- Kansas City Chiefs fans perform a ‘Tomahawk chop’ to support their team
- The 49ers is a reference to people who took part in the 1849 Gold Rush
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Lily Gladstone, the star of ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, has hit out at the ‘commodification’ of Native Americans by the two teams in this year’s Super Bowl: the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
Hollywood star Gladstone this year became the first Native American to be nominated in the Best Actress category at the Oscars.
Following Super Bowl LVIII, she spoke out against the 49ers’ team name and the Chiefs’ controversial ‘Tomahawk chop’ – when fans chant while perform a chopping motion with their arm.
‘Honestly, you could hold both teams accountable,’ Gladstone, 37, told Variety Awards Circuit podcast.
‘The 49ers are based on the California Gold Rush, which was an incredibly brutal time for California Indians.
Lily Gladstone has hit out at ‘commodification’ of Native Americans by the Chiefs and 49ers
The 49ers is a reference to people who took part in the 1849 Gold Rush in California
‘And then the Chiefs. There are many ways that you could interpret the name “chief” It’s not the name that bothers me. It’s hearing that damn Tomahawk chop.
‘Every time, it’s a stark reminder of what Hollywood has done to us because the Tomahawk chop directly ties to the sounds of old Westerns where we were not playing ourselves, or if we were, we were merely backdrop actors.’
She added: ‘It’s this “claiming” of that sound and saying it’s in “honor” and the commodification of who we are as people… it’s great to love the game and your players, but it still hurts.’
The Chiefs have come under the spotlight for not changing their name. In recent years, the Washington Redskins have rebranded to the ‘Commanders’, while baseball’s Cleveland Indians became the Guardians.
Since 2020, Kansas City has barred supporters from wearing headdresses and Native American-style face paint at Arrowhead Stadium. The following year, their mascot – a horse named ‘Warpaint’ – was retired.
The ‘Tomahawk chop’ sees Chiefs fans chant while perform a chopping motion with their arm
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