The CEO of Minnetonka Moccasins, a popular shoe company, apologized this week for “profiting” from and “appropriating” Native American culture.
The company timed its apology to coincide with Columbus Day, which leftist activists are trying to turn into Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
In its statement, Minnetonka’s CEO David Miller vowed to do more to support Native American culture and apologized for creating shoes that “exploit” it.
“We deeply and meaningfully apologize for having benefited from selling Native-inspired designs without directly honoring Native culture or communities,” Miller said.
“While Minnetonka has evolved beyond our original product set, moccasins remain a core part of our brand, and in 2020 we began to step up our commitment to the culture to which we owe so much,” he added.
Miller added that Minnetonka has hired a “reconciliation advisor,” Adrienne Benjamin, who is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
“We have been listening to and learning from voices in the Native community to live up to and expand upon the action plan we originally developed in fall of 2020,” he said. “We are grateful to our Native American advisors, who continually provide valuable insight and counsel on our plans and the specifics of its execution.”
Minnetonka is far from the only company that has caved to the Left’s narrative of cultural appropriation.
Several major sports leagues, including the NFL’s Washington Football Team, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, and the MLB’s Cleveland Indians, which is changing its name to Cleveland Guardians next season, have agreed to change their team names so as not to “offend” Native American groups.
“Certainly going forward, the name is no longer acceptable in our world,” Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan explained.
Indians manager Terry Francona agreed with Dolan’s decision and said it was time to “move forward” with the name change.
“I know in the past, when I’ve been asked about, whether it’s our name or the Chief Wahoo, I think I would usually answer and say I know that we’re never trying to be disrespectful,” he said. “And I still feel that way. But I don’t think that’s a good enough answer today. I think it’s time to move forward. It’s a very difficult subject. It’s also delicate.”
