The Backstory

I have been a burlesque performer since 2006. My burlesque persona is an amalgamation of Native American kitsch and classic burlesque, told through satire and using stereotypical images. Tomahawk Tassels, "The Cherokee Seductress." I have recently received an extreme amount of criticism from certain members of the Native American community who find my acts offensive. These critics began posting endless hateful and derogatory comments, messages, and posts on my Facebook page. Soon they were multiplying, and began to bully and overpower my pages with their opinions and threats. 

This all came about because of my involvement as an organizer for Idle No More, the indigenous people's movement to protect the water and the land. I was involved as a concerned citizen, and an activist who identifies as Native in my personal, every day life.  Some of my fellow organizers (whom I was working directly and personally with on projects) found out about who I am as an artist and my onstage burlesque persona and were outraged. They were not open for discussion or respectful debate, but rather were fingers pointing blame at me for atrocious things such as rape and violence towards Native women. This became especially significant in light of the recent trouble getting the VAWA passed. The statistics of rape and violence toward indigenous women have been quoted to me incessantly. In response, I posted a public statement.

"I have been reflecting on the concerns expressed by members of the Native community about my performance art and burlesque persona. I've recognized the powerful emotions expressed and I want to say that I HEAR YOU. I will spend much time thinking of what has been said, with openness, and humility. I will be contemplating many things in the future. I want to let it be publicly known that Tomahawk Tassels is at this time suspending ALL Native American-influenced performances. Let it be known that Tomahawk Tassels is a burlesque performer,which is a style of live performance art that makes sexual, political and social commentaries through humor and theatre. and will continue to perform burlesque and theater, but will only move forward at this point with non-Native acts and themes. Let it be known that Tomahawk Tassels will not be attending any IDLE NO MORE events, unless it is clear that her attendance is welcome. Thank you for your understanding and patience."

See the Vita.mn article about it here. 
http://www.vita.mn/crawl/189221221.html

Photo by Gary Cook

When I posted this statement, I expected the dissenters, critics, and  threatening "Haters" to calm down and see that I was making a conscious effort to respond to the criticism and offenses taken. On the contrary. Instead of appreciating that I made this public statement, they came back with MORE demands! Now they were/are demanding that I change my stage name (which I have worked tirelessly the last 7 years to make for myself!) and "retire" my Tomahawk Tassels (Native influenced) burlesque acts. Some even went as far as to "PROTEST" a show I was guest performing, even though I had made it clear that I would NOT be performing ANY of my signature Native acts. 

Read the Vita.mn article about the "Protest" here. 
http://www.vita.mn/crawl/189571341.html

A writer from City Pages was pressing me for an interview, after she had already posted statements that suggested she thought of me as a racist. I refused to do the interview, explaining that I did not trust her integrity or neutrality as a journalist. Sure enough, she continued with her story exactly as I had expected. She posted a story which was completely one-sided and aimed to make me look like a racist bitch. She went so far as to further invade my privacy, posting screen captures from my personal private Facebook page, and videos and photos which she did not receive any permission to use during a time in which I was feeling VERY endangered, and overwhelmed. All in the pursuit of a splashy story. 

Here is the terrible, one-sided article. Read with caution, it is NOT Tomahawk Tassels approved!
http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2013/02/tomahawk_tassels_protested_over_native-themed_burlesque_performance.php

So what was my RESPONSE to the protest, you may ask?

On that Friday night at Ground Zero, I danced to Prince's "Controversy" in response to the "protest" going on outside. The "Controversy" act began with me holding up an empty picture frame, framing my face, that read "SEX SYMBOL" while I blew kisses, pulled out a feather boa from around my neck, etc. The audience cracked up immediately and I continued to remove my black leather and fox fur jacket and vintage party dress. Next I held up a bigger frame that read "STEREOTYPE," and made a few stereotypical Native movements and gestures. They laughed again. Then I held up a HUGE sign that looked similar to a protest sign that said "I <3 MY HERITAGE," to which the audience roared. I then set it down and began removing my bottoms then turned it around to reveal the other side which read "...AND MY BODY!" while revealing my ass to the audience. They cracked up and kept cheering. After removing my bra and making a "final reveal," (pasties & a G-string), I held up another huge sign that read "SUPPORT ART, NOT HATE" while hiding behind it, emerging at the very end wearing 2 big "Censored" bars across my hips and chest. It felt good. I was proud that I did that act in response. The second act I did was a classic burlesque striptease for Valentines day. All the protestors had left. Saturday's show with Le Cirque Rouge at the Amsterdam was a packed house too. I did all classic, fun, silly, non-native acts: a Rosie the Riveter act, "Strange," which is a non-strip mime act, my Queen Bee "Honey" act, and finally, the infamous 3-D silhouette striptease. Since then, I have continued to ONLY perform Non-native burlesque acts, even debuting new acts such as a sexy Mary Poppins act to "Spoonful of Sugar." I have really made conscious efforts to move forward without further angering the critics.

Photo by Gary Cook

Since the protest and all the hate posts, things have simmered down a bit but not much. I still feel like my privacy has been violated, and I continue to be the target of some very hateful people. Eventually, exhausted from all the hate, I posted this.

"I have raised the white flag. Said my piece. Suspended the art that is supposedly offensive. Questioned, debated, gotten angry, felt misunderstood, cried until I can't cry anymore. Blocked all the Haters. Tried to remain humble, honest, and true to myself. Now, I must move on. I see no urgency to respond further. This will not be resolved overnight. I am willing to step back. Listen. Research. Educate. Strengthen myself. Find clarity of vision. Focus on what's important. The good news is, despite the pain, I see a path to move forward out of the chaos. Love and gratitude to those who've expressed their support. "

There are still so many things to DISCUSS, as a community. My hope is that this blog will provide a place to have that dialogue, and mostly, to express my opinions and thoughts as an artist. An artist that is an easy target because of common misunderstandings.