BAND MULLS COPYRIGHT
Concerns over use of image
SASKATOON A councillor from Poundmaker Cree Nation says the use of the likeness of Chief Poundmaker in an upcoming release of an instalment of a popular video game is a “lesson learned” that the band may need to use copyright laws to protect his image and story.
Milton Tootoosis said he was caught off guard Wednesday when he learned that Chief Poundmaker’s likeness would be used in Civilization VI: Rise and Fall, to be released on Feb. 8. After looking into the game’s promotion, he was concerned with the way it portrayed the historical setting as one of a “Wild West” that needed to be tamed, he said.
Tootoosis said Poundmaker’s portrayal in the game, while given in a positive light, is an example of cultural appropriation and that the game’s developers, 2K and Fireaxis Games, and software producer Take-Two Interactive did not consult band leadership.
Tootoosis said he thinks it may be time to consider using copyrights to protect the name Poundmaker, associated images and narratives about him. “Maybe this will motivate us to ramp that movement to the next level, because we’ve been, to be quite honest, quite passive about it, entrusting outsiders will respect our culture, respect our icons, respect our history. Clearly, that’s not the case.”
Tootoosis said the band’s leadership plans to meet with elders to discuss the next steps. Take-Two Interactive has not responded to a request for comment.
In 1885, Chief Poundmaker was charged and convicted of treason during the Northwest Resistance. He served nine months of a threeyear sentence and died after his release. Elders and leaders on the First Nation have been working to exonerate him.
Floyd Favel, curator of the Poundmaker museum, said nonIndigenous people can play a role in telling the story of Indigenous people, but he urges them to follow protocols and speak with elders.
Geoff Knorr, the game’s composer, said he looked for songs Poundmaker may have known and songs of the Plains Cree, and was referred to the Poundmaker Singers. He met with the group and recorded a session in Saskatoon on Sept. 29.
The game set out to represent various musical cultures and traditions, and without input from the original sources, there would be a lot of “sameness” in the sound, he said. “You wouldn’t get the true diversity that there is in the world that should be reflected in the game. So, I guess it would water down the soundtrack a little bit if we didn’t actually go and record the people who know these traditions the best.”