- Originally published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) February 19, 2005
Copyright 2005 Little Rock Newspapers, Inc.
BY KATHI WESHO-BAUER
As a Menominee Indian, I have long had issues with non-Indian institutions using Native American imagery and rituals as mascots.
In
no way do Indian people feel honored by Indian mascots. And despite the
continued objection of Indians, the purveyors of this racist behavior
continue to claim that they are merely educating the public about who
Indians are.
For white people to
appropriate Indian culture in any way, and especially for the fun of
it, is offensive; even more so when you consider the impact of white
"manifest destiny" upon Indian nations across the United States.
Uproar
would ensue if Indians were to appropriate parts of Christian religion
for sportingevent entertainment or utilize the stereotype of a
"hillbilly." No one would stand for it if Indians used other people's
cultures and traditions as mascots. Yet many schools here in Arkansas
continue to use Native Americans as their mascots,
perpetuating the one-dimensional portrayal of Indians. At the same
time, they completely disregard the reality that Indians remain
connected to their culture and traditions and also successfully live in
today's world.
Arkansas State University
has had its contrived "Indian" mascot in its various forms for 70
years. Despite the use of Indians as mascots being publicly denounced
by Chief Chad Smith of the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, the school
continues to claim that it has approval from a representative of the
Cherokee Nation. The school steadfastly refuses to change its mascot.
John
Phillips, who is white, is a board member of the ASU Alumni Association
and the creator of the Brave costume. He told me that they make every
attempt to respectfully portray the culture of Native Americans
as being dignified. He went on to claim that the Indian tribe that
approves the ASU mascot is from Arkansas. However, according to the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Arkansas does not have any state or federally
recognized Indian nations.
On Jan. 27,
members of the Indigenous Talking Circle and our ally, the Center for
Artistic Revolution, set up a protest of ASU's mascot outside of Alltel
Arena during the game between the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Trojans and the ASU Indians. Fans, upon seeing our signs, launched into
stereotypical Hollywood war whoops, which incidentally don't reflect
any of the Indian nations' war cries. Disparaging remarks were the
order of the day. Parents laughed while their children made fun of
Indians. Despite the fact that Indians were standing in protest, the
stereotyping continued as the fans shouted, "Where are the real
Indians?"
In the midst of the overwhelming
torrent of negative and racist remarks, a woman stopped with four
children in tow. She asked the group to explain to the children the
purpose of the protest. She took the opportunity to engage in a
"teachable moment" for the children. The children were attentive and
asked questions. They got very quickly that it doesn't feel good to be
made fun of. Now if only we could have such dialogues with adults. Of
all the basketball fans who passed our way, only this group stopped to
ask why we were out there.
If institutions
such as ASU truly want to honor Indian people, then perhaps they might
consider naming buildings, halls or streets after great Indian
athletes. For instance, there's James Francis Thorpe (Sac and Fox
Nation), who was named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the
Century. Charles Bender, a Chippewa, was elected to the Baseball Hall
of Fame in 1953. Jess Willard (Potawatomi) became the world heavyweight
boxing champion in 1915. Tom Longboat (Onondaga) set the Boston
Marathon course record in 1907. Notah Begay III (Navajo) won both the
1995 Walker Cup and the 2000 Presidents Cup.
There is no honor is taking Indian culture and spirituality and calling it halftime entertainment.
------::------Kathi Wesho-Bauer of Romance is coordinator of the Indigenous Talking Circle, a project of the Women's Project.