‘Got Land? Thank an Indian’ sweater joins ranks of controversial t-shirt slogans

Anyone who attended grade school has some experience with offensive, political or otherwise controversial t-shirt slogans sending school officials into a tizzy.

Whether it be graphic images that adorn Iron Maiden gear or t-shirts featuring Bart Simpson's "eat my shorts" catch phrase or the hysterical "FBI: Female Boob Inspector" slogan, that can still be found in the closets of not-too-old-to-be-cool uncles from coast to coast to coast.

We have all seen them, many of us have worn them and some of us have refused to stop wearing them despite orders from school officials.

In most cases these slogans are banned for obvious reason: graphic language, sexual content, racial connotations and negative stereotypes. They cause distraction by their outrageousness, leaving one wondering how they were allowed to leave home that day.

In other cases, however, there is more to the debate than foul language. Religious messages can ruffle feathers, declarations of public advocacy can be misread and political statements can be construed as going too far over the line.

The latest banned t-shirt slogan to make headlines comes from Saskatchewan, where 13-year-old Tenelle Star faced complaints about the message featured on her pink sweatshirt.

The front of her shirt reads, "Got Land?" and the back of the shirt reads, "Thank an Indian."

CBC News reports that Star, a member of the Star Blanket First Nation, was told by her school that other students complained about the message being offensive. The school briefly banned her from wearing the slogan, but ultimately relented.

With native rights making more headlines than ever these days, Star’s statement was bound to turn heads and join Canada’s long history of controversial t-shirt slogans.

[ Related: First Nation teen told not to wear 'Got Land?' shirt at school ]

Here are several examples that have made headlines in the past:

"Life is wasted without Jesus" - A Nova Scotia student was suspended in 2012 for defying his principal's order not to wear the religious-themed garment. The ban was later reversed by the school board.

"Drink Triple. See Double. Act Single" - A slogan celebrating a high school post-prom party in London, Ont., prompted censure from the school and several students being banned from the official end-of-year celebration.

"I (love) boobies!" - Bracelets featuring the popular breast cancer awareness slogan were banned from a Kelowna, B.C., middle school in 2011.

"Pimp-in-training" - An Edmonton high school banned the t-shirt slogan, which was being sold by a local retailer.

Yertle the Turtle quote - A B.C. elementary school teacher was told in 2012 she could not wear or display a quote from Dr. Seuss's Yertle the Turtle, which reads: "I know, up on the top you are seeing great sights, but down here at the bottom we, too, should have rights." The controversial banning led teachers to wear black shirts featuring a section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which were also banned.

"Greenpeace" - The Canadian Press reported that anyone wearing the logo of the environmental activist group was temporarily banned from Parliament in 2009.

[ More Brew: No charges against Vancouver man who urinated on Komagata Maru memorial against racism ]

A few notable additions from outside of Canada:

The image of a snowman - A t-shirt design popularized by rapper Young Jeezy was banned in some U.S. schools because it was meant to symbolize someone who sold cocaine.

"1 shot 2 kills" - The Israeli military banned soldiers from wearing t-shirts that featured the slogan and an image of a rifle shot aimed at a pregnant Palestinian.

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" - British advertising standards officials banned t-shirts featuring the Kate Moss-promoted slogan, which were being sold to children online.

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