Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers SLAMMED by Hollywood star Lily Gladstone over ‘commodification’ of Native Americans and reminders of ‘brutal’ treatment: ‘It still hurts’

“Killers of the Flower Moon” star Lily Gladstone has spoken out about the “commodification” of Native Americans by the two teams in this year’s Super Bowl: the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

Hollywood star Gladstone became the first Native American to be nominated in the Best Actress category at the Oscars this year.

After Super Bowl LVIII, she spoke out against the 49ers’ team name and the Chiefs’ controversial “Tomahawk chop,” in which fans chant while making a chopping motion with their arm.

“To be honest, you could hold both teams responsible,” the 37-year-old Gladstone said Variety Awards Circuit Podcast.

“The 49ers are based on the California Gold Rush, an incredibly brutal time for the California Indians.

“And then the Chiefs. There are many ways you can interpret the name “chef.” It’s not the name that bothers me. It’s hearing that damn Tomahawk chop.

“Each time it’s a stark reminder of what Hollywood did to us, because the Tomahawk chop taps right into the sounds of old Westerns in which we weren’t starring, or if we were, we were just background actors.”

She added: “It’s this ‘claiming’ of that sound and saying it’s ‘in honour’ and the commercialization of who we are as people… it’s great to love the game and your players, but it still hurts.’

The Chiefs have found themselves in the spotlight for not changing their name. In recent years, the Washington Redskins have been renamed “Commanders,” while baseball’s Cleveland Indians have become the Guardians.

Since 2020, Kansas City has banned fans from wearing Native American-style headdresses and face paint at Arrowhead Stadium. The following year, their mascot – a horse named ‘Warpaint’ – was retired.