Racist? No. However the tribes in that area getting upset about this piece is ridiculous. They act like it's an affront to them when it's a criticism of the US governments policy of capital punishment, and hanging in particular. They should be joining in on that, instead of trying to make it all about them.
Someone put up a sign, "feels like 1862". How the fuck would they know? They sure weren't around, and even if elders told them, there's no fucking way they can know what it felt like to lose the war and watch these men hanged.
Of the original 304 found guilty of the massacres by trial of the Military Court, there were 38 which President Lincoln approved execution. And like it or not, right or wrong, it was carried out. You don't have a clue how the people of the time, Indians or white, felt about it. But it's part of US history and that can't be changed by renting of cloth or wearing sackcloth and ashes, now.
The Indians now take affront at anything mentioning the fact they lost. They kept pushing the belief the noble redman was a peaceful nature loving group who were savaged by the evil white man. This is absolute horseshit. Yes the white man pushed the Indians off the land, but savagery was no stranger to the Indians. Check out the
Winter Count skins at the Smithsonian. Read about how they killed each other, including children berry picking, just for the fuck of it.
As far as calling them Indians goes, the first 50 years of my life everyone called them indians, as they had for 500 years. The ones I saw on TV or speaking in person to, did too. Then it became politically correct to change to Native Americans, or a tribe name, and Indian was an insult. I'm sure everyone knows who I'm talking about so there's is no confusion. So fuck that, I've been called a lot of names I didn't like, but that's the way it goes. There's no racism involved.
I don't see any Black people pissing and moaning about this piece. It certainly is more about the injustices to them than the Indians. But they are smart enough to know what it's about, what it represents.