In 2017, Greta Van Fleet singer Josh Kiszka posted photos on his Instagram of himself and friends wearing copies of sacred Indigenous wear. Recently, fans started up the #SpeakUpGVF hashtag for the singer to address the issue online after outcry from fans on Twitter that wearing the garb was a form of cultural appropriation and that the photo was insensitive and offensive to various Native cultures. “Josh Kiszka, frontman of Greta Van Fleet, posted on his Instagram in 2017 multiple photos of himself and friends donning copies of sacred Indigenous wear,” read a post from the #SpeakUpGVF movement. “These photos have never been addressed or deleted despite being culturally appropriative and offensive to various Native cultures. Indigenous fans and those practicing allyship have tried to contact Josh and ask him to remove the photos and address the cultural appropriation, but he continues to stay silent and the photos continue to stay up. Remaining silent on this is upsetting and ignorant as it upholds racist ideologies that Indigenous cultures are simply a costume, when they are sacred and not open for appropriation.”
Kiszka issued a statement on the matter: “To our indigenous fans, I see you. I’ve taken time to listen and gather my thoughts. My appreciation for indigenous culture is bigger than myself. I recognize the harm that ignorance can have on marginalized communities, something I’d never want to perpetuate. Hate, disrespect and prejudice of any kind are not welcome in this community. As I’ve come into adulthood, I’ve been able to grow and learn. This growth has not stopped and will not stop here. The Chippewa tribe has had a particularly profound impact on my life having been exposed to their ceremonies and customs during my early years growing up in Michigan. I have made a charitable donation [to] the First Nations Development Institute to help keep indigenous traditions like theirs alive and well. Should you want to support with me, please visit firstnations.org. Peace, Love, Unity & Equality. Always. Josh.”
Despite getting the apology they were asking for, some fans were still not satisfied. “What’s genuinely shocking to me is the fans are genuinely giving this man the opportunity to come forward and apologize and delete posts. most fan bases would cancel in a f*cking heartbeat??? like imagine having the opportunity to fix your wrongs and just…. not?????,” offered one poster. Another person wrote that whether or not to accept the apology lay in the hands of Indigenous people. “Okay, now a reminder to my fellow white gvf fans that THIS IS NOT OUR APOLOGY TO ACCEPT. this is for the indigenous fans. if you are not indigenous, you have no right to declare whether or not he’s “forgiven”. #SpeakUpGVF”
The entire back-and-forth has been trending on Twitter and can be viewed here.
