Popular dairy brand Land O’Lakes quietly changed its packaging to remove its iconic Indian maiden image, it was revealed Wednesday.
The new packaging has already started to appear in stores and looks similar to the previous branding with an image of lake and trees — except without Mia, the kneeling woman featured in the center, the Minnesota Reformer reported.
“We’ve recognized we need packaging that reflects the foundation and heart of our company culture — and nothing does that better than our farmer-owners whose milk is used to produce Land O’Lakes’ dairy products,” said Beth Ford, President and CEO of Land O’Lakes, in a February press release.
Mia first appeared on Land O’Lakes packaging in 1928, and was originally designed by illustrator Arthur C. Hanson for the advertising firm Brown and Bigelow.
Native American artist Patrick DesJarlait, of the Ojibwe tribe, redesigned the packaging in the 1950s to foster “a sense of Indian pride,” the Minnesota Reformer reported.
His son, Robert DesJarlait, told the outlet that the image — which has been slammed by many as “racist” — has become a “paradox” for Native Americans.
“He was breaking a lot of barriers . . . Back in the ’50s, nobody even thought about stereotypical imagery. Today it’s a stereotype, but it’s also a source of cultural pride,” DesJarlait told the outlet.
nypost.com
