Chief Runs With Paws
When "Chief Runs with Paws" is anything but cuteA description of the figurine on The Hamilton Collection's website reads: "Wearing his majestic ceremonial headdress with pride and casting an all-knowing, green-eyed stare your way, this adorable kitty is the chosen guardian of the spirt world."
Paul says these are just a bunch of buzzwords.
"They're using these words to make it sound magical and mystical and beautiful," she says. "They're buzzwords. They're sell-words to buy people into this idea of Native-ness—which is appropriation and not right."
Anyone who can not see what is offensive here has a problem. People are not mascots on sports teams. Animals can be sports mascots. How does one mix Native dress and Peace Bonnets and being human with what it means to be a cat? Cat's don't wear clothes. This is totally ignorant. The depiction of what the cat is wearing is all wrong from the native point of view. The name is offensive and is mocking. Words like majestic, ceremonial, spirit world, mysterious secrets, and all knowing are all words that perpetrate stereotypes. Money will be made so that makes this bad stuff ok? This kind of thing is hateful and there is no honor here for anyone. A Native Woman who is kind and wise.
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