Native American group wants 'Redskins' team name back
Native American Guardians Association's Billy Dieckman says "Redskins" is not offensive amid a push to bring back the NFL team's name.
A Native American group that's demanding the Washington Commanders bring back their "Redskins" name says they have received "overwhelming" support in their fight against the NFL team.
The Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) petition to "put an end to cancel culture and #ReclaimTheName ‘Redskins’" is nearing 100,000 signatures as the NFL season approaches.
"The deep, rich history behind the name, the myth that it means bloody scalps or something derogatory is what we're trying to dispel," NAGA adviser and Kiowa Tribe member Billy Dieckman told "Fox & Friends First" on Tuesday. "It's a status symbol for elite warriors."
A Native American group that's demanding the Washington Commanders bring back their "Redskins" name says they have received "overwhelming" support in their fight against the NFL team. (TJ Root/Getty Images/File)
Last week, the group sent a letter to Commanders leadership "formally requesting the team revitalize its relationship with the American Indian community and rightfully change their name back to ‘the Redskins.'"
Former team owner Daniel Snyder changed the team’s name from the Redskins to the Washington Football Team, and later the Commanders, amid a summer of racial unrest in the U.S. in 2020. Snyder said the name had "increasingly become a distraction from our primary focus of football" and the change was "in the spirit of inclusivity."
"Our fight is to reinstate this because it was taken away without consulting us, without any of our approval," Dieckman said.
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"The imagery that you see is that of Chief Two Guns White Calf," he continued. "That's a real person. There's a lot of times they say you need to get rid of your mascot. We don't have a mascot. That's a real person that was gifted to the Redskins in the NFL by the Blackfoot tribe as a forever gift. That's one of the greatest warriors of all time."
Dieckman touted the "overwhelming" support surrounding the petition and recent polling of the symbolism in the community.
Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images/File)
"Ninety percent of natives are in approval and see it as a proud symbol. The ones who know who Chief Two Guns White Calf is, it's even higher in those areas."
The Commanders team name debuted in 2022.
The team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
"Our voice has not been heard, and that's what NAGA is designed for: To fight that and to correct some of what's been eradicated," Dieckman said.
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Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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