According to reports, the clip in question shows one female student at Valier High School in Montana acting out being killed while wearing a red skirt, similar to that associated with the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement.
Other students can also be heard laughing in the video, sparking accusations they were mocking indigenous people.
The video was made by students and played at the pep rally ahead of a homecoming football game on Friday, October 4, against Heart Butte Warriors, a team from a school that is attended largely by American Indian students.
“We strive to provide a very well-rounded education to our students that is infused with solid instruction and Pikuni culture,” a message on the school’s website reads.
Heart Butte school board member Nichole Aimsback, a Blackfeet Reservation member whose granddaughter goes to Heart Butte, said she “just couldn’t believe” what she saw in the video.
“Especially when I viewed it and I saw the girl with the red skirt, the one that was being murdered. And MMIW, there were all kinds of things going on about that this past weekend and it just totally shocked me,” Aimsback told KRTV.
In the wake of the outcry, Heart Butte Public Schools postponed a volleyball game against Valier High School which was scheduled set to take place on Monday.
“It was in the best interest of our kids to not play the game tonight,” Jody Aimsback, athletic director for Heart Butte Public Schools, told the Great Falls Tribune. “Things still could be a little heated.”
In a statement, Julie Gaffney, superintendent of the Valier Public School District, confirmed that the video was created by students “as a means of inspiring enthusiasm” for the homecoming game.
“Each class picked a holiday theme and created a video to be shown at the assembly,” Gaffney added.
“A portion of one of the videos was shared on social media. I understand there are concerns with one of the videos, with the holiday theme based on the Fourth of July and its representation of Native Americans. Circumstances of the video are under review and all concerns are being taken seriously.
“My primary concern is the well being of our students and staff and I’d like to ask everyone to wait until the facts are revealed before drawing your conclusions.”
In a separate statement, Heart Butte superintendent Mike Tatsey condemned the “completely inappropriate content” depicted in the video.
“It is disappointing that the educators responsible for supervising those students did not recognize the blatant racial overtones and instruct the students properly,” he added.
