Native American hobbyism in Germany

Native American hobbyism in Germany, also called Indian Hobbyism, or Indianism, is the performance and attempt at historical reenactment of what some Germans believe is the American Indian culture of the early contact period, rather than the way contemporary Indigenous peoples of the Americas live. The cultures imitated are usually a pan-Indian, homogenized, romantic stereotype of Plains Indian cultures, influenced by the stereotypes seen in Hollywood Westerns.

This is done by non-Natives as a hobby and pastime, such as for a weekend retreat, hobbyist pow wow, or summer camp. It exists in several European countries, but is prominent in Germany, where it has approximately 40,000 practitioners, known as hobbyists, participate. Response to this by actual Native Americans has been overwhelmingly negative.

According to the history laid out in H. Glenn Penny's Kindred By Choice, many Germans identify their roots as tribes that lived independently of one another that were colonized by Romans and forced to become Christians. Because of this distant tribal background and history of colonization, and despite the fact that all ancient Europeans lived tribally, many of these Germans believe that they are more similar to Native Americans than to fellow European nations in contemporary times. This belief in kindred lifestyle is detailed in Penny's in-depth study of German fascination with and performances as their ideas of historical Native American peoples. These Germans are also interested in depiction of Native Americans in art and anthropology. Penny covers this history in Kindred By Choice and other published writings, chronicling German artists such as Rudolf Cronau, Max Ernst, Georg Grosz, Otto Dix, and Rudolf Schlichter's portrayals of Native Americans. German academics such as Alexander von Humboldt, Karl von den Steinen, Paul Ehrenreich, and Carl Jung all traveled to the United States to learn more about Native Americans. Their documentation of their journeys were regarded positively by the German public and assisted in fostering German fascination with Native Americans. Penny also details how Germans often denounced the violence inflicted upon Native peoples by the United States government.

...
Wikipedia