Native American Mascots

Native American Mascots

            Off the top of your head you probably can’t think of too many mascots with Native American themes. But, the more you think about it the more you can come up with. When we first brought up this topic up in class I thought of the ones close to my home and I was familiar with. I thought of the Warriors, the Chiefs, the Indians, and the Sioux.  At the end of class we had talked about so many different Native American mascots that I would have never thought of without looking them up. I didn’t realize how many Native American mascots we have here representing groups of people. Lately, many people remain unsure if we should allow schools or professional sports teams to have Native American themes representing them.

Individuals talk about Native American Mascots being dishonorable, rude, stereotypical, and disrespectful.  The Washington Indians think that the Redskins football team should not be called the Redskins, that the tribe deserves to be treated as what they are, Americans (Shaw). I think some tribes take more offense to Native American mascots than other tribes. Not only are some names more offensive than others, but the logos as well. Even if the name is appropriate, the logo may not be. The Fighting Sioux logo has more of a traditional Native American head, but the Cleveland Indian’s logo is represented by a red skinned guy with huge white teeth.

I have also listened to another side of this situation. Representing Native Americans nationally makes individuals think tribes feel honored. Schools think that they are honoring them and doing them a favor by adopting mascots based on aboriginal people and culture (Deitrich). Now, inputs from Native Americans themselves do not exist thinking they know what is insulting or not. Instead, they are assuming that they know the tribes culture and traditions.

The one side I have not heard a lot of feedback from is the Native Americans themselves. I have not heard if the majority of them like the idea of their school being represented by a Native American theme. From observation of the locals around Arlee, I have noticed that some schools really do have a lot of school spirit; whether it’s the Browning Indians wearing headdresses at sporting events, or a huge percentage of the Arlee community supporting the Warriors and standing proud of the name. Opinions from the Native Americans should outweigh everyone else’s dealing with this issue. I feel that I don’t really have a say on this concern because I have a very small percentage of Native American. I do not participate in traditional ceremonies or anything that would teach me the ways of the tribe.

I personally like the Native American mascots and would like to think that the tribes feel honored. But, the nation should have more opinions from the Native Americans themselves rather than assuming their feelings about this issue. Instead of assuming what is best for these tribes and how they would like to be honored, I think those of us who aren’t personally insulted should step back and think about those who are. If the tribes feel insulted by stereotypes or dishonorable actions, why don’t we change something to make them feel like we appreciate them rather than making them up to be something they aren't.

Works Cited

Deitrich, Erick. Fast Focus: Should Mascots be culturaly sensitive? Honoring the group. 25 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.

Shaw, Alexis. 'Change the Mascot’ Campaign Hits Washington Redskins. 8 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.