The Kansas City Chiefs 10th Annual American Indian Heritage Month Game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles is this Monday, Nov. 20 at Arrowhead Stadium.
In a press release, the team says the game is "an occasion to recognize and honor all Indigenous People, including American Indians, and their histories, cultures and contributions to society."
However, several local Indigenous advocates and groups don’t see the game as a positive thing. Many feel like the event — and the franchise itself — is a bastardization of Native cultures and traditions.
While the Chiefs have taken small steps to address racist behavior at games over the past decade, Kansas City Indian Center Executive Director Gaylene Crouser says not nearly enough has changed.
"We still see folks walking up to the to the stadium in full headdresses. We still see people in face paint, they walk by us singing that song and doing 'the chop,'" Crouser told KCUR's Up To Date.
Crouser said the team's traditions and use of Native imagery has worldwide implications.
"When you google Kansas City, that's (the Chiefs) the very first thing that pops up, and then the very next thing that pops up is the appropriation and the stereotypes and the racism associated with the team," she said.
- Gaylene Crouser, citizen of Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, executive director of Kansas City Indian Center
- Carole Cadue-Blackwood, citizen of Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas, case manager at Kansas City Indian Center
