The Roosevelt High School marching band from Wyandotte, Michigan, will be the only group of high school musicians from Michigan marching in the parade. But a letter threatening litigation from Harvey Gunderson, who claims to be president of Religious Americans Against Indian Nicknames and Logos, put a damper on the band’s excitement.
The band has been known as the Marching Chiefs since the 1950s, but to avoid controversy the school district agreed to drop their name for the day and sew patches to cover the Chiefs logo on the shoulders of their band uniforms. After the story received national publicity nonetheless, the school district decided to drop the “Chiefs” moniker on their banner but will stop short of covering up the Indian head logo on the uniforms.
It is not clear what, if any, connection that Harvey Gunderson has to any Native American tribe, but the actual chief of the Wyandotte Nation in Oklahoma, Leaford Bearskin, is supportive of the use of the logo and “Marching Chiefs” name by the school. But what does Chief Bearskin know? He is just a real Wyandotte Indian chief rather than some liberal nitwit expressing outrage on behalf of others. In fact, Gunderson isn’t very happy about Bearskin’s viewpoint. These ignorant Wyandotte Indians don’t even know when they should be offended; thank goodness Harvey is available to be outraged for them!
Read the whole hilarious thing at PJM.