A coalition of Native American groups that have lobbied the Kansas City Chiefs to abandon their mascot, logo and fan-led “chop tomahawk” said Monday that the team’s return to the Super Bowl has emboldened them more than ever.
“People are trying to be very positive about Kansas City and what they’re doing and how they’re like, ‘Yes, sports bind us all together,'” said Rhonda LeValdo, founder of the Kansas City-based Native activist group Not In Our Honor, speaking at a conference. news. “It doesn’t bring our people to this celebration together. Really, it hurts us more because now it’s in a bigger spotlight where you see this all over the world.
LeValdo was part of a group that voted outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, in 2021 as the Chiefs compete to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. Now when the Chiefs return to Sunday’s big game in Arizona, they along with other protesters from Kansas City and various Arizona tribes will be there again.
Arizona for the Rally Against Native Mascots led a demonstration outside State Farm Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale.
The fight against the appropriation of tribal culture and image has been going on for decades – not only with the Chief but with several teams between different sports. Native Americans say using iconography and words with Native connotations denigrates them and perpetuates racist stereotypes.
Supporters have felt more motivated over the past few years. Many teams previously argued that the mascot was meant to honor the tribe. But the racial reckoning and protests in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd forced some franchises to do some soul searching. The Cleveland Indians baseball team officially changed to the Guardians in November 2021. The team also removed Chief Wahoo, a logo that is a caricature of an American Indian.
One year ago this month, the Washington Football Team was anointed the Commander. The move follows 18 months of pressure to drop the Redskins, which appears to be a racial slur.
Chiefs President Mark Donovan has given no indication that there is room for change. He told The Associated Press Thursday that he respects the right of those who oppose the mascot to demonstrate.
“We also appreciate that we have to continue to educate and raise awareness about Native American culture and the things we do to celebrate, which we’ve done for the last seven years – I think – more than any other team to raise awareness and educate ourselves,” said Donovan.
The Chiefs have made efforts to address concerns of long-standing cultural insensitivity for a decade, but have always stopped short of changing their names or fan-favorite moves and chants. In 2013, the team created the American Indian Community Working Group, which has Native Americans serving as team advisors to promote culture and tribes.
“It’s really important to give guidance. We don’t make proclamations and decisions,” said Donovan. “I’m going to go to them and say, ‘What do you think about this? How do you feel?’ I am very proud of what we have accomplished and the people we have worked with.
This led to invitations for Cheyenne spiritual and ceremonial leaders to participate in some games. It wasn’t until 2020 — when the Washington team first decided to change its name — that the Chiefs banned fans from wearing tribal headdresses, war paint and clothing at Arrowhead Stadium.
They also replaced the tomahawk “chop” with cheerleaders using closed fists instead of open palms. A Native American organization in Kansas City at the time called the change “laughable.”
The franchise has also made a point to participate in American Indian Heritage Month, which is in November. Most recently, he posted a video with long snapper James Winchester, a resident of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and center Creed Humphrey, who hails from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.
The Super Bowl protest happened in a country where a quarter of the land belongs to Native Americans. The NFL has emphasized collaboration with natives and natives based in Arizona.
Lucinda Hinojos, who was born in Glendale and is of Apache and Yaqui descent, is the first Native and Chicana artist to partner with the NFL. His paintings are featured on all Super Bowl tickets and throughout the NFL Experience. Colin Denny, a University of Arizona researcher and member of the Navajo Nation, has been chosen to perform “America the Beautiful” during the game’s pre-show. Denny, who is deaf, will use American Sign Language and North American Indian Sign Language.
Anyone hoping these Native organizers would eventually give up on the protest will be disappointed, LeValdo said.
“There are young people who come with us as well,” he said. “We expect the next generation to do this. There must be indigenous people who fight back. It will not stop.”
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