Disney World officials say they “regret” allowing a high school team from Texas to parade in their park on Tuesday with a performance that used Native American stereotypes, including repeated chants of “Scalp ’em off.”
A 50-piece all-female team performance saw the Port Neches Groves High School Indianettes march and dance in fringed outfits down US Main Street in the Park’s Magic Kingdom to Native American-inspired music with movements drawn from said cultures. .
The footage shows the members lip-clapping and shouting as the drum beats rhythmically in the background, mimicking what is stereotypically referred to as the Native American “war cry”.
“The live performance in our park did not reflect our core values and we regret that it took place,” Florida Park officials said in a statement Friday after a video of the park-approved performance surfaced online.
“This was not consistent with the audition tape provided by the school and we immediately took action to ensure this did not happen again,” the theme park added.
The students also marched with their hands raised, apparently based on Western interpretations of indigenous dances.
The students’ greetings included the words “scalp ’em Indians, scalp ’em” repeated throughout the speech, footage shows. This chant is part of the fight song of the Texas Cherokee School.
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Disney World officials say they “regret” allowing a high school team from Texas to parade in their park on Tuesday in a performance that used Native American stereotypes, including repeated chants of “Scalp ’em off.”
In the footage, the Indianettes of Port Neches Groves High School can be seen clapping their hands and yelling as the drum beats rhythmically in the background, mimicking what is stereotypically referred to as the “war cry” of Native Americans.
The audition provided by the school for the theme park did not match the actual performance, the park said in a statement Friday.
This is the eighth time the team has performed the exercise at Disney World, according to a school employee who spoke to KBMT in Beaumont, Texas shortly after the incident.
A spokesperson told the publication that Disney never asked ahead of time about a scheduled performance.
Crew members also reportedly entered the park wearing full Native American headdresses — “war hats,” as they called them — until Disney employees asked them to take them off.
The school’s mascot is a Native American. Its website claims that the Indianet practice group, which the school says has 54 members, is a “tradition for over 50 years.”
The school names its football stadium “The Reservation” and has its own school news update called “Powwow News”. His yearbook is called War Cry.
In the performance of a women’s troop of at least 50, high school students marched and danced in fringed outfits down Main Street, USA, in the Park’s Magic Kingdom to Native-inspired music with moves drawn from Native American cultures.
The school’s website claims that the Indianettes study group, which currently has 54 members according to the site, is a “tradition for over 50 years”. Pictured is an undated image of a previous training group of Indianettes wearing headgear. The current team reportedly tried to wear the hats for Tuesday’s performance, but the staff asked them to take them off.
Footage of the Indianettes performing quickly went viral, putting pressure on the park, with many deeming the practice team’s singing and dancing to be racist.
Tara Huska, an Ojibwe tribal attorney and former adviser to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, called the act “inhumane.”
“Because a bunch of fringed kids chanting ‘Scalp them Indians, scalp them’ is an honor, right?” Houska tweeted Thursday, along with the now viral clip, referring to the school’s claims that the drill team has been an integral part for years.
“Any native who visits @pngisd should just accept their classmates dehumanizing them because of ‘tradition’, right? Shame on @DisneyParks accepting this.”
“Nostalgic racism is RACISM,” added Houska, also founder of Not Your Mascots, an organization “dedicated to combating native stereotyping in sports.”
Kelly Lynn D’Angelo, a Native American writer of TNT’s Miracle Workers, a show set in the 19th century Wild West, retweeted Huska’s post and added: “99% of the people who express their outrage about this are indigenous.” residents. Can’t you see that’s a problem too?
She continued, “Why do WE have to talk about all the blatant racism against us? Because of our constant mistreatment? Why do we have to fight with tooth and claw to make you understand that we are also people, alive and prospering?
“Stop it and grow up,” D’Angelo added.
Houskey’s complaint similarly prompted more than 11,000 people to condemn the performance as racist, including other tribal leaders such as Kansas Rep. Christina Haswood, also a Native American, who pleaded with Disney to “do better” in a Friday tweet.
“At this point, it’s ignorance,” a Navajo spokesman said.
As part of the backlash, Port Neches Groves High School’s social media accounts were inundated with photos and videos of the performance.
News outlets that reached out to the school for comment on the incident, including , have largely received no response.
The school district, however, issued a statement to KFDM-TV in Beaumont, Texas, in which district officials said they “understand the concerns about our group and the Indianettes’ performance at Disney World.”
“We are committed to diversity, equality and inclusion in our school district. Our district is about to turn 100 years old and our board of trustees is committed to always making the best decisions for our students, staff and residents of Port Neches and the Groves,” the district said.
The school has faced opposition in recent years due to the racial connotations of its mascot, but has doubled over the years, despite many considering the references to be racist.
The school has faced resistance in recent years due to the racial connotations of its Native American mascot, but has doubled over the years despite being seen by many as racist.
Last year, Disney announced sweeping changes to Disney property and parks in the country in hopes of “creating a place where everyone is welcome.”
Tuesday’s Disney World performance was reportedly broadcast live by the school’s press club, apparently showing pride in the practice team.
Last year, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products chairman Josh D’Amaro announced sweeping changes to Disney property and parks in the country in hopes of “creating a place where everyone is welcome.”
In the campaign, D’Amaro emphasized the “inclusion” and unobtrusive representation of all races at Disney properties.
As part of the campaign, the company dropped the phrases “ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” during the Happily Ever After fireworks show at Magic Kingdom in an attempt to include them.
Early last year, ahead of the campaign, the Jungle Cruise, a staple of Disney theme parks for nearly 70 years, underwent an overhaul to address years of complaints that it offered a racist view of indigenous peoples as uncivilized “savages.”
Earlier this month, new Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who only took office in January, came under fire for failing to condemn a Florida bill that would restrict LGBTQ discussion in schools.
In a memo to employees on Monday, Capek tried to quell anger by reiterating the park’s new inclusion policy: “I want to be very clear: I and the entire leadership team support our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities unconditionally.
“We are committed to building a more inclusive company – and the world.”
Disney World employees did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment Saturday morning.