The Hiawatha was a train that ran from Chicago to Minneapolis in 6 1/2 hours. The name came from the Native American leader Hiawatha and seems to be culturally appropriated :(. I would love to learn more about Hiawatha from comrades that know more.
Milwaukee Road Class As pulled the Hiawatha. The demanding schedule called for sustained speeds of 100mph (160km/h) and above, so in 1935 the first Class A was built. It was a truly beautiful locomotive and during a record breaking run in 1935 the Hiawatha was recorded at 112.5mph. It was rumored to go even faster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Cities_Hiawatha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Road_class_A
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiawatha
Would it not be fine that the train was named Hiawatha as it is and raise some awareness of native peoples? It's not like its in anyway disrespecting Iroquois culture so I wouldn't think it would be an issue.
Around here they name a lot of things, from counties to parks to buildings, after the local tribal nation that was purged in the 19th century. The city is still named after and celebrates the frontier fort which committed that genocide. It always struck me as particularly insulting because it's a tribute that costs nothing and grants nothing. We name shit after them to feel good about what we did, but they can't buy the homes on it which start at $350k. They can't camp on that land without a state park permit from the same state government that ordered their exile. White people might learn the name Hiawatha and have a positive example of a native which can then be fetishised and commodified like Geronimo, but its tracks went across land that people like Hiawatha were butchered to steal. In the end white society can say that it's being more inclusive and building a more holistic legacy of the country, but it's purely on a superficial social level like sport team names. Wikipedia doesn't mention any kind of material impact on native communities from the theming, neither a fundraising relationship nor something like a percentage of ticket sales going toward some kind of charity.
Yeah to me the difference between appropriation and appreciation is that appreciated cultures get to be part of the celebration while appropriated cultures don't.
A good break down of the issue thanks, on reflection I can see that yea it's more performative and not actually useful in any material sense for native peoples.
1491 by Charles C. Mann has a decent account of Ayenwatha. It's really one of the best books about life beyond colonization.
fun fact, there’s actually a one act play that uses this as a setting, Pullman Car Hiawatha by Thornton Wilder. kind of a strange production imo but hey it’s on a train what more do you want
It makes me angry to hear about trains going 100mph in America almost a century ago. Everywhere else trains have gotten faster and here they've gotten slower.
