... or go pop a few plastic rings around some sea birds. Littering is a big thing for me, and consciously and purposefully littering for the sake of 'ritual' or 'offerings' is just so much worse. At the end of the day, I actually don't care what my deity wants if it's going to negatively impact my environment and the landspirits I'm dependent on. Because at the end of the day, I live HERE, in THIS world on THIS land. If Skuld asked me tomorrow to go and wrap some plastic crap around the tree in my yard, I'd tell Her to pick something else.

This! (and I think we even have a "don't feed the animals' thread somewhere about food offereings, don't we?)

Yeah I think we do, and it's probably my fault. I'm a bit... opinionated on this matter. lol

[Ophidia]

Here in the desert, my edible offerings usually consist of water, lol.

[Atehequa]

So...here in the US, the problem of cultural appropriate seems to be very regional. I live in one of the first areas colonized by Europeans--Jamestown was founded here, in an area where the Powhatan had been greatly reduced (as with most Native tribes) by diseases spread via trade and exploration in other parts of the Americas prior to settlement

Greetings from Tsenacommacah

I'm transplanted from another tribe and married into one of the Powhatan remnant groups.

Yes the Powhatan people got hit hard early on by English colonialism. Most of their language is forgotten and the majority of them are a mixed people. Still there are those who've striven to keep their lines as pure as possible. Some of them have retained a lot of their ancient knowledge and beliefs. These folk I've mentioned are rather wary if not guarded when it comes to sharing that knowledge because of cultural appropriation.