In the 1970s, Halloween costume makers Ben Cooper and Collegeville, both offered Native American Halloween costumes for children. Today, they’re rare because people have figured out that — hey, this stuff is offensive to Native peoples and maybe you should stop doing it. Probably can’t say it better than the 2013 campaign: “It’s a culture, not a costume.”

Nevertheless, the little Indian costumes were quite popular throughout the 20th Century. I remember seeing a lot of them during my own trick-or-treating years. They’re in poor taste, but I wanted to document them here just the same. Here are a two more snapshots I’ve snagged for the Gen X photo archive.

Two brothers dress up for Halloween. One wears a Native American headdress and the other one is some sort of cop with a Fu Manchu mustache and beard.

What do you think of Native American Halloween costumes and mascots?

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