Airbnb apologizes for 'poor judgement' after ad for a 'Sioux-style' teepee rental is slammed as 'racist' by Native American activists
- The ad appeared on Airbnb's Facebook and Instagram accounts promoting a 'Sioux-style' 250-square foot teepee with a 'cozy master bedroom' in California
- A critic of the ad pointed out on Twitter that California is not Sioux territory
- Other users slammed Airbnb for cultural appropriation and promoting stereotypes of Native Americans
- Airbnb has since taken down the post and issued apology 'for our poor judgement'
Airbnb apologized this week after being accused of committing an act of cultural appropriation stemming from an ad for a weekend rental property in California consisting of a 'Sioux-style' teepee.
The Facebook post, which has since been deleted, featured a photo of a mother standing with her two children in front of a large Native American-style tent, situated in a rugged landscape.
The copy that accompanied the image read: 'This Memorial Day weekend, go off the grid with your kids in true Sioux style, no tent-pitching necessary. Inside this 250-square foot tipi, which accommodates up to 7 people, you'll have the comforts of a cozy master bedroom. And outside, you're surrounded by desert riches: Joshua trees, succulents, epic sunsets, and peacocks, yes peacocks. It’s an unconventional getaway for a special family like yours. The only problem you'll run into, is figuring bow to get the little ones to want to go home.'
Teepee-gate: Airbnb has been accused of cultural appropriation stemming from this ad for a weekend rental property in California consisting of a 'Sioux-style' teepee
Native American activists quickly seized on the ad, accusing the online rental marketplace of promoting age-old racist stereotypes to make a profit, as BuzzFeed News first reported.
'Folks want to be us with the "comforts of a master bedroom" but don't want to deal with the actual consequences of being Native,' tweeted Dr Adrienne Keene, a professor at Brown University, the author of the blog Native Appropriations and a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
In another tweet, Dr Keene suggested that the ad was calling to mind the Dakota Access Pipeline protests in North Dakota.
'Remember just a few months ago when water protectors in ND were being violently pulled out of their tipis at gun point?' she wrote.
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Native American authors and activists, inclduing Brown University professor Dr Adrienne Keene, sharply rebuked Airbnb on Twitter
Mari Kurisato, an artist, writer and an Ojibwe Nakawē Native from Denver, shared photos of Native Americans on horseback facing off against law enforcement officials and heavy machinery during the North Dakota standoff, writing: 'Dear @Airbnb This is true Sioux Style Your ad campaign is tasteless racism.'
Another commenter pointed out that Joshua Tree, California, where the controversial teepee rental was situated, is not traditional Sioux territory.
According to the website of Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center, the Great Sioux Nations covers the entire state of South Dakota and parts of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa.
One commenter pointed out that Joshua Tree, California, where the controversial tepee rental was situated, is not Sioux territory
Airbnb apologized, saying: 'We should not have used this language and we want to apologize to everyone for our poor judgement. We have deleted these posts’
Nick Papas, a spokesperson for Airbnb, released a written statement to the Daily Mail on Tuesday that read: 'We should not have used this language and we want to apologize to everyone for our poor judgement. We have deleted these posts.’
The San Francisco-based Airbnb has been the subject of multiple complaints from customers claiming racial discrimination against non-whites.
Last year, the company revamped its reservation requests system to emphasize trip details, reviews and verified IDs while downplaying users' photos.
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