I recently visited Kanab, Utah. In this small desert town, vehicles dusted with ever-present pink sand must proceed through the mid-town traffic signal—an intersection to a half-dozen famous places. The Grand Canyon and Lake Powell to the east. Zion National Park to the south. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Bryce Canyon National Park to the north. But my destination was that stop light—Kanab—leading me to yet another, though unexpected, intersection.
Unfortunately, I came to Kanab for a funeral.
The services were unusually energetic and well attended. Representing a third of Kanab’s population, nearly 1,500 friends and family formed lines well beyond the church house door. Several members of the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians were there. They sang a most somber and moving “Salt Song” at the deceased’s graveside.
As a professional communicator, I often encounter cultural intersections. Like you, it’s not if I encounter them, but when. The funeral for this highly honored Kanab resident was one of those moments.
It was there I realized how important it is to understand the ways people interact with cultures different from their own. Those who have mastered cultural appreciation know how to engage with other cultures in a positive way, while others who cannot navigate that intersection fall into the traps of cultural appropriation.
Cultural appropriation is the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own.
Rachel Dolezal made headlines in 2015 as the former head of the Spokane, Washington, branch of the NAACP. She came under massive international scrutiny when it was discovered that she was a white woman, despite having spent years in prominent positions of authority in her local black community while publicly identifying as black.
The negative consequences of cultural appropriation are a byproduct of intention vs. impact. Oftentimes, people who engage in culturally appropriative behaviors don’t understand how their actions are problematic.
Dolezal’s situation is unique, but she’s not alone. We’re all trying to navigate the cultural landscape. Not long ago, I attended a gym class where the attendees appeared to lack a visible ethnic minority. The room was filled with racks of weights, a mirrored wall and 30 women sweating through their workout clothes. While exercising, we heard the music change to what sounded like chanting and heavy drumbeats banging in time to a strong techno beat.
I soon found myself distracted when a glance in the mirror reflected some women who were mimicking Hollywood-style depictions of Native American dancing. It looked a bit like this screen capture from the 1953 Disney animated movie “Peter Pan,” a picture well known to be culturally insensitive.
It’s possible my classmates’ mimicry was never intended to be negative. They were likely desensitized to the negative stereotypes promoted through movies and popular culture. Unfortunately, the impact of these desensitized actions is what ultimately minimizes the cultural values of actual Native Americans.
As professionals, we can do better.
The experience at the gym brings me back to the funeral in Kanab. The services honored Dennis Mosdell, the town’s beloved mortician.
Mosdell straddled a fascinating divide between Native American ritual and American Christian burial standards. He faced decisions when returning bodies to the Kaibab Band for burial and chose to serve their traditions.
Mosdell embraced and revered the time-intensive and dynamic aspects of the rituals the Kaibab Band practice in honoring their dead. Kaibab Band burial rituals include sunrise ceremonies. The casket is opened at the graveside, exposing the deceased to the weather. At these ceremonies, Mosdell would use an umbrella to shield the body rather than himself—a respectful gesture to the Band and to the deceased.
Mosdell took extra steps to ensure the Kaibab Band’s traditions were fully respected and honored. Regularly faced with organizing multiple burials throughout the community, he choose to rearrange funeral schedules so the Kaibab Band could carry on the tradition of burying in three days’ time. At these burials, Mosdell stood respectfully during Salt Songs and other singing which have varying timetables. He taught his sons* to continue providing services in this tradition.
The Salt Song performed in Mosdell’s honor was a powerful moment of cultural intersection. When he passed away, the Kaibab Band wished to honor the man who was always a respectful participant in their own funerals. A positive, cultural exchange took place. They performed the Salt Song ritual. They draped a blanket on Mosdell’s casket, representing the way they wrap their own deceased in blankets to make him or her comfortable and deter a lingering spirit. It helped them move on. It helped us all move on while pondering the positive and moving intersection of cultures we were witnessing.
It is unlikely any of the funeral-goers would say Mosdell’s aptitude for cultural appreciation was his defining quality as they gathered to pay their respects to his memory. Yet, all who came to his funeral recognized his legacy of purposefully choosing to make people of all cultures feel safe, welcome and respected. His business card read “Funeral Director,” but he was much more than that. He was also an admirable exemplar of cultural appreciation and professional communication. He was a guardian of psychological safety.
Psychological safety means feeling welcome, safe and respected.
Adam Grant is a lauded organizational psychologist and host of WorkLife, a TED original podcast. He reveals key insights about extraordinary people at work like media mogul Arianna Huffington, comedian Trevor Noah and bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell.
Grant says psychological safety means an organization has a culture of respect, trust and openness. Applying those values to the gym, I realized if someone of another ethnicity, especially someone of Native American ancestry, walked into the exercise studio, there was a real danger that she would not feel welcome, safe or respected. In contrast, Mosdell created psychological safety through appreciation and respect.
“To appreciate a culture takes educating one’s self about that culture; the struggles they have endured, the contributions they have made, and their current lived experiences,” Franci Taylor, director of the University of Utah’s American Indian Resource Center, explains. Cultural appreciation is something we can all learn and practice.
Mosdell’s funeral taught me three things when faced with moments of cultural intersection:
1. Increase awareness
2. Seek out diversity training
3. Take extra steps to appreciate cultures not my own
Awareness is the first step to taking the correct turn at the cultural interactions we face in our careers. Mosdell made a choice to be aware of the cultural needs at funerals he directly influenced.
Standing alongside a casket in weather 20 degrees below zero with an umbrella to shield a carefully prepared body from the elements may not be your job. Still, you can shield yourself from stereotypes and appropriation when encountering cultural intersections through diversity training.
Diversity training is designed to help employees:
- Improve inclusion of different identity groups
- Promote better teamwork
- Create positive work environments
Mosdell experienced on-the-job diversity training. You can learn more about diversity training at your workplace too. Contact your human resources department to know what training is available at your organization so you can be sensitive to the diversity around you.
If you are a business owner, consider connecting with your local university for advice. For example, the University of Utah has an office for equity and diversity and serves as a community resource to help organizations know where to begin with diversity training goals.
As the winding route of your career stops at life’s cultural crossroads, you make choices. Like Mosdell, you can take extra steps, even if they are inconvenient, to ensure your career is on a path of cultural appreciation. What I learned at the funeral director’s funeral is choosing to fill your professional legacy with appreciation and respect is worth it—at every intersection—to the very end.
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Marti Money is an experienced professional communicator with expertise in writing and strategic communication. She works as a professional communications consultant enhancing clients’ social media presence, public/media relations outreach and integrated communications goals. She was part of the transportation communications team for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and has worked for public, private and non-profit organizations in Texas, New Jersey and Utah. Money is a graduate of Weber State University and a native of northeastern Oregon. She lived in Kanab, Utah, for a year.
*Dennis Mosdell’s story is shared with kind consent from Jeffery Mosdell, Owner/Operator of Mosdell Mortuary.