The debate about the withdrawn Winnetou books continues to pick up speed. Now publishers and television stations have announced that they do not want to put an end to the legendary fictional aborigine. Even American indigenous people who were interviewed do not understand the accusation of cultural appropriation.
Opinions differ: on the one hand, more than 8,000 people have already signed a petition from the Karl May Society and the Karl May Foundation entitled “Is Winnetou done?” – they all agree: dealing with Winnetou should be considered more differentiated. A survey by “YouGov” revealed that only 13 percent of respondents are in favor of withdrawing Winnetou products.
“Not cultural appropriation, but cultural presumption”
Bernhard Schmid, manager of the Karl-May-Verlag, told the “Bild” that the products around Winnetou should continue to be valued: “Our Indian word of honor has been there for decades and it remains. We will continue to treat Karl May’s works with respect for what they are: German-speaking cultural assets,” says Schmid. He also denied the accusation that Winnetou was directly understood as a sign of cultural appropriation. “This isn’t cultural appropriation, it’s cultural arrogance — Germans don’t have the right to tell Native Americans what to feel discriminated against,” he said.
No sales stop for Winnetou media
Now other publishers of the Winnetou books, TV stations and indigenous people themselves have spoken out. The publisher Reinhard Marheinecke can rule out a case of cultural appropriation from his own experience. “I’ve had contact with a lot of Kiowa, Navajo and Comanche chiefs over the last few decades. The greatest Kiowa chief calls himself ‘I’m an Indian chief!’ But these weirdos don’t know that, who most likely have never seen an Indian before,” said Marheinecke, thus siding with Winnetou. There will be no sales stop in his publishing house.
Eckhard Friedrich auf der Zinne, head of the picture writing publishing house, described the current shit storm as “absurd”. He sees the controversial Winnetou media as instructive rather than discriminatory: “This anti-movement is absurd, as it was precisely the novels by Karl May that led to the culture of the indigenous population (Indians) being intensively dealt with in Germany”. , so this in a further conversation with the “image”.
“I don’t feel discriminated against at all”
Some Native Americans themselves feel that the Winnetou opponents are getting too involved in the debate. “I think that’s quite an overreaction. That the publisher took the books off the market…why? That’s a bit too much of a good thing, I think. It’s almost publicity,” said an Indigenous actor.
Robert Packard, a member of the Sioux tribe, takes a similar view. He explained: “I’m on Winnetou’s side. I totally support the stories and I’m quite upset that they’re trying to sort of wipe him out. I don’t feel discriminated at all. I don’t see anything discriminatory or even racist about Winnetou. Honestly, I’ve never met an Indian in America who speaks German. None of them have even heard of Winnetou or Karl May”.
Winnetou on TV
The ARD television station had previously decided that no more Winnetou films would be included in its program. However, this was not preceded by a judgment based on the current debate, but simply by the fact that the broadcasting licenses have expired. Kabel-Eins, RTL and ZDF, on the other hand, want to continue showing Winnetou as a “film classic”. RTL also reported “further broadcasts on linear TV”: On October 3, the film “Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi” (1966) will be broadcast on ZDF at 11:30 a.m.