Citywide tomahawk chop commemorates 3-month anniversary of Chiefs Super Bowl win . The Blackhawks just won the Cup.”But the fear wasn’t about the possibility of wildly besotted hockey hooligans setting cars ablaze, vomiting on sidewalks from high rise apartments, or ripping down traffic lights in some mad display of team devotion.
It saddens me that the city I work in continues to celebrate the racist “tomahawk chop.” I have heard it at concerts, in commercials for grocery stores. “But ‘Chiefs,’ the team name, isn’t racist,” the fan said to me. The Kansas City Chiefs was the last professional team in the United States to adopt a name or logo suggesting a reference to Native Americans. “It’s not like the Redskins.”“No,” I responded. Most defended the chants and tomahawk chops, but understood the backlash. That’s when a Chiefs fan responded with a gesture as synonymous with the team as its red jerseys: He sliced his hand through the air in a chopping motion while bellowing a rhythmic chant.Slowly but surely, most of the 50 or so diners dropped their silverware, turned toward the rivals and joined in, chopping the air in unison and chanting in a rising chorus that filled the restaurant.This city’s beloved football team has left an unmistakable imprint on the local culture, whether it be the tradition of wearing red on the Fridays before games or the custom of modifying the national anthem’s final line to “and the home of the Chiefs” before kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium.But perhaps the most indelible symbol of Chiefs fandom is one that unifies believers and divides others: the tomahawk chop.Now that the Chiefs are on one of the biggest stages in sports, contending in the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years, there is new scrutiny on the tradition.For many fans, the chop and its accompanying chant — a pantomimed tomahawk motion and made-up war cry, also employed by fans of the Atlanta Braves, the Florida State Seminoles and England’s Exeter Chiefs rugby team — are a way to show solidarity with their team and to intimidate the opposition. “It’s a rallying cry for our team.”While the team has pointed to its relationship with Learned as evidence of its outreach to indigenous communities, some more-established Native organizations say the Chiefs have ignored them. FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2017, file photo, a Kansas City Chiefs fan does the "tomahawk chop" during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo. “The Arrowhead Chop is part of the game-day experience that is really important to our fans,” Mark Donovan, the team president, recently Team officials did not respond to specific questions about the chop, but said in a statement to The New York Times that they were working with Native Americans “to create awareness and understanding, as well as celebrate the rich traditions of multiple tribes with a historic connection to our region.”In interviews this week, several players praised the tomahawk chop and chant for pumping them up.“I love it,” Jordan Lucas, a Chiefs safety, said. On any given Sunday during the regular NFL season — right there in the stands — one can find a black guy in a headdress, a white guy in redface, and a Latino or Asian duo tomahawk chopping with one hand and gripping an overpriced alcoholic beverage in the other.This year, because the Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl, that time-honored American racism will also be part of what will likely be Don’t believe me? Chiefs fans whooped while There is, however, a tendency — particularly among fans of teams with Native mascots – to assume that it’s only the one with a racial slur that’s problematic. It saddens me that the city I work in continues to celebrate the racist “tomahawk chop.” I have heard it at concerts, in commercials for grocery stores. “’Chief,’ the word, isn’t a racial slur, and neither are the names of the Cleveland Indians or Atlanta Braves, but you miss the point.” I went on to explain that Indian mascots dehumanize indigenous people, reducing real human beings into caricatures, costumes, and cartoons.“How can you see me, or any other Native for that matter, as a human being,” I added, “if sports and Hollywood continue to perpetuate the half-naked, Tonto-talking angry Indian stereotype?” The man didn’t change his mind, or even seem to care.
Shame on them for allowing racism to happen in that stadium.”“No one wants to take away the enjoyment for fans,” Glynn said. By: McKenzie Nelson. While other sports teams using Native American nicknames and imagery have faced decades of protests and boycotts, the Chiefs have largely slid under the radar. However, he was approached by The English rugby team Exeter Chiefs adopted the name of "Chiefs" in 1999.Usage of the tomahawk chop has led to complaints that it made fun of Native American culture.The controversy has persisted since and became national news again during the Feb 13, 2017 - Explore Paul Myers's board "Tomahawk Chop", followed by 165 people on Pinterest. The Chiefs first heard it in November 1990, when the Northwest Missouri State band, directed by 1969 Florida State graduate Al Sergel, did the chant. If you really believe that the fans are going to stop doing the tomahawk chop … Jacob Bogage. However, despite the use of Native American features, their name was actually a reference to a white person emulating Native American culture.
Native American mascots might be the last form of traditional American racism that people of every color and creed will rush to support and defend. “I’m trying to use my voice to get awareness out there and try to help people in that way, to help people see another side, help people see our side,” Helsley told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.While sports teams have paid lip service to racial sensitivity, the Washington Redskins have shown no inclination to change their distasteful and inappropriate nickname. pride,” said Howard Hanna, the chef and owner of The Chiefs have largely escaped the hottest embers in the national debate over American Indian mascots and imagery in sports. During every home game at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Chiefs officials encourage fans to cheer on the team with the racially insensitive “Tomahawk Chop.” It’s time to start a new tradition. FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2017, file photo, a Kansas City Chiefs fan does the "tomahawk chop" during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo.