HYBE accused of cultural appropriation by indigenous BTS fans while promoting Jungkook's Artist-Made Collection 

BTS Jungkook’s Artist-Made Collection may be sending waves amongst ARMYs but HYBE’s promotional tactics are being accused of cultural appropriation by indigenous people around the world.

The Golden Maknae was the final BTS member to launch his own collection. He released the ARMYST ZIP-UP HOODY and the MIKROKOSMOS MOOD LAMP.

The lamp is evidently inspired by the BTS song of the same name, and is reportedly voiced by the idol himself. While fans can’t stop raving about the unique products, the video and photographs used by HYBE to promote the item are receiving immense backlash.

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Indigneous BTS fans across the globe are upset at HYBE's use of teepees to promote Jungkook's MIKROKOSMOS MOOD LAMP

In the promotional images and videos for Jungkook's lamp, HYBE has made use of what appears to be an indoor tent. The ceiling of the tent is draped with the MIKROKOSMOS MOOD LAMP to give the effect of “camping out under the stars.”

While the film and photos may have had innocuous intentions, several indigenous ARMY members pointed out that the tent is not a regular tent, but a teepee. Regular tents may have a domed or a conical roof, but teepees have characteristic smoke flaps at the top of the structure. These smoke flaps are clearly visible in the images and video from Jungkook’s product.

Teepees were originally used by indigenous people in the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies of North America, notably the seven sub-tribes of the Sioux, among the Iowa people, the Otoe and Pawnee, and among the Blackfeet, Crow, Assiniboines, Arapaho, and Plains Cree.

While teepees are no longer used for daily living, they are considered sacred, and used for ceremonial purposes. HYBE's usage of a teepee for trivial promotional reasons has thus not gone down well among many fans, regardless of their love for Jungkook.

Many indigenous ARMY members quote-tweeted HYBE merch’s original post, calling out the company for cultural appropriation:

Given how indigenous culture and traditions and often sidelined and reduced to mere accessories, HYBE’s inappropriate usage has hit a raw nerve, especially considering how far reaching the BTS fan base is. The fact that only a few people noticed that the tent was a teepee and not a regular tent is yet another reason why indigenous items should not be used devoid of the cultural and social baggage behind them.

Despite the deserved outrage, however, a certain section of non-indigenous BTS fans have come out in support of the organization. Many defended the usage of a teepee for Jungkook’s product since it is “common in Korea” and that a teepee is just a tent. This is exactly what indigenous fans (who claim that a teepee is a sacred site) are arguing against.

Incidentally, Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho made use of a similar teepee in his film Parasite, to highlight how ignorant the privileged upper class is. HYBE appears to have missed that lesson from the critically acclaimed film.

Meanwhile, neither BTS' Jungkook nor HYBE have addressed the issue as of now. Several BTS fans hope that BTS' agency will take the criticism constructively and stop engaging in cultural appropriation.

Given the systematic silencing of indigenous voices across the globe- in America, in Canada, in Australia - one must not only listen to what they have to say, but also amplify their culture, rather than disrespect and trivialize them.