Indians decry Grammy act (OutKast) as racist | Seattle P-I

[Ediacara]

Thursday, February 12, 2004

Indians decry Grammy act as racist

By MELANIE McFARLAND
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER TELEVISION CRITIC


Not everyone was amused by OutKast's
performance at the Grammys.

In the midst of our heated dialogue about decency, CBS's Grammy broadcast is providing us a lesson in what constitutes offensiveness. Problem is, American viewers are barely noticing.

Andrew Brother Elk can't help but do so. Brother Elk, chair of the Native American Cultural Center in San Francisco, was among the 26.3 million viewers who sat down Sunday evening to enjoy the Grammy Awards. Not much surprised him about it, until the final performance by OutKast's Andre "3000" Benjamin.

After Jack Black dramatically announced, "the natives were getting restless!" over a Native American chant, the lights went up, showing a smoking tepee from which Dre emerged dressed in green buckskin and feathers to perform "Hey Ya!" Dancers wearing fringed skirts, bare-midriff tops and single-feathered headbands, high stepping and pumping their fists in the air, joined him. Soon after the USC Trojan Marching Band paraded forth wearing war paint.

More at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[SpiralHawk]

1. Wearing war paint, eh?

A true warrior knows that the first battle is with the self, to eliminate hatred, greed and prejudice. Then the task is to protect and support the family, the people, and the nation. This directly implies protecting the territory --Mother Earth -- and all the gifts of wood and water and plants and animals that she offers to make our human lives possible.

The war is first with the self, to find and lift the strong heart and then to walk in honor and maintain the peace, within and without. Mission Accomplished. Only then.

[Champion Jack]

2. Ever been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras?

The African American musicians have been dressing as "Indians' for years.
Check out the "Wild Chapatoulas". I seriously doubt if Outkast did this to slight Native Americans.

[colorado_ufo]

4. I believe that's

Tchoupitoulas (from the Choctaw word?), which is the street where many of these groups hang out. By the way, this is a VERY old tradition, and these African Americans keep it with deadly seriousness and considerable pride.

[Champion Jack]

8. (SP) yep your right, sorry typing faster than brain again

[digno dave]

3. duhhh!!!

I thought there might be some objections to that. Good Lord, what idiot didn't realize that routine would cause some people some grief? One thing is always certain...you can get away with making fun of the Injuns because there aren't enough left to raise too big a stink about it.
Wanna solve your problem...just kill off the whole damn race!!!

[SpiralHawk]

5. Aren't enough Indians left?

Dingo, you have stepped out of the hoop. Check the census. See the people. They span the spectrum of the human condition, from the lowest to the highest. But for centuries a brave and skilled core among the people has preserved the true heritage of Turtle Island (North America). They are generally not among the BIA-instituted tribal governments, but they are here on on the land. The sparks for council fires were struck well over25 years ago, and there are strong fires now all over the Four Directions.

The Eagle met the Condor long ago. They fly together.

Open your eyes. The Sacred Hoop is strong. Its peoples are many and ready for these times. They have been preparing for generations with strong Medicines carefully preserved. Are you ready for what is coming?

I respectfully suggest that respect may be among the most critical of elements in these times.

Mystery is afoot. Meegwich, SH

[colorado_ufo]

9. Is this the time that the Hopi predicted long ago?

The end of the cycle?

[minkyboodle]

11. koyaanisqatsi

has been happening for awhile. about the end of of the cycle. 2012 (Maya end of the long count is coming). I'm not saying its the end of the world but do have December 21st 2012 marked on my calender.... its a drinking day just in case :)
Scott

[SpiralHawk]

16. From 2004 to 2012 - A Mayan Viewpoint

http://www.chiron-communications.com/communique%207-10.html

"As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth changes. All this, Mr. Barrios says, was foreseen via the simple, spiral mathematics of the Mayan calendars."


"The date specified in the calendar — Winter Solstice in the year 2012 — does not mark the end of the world. Many outside people writing about the Mayan calendar sensationalize this date, but they do not know. The ones who know are the indigenous elders who are entrusted with keeping the tradition."

[minkyboodle]

21. thanks for the link SpiralHawk

interesting article. I hope it is a transformation for the better.
Scott

[Suspicious]

24. Absolutely fascinating...

Thanks for posting this.

The dark power of the declining Fourth World cannot be destroyed or overpowered. It’s too strong and clear for that, and that is the wrong strategy. The dark can only be transformed when confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness. ...

[digno dave]

22. blood

i was toeing the line of sarcasm. i have some incan and cherokee blood in me so don't take what i said too literally.

[Lorien]

13. Sadly, less than 1% of the population is native

my cousin is Chippawa and a county commissioner. She had a meeting with Clinton once, and brought up a number of Native issues she wanted him to address. He told her point blank that such things were a hard sell, since Natives made up less than 1% of the American population. He said that politicians generally didn't give them much thought, because there's no political benefit in it for them. She said it was a very honest-and depressing-conversation.

[minkyboodle]

6. I like Outkast but

that was a mistake plain and simple. I'm sure this thread will be filled with people screaming about PC and how Native Americans should get over it etc but I wonder what the response would be had they worn Catholic Clergy outfits... or even if they had worn US military uniforms with go go dancer's in uniform... Native Americans are still the minority group that america loves to ignore and then stomp on.
Scott

[Barkley]

7. I guess humiliating Rosa Parks wasn't enough!

Supreme Court allows Rosa Parks to sue OutKast
http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/12/08/scotus.parks.ap/

[minkyboodle]

10. see now that seems ridiculous to me

but what the hell do I know.
Scott

[Catherine Vincent]

12. Indian outfits are SEXY and COOL!

Everyone knows that!

[Zhade]

14. My (1/3rd) Cherokee heritage isn't really offended.

NT!

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Ummmm!

How can you be one third Cherokee? How can you anybody be one-third anything? That would require one to have 3 full blooded genetic contributors (aka parents). All proportions of ethnicity have to be in fractional powers of 2.
The Professor

[He loved Big Brother]

15. Oh brotherrrrr

This country has truly gone nuts.

[Bridget Burke]

17. Are they going to sue the Mardi Gras Indians?

"The Mardi Gras Indians named themselves after native Indians to pay them respect for their assistance in escaping the tyranny of slavery. It was often local Indians who accepted slaves into their society when they made a break for freedom. They have never forgotten this support."

www.mardigrasindians.com/indirank.html

Also, Andrew Brother Elk ought to check out Mac Rebennack's "Under a Hoodoo Moon: The Life of the Night Tripper" for interesting data on the Mardi Gras Indians--and other ethnological information that he didn't get to study at Stanford.

[RandomKoolzip]

18. Silly me, I thought they were paying tribute to Indians.

I don't get how this is seen as an insult. Dre and Big Boi are very concious poets. In fact, of all the mainstream hip hop acts, they are probably the ONLY ones with a social conscience. Shouldn't the fact that they brought Indian culture onto a huge stage in front of tens of millions of viewers, and then WON a bunch of awards (Indians=winners, for once) count for something?


Jeeez.

[atreides1]

20. CBS and Grammy's are hypocrites

I don't think that any insult was intended, but this does show that CBS and the Grammys are hypocrites.

I mean it's indecent to show a bare breast, but it's acceptable to allow an act that a group of people might find insulting?

And the Grammy people, asking Janet Jackson not to attend, but allowing an act that showed more cheek then Janet showed boob.

[BiggJawn]

23. Gee, when will they EVER learn?

Married White Guys are the only fair targets these days. Don't believe me? Spend an evening watching Tee-Vee commercials then we can talk.

[Snivi Yllom]

25. oh gimme a break

It's a rap group. Cmon.

Outkast rocks BTW.

[WarNoMore]

26. I found it somewhat offensive,

and I'm not native American, just a liberal<grin> PC is seem as such a bogeyman these days, when to me it's simply a matter of thinking *first* how an action or words would make you feel on the receiving end.

[DrWeird]

27. Racist?

Well, it might promote stereotypes of lime green Native Americans from the future who travel in teepee shaped space ships.