Controversy Regarding Native American Names, Symbols, and Mascots in the US - Essay Example

Controversy Regarding Native American s, Symbols, and/or Mascots in the United s Ever since the time that the European explorers discovered Native Americans, they have become the focal point of advertisements, movies, imagery, and stories. In an ironic twist, Native Americans once roamed the land that is now occupied by sports fields, many of them using Native American imagery as mascots (Teaching Tolerance, 2008). According to the works gathered by the Teaching Tolerance project (2008, pg. 1), “Since the Civil Rights era of the 1970s, when Indians began agitating to remove these stereotypical images, a dozen colleges have changed mascots. But five pro teams and hundreds of high school teams with no connection to Indians continue to portray their teams under Indian imagery. Now the fight has reached the NCAA, the governing body of college sports, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, which has, for the first time, called for “an end to the use of Native American images and team names by non-Native schools.” The use of Native American mascots is quite an extensive issue in college sports. There are quite a few examples of this. As of 2001, Florida State University’s mascot was Chief Osceola with his steed Renegade. The image of the mascot was actually painted onto the turf of the playing field. Their pregame ritual actually consisted of the living mascot representative running out with a flaming spear and stabbing it into the image on the playing field. “Meanwhile, outside the delirious stadium a small group quietly stands with signs protesting the use of Seminole Indian imagery for the school’s sports mascots. They came two hours before the game and they will stay two hours after, holding vigil as fans file in and out, paying little attention to the authentic Seminoles who attend every game, rain or shine” (Teaching Tolerance, 2008, pg. 1). The teams themselves and their fans on one side attribute the use of the Native American mascots as a tribute to Native Americans. Some individuals beg to differ however, taking great offense to the fact that it is allowed on grounds that they consider it to be racist and degrading. Altogether, there are around 100 colleges in the United States that have Native American names or mascots. Some of those have been changed. For instance, Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma held its mascot as the Savages until it was changed to ‘Savage Storm’ just a few years ago after much controversy prompted the decision in an area of the country so filled with individuals of Native American ancestry. This practice is true in other schools in the same area (Teaching Tolerance, 2008). The use of Native American names and mascots goes beyond the college level. There are currently over 1,000 high schools that use them on a regular basis to represent their teams. There are five professional sports teams that use them. These include Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors; and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins (Teaching Tolerance, 2008). According to Teaching Tolerance (2008, pg. 1), “In the late 1960s the National Congress of American Indians began an effort to eliminate negative stereotypes of Native Americans in the media. Although their targets included cartoons, cinema and television, their protests of sports organizations garnered the most headlines – and in many ways the most success. In the last 25 years over a dozen colleges and universities, including nationally known Dartmouth, Stanford and St. John’s, have changed their team nicknames….Tribe members consider this an offensive reinforcement of ‘savage’ Indian stereotypes.” At one school, the Board of Trustees claims that the dance of the mascot is ‘dignified,’ stating, “His ceremonial dance is done with grace and beauty. The Chief keeps the memory of the people of a great Native American tribe alive for thousands of Illinoisans who otherwise would know little or nothing of them” (Teaching Tolerance, 2008, pg. 1). The Director for the university’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society completely disagrees with that opinion, however. He claims, “Could you imagine people mocking African Americans in black face at a game? Yet go to a game where there is a team with an Indian name and you will see fans with war paint on their faces. Is this not the equivalent to black face? To me, Native Americans are our most spiritual people. They believe that we all live within the one circle of humanity, no matter what the color of our skin. We wait for our sports teams to honor that circle” (Teaching Tolerance, 2008, pg. 1). A lot of the reasoning behind schools being reluctant to change their mascots lies in money. Greed simply overtakes the desire to do what may be right for society as a whole. A change in mascot means a change in a school’s famous paraphernalia. That means a change in sales—most likely for the negative. Booster clubs and alumni alike threaten to cut off support should a change in mascot be made (Teaching Tolerance, 2008). The main reasoning behind schools pushing towards changing their mascots as of late is because of learning and tolerance when it comes to things that can be racially directed in a manner not intended. Many schools believed that they have been charged with building stronger communities that bolster tolerance for diverse groups of people, including Native Americans. Children have, in particular, been found to stereotype mascots such as Native Americans as accurate portrayals of Indians (Teaching Tolerance, 2008). According to Munson (2008, pg. 1), “As long as “Indian” team names, mascots and logos remain a part of school athletic programs, both Native and non-Native children are being taught to tolerate and perpetuate stereotyping and racism. I would like to point out some common misunderstandings on this issue and suggest constructive ways to address them. Most communities are proud of their high school athletic teams, yet school traditions involving Native American imagery typically reflect little pride in or knowledge of Native cultures.” Native Americans simply feel that schools that use them as mascots are attempting to ‘play’ Indian, and that by doing so, are greatly disrespecting their cultures. Real Native Americans feel that years and years of this practice has resulted in children coming to believe that this playing Indian is what it is actually like to be an Indian (Munson, 2008). Naturally, those who support using Native American mascots argue that, by doing so, they are honoring Native Americans and, thus, they should feel honored that they are being represented. Native Americans recant by saying that this symbolism does far less than honor them. In fact, they say that it is a form of mockery regarding their culture (Munson, 2008). There are certain instruments, tools, and objects that Native Americans consider to be sacred to them and these items are often used on playing fields as a form of symbolism. These items include things such as drums, eagle feathers, face painting, and traditional Indian dress. The Native Americans are offended by their non-ritual, non-sacred usage on the playing field (Munson, 2008). According to Munson (2008, pg. 1), “While Indian nations have the right to depict themselves any way they choose, many tribal schools are examining their own uses of Indian logos and making changes. Native American educators, parents and students are realizing that, while they may treat a depiction of an Indian person with great respect, such respect is not necessarily going to be accorded to their logo in the mainstream society.” Native Americans who oppose the use of Indian mascots are just as offended by attractive Indian likenesses as they are by unattractive caricatures. The reasoning behind their position on this issue is that they feel that both representations are stereotypes. These likenesses also represent Indians of the past, not of the present, and therefore tend to carry negative images along with them. Modern day Native Americans feel that it is a struggle for them to express their modern-day culture when people in society are always being reminded of their actions in the past (Munson, 2008). According to the work of Munson (2008, pg. 1), “Depictions of mighty warriors of the past emphasize a tragic part of our history; focusing on wartime survival, they ignore the strength and beauty of our cultures during times of peace. Many Indian cultures view life as a spiritual journey filled with lessons to be learned from every experience and from every living being. Many cultures put high value on peace, right action and sharing.” It may indeed be true to those who support the use of the Native American logos that they meant no harm to Indian culture when the logos were first adopted for use to represent sports teams at their schools. The counter-argument, however, is that the Native Americans feel that times have changed and that the logos are harmful to their culture now, so they should be changed. They feel the current use of the Native American mascots and logos are especially harmful to children who are growing up seeing them. Indians feel that, regardless of their past intentions when they first started using the logos, the fact that they persist on using them after knowing that they are offensive to Native American peoples is particularly harmful and insulting (Munson, 2008). Oftentimes, Native Americans are asked by those who support the use of Indian names and mascots if their resistance to their use is because they are not proud of their warriors. According to Munson (2008, pg. 1), “Yes, we are proud of the warriors who fought to protect our cultures from forced removal and systematic genocide and to preserve our lands from the greed of others. We are proud, and we don’t want them demeaned by being “honored” in a sports activity on a playing field. Indian men are not limited to the role of warrior; in many of our cultures a good man is learned, gentle, patient, wise and deeply spiritual. In present time as in the past, our men are also sons and brothers, husbands, uncles, fathers and grandfathers. Contemporary Indian men work in a broad spectrum of occupations, wear contemporary clothes, and live and love just as men from other cultural backgrounds do.” Native Americans also feel that the warrior or chief type of image that is projected by school team mascots ignores the two most important people that are held in Indian culture: women and children. Women are highly honored as creators who are able to bear children, and children are seen as being closest to the creator and the most precious gift of all. One suggestion that people who support keeping their Native American mascots and names have offered up is to get rid of all comments that could be considered derogatory and to instead replace them with real pieces of Indian culture. In response, one Indian says, “Though well-intended, these solutions are culturally naive and would exchange one pseudo-culture for another. Powwows are religious as well as social gatherings that give Native American people the opportunity to express our various cultures and strengthen our sense of Native community. To parody such ceremonial gatherings for the purpose of cheering on the team at homecoming would compound the current offensiveness” (Munson, 2008, pg. 1). In one example of a man trying to change the name of a Washington team, the National Football League’s Redskins were brought into the limelight thanks to the efforts of one brave man. A retired school teacher named Gerald Pressman undertook the process on his own. He claimed that, years before, he had realized how offensive the teams name was and he had vowed to do something about it when he retired. During his struggle, he wrote letters, took part in interviews, and went right down to the stadium and protested in person. Furthermore, he set up a website to support his cause (Teaching Tolerance, 2008). Pressman has met much resistance, but not because he believes the team owner is a bad or a racist man, or that he means to offend anyone. He believes it has more to do with economics, politics, and pure money. He currently believes that a more productive strategy for him to undertake would be to go after some of the team’s sponsors and supporters. “Carl Swanson, a spokesman for the Redskins responded, “We appreciate people’s concerns about our team name. However, a Native American was the first owner of our team. He gave the team its name. The people of the area and fans of the team understand that Redskins symbolize the greatness and strength of a proud people (Teaching Tolerance, 2008, pg. 1). The University of Illinois issued a press release ending their ‘Chief Illiniwek’ performances due to many complaints from Native Americans and other individuals who felt that the performances were offensive or racist. They were particularly offended by the fact that Americans seem to accept stereotypes of Native Americans, but not of other racial groups such as African Americans or Mexican Americans. They want to know how America can claim racial justice when these images are still being used so prominently to represent sports teams throughout the country (National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media, 2008). According to the National Coalition of Racism in Sports and the Media (2008, pg. 1), “These caricatures and stereotypes are really intended as prisons of image insde each desperately grinning Cleveland Indian and each stoic Redskin Brave or Chief Illiniwek mascot there is someone we know. If you look hard and dont panic you begin to see the eyes and then the hearts of these despised relatives of ours who have been forced to lock their spirits away from themselves and from us.  I see our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, captured and forced into images they did not devise, doing hard time for all of us. We can liberate then by understanding this, and free ourselves." References “Native American Mascots: An Examination.” Teaching Tolerance, 2008. Online. http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=168 “Native American Mascots Big Issue in College Sports.” Teaching Tolerance, 2008. Online. http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=165 Munson, Barbara, “FIRST PERSON: Not for Sport.” Teaching Tolerance, 2008. Online. http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=169 “SPLC Leaders Call for an End to Chief Mascot.” Teaching Tolerance, 2008. Online. http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=167 “University of Illinois Press Release Ending the "Chief Illiniwek" Performances.” National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media, 2008. Online. http://www.aics.org/NCRSM/index.htm “Washington Team Urged to Find Another Name.” Teaching Tolerance, 2008. Online. http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=166 Read More