Greetings. This is NIL, textual concept artist for tribalstuck.
Over the past I’m not even sure how long, I’ve heard people say that tribalstuck is racist. Instead of coming to the team, they’ve decided to tag their hate. I’ve decided to take it upon to myself to simply and publicly educate the ignorant.
Tribalstuck is not racist. We are not making fun of a specific group of individuals nor are we exploiting them. The group in question would be, of course, indigenous tribes. Knowing this, it would be impossible for anyone outside of myself and one of the actual artists to say which groups we have taken influence from. The most we have done with tribalstuck as as far as looking for influences is looked at how different tribes dress in their respective biome, as in the fact that certain African tribes will go barefoot because they live in a certain temperate area or how Aztecs dress, and so on. We are observing and adhering to these practices, to these places, to these tribes as influences. We are not selecting a group not from one fixed period of time but from a range of time (going from BC to now). We’ve studied non-tribal people in how they live, Chinese style housing and so on.
The only fact that people are calling “white washing” is because the only humans to appear thus far are “white”. This has nothing to do with anything. Many people who are calling racist are only bashing tribalstuck because no one in the human group is “of colour”. Actually, my friends, four out of five of the people working on the team are POCs, but we are not calling foul because one of our artists decided to represent them a certain way. Be true to the fact that if the trolls were humanised, there would be more ‘ethnic diversity’. However, they are not. There is still no need to call “white washing”.
On the sake of the marks, we made them up. We made them up. There is a story and a reason behind the marks, and it’s not just “Oh, let’s slap this shit anywhere”. If they are any coincidences, believe me when I say it’s a case of serendipity in its purest form. Before, the markings were just haphazardly done, but now they have been revised with and for the sake of purpose. There’s nothing purely aesthetic about these body paintings at all. The shamans and witch doctors have a place in this AU as well. We study witch doctors to fully understand their purpose within their respective tribes (Africans are not the only people to have witch doctors or someone of the sort). The shamans do not use the voodoo dolls, only the witch doctors. Every class has a place and an accessory that goes with their occupation.
You know what this project is? A fun one in which we extol the various indigenous groups out there. Why must we stop because a few of you refuse to come to us for better understanding? I personally cannot let blind anger and hate live and fester into the ignorance it has become. If you were a member of the team and knew what was going on as far as the creative process is concerned, I would be able to contest or debate to whatever claims you make, negative or positive. However, what I am seeing is the same claim over and over with few people trying to defend themselves. All claims are baseless, childish, and counterproductive to what we are doing.
We are not making a mockery of traditions. They are not even on Earth to that fact. There are no complexities like this, only class fights. This is a whole new world filled with different things and a rich culture. I won’t satiate your tastes for a POC just to make you feel better. You know what that’s called: affirmative action, and I will not reduce myself or the people of my team to such a cheap shot action.
Many people from what I’ve seen are offended and are speaking of behalf of POC who are white. Period. Not all of them, but a good percentage of them. Leave the battle to those who are truly of that culture and what not. If we have offended you, as a person of a specific heritage, for having fair skinned (not white people, as they are not of European decent for there is no Europe here), I apologize for the entire team as I have lead research. What I will no longer allow or respond to are these senseless hate posts claiming that this project is racist.
We are not racist, but we are not a team that will bend either. If we add a darker skinned person, it will be on our terms. Leave your bullshit behind. Please. We are trying to share a story rich with history, culture, and development. You are hindering us. If it angers you so much, come to us so we can address your fears, not make a public debacle out of it. I have said my peace. My inbox is open to you should you want to talk. We are open for conversation to those who wish to initiate it.
Thank you for your time,
NIL.
