Native Mascots In Sport Essay Research Paper

Native Mascots In Sport Essay, Research Paper

Brody Stonehouse

Natives in Entertainment: Perpetuating Stereotypes

Ever since Europeans foremost colonized North America there has been an on-going

battle between native and non-native peoples. Even now after many bloody wars have been fought and land claims settled at that place continues to be many issues that need to be resolved. One such issue is the racialist and stereotyped portraiture of native people in modern media. Although word pictures of native people for amusement intents can sometimes be dignified and honoring, however such word pictures are normally derogative towards native people because they are culturally violative, racialist, and stereotyping.

On the head of the issue of native images in modern media is the usage of native names and Sons by athleticss squads. Many professional and recreational athleticss squads use native names and Sons that create culturally violative word pictures of native people. In recent old ages attending has been brought to such usage, and despite terrible protest squads continue to decline to alter their attitudes towards the usage of these violative images. Ted Turner, media baron and proprietor of baseball s Atlanta Braves, contests that the usage of Native American names and symbols is non meant to be violative to native people but alternatively is meant to honour them ( New York Post ) .

Joseph P. Gone, a native author for New York Magazine, does non believe that such portraitures are honoring towards native people. In his article Chief Illiniwek: Dignified or Damaging, a followup to the film In Whose Honor: University of Illinois Chief Illiniwek, Gone points out that the University s portraiture of the Chief is manifested by several inaccuracies. Gone goes on to state:

For decennaries the University promoted and the pupils believed that the cheifs dance was an reliable signifier of some Indian tribal jubilation. Whether or non the Chief s Dance was originally derived from a Lokota rite, it was adapted early on for athleticss events and presently resembles no traditional or modern-day look of dance known to native people ( New York Magazine ) .

The usage of native frock, chants and dances are non merely historically incorrect but they are besides a deceit of native people. Jeff Thomason, writer of Native Issues:2000 and Beyond, analyzes the stereotyped deceit of native people by postulating:

Teams that use Indian Son and mascots show us merely the archetypal stereotype Indian: 1 that wears war pigment, and dances wildly to a notional membranophone round during halftime. Each of these are specifying features of the Indian stereotype that has been spoon-fed to the American populace for over a century through such media as newspapers, books, sketchs and particularly Hollywood Westerns ( 64 ) .

Many different mediums of amusement are used to perpetuate common stereotypes associating to native people. Movies, telecasting and books are among the worst perpetrators for this type of pigeonholing. Until late it was non uncommon to see a film or telecasting show that depicted native people as stupid or barbarian. Footings such as pagan, brave and squaw were frequently used when mentioning to Native Americans.

One of the common subjects in modern media is the word picture of Native American s as the enemy. Francis Wood, a native militant, writes in his book Beneath the Cloud: Issues confronting Modern Natives Not merely are native people normally depicted as the enemy, which was partly true, but they are besides shown as the attacker which history Tells us is rather untrue ( 39 ) . Wood goes on to state Movies and telecasting have a long history of false portraitures of indigens, alternatively of acknowledging that there are many different folks, each with their ain diverse civilization, they lump all of us together into a prototypic Indian barbarian ( 67 ) .

Other common word pictures of native people show them as warlike, stupid, and barbarian. Hollywood is one of the primary forums for such stereotyping. Indian images are created in Hollywood by film makers whose primary involvement is to do money. Peoples doing determinations today had theses stereotypes perpetuated by such blatantly racist movies as The Searchers ( 1956 ) , The Unforgiven ( 1960 ) , and White Commanche ( 1968 ) ( Mihesuah 9,10 ) .

Even Children s scheduling is riddled with hurtful stereotypes. Rick Reilly, writes of on such stereotype in an article for Sport Magazine stating, Turn on TNT during the Thanksgiving season and you ll see an unambiguous jeer of the dimwitted, hook nosed, tomahawk-weilding, broken-English-speaking Redskin who was the crude foil for the jokes of Bugs Bunny ( 56 ) .

Devon Mihesuah, a University professor and expert in Indian dealingss, analyzes a more recent kids s movie Pocahontas stating that it epitomizes Hollywoods Commercialized attack. The heroine absurdly sings with wood animate beings, is clothed provokingly, and blessed with a Barbie doll figure ( 10 ) .

A major ailment of native people is the deficiency of positive Native American characters in films and telecasting. Many native kids grow up without the option of a positive function theoretical account of their ain family. Alvin M. Josephy Jr. writes of the stereotypes normally associated with indigens noticing:

One of the digesting features of Indian-White relationships has been the susceptibleness of non-Indians to believing about Native Americans as s

tereotypes. They have been regarded in turn as baronial barbarians, subhuman devils, untrusty stealers and liquidators, stoic warriors, inferior and disappearing traces of the Stone Age, depraved rummies, shiftless, lazy, humourless incompetents unable to manage their ain personal businesss cut downing them in the non-Indians’ head to something faceless, akin to the trees and wild animate beings that the builders of the American state felt compelled to unclutter from the land. ( 119 )

One common topographic point that immature people look to for function theoretical accounts is athleticss. For many immature indigens though, that is non an option. The universe of athleticss contains many racist images that are hurtful to native people. Jeff Thomason writes of his ain Childhood experience stating, If you & # 8217 ; rhenium turning up and you are invariably being bombarded with the mascot image of the baronial barbarian or the barbarian throwing something with an angry expression on his face, that & # 8217 ; s advancing a racialist stereotype. ( 115 )

Many names and Sons are racist because they create, support and maintain stereotypes of a race of people. When such cultural maltreatment is supported by one or many of society & # 8217 ; s establishments, it constitutes institutional racism ( Smithy 77 ) . Paul Joseph contends that is non of import whether the image is positive or negative but is hurtful because:

The logos maintain us marginalized and are a barrier to our lending here and now. Word pictures of mighty warriors of the past emphasize a tragic portion of our history ; concentrating on wartime endurance, they ignore the strength and beauty of our civilizations during times of peace. Many Indian civilizations view life as a religious journey filled with lessons to be learned from every experience and from every life being.

Derek Smithy, in an article for Sports Illustrated, analyzes the mascot of baseball s Cleveland Indians stating:

& # 8220 ; Chief Wahoo & # 8221 ; promotes a negative stereotype of Autochthonal Peoples. This crimson, hooked nosed, grinning clown does non resemble any autochthonal individual. The individual ruddy plume is a blasphemous usage of what is a sacred object for many Indigenous Peoples. Although some believe the logo to be cunning or unoffending, it treats an full race of people as an inane sketch ( 78 ) .

For many native people the characteristic that makes the usage of such images racist is non the images themselves, but the context they are being used in. Native writer Paul Joseph argues that you would ne’er see sacred objects related to other faiths being used to advance a professional athleticss squad so why should native faith be treated any otherwise? Joseph goes on to state, We see objects sacred to us & # 8211 ; such as the membranophone, bird of Jove plumes, face picture and traditional frock & # 8211 ; being used, non in sacred ceremonial, or in any cultural scene, but in another civilization & # 8217 ; s game ( 97 ) .

Those that support the usage of Native American names and Sons genuinely believe that they are non making any injury. They contend that they intend to honor the Native American civilization. However, the base of their chief statements is wrong and by denying the injury they are adding to the job ( Gone ) .

One statement that protagonists of native mascots use is bulk regulations. This statement does non use because the issue is moral non political. George Dodds, native militant and writer, believes that As such, its virtues must be assessed by means other than numbering caputs or any other method which might ease the dictatorship of the bulk ( 228 ) Dodds adds I have yet to see a clear and telling principle for retaining the mascots which addresses these issues from a moral model ( 232 ) .

The chief statement for the usage of Native American mascots is worthiness of purpose. While many protagonists, Joseph Gones says, likely do intend to honor Indian civilization in some limited but meaningful manner Gone adds, I am incapable of having such good will through the mediums of mascots because all I can comprehend is images that do native people more harm than good.

Even though in some cases the word pictures of native people in modern

amusement can be positive, in most instances images used are culturally contemptuous, racist

and function merely to perpetuate stereotypes. That no injury was intended when the images and Sons were foremost used may be true. It is besides true that Native people are stating that the stereotypes are harmful to their civilizations. When person says you are aching them by your action, if you persist ; so the injury becomes knowing ( Dodds 232 ) .

Dodds, George H. Indians in Modern Media. Chicago: Uracil of Chicago P, 1996.

Gone, Joseph P. Chief Illiniwek: Dignified or Damaging. New York Magazine. 15 Feb

1995

Joseph, Paul M. Professional Racism: Natives in Entertainment. Middletown: Wesleyan

Up, 1992.

Josephy, Alvin M. Jr. Native Relationships in the twentieth Century. U of Oregon P 1990.

Mihesuah, Devon A. American Indians: Stereotypes and Realities. Regina: Clarity Press,

1996.

Reilly, Rick. Tomahawk Chop-ped. Sport Magazine. 15 July 1992: 56

Smithy, Derek. Cowboys and Indians. Sports Illustrated 3 Aug 1992: 78-83.

Thomason, Jeff R. Native Issues: 2000 and Beyond. Illinois UP, 1998.

Turner Defends Tomahawk Chop. New York Post. 10 Aug 1993: B2.

Wood, Francis S. Beneath the Clouds: Issues Confronting Modern Natives. Ames: Iowa State

Up, 1990.