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Native GRAMMY winner, Tom Bee upset with OutKast
Friday, February 13, 2004

Ed. Note: Indianz.com has not "launched an online petition" seeking an apology from OutKast, as The Albuquerque Journal states. But our gracious users have. Plenty of discussion, pro and con, can be found on the message board.

The winners of the GRAMMY for Best Native American Music Album, and Tom Bee, the owner of a prominent Native music record label, watched OutKast's Indian-themed performance on the awards ceremony this Sunday.

George Toya, of the Black Eagle drum group from Jemez Pueblo, told The Albuquerque Journal "he got a little excited" because the intro to OutKast's performance was a Navajo song he recognized. But he was soon disappointed to see scantily clad women in fake buckskin outfits jumping out of a green teepee.

"I told my wife who was sitting beside me, 'Somebody is going to be (angry) about this,' '' Toya recalled.

Tom Bee said he likes OutKast. "But I thought the show was not correct. It was degrading." He took particular offense by the use of fake feathers. "The use of them for a costume is offensive," he said. "It's like using a Torah as a prop."

Get the Story:
Grammy Number Enrages Indians (The Albuquerque Journal 2/13)

Relevant Links:
Native American Cultural Center - http://www.nativecc.com
GRAMMYs - http://www.grammy.com

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TV Critic: Public ignoring offensive performance (2/12)
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GRAMMY performance irks many in Indian Country (2/10)
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