Backlash erupts over Beyoncé's controversial shirt referencing native Americans

During her Juneteenth performance in Paris as part of the “Cowboy Carter” tour, Beyoncé sparked significant backlash after wearing a shirt featuring imagery and text referencing the Buffalo Soldiers. The garment, which is also showcased on her official website, included a description that referred to Native Americans, Mexican revolutionaries, and others as “enemies of peace, order and settlement.” The phrase on Beyonce's clothing has triggered criticism from Indigenous communities, activists, and fans alike for its reinforcement of outdated and harmful narratives.

Beyonce faces backlash after Paris show

The Buffalo Soldiers, a group of Black soldiers established after the Civil War in 1866, played a key role in American military campaigns, including against Indigenous tribes during westward expansion. While their story is a source of pride for many African Americans, their involvement in the violent displacement of Native peoples adds complexity to their legacy.

Historians and museum curators, such as those at Houston’s Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, acknowledge that public understanding of these soldiers has only recently started to reflect this nuance.

Critics argue that by wearing the shirt, Beyoncé inadvertently echoed harmful ideologies that depict Indigenous and Mexican resistance as criminal rather than as acts of survival and sovereignty. No official statement has been released by the artist or her team regarding the controversy. The incident comes at a time when Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” project is being hailed for reclaiming the cowboy aesthetic for Black Americans. The album, which won Album of the Year at the 2025 Grammy Awards, aims to challenge country music’s racial boundaries. Still, some scholars suggest that the imagery associated with the Buffalo Soldiers, when used without proper context, risks romanticizing American imperialism.

Indigenous creators and influencers took to platforms like Instagram and TikTok to express disappointment, with many calling for an acknowledgement or apology. Critics argue that reclaiming the American West without recognizing its deep-rooted violence toward Indigenous peoples sends a problematic message, one that implies complicity in a nationalistic narrative that excludes and marginalizes others.