Lily Gladstone, a Native American film star who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "Killers of the Flower Moon," took issue with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in a recent podcast interview.
Gladstone, who was born in Montana and is of Piegan Blackfeet, appeared on the "Variety Awards Circuit" podcast, which was released Thursday. Variety noted that Gladstone’s comments came before the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
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She took issue with the 49ers nickname and almost everything about the Chiefs – from the nickname to the tomahawk chop fans have done to root for the team.
"Honestly, you could hold both teams accountable," she told the outlet. "The 49ers are based on the California Gold Rush, which was an incredibly brutal time for California Indians.
"And then the Chiefs. There are many ways that you could interpret the name ‘chief.’ It’s not just the name that bothers me. It’s hearing that damn tomahawk chop. Every time, it’s a stark reminder of what Hollywood has done to us, because the tomahawk chop directly ties to the sounds of old Westerns where we were not playing ourselves, or if we were, we were merely backdrop actors."
Specifically, Gladstone suggested it was a farce to say that doing the tomahawk chop was an "honor" to Native Americans.
Native Americans have protested the Chiefs’ name in the four recent Super Bowls. The team has been in as it came under fire in the midst of the Washington organization changing its name from Redskins to the Washington Football Team and then to the Commanders.
Before the 2020 season, the Chiefs banned fans from wearing Native American headdresses and face paint to games. The team has never made any indication it will change its nickname.
Gladstone is the first Native American woman to be nominated for Best Actress.
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