Image
Two mannequins of an Indian couple placed in a shooting gallery game at Edmonton’s Eaton Centre mall were removed on Sept. 27, 1989 following a formal complaint to the Alberta Human Rights Commission.
An investigation into the game dubbed the 'Yukon Shooting Gallery was launched after artist Jane Ash Poitras filed the complaint, calling the game "racist and condescending."
The game featured a domestic scene with a life-sized Indian couple sitting on a front porch surrounded by pets and animals
For 50 cents, customers could use six .22 air rifles to shoot at animals and objects around a backyard, including pop cans, a snake, a skunk, a dog and a pig.
The Native couple, while not specific targets, were located in the centre of the objects. A buffalo skull above their heads, used in many sacred Indian ceremonies, would light up when hit.
The mannequins were removed by mall owner Triple Five Corporation five days after the complaint was filed.
Visit our AMMSA.com Archives for more on this story at http://ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/artist-wins-battle-against-mall-owner-0