Earlier this year, A Tribe Called Red’s DJ NDN caught flack for donning a “Caucasians” tee that appropriated the Cleveland Indians’ much derided Chief Wahoo. On Tuesday, The Star.com’s Peter Edwards reports the same shirt has become the summer’s hot fashion item on Ontario’s First Nations reserves, with Six Nations Of The Grand River’s Terra Bomberry declaring, “People’s reaction has been all positive and they see the humour in it both on and off the reserve,”
“I thought how hypocritical that he would be accused of racism for wearing a shirt that turns the tables in a satirical way of how our image as native people has been misappropriated by the Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins and the like,” Bomberry said.
She noted there’s an online movement that includes use of the Twitter hashtag #NotYourMascot to change what she called degrading and derogatory team names and logos.
“I have read comments of some of the fans of those sports teams who say they are ‘honouring’ us with those images,” Bomberry said. “So I have to say unequivocally I do not feel honoured by those outdated, offensive team mascots and names, and think its time they be changed. And if we can draw attention to that by turning the tables using a bit of humour then why not?
Deejay NDN, who was born Ian Campeau, had earlier filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission to protest the name of the Nepean Redskins football team, which he said was offensive to First Nations people. The team changed its name to Eagles after the complaint.