Glastonbury’s “Tipi Field,” I’ve learned, has been around since at least the 1990s, designed as an oasis for concert-goers who need reprieve from the heat. “High on the hill, the majestic Tipis watch over the swirling festivities below,” reads the Glastonbury website. “Take a little time to return to your roots in the ambience of this circle of traditional Native American Tipis…A place where you can rekindle your festival spirit and remember the magic that it is all about.”
Traditionally, the conical structures—constructed with wooden poles and hide—functioned as dwellings, social spaces, or as venues for special ceremonies. I’m not sure my ancestors imagined them as a place to take a breather between seeing Charli XCX and Doechii. At Glastonbury, they also sit just steps away from the bar—pretty insensitive, given many Native events where tipis are installed, such as powwows, prohibit the sale or use of alcohol.
Clearly, no Indigenous folks were consulted in the ideation of this cute little photo-op moment. Glastonbury organizers, I must ask you: Are we really still doing this kind of ignorant culture-mining at musical festivals? Surely, we can leave this kind of thing in the Y2K era. Seeing Alanis Morissette, Raye, Busta Rhymes, and Olivia Rodrigo all play on the same weekend is iconic—but seeing 20-somethings cosplay as Native American for a day is not.
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