Cultural appropriation in knife making

eric brinkerhoff

eric brinkerhoff

Joined
Mar 10, 2013
Messages
1,074
This may be a little off topic for shop talk but I've been thinking about it for a long time. We all make tantos and Scandinavian style knives and whatnot ,or Sghian Dus or whatever ,and these all have a culture that they originated in but these designs probably could have evolved anywhere.
What I'm interested in and what brings me to this question is decorations and insignias on the blade. For example, I have long wanted to use runes to depict my name in my makers mark, the reason I don't is readability. That's fine ,I like the way my name looks in block letters.
But fairly often I like to use some type of Japanese steel with a high mystique value, and I have wanted to stamp or etch a symbol ,or do other kinds of artwork to bring attention to and pay homage to the origin of the materials. Maybe a Japanese symbol for steel or some such. Years past I've been pretty cavalier about stamping and etching, maybe a little too much. But now I've been thinking about a little stamp to designate that I'm using a particular steel. Sort of like the logo on the AL Mar knives. Something with a little Japanese flavor.
Because I love this kind of steel!
 
I've made a Viking inspired sword, some Japanese inspired blades, etc. It is interesting to read up a little on the background of each. I think as long as you are honest about how and what you are making and modest about your expertise in the area then people are unlikely to be offended.
 
Kinda a moving target these days but my old guy take on this as long as you are respectful of that culture and use the marks and language appropriately I would not have any issue. It's when you verge into doing this for max profit with no understanding of the symbol or it's intent I would call it out.
 
I think a hawk named "Scalper" is a bad use of cultural appropriation and in bad taste. I don't see a problem with putting you makers mark in Japanese on a Japanese style blade. That is not appropriating anything, it is using something.
My chefs' blades and Japanese blades are marked (Bladesmith)
1647997350515.gif
 
Hubert S. said:
As a German, I politely request that y'all do not add any gratuitous Umlauts and call your swords Drägönsläyer or some such nonsense. I have to drive by the fitness center everyday, you know the one, and that is quite enough...
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A few of my inlaws questioned us naming our son Gunther. I said if we hear any more about it we're adding an umlaut!
 
Japan culture is base upon "cultural appropriation" they do not claim to have made it up and are proud of bringing in mulitple Asian cultures into their society and love to share their culture with others.

For centuries cultures mix and change due to these exchanges.

Funny thing is those who cry "cultural appropriation" do it while wearing clothes, living in houses and driving cars which their "culture" did not originate.
 
I think you can appropriate without being inappropriate, just takes some common sense and putting yourself in someone else' shoes
 
I guess my thought on this most importantly, marking your name legibly on your knives ,in a language your customers can read, so people know who made the knife. The more info you can put in your mark the better, like name and location. Probably most important of all, it to let the quality of the workmanship speak for itself.
 
Appropriate appropriation.
Like someone else pointed out... avoid harmful stereotypes or using another culture's symbols as a "selling feature" As for "cultural appropriation" crowd.... How do you think cultures develop? Throughout human history, civilizations have evolved through adaptation and adoption. "That works! Let's try it." It is natural and necessary. "Please don't use my culture's language".. ???? really? you mean that language that developed from that other culture's language, that's rooted in this other culture's language??? Where does it end... or start, for that matter? Show me a single culture that doesn't take from other cultures? AND.... if we stop all cultural appropriation, you are very much stifling any NEW CULTURES from evolving.... literally killing cultural development. What makes contemporary cultures in their infancy, any less important than historically rich ones? Too much woke going on, IMO.... I'm offended and triggered by it! #dontgobrokebeingwoke
 
I worried about this when i met my fiancées family in Germany. They wear Bavarian trachten at festive days. So i bought some fine lederhosen and a Trachtenjacke. I asked if it's not weird to carry lederhosen as a foreigner and they said it's not a problem as long as you respect the clothing and don't think it's a carnavals costume. I like to wear it and apparently people don't even realise i'm not Bavarian. The only problem i have is when old Bavarian people start talking in their Bavarian dialect and i have to explain i'm not a native....😂 We are even getting married in traditional trachten! My point is as long as you are showing respect to the culture and don't make fun of it locals won't mind.
 
As an anthropology student, I can say that what you're thinking is fine. I know a decent amount of Japanese, so here are some of the Japanese steels in kanji
White Paper : 白紙
Blue Paper：青紙
Blue Super：青紙スーパー

Of course you can add the number designation for Blue#2, etc. Either use the number or the kanji 1：一　2：二


You can also add "made by" using 作 after your name. In katakana your name would be エリク　ブリンカホーフ　(probably, idk how you specifically pronounce it)

A quick google search yield much more info than I know
https://www.reddit.com/r/chefknives/comments/bn0n8p
 
Rick Marchand said:
Appropriate appropriation.
Like someone else pointed out... avoid harmful stereotypes or using another culture's symbols as a "selling feature" As for "cultural appropriation" crowd.... How do you think cultures develop? Throughout human history, civilizations have evolved through adaptation and adoption. "That works! Let's try it." It is natural and necessary. "Please don't use my culture's language".. ???? really? you mean that language that developed from that other culture's language, that's rooted in this other culture's language??? Where does it end... or start, for that matter? Show me a single culture that doesn't take from other cultures? AND.... if we stop all cultural appropriation, you are very much stifling any NEW CULTURES from evolving.... literally killing cultural development. What makes contemporary cultures in their infancy, any less important than historically rich ones? Too much woke going on, IMO.... I'm offended and triggered by it! #dontgobrokebeingwoke
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I would have liked this post twice if I could!
 
Meh, if you are a knifemaker, you are already a part of the knifemaker culture, therefore no appropriation. Much ado about nothing.

If someone thinks you are doing something inappropriate, tell them to find a knifemaker from an appropriate "culture" to which you can apologize. Life is too short to gaf about some idiot that gets "offended" over what you do for fun.
 
This comes up all the time. Many avid Scots get riled up about cultural appropriation of Scottish themes and dress. The funny thing is most of those avid Scots were born in the USA and have to go back several hundred years to get a native born Scottish ancestor. Scots have been in the Americas since the first English ships arrived. There are 100 times more scots in the USA than in Scotland. US Scots in kilts and other dress fought in the revolutionary war and the civil war. If I wear a kilt or a sgian dubh, I am not appropriating things that belongs to Scotland, just continuing them in the USA.

As to being offended:
I run a large Burns Supper every year. One part of every Burns event is the toast to the Laddies and the Toast to the Lassies. These are short addresses. They may be serious, romantic, funny, and even bawdy. The lady that gave the Toast to the Laddies this year was a riot. She touched all of those topics, with a heavy dose of bawdy. At one point in her speech she said, "As a widow, I am entitled to say that my husband is now finally stiff." Later in the evening another woman said to me she thought that was inappropriate and it offended her. I told that lady it was pretty edgy, and I was sorry she was offended ... and I would put her down for doing the toast next year. That stopped the protest instantly.
 
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