Tyler Childers Says He Doesn’t Play Beloved Song Anymore For Fear Of Offending ‘Indigenous People’

Tyler Childers said he stepped back from performing one of his most beloved hits, “Feathered Indians,” for fear of upsetting Native Americans.

The famous country artist recalled the journey that led him to make that decision, according to an interview with GQ published July 24. The song was originally featured on his breakthrough album “Purgatory” in 2017, which helped him rise to prominence, but he hasn’t played it live since 2020. Childers shed tears and said his time with a member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana made him wonder if many Native Americans find the term “Indian” problematic, according to GQ.

“If there’s conversation amongst those individuals about whether they should be using that word or not, then it ain’t for me to be using. It’s not mine,” he told the outlet.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JANUARY 28: Tyler Childers performs during Hello From The Hills Benefiting Healing Appalachia And The Hello In There Foundation at City Winery Nashville on January 28, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Rather than simply shelving the track and moving on, Childers and his wife, Senora, now donate the royalties from “Feathered Indians” to assist Native American communities and groups. The funds are donated through their Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund.

Childers wrote the song in his youth, and it makes reference to a Red Man Chewing Tobacco belt buckle he owned at the time.

The lyrics include, “My buckle makes impressions on the inside of her thigh.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Sendra May and Tyler Childers attend the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

The singer said he wanted he wanted the Blackfoot he took a hide tanning class with, named Shawn, to be uncomfortable with him and know he respected the other man’s heritage.

“That song has some of my favorite lines I’ve ever written, some of my favorite melodies,” he said through the tears. (RELATED: Chris Stapleton Makes ‘Sesame Street’ A Little More Country)

“Not playing that song is going to make people think,” Childers told the outlet.