The late Zema Williams was known to fans of the Washington NFL team as "Chief Zee." Photo by Katidid213
Zema Williams, an unofficial mascot of the Washington NFL team who appropriated Indian culture and called himself "Chief Zee," died at the age of 75. Williams wore a faux headdress, carried a toy tomahawk to games for nearly 40 years, The Washington Post reported. He slowed down in recent years due to health problems but was an unapologetic fan of the team and its racist mascot. “My job is to entertain the people,” Williams told columnist Mike Wise in 2013. “A lot of them tell me, they say, ‘You know, my wife won’t even cook me dinner till she see you on TV and says, ‘There’s my Injun.’ The older people been watching me so long, they don’t even say ‘Indian.’ They say, ‘Injun. There’s my Injun.’ And it’s on.” In the same column, Williams claimed his maternal grandmother was "full-blooded Seminole." He was born in Georgia. Get the Story:
Chief Zee, Redskins superfan and unofficial mascot, dies (The Washington Post 7/19)
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