Woman dressed as Native American with her hands tied sparks outrage at Iowa parade

Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Des Moines Register
Updated ·3 min read
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An entry at the Fourth of July parade in Muscatine, Iowa, sparked a firestorm of criticism when posts on social media showed a woman on horseback pulling another dressed as a Native American with her hands bound by rope.

Hundreds of comments and posts on Facebook vocalized distaste of the parade entry, calling the display racist. Some wondered whether it was to demonstrate against the treatment of Indigenous people or endorse it.

The Great Plains Action Society, a collective of Indigenous organizers who work to resist and indigenize colonial institutions, ideologies and behaviors, said in a post on Instagram, "We must address the specific harms done to Indigenous people by way of problematic representation such as whitewashing playing Indian, Pretendianism and the depiction of harmful stereotypes."

A woman dressed as a Native American with her hands tied at a Fourth of July parade in Muscatine, Iowa, sparked outrage.
A woman dressed as a Native American with her hands tied at a Fourth of July parade in Muscatine, Iowa, sparked outrage.

According to reporting by the Quad City Times, there may be more to the story.

Megan Burton, the woman on the horse, told the newspaper she was portraying history in support of Cherokee National Treasure, a group that honors distinguished Cherokees. Burton said she and Jenna Nicole, who walked with her hands bound, are of Native American descent. She also said that Nicole was holding the rope to help control the horse in case it was spooked.

Burton said no signs or logos were attached identifying the group for the safety of the riders and the horses. The Des Moines Register reached out to Burton but did not hear back.

Jessica Engelking, a spokesperson for the The Great Plains Action Society, said the intention behind the demonstration doesn't negate the harm it caused, particularly because the women did not use signs to describe the meaning behind their actions.

"I will say that being of native descent does not make this behavior acceptable," she said. "Though the intention might have been to raise awareness, the impact was still incredibly harmful."

Engelking said the executive director of The Great Plains Action Society, Sikowis Nobiss, plans to attend the Muscatine City Council meeting on Thursday to discuss the incident and work on how to ensure a situation like this does not occur again.

"We are looking forward to working with Muscatine to restore justice in this situation as much as possible," she said.

The Indigenous Peoples Movement, a global coalition, posted a statement on Instagram expressing their "profound disappointment and concern" over the misrepresentation of Matoaka, commonly known as Pocahontas.

"She endured immeasurable pain and suffering at the hands of colonizers, and her story is one of the first documented cases of missing and murdered indigenous women," the post said.

The Indigenous Peoples Movement said the crucial work continues in dismantling harmful stereotypes, promoting education and advocating for justice and equality for Indigenous peoples.

The Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which hosted the parade, could not be reached for comment but said in a statement Tuesday it does not condone the behavior and the entry does not represent the community.

According to the release, GMCCI president and CEO Brad Bark spoke to the group after the parade and said the group stated their intention was to "pay homage" to the Cherokee Nation and how unfairly they were treated.

"The 4th of July Parade is intended to be a celebration for the community, and going forward we are going to approve parade participants that reflect the goals and values of GMCCI and the Muscatine community," Bark said in the release.

Several social media posts pointed to the historical group Pearl City Buckskinners of Muscatine for being involved in some way with the parade. In a post on Facebook they responded, "We did not have anything to do with the parade. We did not have any part of what happened and we are not sure how we got thrown into it. We never have and never will promote that behavior."

Register reporter Francesca Block contributed to this story.

Noelle Alviz-Gransee is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Follow her on Twitter @NoelleHannika or email her at NAlvizGransee@registermedia.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Native American portrayal at Muscatine parade causes controversy