Wetiko is derived from an Algonquin word, in Ojibwa it is windigo, wintiko in Powhatan and wihtikow in Cree. The literal translation is: a greedy person, a cannibal, a giant man-eating monster.

In thinking about our society and the underlying cultural sickness, I thought there must be a word or a way to express this idea. In my research, not only did I come up with the word, but I discovered that Wetiko is a rather in-depth concept, meme or mind “virus” that has a long, dark history.

So what is it exactly that is driving humanity to the brink of extinction?  Why do we have so much poverty, starvation, destruction of nature and species, climate devastation, never ending war, consumption fetishism and now I’d like to also add, more and more political corruption, mass murders in our childrens’ schools, hate crimes? What if what we see all around us has its’ roots in a collective psychological infection? What if this infection is not just highly communicable but also self-replicating, and that it remains so clandestine in our psyches that most hosts will, as a result of their infected state, vehemently deny that they are infected? Wetiko is a “mind virus” or a meme that manifests as greed, excess and selfish consumption. It deludes its host into believing that cannibalizing whatever energy it can lay its hands on, humans, animals, or the Earth itself, is a logical and morally upright strategy for a successful life. Wetiko is characterized by a psychic starvation that leads to an insatiable hunger. It infects individuals, agencies, governments and institutions. Every time that someone is seen justified in the destruction of any life for profit, that is Wetiko. Every time a community or individual is impoverished or exploited so that others can be rich, that is Wetiko. Wetiko is now a highly contagious, collective disease and it is quickly changing the state and health of our planet and all living things. If left unchecked, the Wetiko “virus” could very well end up devouring all life on our planet.

“The New World fell not to a sword, but a Meme” – Daniel Quinn

Alnoor Ladha, Martin Kirk express so brilliantly in their article, Seeing Wetiko, that…

“One of the most well-accepted scientific theories that helps explain the power of idea-spreading is memetics. Memes are to culture what genes are to biology: the base unit of evolution.

The wetiko meme has almost certainly existed in individuals since the dawn of humanity. It is, after all, a sickness that lives through and is born from the human psyche. But the origin of wetiko cultures is more identifiable.

Memes can spread at the speed of thought but they usually require generations to change the core characteristics of cultures. What we can say is that the fingerprints of wetiko-like beliefs can be traced at least as far back as the Neolithic revolution, when humans in the Fertile Crescent first learned to dominate their environment by what author Daniel Quinn calls ‘totalitarian agriculture’ — i.e., settled agricultural practices that produce more food than is strictly needed for the population, and that the destruction of any living entity that gets in the way of that over-production—be it other humans, ‘pests’ or landscaping—as not only legitimate but moral.

Wetiko short-circuits the individual’s ability to see itself as an enmeshed and interdependent part of a balanced environment and raises the self-serving ego to supremacy. It is this false separation of self from nature that makes this cannibalism, rather than simple murder. It allows—indeed commands—the infected entity to consume far more than it needs in a blind, murderous daze of self-aggrandizement.”

Now, speaking directly about this painting, I did not want to blatantly single out any one person, but rather include all of us who are privileged citizens of the United States. It is estimated that Americans make up about 4% of the world population but consume nearly 25% of the world’s resources and energy. This statistic puts Americans in a first place position so far out ahead of the rest of the world that it is at best, an embarrassment. We are blindly destroying ourselves and the planet, unaware of our connectedness to the whole. This not only happens literally as we directly affect the physical health of ourselves and our environment but we are also poisoning our and each others’ otherwise healthy process of emotional and spiritual development. None of us are completely innocent and all of us can make simple choices that will help to reduce our consumption in the world while also choosing a more compassionate state of being.

I would like to point out that I realize the irony in helping to spread a word or another meme in attempts to help let go of or unravel an already existing and culturally entrenched meme. Where there is truth, there is also paradox. It is only when we as individuals and a culture are able to see our sickness in and all around us, that we are able to address it and begin to make positive changes towards a more enlightened world. In order to “see it”, sometimes we need to use words, existing concepts and ideas. I would also like to make clear that in no way shape or form am I claiming any sort of ownership or possession of the word or concept, Wetiko. All words and concepts have their roots, whether it be Latin, or First Nation cultures, etc. As an artist, I believe it is my responsibility to help our world grow and change for the better. My tools as an artist are imagery, colors and words. These tools may help to point the way, but they are not the way. And, lastly, just to make absolutely clear, I am only adding my own artistic interpretations to the existing concept, Wetiko, and in no way am I speaking for Native and First Nation cultures from where this word originated.

Original painting available~ contact Erica

Matted, signed & numbered archival prints available: 16×16 or 12×12 and stickers upon request!

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To read and learn more on Wetiko check out these websites:

https://www.kosmosjournal.org/article/seeing-wetiko-on-capitalism-mind-viruses-and-antidotes-for-a-world-in-transition/

http://realitysandwich.com/75652/greatest_epidemic/

References:

• Thom Hartman, in the movie, I AM, directed by Tom Shadyac, 2010
• Jack Forbes, Columbus and Other Cannibals, Seven Stories Press, 2008
• Alnoor Ladha, Martin Kirk, Seeing Wetiko, Kosmos Journal, 2016