Stereotypes: Cigar Store Indians and Weathervanes

Two examples of cultural appropriation in folk art are found in the cigar store Indian and a similar motif in weather vanes.  At least some elements of the cigar store logo had a basis in fact.  Native American tribes in the Americas had long cultivate tobacco, and were the first to introduce it to Europeans.  Beginning in the Middle Ages, shopkeepers used fanciful logos to advertise their wares, since few of their patrons could read.  Painted glass globes represented apothecaries.  The barber pole advertised barbers, who also performed surgery and dental extractions.  Three golden balls indicated a pawn broker, who sometimes functioned as a banker or monetary exchange. 

Tobacconists likewise needed an emblem that signaled to the public.  As early the 17th century, when tobacco became popular and cheaply available in Europe, merchants settled on the image of Natives to sell their product.  Some of these carvings got quite fantastic, since most European artists had never seen a Native person.  Early forms of the cigar store Indian, known as Virginians and meant to mimic the dress of tribes there such as the Powhatan, looked more African, with regalia unknown to Natives and black skin with African features.  Throughout the 18th century, the depiction became more Native-looking.  Cigar store Indians continued in popularity through the 20th century, as evidence by the Hank Williams song of Kaw-Liga.  However, through the advocacy of Native groups, they have been relegated to antique stores and private collections, where the best specimens collect thousands of dollars.

Incidentally, the cigar store Indian isn't the only instance of a Native emblem in marketing tobacco.  Billy Caldwell, a mixed-race Potawatomi leader in the early 19th century had his own brand of cigarettes and chewing tobacco years after Caldwell died and would have been unable to collect any royalties for this use of his likeness.

Weathervanes have been decorative almost as long as there have been weathervanes.  Roosters are a common motif, because of the association with roosters and the sunrise.  They may also have some association with the rooster that crowed when Peter betrayed Jesus, which is why rooster vanes are most commonly associated with churches.  Native likenesses on weathervanes date to the 19th century and may have had several connotations, one being a stereotypical connection between Natives and the elements of nature.