The Great American Pass Time
In today’s multicultural society political correctness is a way of life. Despite such need for racial equality, the Native American race, or in this case we can state Native for short, is a group of people where they are continually being stereotyped and demeaned. Racial names and references to the Native people is widely used in athletic circles in ways that tend to represent them in a negative light. One could also associate the physical activity of sports to be synonymous with the savage stereotype of the Native American’s tribal ancestry. It is well known that historically the Native American people have been deceived time and again by outsiders robbing them of their land and culture, only now to have their dignity stripped away by being falsely represented all for the sake of the “Great American Pass Time.” In the modern world of professional sports, the exploitation of the Native American race and culture is commonly used in their team names and mascots.
Having been the original race of the Americas, history dictates that the Native Americans were promised so much from the invading European outsiders, and yet their lands were being taken from under their feet barely clinging on to a heritage very few now remember. As a side note, it is Interesting enough to say that this displacement of land heritage touches up on todays environmental dilemma since the Native American belief system is supported by their respect for the environment around them. The strategic and forceful exile of the Native Americans towards assigned land reservations were designed and concocted to continue the deception of racial coexistence. Eventually the Europeans took complete migration and political control of the continent and claiming it as their New World.
Prejudicial concepts and symbols of the Native American culture appear common place even now in our racially tolerated society. Since the advent of motion picture and television, the media has been a source of negative stereotyping with the Native culture. An example of such stereotyping include the misconception of how tipis are used as living spaces. At some point in early history, tipis were used as dwellings by certain, but not all, Native American tribes. Tipis are no longer used, however, to live inside by any Native people, except for ceremonial purposes where a three day Pow-wow is conducted that involves outdoor sacred praying, or indoor prayer for sweats with heated rocks which this would be representative of the Mother Earth’s “womb.” Natives believe that inside this tipi of heated rocks, with the use of certain herbal medicines such as Sage and Sweet Grass, that this is the closest to one’s Grandfather because the womb is were you first grow in life. Intimate knowledge such as the Native use of the tipi structure tend to be lacking in the American educational system, a system where European history and ideals are the focus of general teachings. In most lower grade history and social studies courses, the textbooks state the great discovery of America was originally founded by a man named Christopher Columbus. Columbus’ well known discover instills a false foundation and misconception in children about the original heritage of the American land. In reality Columbus was lost during his voyage in mapping trade routes for Spain and founded a place of rest on the shores of what was then thought of as India. Columbus and his people were taken and embraced by the local natives whom they called “Indians” (obviously due to the idea that they had settled on the country of India). The Europeans considered the locals to be savage, but out of contradiction it was they who savagely took over the newly founded land and claimed it as their own. The act of a hostile take over is known in times of war, but the settlement of the Europeans were conducted in deception and misdirected trust. Even though the discovery Columbus made holds true, the misguided use of this historical fact is an indication of how the Europeans slowly assimilated their own culture, leading the Native culture to near extinction.
Despite the racial equality which has evolved over the decades in American society, the wide use of pejorative terms against the Native American race is commonly seen in professional team sports. Baseball franchises such as the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians identify their teams by using racially false names that obviously tie in with the Native American people. Racial slurs are a common practice in bigotry to demean other nationalities. Though the term “Indian” to most may not be considered pejorative, the term can be offensive to the Native community and thus the Cleveland Indians’ incorrect use of the term “Indian” could be seen as being racial. The Atlanta baseball team using the name “Braves” may not seem derogatory as well; however, with their logo, whom they named Chief Noc-A-Homa, indicate that their named originated from a reference to a Native American warrior. Unlike Cleveland, the Atlanta Braves discontinue the use of their mascot due to its racial connotation. In the realm of football teams, the Washington Redskin’s racial reference to the Native skin tone and characteristics have an ongoing controversial one. As such with racial slurs, the skin tone of a minority race is also commonly use as a form of bigotry to label and identify different nationalities, for example “Black” for Afro-Americans, “Yellow” for Asian-Americans, and in this case “Redskin” for Native Americans. Similar to the Atlanta Braves logo, the Washington Redskins’ team mascot is a stereotypical image of a Native American chieftain and thus would give credence to their blatant use of the name Redskins referring the a Native American person. In addition to the team name, the connotation of a physical contact sport such as football can comparatively be coincided with the racial idealism of Native Americans being native savages. The historical origin of name “Redskin” was used when the hunters of the Native people would bring in scalps of their enemies along with skins of animals. The hunters would then deal and bargain for the sale of the items and quote something to the effect of that he had 2 bearskins, a couple of beaver skins...and a few scalps. This term "scalp" offended the good Christian community community and they suggested that another name be used to refer to the hunted items. So then the hunters began referring to the hunted items as "Redskins," substituting their advertising as bearskin, deer skins, and... "Redskins." The term was adopted based on the description of the bloody inside part of the scalp being red and the skin of an animal which the Native Americans consider humans as equal to other animals of the land. Despite this rather innocent origin of the term “Redskin,” the term was ultimately resurrected during the era of Western films as reference to the skin tone of a Native American.
Prejudice of any kind is unacceptable in a civil society but still this modern day civil society allows such blatant display of racial immoralities. Much of the athletic franchises claim their use of stereotype labels for many of their team names and mascots, is out of respect and honor of those nationalities; however, the Native American community in Cleveland often protest outside of the Cleveland baseball stadium during their home games. The protests are partly due to how the fans offensively decorate themselves with red faces, false big-noses, and buckteeth in resemblance to Cleveland Indian logo. In addition to the protesting, there are also individuals in the Native American community that fight and oppose such atrocities to their heritage such as Suzan Harjo, a Native herself and a well known advocate for her people. In 1992, Harjo lead a movement for the termination the use Washington Redskins’ use of the term “Redskins” in their team name. Unfortunately the court ruled in favor for the football franchise, finding that the case showed no evidence of disparagement. How Native stereotype became heavily involved in competitive sports is unknown to most people, and despite over 50 years of protest from the Native American community the political “powers that be” tend to turn a blind eye to their plea of equality. Regardless of whether the intent is good or bad, the use of Native American slurs in team names and mascots in professional athleticism does not change the original meaning behind them.
Sports and athleticism is a form of game play and recreation that is common to all of us. The essence of competitive sports is drawn by the very roots of humanity, where we find honor and gratification in such engagement... but where is the honor when an entire nation of people is being exploited? The origin of the name Redskins came from the hunters of the Native American tribes, but evolved to a pejorative term to racially indentify a Native American person. Despite direct protest from the Native people themselves, the professional football franchise of the Washington Redskins have yet to change this disrespectful name regardless of its racial connotation. The accused claim such representation is not to exploit the Native culture but to honor their nation. Though many racial controversies such as the Redskins have been made famous due to their professional league status, several localized public schools are also caught up in such scandal. Several schools in the greater Seattle region have been focal points in the denigrating use of the Native American nation for their team mascots.
The Northwest area is a region of the United States that maintains a rich Native American heritage, and even houses a large number of tribes such as the Duwamish and Tulalip. Just in the state of Washington alone, many of its cities are named after the local Native communities, in fact the city of Seattle itself was named in honor of a Native American chieftain. Most believe the same honor and respect is extended when many of the local schools have their team mascots named after terms or icons relating to the Native American race or culture. That may have been true in the past, but as the issue with the Washington Redskins has brought to light, today we live in a multi-cultural society where political correctness is the modern way of life. Some community locals in the greater Seattle region are aware of and sympathize with the racial sensitivity such labeling can cause, and have requested mascot changes be made in their school districts that denigrate the Natives of America; such as, West Seattle High, Issaquah High, and Brier Middle schools. These community efforts were a big milestone, and there were of course resistance but most embraced the change.
http://www.bluecorncomics.com/mascots.htm
a href="http://www.allarm.org">
