Pendleton
Pendleton is a company that falls in the grey area between appropriation and misappropriation. The company is known for its eye catching geometric patterns, and the name is closely intertwined with Native American art. However, the company was started by white settlers who were enchanted by Navajo and other Native American tribes' designs and decided to mass produce them in the 1880's.
This alone seems like an act of cultural exploitation and unjust appropriation-- there is something unsettling about a white American company becoming one of the most well known distributors of Native American Art. However, the historical relationship between Pendleton and indigenous cultural groups is unique and practically symbiotic. Pendleton's first loom artist, Joe Rawnsley, spent time with local tribes to learn what patterns and colors would appeal to them, and he used his advance equipment to transfer them onto blankets, making them easily accessible to the native communities. .
Pendleton blankets and designs have become a integral part of many tribes' cultures, and they are often used and presented ceremoniously at powwows and rites of passage, as treasured gifts, and as a means of non-verbal communication. Pendleton has also maintained close ties with Native communities and causes, making commemorative blankets for organizations like the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Indian Education Association. They work with Native artists to design the special edition blankets, and they donate some of the proceeds to various causes.
Jessica Metcalfe of Beyond Buckskin says that you’ll never get a consensus from the Native American community on what Pendleton should or shouldn’t do, but ultimately there is a great love of Pendleton because of their service to Native American communities. She also notes, however, that as Pendleton continues to profit and rise in the fashion industry, there is an issue over who gets to represent Native Americans and who gets to profit.
This alone seems like an act of cultural exploitation and unjust appropriation-- there is something unsettling about a white American company becoming one of the most well known distributors of Native American Art. However, the historical relationship between Pendleton and indigenous cultural groups is unique and practically symbiotic. Pendleton's first loom artist, Joe Rawnsley, spent time with local tribes to learn what patterns and colors would appeal to them, and he used his advance equipment to transfer them onto blankets, making them easily accessible to the native communities. .
Pendleton blankets and designs have become a integral part of many tribes' cultures, and they are often used and presented ceremoniously at powwows and rites of passage, as treasured gifts, and as a means of non-verbal communication. Pendleton has also maintained close ties with Native communities and causes, making commemorative blankets for organizations like the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Indian Education Association. They work with Native artists to design the special edition blankets, and they donate some of the proceeds to various causes.
Jessica Metcalfe of Beyond Buckskin says that you’ll never get a consensus from the Native American community on what Pendleton should or shouldn’t do, but ultimately there is a great love of Pendleton because of their service to Native American communities. She also notes, however, that as Pendleton continues to profit and rise in the fashion industry, there is an issue over who gets to represent Native Americans and who gets to profit.