KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI: The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians released a statement after a young Chiefs fan was thrust into an unusual spotlight for wearing a headdress and black paint on his face during a Kansas City Chiefs game.
Holden Armenta was accused of racism by a Deadspin reporter, who blasted him after seeing a picture in his profile that didn't display half of his face covered in the red of his favorite football team.
Armenta’s mother Shannon Armenta then came forward to defend her son, claiming that he wore the headdress and paint because of his own native American heritage.
Following Shannon’s defense, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians released a statement to Front Office Sports on Wednesday, November 29, stating that they do not endorse Armenta’s actions.
“We are aware that a young member of our community attended a Kansas City Chiefs game in a headdress and face paint in his way of supporting his favorite team,” the statement read.
In the statement, the Native American tribe also prefaced it by mentioning that they are "a federally recognized tribe" which means they are obliged under law to give a response.
“As a federally recognized tribe, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians does not endorse wearing regalia as part of a costume or participating in any other type of cultural appropriation,” they added.
Why Deadspin reporter slammed Holden Armenta
The nine-year-old Armenta earned the national spotlight after he attended Chief’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, wearing paint on his face and a tribal headdress which has been banned by the NFL team for wear since the year 2020.
While many saw Armenta’s costume as a way to support his team, Deadspin reporter Carron Phillips deemed it as a mockery of black people.
Initially, Phillips posted an image of the child on social media with just half of his face painted black before other images appeared with Holden's face partially painted black, with the other half being red.
Since launching the "blackface" accusations, the reporter has remained steadfast in his claims against Holden, even going so far as to suggest that red paint on Holden's face "makes it even worse."
In his piece, Phillips attacked Holden for his "Tomahawk Chop" action and his Native American headdress, saying the child "found a way to hate Black people and Native Americans at the same time."
“It takes a lot to disrespect two groups of people at once,” Phillips wrote in the article, which has since been tagged with a community note on X branding it “purposely deceiving.”
“This is what happens when you ban books, stand against Critical Race Theory, and try to erase centuries of hate,” he wrote. “You give future generations the ammunition they need to evolve and recreate racism better than before.”
How Holden Armenta react to the accusation
In an interview aired on Wednesday, Armenta and his father, Bubba, addressed accusations made by Phillips that the nine-year-old was inciting hatred toward "black people and Native Americans at the same time."
"Holden, how are you feeling, right now?" Fox News' Jesse Watters asked, to which the young boy replied "It's OK because a lot of kids at school are getting excited but it's starting to get me a little nervous because if they go a little bit overboard, it's a little scary."
When asked if he would like an apology from the reporter, Bubba, the boy's dad said, "You know, I don't even know what to think about that. It's a little bit too late for that."
“The damage is already done. It's worldwide... now there's comments all over, there's disrespect towards Native Americans and towards my family. We never in any way shape or form meant to disrespect any Native Americans or any tribes,” he continued.
Bubba added, "The tribe we're from doesn't even wear that type of headdress," alluding to his son's headgear worn at Arrowhead Stadium while describing the family's membership in the Chumash tribe and their previous reservations in California, according to Daily Mail.
