The Sámi Council, an indigenous organization from Scandinavia, demanded that Square Enix remove a certain outfit from Final Fantasy XIV citing cultural appropriation. The Twitch streamer Asmongold reacted with confusion.
The outfit in question: The Northern High Costume Set was released on December 14, 2022, in the FFXIV cash shop and has since caused some controversy. The developers were inspired by traditional costumes from Norway, Finland, and Denmark.
The strongest influences came from the clothing of the Sámi, an indigenous people from the northern Fennoscandia. The sale of the outfit was seen by the Sámi Council, an independent NGO representing the interests of the Sámi, as a violation of their rights and cultural appropriation.
In a letter dated January 27, Square Enix responded to the Sámi Council’s demand and rejected the removal of the outfit. Subsequently, the council representatives went public and posted their demands on their official website and social media like Twitter.
“You cannot steal a culture”
This is what Asmongold says: The biggest MMORPG streamer spent some time in FFXIV and continues to follow the news about it, even though he no longer plays actively. He holds little regard for the Sámi Council’s statement concerning cultural appropriation and the violation of their property rights.
In a stream, he expressed his views on the situation:
You cannot steal a culture. Everyone has access to these things. If you want to dress up and use a katana, and you are from Germany, then that’s ok! […] It’s not copyright protected. It’s not. No one should take these people seriously. What a joke […] Cultural appropriation is just politically correct segregation.
These are the reactions: Asmongold is not alone in his opinion. In the comments under the Sámi Council’s tweet and in the retweets, many express a negative view of the organization’s demand.
It comes across as though the Sámi Council is trying to incite the public against Square Enix and to blackmail the company after the direct approach did not work. Furthermore, it is argued that the council is not an official organization and also does not represent the majority of the Sámi.
- “An undefined NGO that does not encompass the majority of the Sámi population cannot claim IP rights over cultural clothing” – @Anthrax_In_UK
- “That would be like if I said that people couldn’t wear lederhosen or other traditional German clothing…” – @indiberrypies
