Going native

The El Dorados of yesteryear, indigenous civilizations now serve as sources of booty for empires of a different variety. Fashion, for instance, has had a longstanding affair with Native Americana; from tarnished turquoise jewelry to fringe moccasins, teepee chic is still evident in many designer looks.

Recently, the splendor of little-known ethnic cultures has even inspired other spheres of pop culture. Only the most benighted of snobs (or the culturally blind) would fail to detect the free-love vibe of war paint, feathers, and primitive exotica as appropriated by forward-gaziing musicians and films with a strong anthropological bent.

Here are nine examples that have given time-worn tribal touches a relevant, digital appeal. 

Devendra Banhart (September 2007)

The Texas-born, Venezuela-raised indie-folk recording artist is a known advocate of the Native American Rights Fund (NARF). In 2007, the proceeds of his concert in Denver, Colorado went to the non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare and education of Native Americans in the States.

‘Lost Boys,’ Oyster Magazine (January-February 2009)

Photographed by Ben Sullivan and styled by Paul Bui for the artsy Australian title, the editorial was highly blogged about and for good reason. Alluding to both the 1987 Kiefer Sutherland vampire flick and Peter Pan’s raggamuffin posse, the spread was sheer genius.    

Photo from Osytermag.com

Jamiroquai (1996)

Lifting its name from the Iroquois, a Native American tribe, Jamiroquai has been a hugely successful acid jazz band since it first hit the global scene in 1992. Lead singer and songwriter Jason “Jay” Kay has not only introduced an entire generation of music fans to a fusion of funk, disco and ethnic influences; the English cool cat’s early outfits — tracksuits, classic trainers, and Native American headdresses — were also groundbreaking.

Visvim (Fall 2008)

Designed by Hiroki Nakamura, the high-end streetwear label fuses indigenous aesthetics and perfect functionality. “Visvim may just be the world’s first truly globalized, post-modern streetwear company — willing to hybirdize past and future, cosmopolitanism and rusticity, local and remote in the pursuit of an ideal product,” wrote Nylon Guys’ W. David Marx. “The company hired an entire Guatemalan village to make the Mayan-inspired ethnic color taping now gracing its ‘Kiefer’ update on the classic canvas hi-top.”

Photo from Hypebeast.com

‘Fierce People (2005)

The underrated coming-of-age drama focuses on Finn (Anton Yelchin), a 16 year-old who dreams of spending the summer studying the Iskanani Indians with the anthropologist father he’s never met. Instead of the South American jungle, however, he finds himself in the estate of the aristocratic Osbourne family where life is just as tribal.

Dazed and Confused (July 2008)

Guest edited by Vivienne Westwood, the special collaboration issue contains an editorial featuring kids in eco-warrior-themed clothing, including vintage pieces by the Dame of British fashion. The overtly political cover, also styled and shot by Nicola Formichetti and Karen Langley, is day-glo punk by way of Pocahontas. 

‘Finding Neverland’ (2004)

The biopic of James M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, was a Best Costume nominee at the 77th Academy Awards in 2005 due to the incredible work of Native Arts Trading, a husband-and-wife team based in Scotland. Representing and employing Native American artisans in the US, they hand-crafted most of the items in the film, most notably the headdress worn by Johnny Depp.

‘Wanderlust,’ Björk (March 2009)

The Icelandic singer’s latest video was shot in 3D with a mix of live action, puppets, scale models, and computer generated animation. Directed by the duo Encyclopedia Pictura, it features Björk making her way across a surreal Himalayan landscape. Woolly yaks, a clay doppelganger and a quasi-Tibetan demon give everything a far-out, exotic touch.

Eairth (Autumn 2009)

Philippine tribal traditions continue to inform Melissa Dizon’s planet-friendly line of sophisticated separates. “The Bagobo Longer Tee is double-layered and has elongated sleeves,” she says. “It’s made with two gauges of feather-weight cotton jersey then silk screened with a feather-striped print. We dye this after with ginger, giving the finished garment a pillow-cozy feel to it.” The Mandaya Wrapped, a scarf fashioned from a single layer of feather-weight cotton, is given the same treatment.

The Mangyan Sergeant Pant, meanwhile, is a utility zipped pant with a tapered zip bottom. The cotton fabric is made in Ilocos Norte on old-style looms and dyed with talisay leaves for a tarnished, gray-metal effect. (www.eairth.ph; tel. (632) 890-7785)

Photo by Melissa La O’ and Joey La O’