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To most American Indians it is absolutely abhorrent for a professional football team to use the color of their skin as their team mascot. As a matter of fact, we oftentimes refer to the mascot of the Washington professional football team as the R word because to us it is as hideous as the N word is to African Americans. The use of an Indian name in and of itself for mascots is not offensive, but it is what the fans (short for fanatic) do with it that is reprehensible. Native Americans suffer the highest rates of violent crimes committed by people of another race. In schools, Native children suffer bullying when there are misuses of Native culture used in sporting events. When they paint their faces, stick turkey feathers in their hair, and do those awful Hollywood chants, it then starts to become insulting and racist to Native Americans. Imagine if you will a team with a mascot called the Zulus. Would African Americans be offended if the white fans painted their faces black, put Afro wigs on their heads, and waved spears in the air while chanting their perception of African war songs? Why%uFFFDname teams for the color of a people's skin - %uFFFD"Redskins?" Why not a mascot for the Blackskins, Brownskins or Yellow Skins? At one Washington Redskin football game the fans painted a pig red, put feathers on its head, and ran it around the football field. What if they had painted it black, put an Afro wig on its head, and then chased it around the football field. Would the African American fans consider this an honor? If the sports fans want to honor Native Americans, honor our treaties. You do not honor us by making us mascots for America's fun and games. In fact, just the opposite is true. If the fans of these teams choose to honor these symbols for their sports teams, so be it. But when they take real life American Indians and turn them into cartoon caricatures and then mimic them by painting their faces, donning feathers, and doing the tomahawk chop, they cross that thin line called racism.
NYIMAMAHRPO says ...
On Thursday, Nov 13 at 10:25 PM
Heya, I am totally p'od that ND people don't seem to get it. Knowing people there, they seem to be ok : 'Fighting Sioux' ... I say 'Nasty Scandies' ... Imagine the ND 'Nasty Scandies' as a team motto. I can -it fits the area's psyche! Go: ND NS'ers!!
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