As Chiefs fans prepare to wear the team’s signature gear (featuring the team’s name and signature arrowhead) and perform the famous “tomahawk chop” at Sunday’s Super Bowl, Native American activists The group is working to ensure this never happens again.
Rhonda Lewald, an activist from Kansas City, leads a group called Not in Our Honor. The organization aims to end the use of Native American nicknames, images and mascots in sports.
Revald is in Las Vegas with other activists to protest the Chiefs’ use of Native American images and nicknames.
“I’ve spent a lot of my personal time and money on this issue, and I really wanted our children to never have to go through this,” Revald said. Said. “But here we go again.”
Indigenous activists and their far-left allies have had great success in getting sports franchises to drop their nicknames. In 2020, the Washington Redskins changed their name to the Washington Football Team after the death of George Floyd. The following year, activists convinced the Cleveland Indians to drop their name and signature mascot, Chief Wahoo.
The Chiefs and Atlanta Braves are the last two major American sports franchises with Native American nicknames and imagery.
The Kansas City Chiefs logo inside Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs football team, on August 12, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
An Atlanta Braves fan performs the tomahawk chop during Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Houston Astros on October 6, 2004 at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by: Streeter Rekka/Getty Images)
However, Kansas City retired its mascot “Warpaint” in 2021.
LeValdo says she is motivated by the persecution and suffering endured by her ancestors.
“We weren’t even allowed to be Native American. We weren’t allowed to practice our culture. We weren’t allowed to wear clothes,” she said. said. “But is it OK for Kansas City fans to play drums and wear headdresses and act like they’re paying homage to us? That makes no sense.”
As of this writing, neither the Chiefs nor the Braves have any plans to change their names.
