American Indian Sports Team Mascots
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The Spanish Fork Press, July 22, 1909		 "For many years there had been suspended from a smoke-stained beam...a trophy of the early days he had spent on the shore of the lake.  It was an Indian's scalp."

"'You ask me why I keep that thing in the house?   When I first came here...I hadn't but one white man for a neighbor and he lived two miles away...But I had plenty of another kind.  There were wild beasts and savages on all sides, and there were times when they both gave me lots of trouble.   With the beasts I could get along pretty well...But with the redskins it was different.  It wasn't no use to try and thin them out, although there was times when I had to try my hand at it...You never could tell for a certainty when they were friendly to you or when they were waiting for a good chance to take your scalp....The redskin looked as ugly as p'izen.  "'White man let it alone or Injun have his scalp' he cried, as he drew his knife."  'You'll have to take it first, you thieving redskin', said I."       
From the Library of Congress -  The Spanish Fork Press, July 22, 1909  
 

This 1909 fictional story from Utah  illustrates how the dehumanizing racial slur exploited for generations by the Washington, D.C., NFL team was used in popular culture,  the legacy of which continues to this day.    Besides being a form of symbolic slavery that allows users to define, exploit, and manipulate concepts about both historic and living Native Peoples, the institutionalized use of stereotypical "Indian" sports team tokens may also be thought to serve as symbolic war trophies.

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Redskin, Tanned Hide: A Book of Christian History
Bound in the Flayed Skin of an American Indian:
The Colonial Romance, christian Denial and
the Cleansing of a christian School of Theology.  
- A scholarly paper by Dr.  Tink Tinker, Wazhazhe / Osage Nation -

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Illuminative
Created and led by Native peoples, IllumiNative is a nonprofit
initiative designed to increase the visibility of – and challenge the
negative narrative about – Native Nations and peoples in American society.		 Reclaiming Native Truth
 First Nations Development Institute
Research Findings: Compilation of all Research

Complete Text United States Commission on Civil Rights  Position Statement on the use of Native American Images and Nicknames as Sports Symbols.  Also see the 2021 Briefing Report of the Nebraska Advisory Committee to the USCCR on Civil Rights and the Impact of Native American Names, Symbols, and Imagery in School Mascots
Summary of the American Psychological Association  Resolution Recommending Retirement of American Indian Mascots.  The full resolution is here.

National Congress  of American Indians Position Statement  - "Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports & the Era of Harmful 'Indian' Sports Mascots  The NCAI is the largest, oldest, and most representative of all American Indian advocacy organizations

Inter-Tribal mascot resolution by the Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Muskogee Nations  "representing over 400,000 people throughout the United States"
National Indian Education Association resolution calling "for the immediate elimination of race-based Indian logos, mascots, and names from educational institutions throughout the Nation."

American Indian and Alaska Native Society of Indian Psychologists statement on retiring Native American mascots "because of a variety of concerns related to the ethical practice of psychology."

Resolution by the American Counseling Association calling for the elimination of stereotypic American Indian imagery

Council of the American Sociological Association Statement  on Discontinuing the Use of Native American Nicknames, Logos and Mascots in Sport
United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET)  resolution calling on the National Football League to end the use of the Washington, D.C.  racially offensive slur team name.   USET

Study:  The Psychological Consequences of American Indian Mascots

2020 Study:  The psychosocial effects of Native American mascots:
A comprehensive review of empirical research findings


World Wide Web Exclusive!! 
 Of Polls and Race Prejudice: Sports Illustrated "Errant 'Indian Wars'" 

 Also see  2004 Annenberg Survey Designers Acknowledge Invalid Results  And  11 Reasons to Ignore the old 2004 Annenberg Survey About the Washington Football Team's Offensive Name  
Educators' Resources
Scholarly articles, resolutions, 
school related material		 Dozens of Resolutions and 
More Educator Resources		 Psychological aspects 
A summary of some primary psychological issues related to the use of "Indian" sports team tokens		 Frequently Asked Questions 
"There is today no single word more offensive to Indian people then the term "redskins," a racial epithet..."     Vine Deloria Jr. 

"Offensive Slang: Used as a disparaging term for a Native American"  

"dated:  offensive an American Indian" 

Slang: "Often Disparaging and Offensive"     

Yahoo Education  

Oxford Dictionaries    Dictionary.com  
"An American Indian: now considered by many to be an offensive term" 

"Offensive Slang:  "Used as a disparaging term for a Native American"

"usually offensive"   

Your Dictionary   

 The Free Dictionary

 Mirriam-Webster

Bing Search for Recent American Indian Sports Team Mascots Related News Articles
Washington NFL team's 
"Lone Star Dietz" was  a fraud
Team's first owner, George Preston Marshall, was an avowed racist and proud segregationist whose choice of team name has earned him the label of "the most notable and influential racist in NFL history."

Timeline: A Century of Racist Sports Team Names


Salon - Nothing scarier than a nervous white man: The 'Redsk*ns' debate is really about white privilege  The debate about the Washington Redsk*ns name is all wrong: It's really a symbol of white fear in a changing nation

Google Search for Recent American Indian Sports Team Mascots Related News Articles

 "What is needed down there is some wholesome discipline for rampant redskins.  The proportion of flour, bacon and blankets issued to them is out of the proportion to the metallic cartridges administered in the way that would do them the most good."

From the Library of Congress: 
St. Paul Daily Globe., June 24, 1885
Oneida Sponsored 30-Page Study Yields Scientific Evidence Showing "Indian" mascots Harm Native Americans

2020 - New study shows Washington Redskins' name, Native mascots offend more than previously reported 
06/04/14 - Survey Shows 67 Percent of Native Americans Say "Redskinsï  Is Offensive      Washington, D.C./National
The survey's findings from The Center for Indigenous Peoples Studies at California State University, San Bernardino

                                                         Oct. 2013 Washington, D.C. Poll Results 
* 59% Agreed that if referred to as a "redsk*n" a Native American person has the right to feel offended.
* 55% Stated that as a fan  it would not make any difference to them if the Washington NFL team changed its name.
* 58% Stated they would feel comfortable if  the Washington NFL team changed its name.

In a 2001 survey by Indian Country Today, 81 percent of respondents indicated use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots are predominantly offensive and deeply disparaging to Native Americans.

This mascots database lists thousands of schools that use Native American related sports team tokens.

"28 schools in 18 states were once the Redskins, but now currently use another mascot.   Capital News Service fact‒checked  data and found that the Washington Redskins had overstated the number of schools using the name."   National database index of  Native American-related mascots

It was only for the love of money that cowardly Dan Snyder caved in on his pledge to "NEVER" change his team's racist name.  All the rest of this still stands.    Get with it people!
         ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dan Snyder, Bruce Allen, Roger Goodell, NFL, MLB, and all relevant others large and small:   

        So-called "good" intentions or "context" do not matter one bit when the final outcomes arising from the institutionalized, race-related practices you clearly endorse and promote have negative impacts on real, living American Indian people, especially children, adolescents and teens.  

        It is one thing to claim innocent ignorance concerning such things.   It is quite another to continue the practices after having been told for years by many highly respected American Indian, civil rights, religious, and education organizations about the problems such actions, and by extension, you now personally cause.    The damaging practices have therefore become willful on your part and no amount of denials, public relations gimmicks, phony polls, cherry picking, high-priced lawyers or slick rationalizations can change that.     Such tangible actions speak much louder than hollow, even if genuinely well-meaning words about "tradition" and "showing respect."   How can you be "honoring" someone when they are telling you that what you're doing is hurtful to them?  And how telling it is that those who hang on to these outdated and demeaning practices care more about "their"  cherished 'Indian'" sports team tokens than they do about living American Indian peoples.

        The long overdue time has come to do the right and honorable thing.   Stop stereotyping,  dehumanizing, and exploiting American Indian peoples for your sports entertainment, self-inflation, and financial gain.  Stop bringing shame on yourselves, your leagues, teams, schools, communities, and our nation.   The embarrassment and humiliation you cause yourselves will only increase and get worse the longer you delay.   Time is not your ally but rather something that works against you

        Get on the right side of history.   Embrace progress.    Promote justice and unity.   American Indian peoples past and present are not mascots for big business or fun and games.      Retire your outdated, harmful, race-related practices now!

>>> NEWS <<<


Artwork by Marty Two Bulls
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University of Kansas - Research shows prejudice, not principle, often underpins 'free-speech defense' of racist language
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09/09/21  Native student received death threats over school mascot change suggestions                 Fairfield, Ohio

09/07/21  Native American mascots: A look into conversations happening in Ohio's K-12 schools                Ohio

09/07/21  Advocates continue efforts for Wisconsin school districts to drop use of Native American mascots              Wisconsin

09/03/21  Ohio schools have more Native American mascots than any other state. Will that change?                Ohio

09/03/21  Kickapoo High makes changes after push to remove Chiefs mascot, logo, traditions              Springfield,  Missouri

08/31/21  He won the fight over Fresno High’s mascot. The backlash has been ‘weird’ and ‘racist’            Fresno, California

08/31/21  Decades of activism helping to eliminate Native American mascots            National

08/28/21  Editorial by school board trustee in community that is 95+% white touts tired excuses to avoid his district's  use of  race-related "Braves" mascot                 Circleville, Ohio

08/27/21  Wilton keeps Warriors name, removes Native American imagery in 'W' logo                 Wilton, Connecticut

08/26/21  Cuyahoga Heights removing ‘Redskins’ nickname, effective immediately, after board of education vote                   Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio

08/26/21  Native American mascots akin to ‘Blackface’; Ohio resolution seeks to eliminate them in schools             Ohio

08/26/21  Morris Herald-News to stop using Morris High School racial slur nickname in its coverage           Morris, Illinois

08/26/21  Litchfield: Per new state law, Wamogo high school prepares to remove Native American images             Litchfield, Connecticut

08/25/21  Bill would ban Native American mascots in New Hampshire schools               New Hampshire

08/25/21  Cuyahoga Heights school board to vote on retiring Redskins mascot                    Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio

08/24/21  Survey finds Notre Dame’s leprechaun mascot is the 4th most offensive. Top three appropriate the image of Native Americans.               South Bend, Indiana/National

08/24/21  School board caves in to community pressure and choses to keep its harmful racial mascot instead of standing up for Native people            Easton, Pennsylvania

08/24/21  School board opts to avoid discussion on its racial mascot by waiting until after board member election in November                    Indianola, Iowa

08/23/21  Indianola to hear opinions on school mascot August 23          Indianola, Iowa

08/20/21  Toledo to become the Riverhawks                Toledo,  Washington  

08/20/21  Saugatuck Public Schools Transition from “Indians” to “Trailblazers”              Saugatuck, Michigan  

08/19/21  High school teams use nicknames too racist for the NFL. What can be done?               Neshaminy and Sayre, Pennsylvania

08/18/21  20+ year sports columnist with Tulsa World reports ongoing process soon should result in a new mascot/nickname for school using racial slur                Tulsa, Oklahoma

08/17/21  Tulsa Public Schools to work with committee to change Native American mascots, imagery              Tulsa, Oklahoma

08/17/21  Colorado governor voids 1864 order to kill Native Americans.  Acknowledgment of history and movement toward reconciliation among order's reasons.              Colorado

08/16/21  'They know it's wrong.' Some call on Scouts to change use of Native American culture           Missouri/National

08/12/21  Ohio lawmakers urge schools to retire Native American mascots.  Resolution introduced.                  Ohio

08/11/21  Committee recommends stopping use of Native American imagery in Canton         Canton,  Connecticut

08/10/21  Valparaiso University drops "Crusaders" mascot with link to KKK in favor of "Beacons"               Valparaiso,  Indiana

08/09/21  Kalama chooses salmon mascot                Kalama, Washington

08/08/21  Camanche School District retires "Indian" mascot with an alumni celebration              Camanche, Iowa

08/04/21  Washington Football Team bans headdresses, face paint in new stadium policy             Landover, Maryland

08/04/21  Indigenous parents explain why Cleveland Guardians name change means so much             Cleveland, Ohio
"I’ve been waiting for the day to be able to take my family to a game," one dad says.

08/03/21  'Indians' still: Talks to drop Ketcham HS moniker on hold a year after push to change             Wappingers Falls, New York

08/03/21  Legislation to change Native American team names lacks momentum in Arizona.  Extreme politics reported as cause.                Arizona

08/02/21  Oklahoma School for the Deaf replaces Indian mascot              Sulphur, Oklahoma

07/30/21  Cleveland Guardians' name change isn't the end of fight against racist symbols in sports             Cleveland, Ohio/National

07/28/21  Public speaks out about 'Brave' mascot at Newton school board meeting               Newton, New Jersey

07/28/21  The long road to a reckoning on racist team names               National

07/26/21  Wilson Area School District will stop future use of Native American logo.  Concerns raised over continued use of  Warriors as name.        Easton,  Pennsylvania

07/25/21  Cleveland's MLB name change should set example for high schools            Texas

07/25/21  This Penobscot Baseball Player Inspired The Cleveland Indians Name ‘For All The Wrong Reasons’                        Maine/Cleveland, Ohio

07/23/21  Cleveland’s Indigenous community celebrates Guardians name change and hopes schools with Native mascots follow suit           Cleveland, Ohio

07/23/21  Cleveland Indians’ name change hailed by Native American groups           Cleveland, Ohio

07/23/21  Cleveland unveils new team name, logos: Cleveland Guardians           Cleveland, Ohio

07/22/21  Report:  Cleveland Indians have picked a new name, but aren’t quite ready to announce it             Cleveland, Ohio

07/19/21  Lemont High School Drops ‘Indians' Name For Mascot Following District Vote           Lemont, Illinois

07/19/21  Lamar High School in Colorado uses a racist term as a mascot. Will they pay for changes or fines?             Lamar, Colorado

07/18/21  New Colorado law banning most American Indian mascots forces schools to confront cultural shifts              Colorado   

07/15/21  North Haven schools retire 'Indians' team and mascot name                  North Haven, Connecticut  

07/15/21  North Haven's Board of Education retires the district's 'Indians' mascot            North Haven, Connecticut  

07/14/21  State racial equity commission advocates eliminating American Indian mascots at Kansas schools            Kansas

07/14/21  Portland Winterhawks replace Native American logo and mascot. Former logo was the same as that still used by the Chicago hockey team.            Portland, Oregon

07/14/21  Dartmouth Officials Set Public Meeting for Indian Logo Input      Dartmouth, Massachusetts

07/13/21  Indiana-Manual drops its 90 year-old racial slur nickname as school transitions to new leadership               Indianapolis, Indiana

07/13/21  Kansas school chooses replacement for Native American mascot           Atchison, Kansas

07/13/21  Year Since Washington Change, Native American Imagery in Sports Still Evolving                      Washington, DC/National

07/12/21  Washington, DC, NFL team announces its pending new identity will unequivocally depart from any use of or approximate linkage to Native American imagery     Washington, DC/National

07/09/21  Regressive school board members chose to prolong divisive community controversy by returning district's  "Indians" mascot             Cambridge, New York

07/09/21  Fate of school’s Indians mascot in hands of Hart Union High School District board         Santa Clarita, California

07/09/21  Bans on Native American mascots pick up after Washington Football Team name change              National

07/06/21  ‘Red-Tailed Hawk’ chosen as new Cheyenne Mountain High School mascot to replace the ‘Indians’           Colorado Springs, Colorado

07/06/21  Dehumanizing Native American Mascots Must Go, Nighthawks Are Ahead Of The Curve          Newtown, Connecticut statewide 

07/03/21  JHS To Adopt New Logo And Mascot             Jamestown. NY   

07/03/21  Bellingham High School makes mascot change              Bellingham, Washington

07/02/21  Tribal leaders hope Wyoming follows Colorado's lead on mascot ban, tuition                 Wyoming

07/02/21  An explanation and brief history of the Kansas City Chiefs’ name controversy      Kansas City, Missouri/National

07/01/21  Washington NFL team that retired its racial slur name fined $10 million for 'bullying and intimidation' at workplace           Washington, DC

06/30/21  Frederick High to retire mascot as required by new state law           Longmont, Colorado

06/29/21  Colorado public schools banned from having American Indian mascots under new law              Colorado

06/29/21  Spokane Public Schools Board to pick new North Central mascot on Wednesday            Spokane, Washington

06/29/21  Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities calls for an end to the use of Native American imagery as school mascots in the state          Connecticut

06/28/21  Colorado bans Native American mascots              Colorado

06/28/21  Northern Arapaho leaders applaud signing of Colorado legislation that has local impacts       Colorado

06/28/21  Connecticut to Withhold Funding From Towns Appropriating Indigenous Culture Under New Law            Connecticut

06/28/21  Funding from the Native American Heritage Fund will help three more schools change their mascots           Saugatuck, Lansing, and Okemos, Michigan

06/27/21  Wilcox Technical High School considers dropping ‘Indians’ nickname      Meriden, Connecticut

06/24/21  Central High School to change Native American mascot           Grand Junction, Colorado 

06/24/21  Clinton reveals new logo for Redwolves nickname           Clinton, Michigan

06/24/21  Central High School to change Native American mascot            Grand Junction, Colorado

06/24/21  Kansas Commission on Racial Equity and Justice examines schools’ use of American Indian mascots                Kansas
See the full report here

06/23/21  Two Native American mascots to be discontinued in Marysville             Washington   

06/24/21  Lumbee tribal leaders speak out against school’s mascot               Belmont, North Carolina

06/23/21  'Offensive and demeaning.' NC tribe wants school board to remove high school mascot       Belmont, North Carolina

06/21/21  Push to ban Native American mascots accelerates amid year of racial reckoning               National

06/21/21  Spokesman for national Inuit organization discusses changes made to name of Edmonton's pro soccer team        Edmonton,  Canada

06/21/21  Lawyer who lost job after being accused of racism plans to contest Colorado's mascot law on behalf of radical right-wing propaganda group           Colorado

06/20/21  Racial equity panel examines schools’ use of American Indian mascots               Kansas

06/18/21  Coxsackie-Athens drops Indians image, nickname in 6-3 vote      Coxsackie, New York

06/18/21  Cambridge school board retires "Indians" name and mascot           Cambridge, New York

06/17/21  Other school districts have retired mascot            Pennsylvania

06/16/21  La Conner School District, Swinomish tribe to take look at name Braves         La Conner, Washington

06/16/21  Washington Post contributing columnist notes a New York school district confronts hatred in its yearbook — if not its mascot name          Cambridge, New York

06/16/21  Cambridge school board delays vote on retiring their "Indians" name and mascot again            Cambridge, New York

06/16/21  Tulsa school  district that retired its R******s name after years long controversy seeks suggestions for a new mascot       Tulsa, Oklahoma 

06/16/21  West Canada Valley Central School District Indians or a new mascot? Some are seeking a change          Newport, New York

06/15/21  Towns With Native American Mascots Set to Lose Funding Under Budget Bill            Connecticut

06/14/21 Seneca Valley retires Indian-related mascot, imagery                    Harmony, Pennsylvania

06/11/21  Exposé reveals school district's white supremacist leanings and a dodgy far-right propaganda machine that supports racist mascots       Neshaminy, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

06/11/21  Hillsborough School Board To Revisit Mascot Changes Again                 Hillsborough, Florida

06/10/21  Award winning journalist says that despite court ruling, Neshaminy High's racist nickname must go     Neshaminy, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

06/09/21  Students pitch name change to community            Harmony, Pennsylvania

06/08/21  Seneca Valley School Board to consider policy to retire Native American imagery          Harmony, Pennsylvania

06/05/21  Nevada bans 'racially discriminatory mascots' and 'sundown sirens' that were once used to tell Native Americans to leave town.         Nevada

06/04/21  American Indian Mascots Will Soon Be Banned in Colorado Public Schools                    Colorado 

06/03/21  'They Need To Understand The Harm': How Indian Mascots Affect Native American Students                  Massachusetts

06/03/21  Cleveland Indians narrowing, vetting final list of new team names                   Cleveland, Ohio

05/28/21  National organization voices support for retirement of 'Raider' name        Rutland, Vermont  

05/28/21  United Tribes of Michigan approve efforts to remove "Indian Killer" Custer monument          Monroe, Michigan

05/27/21  Mascot bill advances to full House            Colorado

05/25/21  'Chiefs' no more: Okemos school board votes to nix nickname, adopt replacement by 2023            Okemos, Michigan

05/22/21  CNN Drops Rick Santorum After Racist Comments About Native Americans                 National

05/22/21  Canton committee to review Warriors nickname begins holding meetings             Connecticut

05/17/21  The struggle against Native ‘mascots’ erupts in Tennessee town          Cookeville, Tennessee

05/17/21  North Haven Starts Path To New Mascot              North Haven, Connecticut

05/16/21  As Native American mascots and imagery are removed, old wounds stay intact           Savannah, Missouri/statewide/national

05/16/21  Nielsen survey finds fans applaud the shift away from the appropriation of Native American culture as mascots        National

05/14/21  NY State Association of School Psychologists "calls for an immediate end to the use of Indigenous symbols as mascots for schools and school-associated sports teams"           New York

05/13/21  Spokane Public Schools voted unanimously to change the mascots and symbols of several local schools                Spokane, Washington

05/12/21  Minor league team's name review process questioned.  Newspaper stops using team's name in print.      Indianapolis, Indiana 

05/10/21  Board to take action on Sheridan name, finding new mascots for North Central High School and Garry Middle School                Spokane, Washington

05/10/21  Committee recommends changing of mascot to Morris High School board.  Suggests discontinuing Redskins mascot at end of 2021-22 school year          Morris, Illinois

05/08/21  Retiring school mascots              New York

05/07/21  Spokane Tribe Says No To Native American Mascots                 Washington

05/06/21  Kansas Native Americans Say Shawnee Mission Schools 'Long Overdue' In Retiring Native Mascots          Kansas

05/06/21  Three more Shawnee Mission schools adopt new mascots, dropping Native American ones

05/06/21  Minooka High School Board Once Again Grilled By Public Over Indians Mascot            Minooka, Illinois

05/05/21  Goodbye, Shawnee Mission North Indians. Here is the high school’s new mascot, the bison          Shawnee Mission, Kansas

05/03/21  Susquehanna Township School District retires Indian mascot, logo           Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania


For many more news articles visit  the Archives Section.
 
Nationally syndicated cartoon 2002 Cleveland, Ohio April 4, 2014





Click on image or follow this link to a collection of  American Indian sports team mascot related cartoons.

August 2000
Hank Aaron Steps Up to the Plate on the Use of Native American Names and Mascots in Sport

1937 - 1960
Index of Animated Warner Brothers 
Cartoons  Depicting "Indians"

 For more resolutions and related information visit the Educators' and More Educators' Resources sections By exploiting and fueling a divisive controversy that Dartmouth College willfully helped to create, The Dartmouth Review  featured the above image and headline in its 11/28/06 edition.
The following categories provide useful information but are dormant and have not been kept current

Educators' Resources
Scholarly articles, resolutions, 
school related material

Psychological aspects 
A summary of some primary psychological issues related to the use of "Indian" sports team tokens

Archives
Past news articles, videos, books, etc.,

 Chronology
Documenting many significant events over more than 50 year 		Get Involved Now! Lists of "Indian" mascot users  
List of organizations  endorsing changes to "Indian" sports team, logos, mascots, nicknames, and symbols Trailblazers
List of schools and Others 
That Have Changed "Indian" Mascots 		Related links
 Issue specific, American Indian, propaganda, and human rights		 Site map
List of major headings and items found on this site		 Action Alert   
Notices of events and activities
 


"...[M]ascot came into English as a borrowing of the French word mascotte, meaning 'mascot, charm.' The English word is first recorded in 1881 shortly after the French word, itself first recorded in 1867, was popularized by the opera La Mascotte, performed in December 1880. The French word in turn came from the Modern Proven'al word mascoto, 'piece of witchcraft, charm, amulet,' a feminine diminutive of masco, 'witch.' This word can probably be traced back to Late Latin masca, 'witch, specter.' ...."
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright 1992

Pulp fiction novel cover
Circa 1908

"I am not a sports team mascot. With all due respect to the teams who want to honor me by having a Native American mascot, it's outdated. It's the wrong way."
Billy Mills, Oglala Lakota
U.S. gold-medal winner in the 10,000 meters at the 1964 Olympics and inspirational spokesman  (2005)

"We simply chose an Indian as the emblem. We could have just as easily chosen any uncivilized animal."
Eighth Grade student writing about his school's mascot (1997)

"We don't view it as looking down on the race...We're not trying to make light of anyone or certainly not ridiculing anyone." 
Jim Arganbright
Athletic director at Coshocton H.S., Coshocton, Ohio (2003) which uses an "Indian head" doormat to compliment its ethnic slur team identity,

In a survey by Indian Country Today, 81 percent of respondents indicated use of American Indian names, symbols and mascots are predominantly offensive and deeply disparaging to Native Americans. 

Pulp fiction novel cover - Circa 1908


"Cowboys finish off Redskins"
Headline from a 1998 
Washington Post sports article 

Pulp fiction novel cover
Circa 1908

"The ridicule, mockery and utter racism Native Americans are subject to because of the use of Indian mascots are intolerable."
Tex Hall, President (2003-2005)
National Congress of American Indians 

"The high school's mascot is a student dressed in a buckskin outfit who wears a mask with a big nose, large lips, large eyes, big cheeks and long, black hair." "If we thought it was offensive, we wouldn't do it."
Sam Cook, Principal 
Watkins Memorial H.S.
 Pataskala, Ohio (2003)

"People have a tendency to try to make us different. We're not. We're just like all other high school kids." 
 Chris Dunshee, Principal
Red Lake High School
Red Lake, Minnesota, where a distraught 16 year-old American Indian student committed suicide after killing five of his peers and two adults. (2005)

Some "traditions" change.

Others do not.

slave

suffrage

illiniwek

redskins
Powerpoint presentation by Che Butler and Luhui Whitebear  created for the Oregon State Education Department  (Use keyboard arrows to navigate.  Press escape to exit)

 August 2005 -  Frequently asked questions about the institutionalized use of "Indian" sports team tokens

August 5, 2005 - NCAI Applauds NCAA Decision to Ban Use of Indian Mascots in Postseason Activities  
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian organization of its kind
Complete Text United States Commission on Civil Rights Position Statement on the Use of Native American Images and Nicknames as Sports Symbols
April 2005 - Illinois University's New Nickname - "The Losers"   It's Not Just About Sports
Sept. 2004 - Schwarzenneger OKs ethnic slur: Public schools rejoice
Aug. 2004 - Washington NFL team's "Indian" namesake a fraud
 

Stereotypical "Indian head" icons like this one are among the most common and may be thought of as symbolic war trophies.


"With the hope of capitalizing on Osceola's growing fame, Weedon had the corpse of the famed war leader beheaded and laid claim to many of Osceola's personal possessions and clothes. Osceola's head passed through several hands until 1843, when it came to Dr. Valentine Mott, who put it on display and later donated it to the Medical College of New York. It disappeared following a fire in 1865." *

                                   Donald L. Fixico
Seminole, Creek, Shawnee, Sac and Fox
 Western Michigan University

*  Despite this horrific history, FSU 
continues to use a mascot called 
"Chief Osceola."




College students perform the so-called, "tomahawk chop."  This aggressive gesture, simulating the use of a weapon, originated at Florida State University and is now also seen at other public school and  professional sports venues.  Its purpose is to intimidate opponents and cheer on the fans' teams.  The "tomahawk chop" is  typically accompanied by a sing-song, Hollywood style "war chant."

2005 NCAA mascot ban and FSU "Seminoles" facts

*  According to a published news account, over the course of the school's 154 year history only 3 members of the  Seminole Tribe have graduated from FSU.   

 Other revealing insights include: 

*  About 75 percent of the Seminole live in Oklahoma.

*  There are actually three Seminole tribes in Florida and only one tribal government - that which uses the name "Seminole Tribe of Florida" - has formally signed on to the use of the mascot.

*  The June 2005  resolution passed by the solitary Seminole Tribe of Florida regarding FSU's mascot was done so at the request of FSU President T.K. Wetherell. 

*  Prior to getting the June 2005 Seminole tribal endorsement Florida State announced, along with a number of other incentives, the establishment of scholarships covering 80% of tuition costs for "Seminole Scholars" recruited from reservations.

*  The Florida State Legislature includes "'the Seminole Caucus' - an unofficial but influential group of about two dozen state lawmakers who are Florida State alumni or have ties to the school."

*  "And then there's the university's impact in Tallahassee. Hundreds of Florida government officials are Florida State graduates and supporters. We deal with  these people every day, working with them to clean up the Everglades, to improve the roads that lead to our reservations and to support the public schools that many of our children attend."     
Jim Shore, general counsel of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, excerpt from remarks in NY Times op-ed piece 8/27/05

*  "The NCAA position on the use of Native American mascots, names and imagery has not changed, and the NCAA remains committed to ensuring an atmosphere of respect and sensitivity for all who participate in and attend our championships."  NCAA statement associated with withdrawing FSU from post-season championship ban.

This photograph from the movie "Schindler's List" shows actor Ben Kingsley in the role of Itzhak Stern as he walks on gravestones used by Nazis for paving.  Tomb markers from Jewish graves were broken and used as paving stones at Gestapo headquarters.  Some authorities report that Hitler was strongly influenced by the manner in which American Indians had been dealt with and viewed by the U.S. government.



UND Merchandise Item - "Fighting Sioux" Doormat 

"Embedded in the granite floor inside the main entrance to Ralph Engelstad Arena, an enormous American Indian-head logo spreads like a welcome mat in front of the larger-than-life statue of Engelstad himself."   

A major donor to the University of North Dakota (UND), 
Engelstad was a collector of Nazi memorabilia   

"... racial stereotypes are offensive, no matter what their origin....Images like these have no place in today's world.' 

White House spokesman Scott McClellan responding to Mexico's use of  the Memin Pinguin character on a postage stamp (left), June 2005.  At right is the "Chief Wahoo" icon used by the Cleveland, Ohio, major league baseball team. 

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