Kansas City Chiefs Put a Ban on Face Paint and Headdresses
The Kansas City Chiefs have recently issued an official statement stating the decision to ban fans painting their faces or wearing headdresses. It is directly expressing disregard towards the NFL team’s resolution of trying to increase the understanding and celebrating American-Indian culture. According to the NFL team, the Kansas City Chiefs are still reviewing the celebration method using face paints and the Arrowhead Chop headgear. The team officials were still awaiting a final decision on Thursday, August 20. Well, these alterations are the results of all the discussions between the defending champions of the Super Bowl and the original champions for the past six years.
The NFL team released its statement after the Kansas City Chiefs announced their decision. They said that they intended to learn more about the problems American Indian communities face in the region. Besides, they also want to create more awareness regarding their rich traditions and culture. The plan was to highlight the historical connection of the Indi-American tribes with the Kansas City. The team spokesperson further said that they would allow tribes to be a part of the game that celebrates the Indi-American Heritage. Besides, every step is following the guidelines of the health department. Therefore, they are not compromising on any of the safety measures in this pandemic situation. Moreover, the ceremony in which Drums are beaten to spread blessings will also occur before the match.
Was the decision of the Kansas City Chiefs correct?
The National Football League officials are continually digging through all the resources. These will help them understand and create a proper educational program regarding Indi-American issues. In their official statement, the NFL mentioned that they are incredibly grateful for the support from the working group. They want to thank them for collaboration and counseling efforts. Moreover, the NFL looks forward to the continuation of their partnership. In July 2020, the NFL team of Washington DC announced their decision of a name change. They were considering a rebranding procedure to abandon their previous name. The primary reason for such an initiative was that the team’s name was under constant pressure for being an anti-indigenous slur.
Although the term “chief” does not belong to the Indi-Americans, the franchise of Kansas City has linked itself with indigenous imagery for a long time. It includes the name of the Arrowhead stadium. According to the information stated in the Visitor’s Guide of Kansas City, the region was home to many Indigenous tribes. It was only after 1825 that the Osage and Kansa tribe were forced to leave the area following a federal order. The tribes had to forcefully surrender their lands around the Missouri River and move to reservations. Andrew Jackson, the former President, offered the native tribes some disputed territory following the signing of the Indian Removal Act. These pieces of land were all around the Mississippi River. Besides, these were distributed against the surrender of excellent property by the tribes. Several protest movement followed.