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A Walt Disney World performance by the Port Neches-Groves High School drill team called “Indianettes” recently came under fire for using Native American stereotypes. The display was also accused of being racially inappropriate.
The dance routine featured an all-women group wearing purple dresses with white fringes, marching and dancing to the sound of drums while chanting, “Scalp ’em, Indians, scalp ’em.”
A video documenting the performance went viral on social media and sparked mass outrage against the Texas school. Several people even called out Disney for allowing the controversial performance in the Magic Kingdom.
Twitter slams Indianettes drill team for Magic Kingdom performance
On March 15, the Indianettes drill team from Texas’ Port Neches-Groves High School performed at the Magic Kingdom. They soon came under intense scrutiny for including Native American stereotypes in their dance routine.
A clip of the performance shared and criticized by Ojibwe tribal attorney Tara Houska was widely circulated online. It also prompted other social media users to call out the display on Twitter:
As the severe backlash continued to pour in online, Houska spoke to Forbes about the situation and questioned Disney for providing a platform to the drill team for their controversial performance:
“Disney didn’t even mention the overt racism and ignorance they uplifted. I find it hard to believe they had no clue who they were giving a platform to.”
The attorney also mentioned that a “cursory review” of the Port Neches-Groves High School showed the past use of inappropriate Native American references like a “War Whoop Yearbook” and calling its football stadium “The Reservation.”
Disney responds to Indianettes drill performance controversy
In the wake of the Indianettes drill team’s controversy, Disney mentioned that it “regrets” allowing the racially offensive performance at its Magic Kingdom. Spokesperson Jacquee Wahler also told Deadline that the routine was not in-line with the audition tape sent by school authorities before the main performance:
“The live performance in our park did not reflect our core values, and we regret it took place. It was not consistent with the audition tape the school provided, and we have immediately put measures in place, so this is not repeated.”
Although the spokesperson mentioned that the entertainment giant had introduced new measures to prevent the situation from repeating, details on the rules were not provided.
Port Neches-Groves School District Superintendent Mike Gonzales and Indianettes director Cortnie Schexnaider did not respond to the controversy immediately. However, the district later addressed the situation while speaking to KFDM-TV.
Officials mentioned that they were “aware of the concern” about the questionable performance of the band and the Indianettes drill team:
“We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our school district. Our district is nearing 100 years old, and our Board of Trustees is committed to always making the best decisions for our students, staff, and the communities of Port Neches and Groves.”
Meanwhile, a PN-G spokesperson argued that this was the 8th time PN-G performed their routine at Disney World, and the company had never asked about the planned performance ahead of time.
