Halloween store told, “Keep costume”

Posted By: Rachel Hofstra
rhofstra@klkntv.com

Last week local Halloween store, Spirit Halloween, near 48th and O, pulled all Native American costumes after a complaint. Their corporate owner disagreed and the store was forced to put them back on the shelves.

"It felt like a slap in the face," said Leo Yankton, Native American representative.

The Native American community says these costumes insult their heritage and culture.

"People say well these aren’t racist these are honoring a culture. How can you decide what’s honoring my culture if we don’t like it and we are offended by it," said Yankton.

We reached out to the Spirit Halloween corporate office, but we got no response.

The owner of the Lincoln store did comment on Facebook that she fought to keep the costumes off the shelves, but the home office demanded they go back.

People have been speaking out on both sides of the issue over social media. Some believe they are honoring the culture and kids are just having fun. The Native American community disagrees.

"That’s not actually you honoring us or you having fun that’s you doing something hurtful, that’s you being a bully," said Yankton.

They also say it is not just the risky or revealing costumes that are offensive it is all representations of the culture even the feather headdresses.

"I don’t have the right to wear a headdress if i did put on a headdress and prance around Lincoln or any other place in America, the elders in my community would come and scold me and come and reprimand me for disrespecting our culture because you have to earn those," said Yankton.

For now most of the costumes still remain in stores.