So you want to wear feathers on your head to your favorite hockey team’s big game. Whatever! It’s a free country, right?
WRONG. The United States is now a country where people get offended, and those people can tell you what you can and cannot do, to the point of deciding what you’re allowed to wear on your head.
The National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks announced in late July that Indian headdresses are banned at home games, because they bother some members of the “Native American community,” FOX News reported.
“These symbols are sacred, traditionally reserved for leaders who have earned a place of great respect in their tribe, and should not be generalized or used as a costume or for everyday wear,” the team chided in press materials.
The ban is currently not even relevant, as the team will play the remainder of its games this season in an empty arena in Edmonton, Alberta because of the coronavirus. The no-headdress policy begins as soon as fans are allowed back at Chicago’s United Center for games or events.
No word on whether actual Native American Indians are allowed to wear them to games.
As if not already “woke” enough, the obviously media-intimidated Blackhawks plan to further integrate Native American culture and storytelling into games and community involvement. They’re also working to set up a new wing at Trickster Cultural Center, the only Native American-owned and operated arts institution in Illinois.
The team said earlier this month, however, that it will continue to use the Blackhawks name because it honors a Native American leader. The moniker was chosen in 1926 for the World War I military Blackhawk Division, which was named after Sauk nation leader Black Hawk.
