Kansas City, MO - The Chiefs announcing changes to what fans can wear inside Arrowhead - banning Native American-style headdresses and face paint.
The organization issued a statement on the changes its making: “While we have discouraged fans from wearing headdresses for several years, effective immediately, fans will be prohibited from wearing headdresses into the stadium."
Face painting is still allowed for all fans, but any face paint that is styled in a way that references or appropriates American Indian cultures and traditions will be prohibited, and will have to be removed before entering the stadium, the Chiefs said in the statement.
The Chiefs said they began a talking about policy changes with leaders from diverse American Indian backgrounds back in 2014.
The statement continued:
We are engaged in a thorough review process of the Arrowhead Chop and plan to have additional discussions in the future.
We are exploring all options for a modified engagement moment from the Drum Deck that maintains a unifying effect between our fans and our players but better represents the spiritual significance of the drum in American Indian cultures.
This includes discussions around how to shift the focus of the drum to something that symbolizes the heartbeat of the stadium.
As allowed by NFL guidelines and the City of Kansas City Health Department for the coronavirus-impacted 2020 season, we will continue with many of the traditions that we have introduced over the past six years, including the Blessing of the Four Directions, the Blessing of the Drum, as well as inviting members of tribes with a historic connection to our region to participate in our American Indian Heritage Month Game.
Finally, we are exploring the creation of a more formalized education program with input from both our local and national partners.
As an organization, our goal was to gain a better understanding of the issues facing American Indian communities in our region and explore opportunities to both raise awareness of American Indian cultures and celebrate the rich traditions of tribes with a historic connection to the Kansas City area,” the Chiefs said.
“These meaningful conversations with the American Indian Community Working Group helped us educate ourselves and our fans, and our partnership with these leaders has helped guide our American Indian Heritage Month Games, as well as the ceremonial Blessing of the Drum and the Four Directions of Arrowhead Stadium. Our discussions also led us to discourage fans from wearing ceremonial headdresses and American Indian-themed face paint in our stadium. We are grateful to the members of the working group for their counsel and collaboration, and we look forward to continuing our partnership.”
