Reappropriation: Can Traditional Summer Camps Become Allies to Indigenous Peoples? A Case-Study in Process

In the early days of its foundation, like many camps across the US, Camp Mondamin utilized a number of Native American stories and symbols to create a camp culture that conveyed proximity to nature, selflessness, and determination. In more recent decades, however, the directors have come to understand how this cultural borrowing, not just by camps, but by schools, professional teams, and even corporate entities, had benefited the borrower and occurred without the consent or inclusion of native peoples themselves. As such, Mondamin has taken steps to begin to reverse the effects of cultural appropriation: by relinquishing some references to native Americans, by inviting Native Americans into their space, and by reframing the cultural references the camp has chosen to keep in ways that educate rather than appropriate. In sum, Mondamin directors have made future allyship with Native Peoples part of their mission.

David Bell, the current Director of Camp Mondamin, will present a case study of how one camp in Western North Carolina continues to work to address cultural appropriation within the narratives of summer camp.

Bell was born and raised in Western North Carolina and attended Camp Mondamin for many years, where he learned to hike, climb, ride horses, and paddle whitewater. While at Amherst College, he studied history and theater, and he returned to Mondamin in the summers to teach and lead in the outdoors. In 2002, he moved to Taiwan to pursue graduate school in Chinese history. He has since taught history and Chinese language at two schools, and more recently moved back to WNC with his family to serve as the director of Camp Mondamin, working with his sister Calla at Camp Green Cove.

DETAILS: Free admission for CHS members | $5 suggested donation for non-members.