#and ive refrained from drawing anything else because yea im detribalized and doing my best to reconnect

[mueritos]

(different anon) u don’t see how it’s inappropriate be drawing western usa “cowboys and indians” genre romance art?? and with the fake polynesian tattoo on the white guy,,,,,

i understand being detribalized as so am i, but we still have to be careful about how we’re interacting w current native communities especially those to whom we are outsiders

thank you for clarifying you're a different anon and this one i'll respond to with care, and thank you for sending this because it is a genuine critique. I drew that header after finding a western/cowboy artist that I liked, and I wanted to draw something t4t centered. After finding the artist again (linked above), yes he is not indigenous, but in the article he describes his work with the Wampanoag community in MA. But you're right; there is a fine line between depicting western/cowboy culture that doesn't negate the colonization/manifest destiny of its time. I believed I made the image more "contemporary" (both have punk/lgbtq patches in the full image), but if that's not clear because the man on the left's patches are cut off from the header, then that's on me.

as for the white dude, I wasn't clear on either of their races, but both of the men in the photo are drawn from the indigenous people in my life. When i think of dark haired dark skins indigenous folks, I think of my long time best friend who is Nahuatl and detribalized, and for the "white man", I based him off myself and other detribalized/mixed folks who are paler and look "less native". Obviously none of this is clear because the image is just there, but these were the thoughts that went into that drawing. It was all based on the Mexican culture around me in terms of vaquero, because I associate the masculinity that I am comforted by with vaquero culture.

as for the tattoo, I made it up on the spot. but you're right, it does look similar to indigenous communities' like the maori or polynesian/samoa. I'll be more careful about that and I have not drawn any tribal like tattoos on anyone else since that drawing (the drawing is from 2019).

and you're right about your last point. I have been thinking of changing the header, but it has also been there for several years so I don't know what to change it to and I have had many folks in my inbox say they were comforted/affirmed by the header. at the same time, I don't want to drive off any folks who don't know im detribalized and may think i'm just randomly drawing indigenous people because I am like, fascinated with them.

i'll be more careful from now on, but thank you for sending this and feel free to lmk anything else, or if any indigenous folks want to add any other points feel free to do that in the notes!