The conduct goes far beyond what is 'appropriate' in political discourse, Chief Baker said. | AP Photo
By KEVIN ROBILLARD | 9/26/12 11:25 AM EDT Updated: 9/26/12 4:21 PM EDT
The head of the Cherokee Nation called staffers for Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown “downright racist” Wednesday for making “tomahawk chop” motions and yelling “war whoops” at a rally Saturday for the Republican’s reelection, and called on Brown to apologize.
“The conduct of these individuals goes far beyond what is appropriate and proper in political discourse,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a statement. “The use of stereotypical ‘war whoop chants’ and ‘tomahawk chops’ are offensive and downright racist. It is those types of actions that perpetuate negative stereotypes and continue to minimize and degrade all native peoples.”
Video of Brown staffers, [
! ] including his congressional deputy chief of staff, whooping and chopping their arms emerged Tuesday [ http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81646.html#ixzz27aYnXwjS ] after a liberal blog posted it. Brown said he didn’t condone his staffers’ actions, but declined to apologize.
“The real issue here is, and the real offense is the fact that Professor [Elizabeth] Warren checked the box,” Brown told reporters. “She said that she was white, and then she checked the box saying she was Native American.” Baker wants Brown to go further.
“We need individuals in the United States Senate who respect Native Americans and have an understanding of tribal issues,” he said. “For that reason, I call upon Sen. Brown to apologize for the offensive actions of his staff and their uneducated, unenlightened and racist portrayal of native peoples.”
Baker’s condemnation of Brown comes as the controversy surrounding Warren’s heritage has returned to the forefront of the Bay State’s U.S. Senate race. Both campaigns have released ads on the topic in the past week. The Democrat’s campaign has been plagued for months by allegations that she falsely claimed Cherokee heritage to advance her academic career. Warren, a Harvard Law professor, has led Brown in recent polling. [http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/09/fourth-poll-gives-warren-the-lead-135972.html ]
Brown’s campaign responded to Baker’s apology request by forwarding a statement from George Thomas, a Native American who lives in Massachusetts.
“Being of Native American and African American ancestry, I find it insulting and wrong for Professor Elizabeth Warren to claim minority status as a Native American at Harvard,” Thomas said in the statement. “Professor Warren has never reached out to the Native American community within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to offer an explanation or an apology.” Thomas said Warren should receive two ‘F’s: one for her failure to apologize, and one for fraudulently presenting herself to Harvard as a Native American.
Baker was a delegate to this year’s Democratic National Convention, and the Cherokee Nation has donated to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee this election cycle. A spokeswoman for the Cherokee Nation said the tribe has given to both Republicans and Democrats in the past, and will continue to do so.
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