The Walt Disney World resort said Friday that the performance of an American Indian stereotype drill team from Texas, which chanted “scalp them,” is not representative of Walt Disney World’s values.
“The Indianettes” drill team from Port Neches-Grove High School performed this week at the Magic Kingdom. It did not reflect Disney’s core values, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said in an emailed statement.
The school provided an audition tape that did not match its actual performance for selection for the theme park resort, the statement stated.
As they whoop and tap their hands over their mouths, members of the drill team perform stereotypically called “war cry” in a video posted on Twitter.
Tweets slam Indianettes’ Magic Kingdom performance
In March, Port Neches-Groves High School’s Indianettes drill team performed at Disney World. Native American stereotypes were quickly criticized for their inclusion in their dance routine.
A clip of the performance was shared online by attorney Tara Houska, an Ojibwe tribal member. Other people who were interested in the performance also expressed their interest on Twitter.
According to one user, Disney sends in a drill team called the “Indianettes” and isn’t too worried. Another user commented that this video was disgusting in every way. “Who thought this was okay?”
Following the backlash, Houska spoke with Forbes about the situation and questioned Disney. They questioned giving the drill team a platform for their controversial performance. Apparently, Disney didn’t even mention that they uplifted racism and ignorance in the movies.
A “cursory review” of Port Neches-Groves High School also revealed the use of inappropriate Native American references. These were as “War Whoop Yearbooks” and “The Reservation” for the school’s football stadium.
Disney responds to controversy surrounding Indianettes drill performances
Disney apologized for allowing the Indianettes drill team to perform at its Magic Kingdom in response to the controversy over the drill team.
The routine was not in sync with the audition tape that the school provided before the main performance. It was stated by Jacquee Wahler, a spokesperson for Deadline.
A spokesperson for the entertainment giant mentioned that new policies have been adopted in an effort to avoid a repeat of the incident, but no details were provided.
Indianettes director Cortnie Schexnaider and Superintendent Mike Gonzales did not respond to the controversy immediately. Nonetheless, the district later addressed the matter in a conversation with KFDM-TV.