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Pur singer Hartmut Engler wears feather headdresses at a concert.
© Imago/Andrea Weihs
The singer of the German hit band Pur counters criticism of the song “Indianer” and the feather headdress.
He finds a debate about this “absurd”.
Berlin – Pur singer Hartmut Engler would continue to go on stage wearing feather headdresses when his band plays the song “Indianer” at concerts.
“It's fun and it reminds me of my childhood.
The song has nothing to do with the culture and fate of the Native Americans,” said Engler, who comes from Ingersheim near Ludwigsburg, to the
Berliner Zeitung
(Easter edition).
“That’s why I can’t take the criticism of our song completely seriously.”
For the 61-year-old, a debate about disguise, for example, is “absurd”.
“I could have made the song about Robin Hood or Captain Kirk.
Then I would dress up differently,” said Engler.
“For me it's about a fairytale world in which there are good guys.
“I thought that was great as a kid.” He read a lot of books about Native American history because he was very interested in them.
“I share the opinion that Americans need to come to terms with this part of their history,” said Engler.
Pur singer Hartmut Engler about “Indians”: “For me it’s about a fairytale world”
The song “Indians” is about an adult who thinks back to his childhood when he dressed up as native people with friends.
The song says, among other things: “We were brightly painted and with a wild cry / Every proud warrior stood by the weak / Our word of honor was sacred / Only a pale face cheated”.
There is always debate about whether Indian costumes and other disguises are racist.
Our authors have also debated this.
(dpa/red)