:::: One Part FANDOM RETROSPECTIVE, One Part ANALYSIS ::::
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play that premiered in London, 2016. It was met with praise by theatergoers and disdain, even hatred, by those who read the script. Today, there is a...
- William J. Richardson, a Ph.D candidate at Northwestern University studying settler colonialism.
Oh crap. What did JKR do now?!
Early on March 8th, the first part of Rowling's new online series History of Magic in North America was posted on Pottermore. Entitled simply "Fourteenth Century - Seventeenth Century," it explored the origins of the magical community in the continent called "the New World" with a promise of more.
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On the surface, this seemed like an awesome insight into what was coming, expanding the canon in new and daring directions with a compelling trailer that felt similar to the Three Brothers mini-movie from the Deathly Hallows film, mixed with that classic American illustration style. We devoured it eagerly! But then, on a second pass, some of us noticed. . .
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The legend of the Native American 'skin walker' - an evil witch or wizard that can transform into an animal at will - has its basis in fact. A legend grew up around the Native American Animagi, that they had sacrificed close family members to gain their powers of transformation. In fact, the majority of Animagi assumed animal forms to escape persecution or to hunt for the tribe. Such derogatory rumors often originated with No-Maj medicine men, who were sometimes faking magical powers themselves, and fearful of exposure.
The reason JKR found herself in a precarious situation with the fans should hopefully be obvious. Native American history and present-day traditions were being fictionalized. Specifically Skin Walkers. Native Americans were quick to criticize Rowling for twisting their culture in order to fit within the mythology of the wizarding world.
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