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Oneida Nation calls GRAMMY performance insulting
Wednesday, February 11, 2004

OFFENSIVE? Andre 3000 of OutKast peforms hit song "Hey Ya" to Indian theme at 46th annual Grammy awards ceremony. February 8, 2004. Photo © AP.

The Oneida Nation of New York is adding its criticism of a hip-hop group's performance at the 46th annual GRAMMY awards Sunday night.

In a statement, the tribe said OutKast's use of Indian imagery was an insulted Native Americans. The tribe said the group and CBS, which aired the broadcast, share the blame for "a production number that reinforced stereotypes and undermined all of the good work being done in the entertainment industry to embrace and promote diversity and unify all people through music."

"Performances like Outkast's during Sunday's Grammy broadcast undermine the entertainment industry's dedication to diversity and use racial stereotypes in a hurtful way," said Chuck Fougnier, Wolf Clan Representative to the Nation's Men's Council and chairman of the tribe's charitable foundation, which raised $10,000 during a GRAMMY-related diversity event on the night of the awards.

Meanwhile, the Native American Cultural Center reports that it has received widespread support for its boycott of CBS, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and OutKast's record label. Chairman Andrew Brother Elk said an apology by a CBS spokesperson, which was printed in a South Dakota paper, isn't enough. He said, "an actual apology when it comes should be from Les Moonves, head of CBS."

"Don't watch CBS, don't buy Arista records, complain to NARAS, and tell ten people you know to do the same," said Shauna Alexander, an NACC community member said.

Additional pictures and discussion can be found on the Indianz.Com message board here and here.

Relevant Links:
Native American Cultural Center - http://www.nativecc.com
GRAMMYs - http://www.grammy.com

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