Scrolling on Instagram recently, I stumbled upon a photo of singer Lily Allen attending the Glastonbury music festival in Somerset, England. Zooming in on the image, however, I was struck less by what Allen was up to—innocently snapping photos on the festival grounds—than what loomed behind her: an array of Native American–style tipis, forming a mini village just a stone’s throw away from the main stages. As a Native person myself, I could only think: Not this again.
Music festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury have a long history of embracing cultural appropriation. In the 2000s in particular, it was not unusual to spot concertgoers wearing traditional Native headdresses: Somehow, a sacred ceremonial item traditionally reserved for Indigenous people in positions of honor and power became a cutesy accessory for bohemian girlies to wear with their crochet shirts and denim cutoffs.
While cultural sensitivity around headdresses has, in 2025, finally reached the mainstream and we tend to see far less of them than we used to (some festivals, like Outside Lands, have even banned them altogether), other aspects of Native culture persist in these settings—via dreamcatchers, beaded jewelry, and, yes, apparently even full-on tipi instillations.
Glastonbury’s Tipi Field, I’ve learned, has been around since at least the 1990s, designed as an oasis for concertgoers who need a 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 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 that 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 Americans for a day is not.
