The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians have condemned the behavior of a young boy who wore a ceremonial headdress and face paint to a Chiefs game last weekend. “We are aware that a young member of our community attended a Kansas City Chiefs game in a headdress and face paint in his way of supporting his favorite team. Please keep in mind that the decisions made by individuals or families in our community are their own and may not reflect the views of the broader tribal community. As a federally recognized tribe, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians does not endorse wearing regalia as part of a costume or participating in any other type of cultural appropriation," Chairman Kenneth Kahn said in a statement to Front Office Sports.
The boy, who has not been named in media reports, was spotted wearing a headdress as well as black-and-red face paint to the Chiefs win against the Raiders in Las Vegas. While it was initially erroneously reported that the child was doing blackface, a great deal of outrage has been leveled at the child. Furthermore, many have turned against the Chiefs, who have chosen to remain silent on the incident.
Viral Chiefs Fan's Mother Defends Her Son
The statement from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians comes a day after the boy's mother spoke out on social media. "People are ridiculous. Everyone asked to take a photo with him. The players even loved it!" Shannon Armenta wrote on Meta, formerly Facebook, alongside several photos of her son. The Chiefs, who have done work in recent years to try and steer their fanbase away from harmful stereotypes of Indigenous Peoples, have not commented on the matter.
However, Elon Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to take credit for fighting disinformation. Musk claimed X was responsible for helping fight "deception" in the story's reporting. Despite this, many people ignored Musk's bragging. X has come under fire in recent weeks for a number of issues, including helping spread misinformation about the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
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