Native leaders say disrespectful social media trend symptom of larger problem

Klawock Totem Park shown in November 2025. (Sydney Dauphinais/KRBD)
There’s a new social media trend of people dancing around Alaska Native totem poles to a Lil Jon song, replicating a scene from the 2009 movie “The Proposal.”
Ketchikan Indian Community, Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and Alaska Native Heritage Center sent out a joint press release last week condemning the behavior and calling on visitors to do better.
Emily Edenshaw, CEO of