Monday, November 02, 2009

How to Carve Folk Figures and a Cigar-Store Indian

With the surgeon general warnings, getting good discount cigars may not necessarily be a thing of the past, but here's something that definitely is.

This auction is for a book, How to Carve Folk Figures and a Cigar-Store Indian. This book is cover-dated 1979 and highly indicative of cultural standards of the time, before terms like "Native American" and "First Nations Person" were the more commonly accepted nomenclature. Suddenly, I'm thinking of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer brings home a cigar store Indian into the Jerry's apartment, and suddenly he's fending off accusations that he's racist to a girl he's dating, who also happens to be Native American.

Because of our highly PC times, anything that can irritate cultural sensitivities will be tough to find in traditional retail outlets (unless the intend is to offend), which makes things like these a true rarity. However, I leave it up to you whether you consider it offensive.

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