SANTA FE-- The Native American Cultural Center in San Francisco announced a boycott on Feb. 9, against media groups affiliated with rap group, Outkast, because of their performance at the Feb. 8, Grammy telecast on CBS. NACC is calling for a nationwide boycott of CBS, Outkast’s label, Arista Records, and the Recording Academy, which sponsors the Grammy’s.

During this telecast, the performing artist of Outkast, a young, double Grammy-winning rap group, appeared out of a pseudo-teepee on stage. They were scantly-clad in short-fringed leather costumes with feather headdresses, and long braided wigs. The University of Southern California band marched out with war paint on their faces and joined the show.

“It was the most disgusting set of racial stereotypes aimed at American Indians that I have ever seen on TV,“ said Sean Freitas, an NACC board member. “ It was on par with white people dancing sexually in black face, or yarmulkes, or the vestments of the Catholic Church. I am shocked and outraged.”

Andrew Brother Elk, chairman of NACC, is asking CBS for an apology to the nation. “It is time for those in the entertainment industry to realize that radical stereotypes in the media feed social and political disrespect towards the victims of this behavior,” said Brother Elk. He filed a grievance with the Federal Communications Commission after the showing.

“I bought their CD and liked it, said Peter Toya from Jemez Pueblo, a first-year Institute of American Indian Arts student. Toya’s grandparents were in attendance at the Grammys. “ My grandpa and grandma saw the performance, and as they listened to the background music in the beginning, they thought that they were going to announce the Native Grammy category. They did not feel offended by the music. They liked it. Outkast is like any other arts performance group. I don’t think they did it to offend anybody.”

NACC encourages Native people to send complaints to the following organizations:

*The Grammys losangles@grammy.com

*The FCC fccinfo@fcc.gov

*Arista Records arista.help@bmg.com

CBS wvlee@cbs.com

“Outkast is like any other arts performance group. I don’t think they did it to offend anybody.”
—Peter Toya, IAIA student

Copyright © IAIA CHRONICLE 2004