November 9, 2007
An invitation to the perpetrators
My friend’s 7-year-old daughter danced proudly in her University of Montana Homecoming parade float, honoring her relatives and her culture and getting the attention that the Kyi-yo Tiny Tot Princess, the best dancer, deserves. Kyi-Yo is the Native American Student Association that organizes the yearly pow-wow celebration on campus.
Unfortunately, as a Native American, she wasn’t getting the respect a young girl deserves. Instead she had her voice taken away by a student group, a couple floats away, dressed in Indian costumes and ridiculing Native Americans through whooping and hollering. This group also refused to leave the parade when asked.
Kyi-Yo President Dustin Whitford comments: “It is a sad day when a group of adult University of Montana students choose to ridicule a young child who is quite possibly participating in her first parade experience. In many Native American Tribes, children are thought to be sacred or holy and are treated with the same respect as a revered elder. The Kyi-yo considers racist acts such as the one displayed at the homecoming, unacceptable.”
“I would like to invite the people who were dressed in “Indian” costumes in the homecoming parade to our club meetings which take place every Monday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in room 207 at the UC. Kyi-Yo would also like to invite all University of Montana students to club meetings.”
“Kyi-yo NASA is a group of students who are well aware of the diversity of races and heritages on the University of Montana campus and would like to encourage mutual respect between these races and heritages. Lets all work together to keep our campus free of racism and do our best to learn about one another’s heritages.”
I hope that all participants of this float will apologize for disgracing the Alumni Association, the University and the community. Any diversity training the participants of the float take must include a Native perspective and Native American organizers.
Mikhail Lewis
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Comments
I really do hope whoever was in the float with the “costumes” comes forth and lets themselves be educated.
It’s pretty sad that while the use of blackface has been put to bed (I hope permanently, as it should be) it’s still okay for people to effectively make a joke of native peoples and cutlures.
Posted by Charles Copeland on 11/20/2007 at 2:17 pm
