”Wandering Wanjiinda:” The U.F.O. Graffiti, Appropriation, and Liminal Experience

The other day on my blog The Orange Orb I wrote an article ( My Cat's Name is Roswell: UFOlogical Integration ) on the alien like graffiti by an artist who calls himself U.F.O. These images are appearing all over the world everywhere you expect to see graffiti. As I wrote the other day, there is the question of appropriation in all this alien symbolism and “UFO integration.” And there's another question as well; that of appropriatio.

There’s the appropriation of the artist by others; the authors of the book U.F.O., those promoters of events connected to the book, UFO people, etc.

And then there’s the issue of the image itself, purportedly stolen, or appropriated, or inspired, depending on your perspective and cultural politics. The image is of Wandjina, an Aboriginal image of their creator.

In Anger as graffiti of Aboriginal god spreads to city journalist Kate Thomas writes about the mixed emotions of Aborigines to the sudden appearance of their god in out of context places. The graffiti appearances of Wandjiina (“wandering Wandjinna”) in Perth has upset many in the Aboriginal community.

There's something to be said for this reaction; of feeling once again marginalized by the domninant, and different, culture. I was involved in a presentation of Native American symbols and images, in the context of stereotypes and appropriation; among other things, we held up a plush, polka dotted
Kokepeli. The presenter asked the young audience what would they think if someone did this about Jesus? Shocked gasps, denials , and insistence that ‘this is different.” We’ve seen the same thing with Kachina “dolls” and other sacred images.

From the sacred and powerful, the intimate, to the commercial and trivial. There’s a parallel here to the use of the alien/ET from the very personal experiences of UFO witnesses to the commercial. From
liminal experiences that bewilder, alter, and sometimes puts the witness in a spiritual context/experience, to the green fuzzy toys and glowing white candy wrappers.

(I am not suggesting these two issues are the same, merely pointing out a juxtaposition.)

In the book The Trickster and the Paranormal, (George P. Hansen) Hansen writes about folklorist Barre Tolken, who had his own severe encounters with Navajo entities. (The debate about proper use of, --or any use at all --indigenous people’s culture continues in such disciplines as folklore, anthropology, etc. One should not be too glib about such things, as Tolkien’s experiences reminds us.)

I remember a folklore conference I attended some years ago; present were well known authors in the field. I literally thought a fist fight was going to break out; there were boos and yells and cat calls, chairs shoved back; all over the issue of releasing tribal songs out of context and out of season. Some (who should know better, in my opinion) insisted they now belonged to all of us, that the ends justified the means. They believed the material was now ours to use as we wished; to archive, to discuss, to analyze. Others believed we should respect and honor the context of the culture and its people.

We're all guilty (and at times we might suggest that that is too strong a word to use) in using imagery and symbols from another. Does intent count? Purpose?

And is there a much bigger picture; a Grand Manipulator behind it all, or, above it all, enjoying the show as we scramble and fight, disrespect and misuse, misunderstand and misinterpret?

More parallels: to the UFO community and UFO studies. All of these aspects are connected to UFOlogy, and Forteana, and we would do ourselves a service if we acknowledge that.

Our awareness would be expanded, and we might just begin to make out more of that giant glittering quilt we call 'the UFO quesiton."