The Kansas City Chiefs and the American Indian Community Working Group will celebrate American Indian Heritage Month (November) for the second-consecutive year at the club's game vs. Pittsburgh on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Arrowhead Stadium.
"Since our inaugural celebration of American Indian Heritage Month last year, we've continued to keep in close contact with representatives from the American Indian Community Working Group," Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. "With their help and guidance, we are continuing to build on our goal of educating our fans and creating awareness of American Indian history and heritage within the Chiefs Kingdom."
"The partnership with the Chiefs has been an important opportunity to establish a dialogue that creates an awareness and understanding of who Native people are today," said Gena Timberman, member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and American Indian Community Working Group Liaison to the Chiefs. "This is an ongoing journey; and, we believe we are moving in a positive direction."
On Sunday, American Indian Heritage Month will be celebrated in a number of ways at Arrowhead Stadium. Outside of the stadium at Gate G, the American Indian Community Working Group will have a table in the Ford Fan Experience with a representative available to provide information about American Indian Heritage Month and cultural awareness.
In addition, several tribes from the region have been invited to attend the game, many with a strong historic presence in the area. The tribes participating in the ceremonies include the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation, Kaw Nation, Modoc Tribe, Peoria Tribe, Quapaw Tribe, Shawnee Tribe and Wyandotte Nation.
Inside the stadium, there will be a number of moments to honor American Indian heritage:
- Blessing of the Four Directions
- Leaders from a number of tribes with a historic presence in the Chiefs Kingdom will present their sovereign nation flags as part of this blessing ceremony led by Moses Starr Jr., a spiritual leader of the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe. American Indian Honor Color Guard
- The Buddy Bond Color Guard, who are members of the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribes, will present the colors for the game. National Anthem
- The National Anthem will be performed by members of the Chickasaw Nation Youth Choir. Drum Mallet Delivery
- Bill and Richard Thorpe, sons of Pro Football Hall of Fame football player Jim Thorpe who was of Sac and Fox Nation descent, will present the drum mallet to the Chiefs Drum Honoree for the game, former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. Honor Song
- Representatives from the Native community will perform this song during pregame in recognition of former Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle, for whom the Chiefs are named.
Throughout the game, there will be additional educational information in-stadium over the public address system and ArrowVision to highlight American Indian Heritage Month. Information will also be available on the club's website at www.chiefs.com/americanindianheritagemonth.
