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The Saami Council, a non-governmental group representing the Sámi individuals of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia, are calling on Sq. Enix to take away the Far Northern Apparel DLC from Last Fantasy 14. The council’s concern “is just not about sensitivity or whether or not the depiction is acceptable,” it mentioned in a press release (opens in new tab), however reasonably that the gadgets depicted within the DLC are “Sámi cultural property,” and are infringing upon its rights.
“Our cultural property rights will not be theoretical,” Saami Council president Áslat Holmberg mentioned in a press release. “They’re protected and protectable below mental property legal guidelines, that are typically harmonised all through the world. Sq. Enix, as a media firm, is extremely conscious of mental property legal guidelines and has no excuse for this blatant violation of Sámi cultural property.”
The council mentioned the Sámi clothes is not simply an aesthetic, however carries “particular components of Sámi id with which means, content material, and context.” Together with it within the recreation with out permission or acknowledgement permits hundreds of thousands of FF14 gamers “to decorate up as a Sámi individuals, dress themselves within the Sámi id with out our consent, and contribute to the erosion of our tradition.”
This is not the primary time the Saami Council has been vocal about defending the cultural heritage and rights of its individuals. Holmberg mentioned the council’s place “has been made very clear previously,” and famous its 2019 settlement (opens in new tab) with Walt Disney Animation Studios, reached after Disney confronted allegations of cultural appropriation (opens in new tab) after its use of a Sámi choral chant within the first Frozen movie, during which Disney:
- Agreed to work with the Sámi to create a dubbed model of Frozen 2 within the Sámi language
- Thanked the Sámi individuals for his or her cooperation and collaboration within the Frozen 2 credit
- Employed an advisory group of specialists to make sure that Frozen 2 content material impressed by the Sámi is “culturally delicate, acceptable, and respectful of the Sámi and their tradition
- Invited Sámi representatives to the world premiere of Frozen 2 within the US
- Agreed to “pursue cross-learning alternatives” with the Sámi individuals, and to “organize for contributions again to the Sámi society.”
Sq. Enix, against this, “didn’t even calmly think about the rights of the Sámi individuals in relation to this product,” the council mentioned.
Holmberg did not point out what motion the council plans to take, if any, if Sq. Enix fails to abide by its request, solely that it “hopes that this example will advance the dialogue of the rights of indigenous individuals to their cultural properties and appears ahead to a productive dialogue with all industries.”
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This is not the primary time Sq. Enix has run into controversy over Last Fantasy 14 costumes. In 2019 it confronted criticism for including a dressing up styled after a sort of gown imposed on Koreans throughout the Japanese occupation of the nation, which lasted from 1910-1945. That criticism was considerably extra muted, nevertheless, as a result of the costume was solely launched in China.
I’ve reached out to Sq. Enix for touch upon the Saami Council’s demand and can replace if I obtain a reply. For now, the $18 Far Northern Apparel bundle (opens in new tab) stays out there for buy within the Last Fantasy 14 on-line retailer.
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