Feb 29, 2004 - “I think it’s pretty clear they just don’t think Indians exist,” said Keith Pounds, a Native American activist

Native Americans want school mascots changed
Names, icons 'are insults to us'
By Ron Barnett
…. Robert Chastain [tries to make a point when speaking about racial stereotyping] – saying racial stereotyping of blacks has largely become a thing of the past, but putting on war paint and dancing around with a string of dyed turkey feathers around your head pretending to be an Indian at a high school football game is seen as just good fun.
      Paul Guy, president of the Greenville NAACP, explains it this way: “If you asked an African warrior (mascot), a Zulu or something like that, that would be offensive to Afro-Americans. And we have the political clout to get something changed,” he said. “But the Native Americans have no political clout.” 
      The numbers show why:
      Only 0.3 percent of South Carolina’s 4 million residents are American Indians or Alaska-Native persons, according to the U.S. Census Bureau – compared with 30 percent black and 67 percent white. Just 31 of the Greenville County School District’s 61,887 students are American Indian. 
      “I think it’s pretty clear they just don’t think Indians exist,” said Keith Pounds, a Native American activist who is part of a statewide effort to eliminate Indian mascots from South Carolina schools.
      By his count, 73 elementary, middle and high school teams in the state use Indian-related mascots. The names and icons include Braves, Chiefs, Indians, Mohawks, Papooses and Warriors. More than 40 are public schools, he said.
      Included are the Riverside Warriors of Greer – who play their games in a sports complex called the Reservation – and the West-Oak Warriors of Oconee County. 
      Pounds, a Choctaw who publishes an Internet newsletter for South Carolina’s Indian people called Redcopy, said he wrotesaid he wrote letters to all of those schools asking them to consider changing their mascots. 
      “I think I had two schools that even responded,” he said.
Teach Your Children
      The underlying problem, according to Chastain, is education – or lack thereof – about Native American culture in public schools. 
      “At best, it’s pitiful,” he said. 
      School officials say they don’t intend to demean anyone. Their mascots are regarded proudly and with respect, they say.
      But Jenny Elliot, principal of West-Oak High, said she doesn’t know whether the school’s Indian images – such as a mural on the cafeteria wall of an Indian village with tepees – are depictions of the Cherokees who once inhabited the area or not…. 
“In the case of mascots, people refuse to see that these stereotypes are insults to us,” said Will Goins, chief executive officer for the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of South Carolina.. 

Examples of Colleges Changing Mascots
Stanford University Indians – to Cardinal
Dickerson State (ND) Savages – to Blue Hawks 
Dartmouth College Indians – to Big Green
Eastern Michigan University Hurons – to Eagles
Marquette University Warriros – to Golden Eagles
St. John’s University Redmen – to Red Storm
Miami University (Ohio) Redskins – to RedHawks
Colgate University Red Raiders – to Raider 

1988 – The Minnesota State Board of Education adopts a resolution stating that the “use of mascots, emblems, or symbols depicting American Indian culture or race (is) unacceptable” and encourages all districts to immediately proceed to remove such mascots. 

1988 – The State of Wisconsin Department of public Instruction issues a directive “strongly urging” all schools to discontinue using American Indian mascots. To date, 32 of 52 schools have changed.

1998 – New York state education department encourages high schools to change nicknames and mascots that signal a racial stereotype.

 2002 – New Hampshire State Board of Education unanimously approves a resolution calling for local school districts to stop using American Indian sports mascots.
365 days, American history, Alexie, American Indians, American west, amerikka, American Indian, Atlanta Braves, AIM, Arapaho,  amerindian, American Indian Movement, assimilation, Andrew Jackson, ally, aboriginal, American Indian, Buck, burial ground, butt-hurt, blood and thunder, blackfoot, bloodthirsty, bullying, braves, Cleveland Indians, comic books, Christopher Columbus, Columbus day, Code talkers, cultural heritage, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cheyenne, Cherokee Indians, civil rights, casino, Carlisle, chieftain, change the mascot, cowboy and Indian, cowboys, crying Indian, changers, change the mascot, cultural appropriation, Clarke Indians, debunk, digger Indian,  DAPL, defend the sacred, dream catcher, dime novels, decolonize, Donald Trump, ethnic slur, frybread, first nations, feathers, fake news, Fennimore Cooper, Florida State, Feathers and Paint, genocide, Geronimo, Great Spirit, Hiawatha, history, Holy man, headdress, headdress, high school mascots, half-breed, historical truth, Indian braves, Indian chief, indigenous, Indianz, Indian chief, injun, Indian country, indigenous, Indian wars Indian blood, Indian problem, INDN, Indian Princess, Indian Day, Indian mascots, indigenous culture, Indians, Indian heart, keep the name,  Lone Star Dietz, Logan, literature, Lancaster Redskins, mascots, mythbusters, moving-picture, militant, militia, mascots, Momaday, Mama What's an Indian, manifest destiny, Native Truth, native news, nonnative, native nations, North American Indian, Native American ally, Native American wisdom, Native Indian, Native American native truth, mascots, North American Indian, Navajo, native heart, native lives matter, navajoe, noble Indian, Native religion, Native heart, new age, NDN, Native,  native proud, Native American Heritage, Native American Heritage Month, Native American, Order of Red Men, old west, on-line bullying, Pocahontas, Pilgrim, picturesque savage, proud native, Pocahontas, proverb, Paint and Feathers, peace pipe, Plains Indians, protests, playing Indian, powwow, politically correct, part Indian, part Indian, papoose, Pocahottie, proud to be, quote, Redskins, Red Men, racism, racist, red roots, Red raiders, real skins, Red Man, red face, reservations,  squaw, stereotypes, scalping, Sioux, Standing Bear, Sioux, Sockalexis, Soxalexis, settlers, snowflakes, stoic, school mascots, savage, sterotype, stereotype, Standing Rock,  Sitting Bull, Seminoles, tradition, Terri Jean, treaty, treaty rights, totem, tomahawk, reservation, tribe, trail of tears, textbooks, tribes, tribal nations,  Thanksgiving, trolls, Trail of Tears, Tammany, Tecumseh, voting rights, Washington Redskins, wild west, walking the red road, wounded knee, war bonnet, Wahoo, Wild westing, warpath, warriors, wannabe, water is life, white privilege, US Indians, passive racism, equal rights,
365 days, American history, Alexie, American Indians, American west, amerikka, American Indian, Atlanta Braves, AIM, Arapaho,  amerindian, American Indian Movement, assimilation, Andrew Jackson, ally, aboriginal, American Indian, Buck, burial ground, butt-hurt, blood and thunder, blackfoot, bloodthirsty, bullying, braves, Cleveland Indians, comic books, Christopher Columbus, Columbus day, Code talkers, cultural heritage, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cheyenne, Cherokee Indians, civil rights, casino, Carlisle, chieftain, change the mascot, cowboy and Indian, cowboys, crying Indian, changers, change the mascot, cultural appropriation, Clarke Indians, debunk, digger Indian,  DAPL, defend the sacred, dream catcher, dime novels, decolonize, Donald Trump, ethnic slur, frybread, first nations, feathers, fake news, Fennimore Cooper, Florida State, Feathers and Paint, genocide, Geronimo, Great Spirit, Hiawatha, history, Holy man, headdress, headdress, high school mascots, half-breed, historical truth, Indian braves, Indian chief, indigenous, Indianz, Indian chief, injun, Indian country, indigenous, Indian wars Indian blood, Indian problem, INDN, Indian Princess, Indian Day, Indian mascots, indigenous culture, Indians, Indian heart, keep the name,  Lone Star Dietz, Logan, literature, Lancaster Redskins, mascots, mythbusters, moving-picture, militant, militia, mascots, Momaday, Mama What's an Indian, manifest destiny, Native Truth, native news, nonnative, native nations, North American Indian, Native American ally, Native American wisdom, Native Indian, Native American native truth, mascots, North American Indian, Navajo, native heart, native lives matter, navajoe, noble Indian, Native religion, Native heart, new age, NDN, Native,  native proud, Native American Heritage, Native American Heritage Month, Native American, Order of Red Men, old west, on-line bullying, Pocahontas, Pilgrim, picturesque savage, proud native, Pocahontas, proverb, Paint and Feathers, peace pipe, Plains Indians, protests, playing Indian, powwow, politically correct, part Indian, part Indian, papoose, Pocahottie, proud to be, quote, Redskins, Red Men, racism, racist, red roots, Red raiders, real skins, Red Man, red face, reservations,  squaw, stereotypes, scalping, Sioux, Standing Bear, Sioux, Sockalexis, Soxalexis, settlers, snowflakes, stoic, school mascots, savage, sterotype, stereotype, Standing Rock,  Sitting Bull, Seminoles, tradition, Terri Jean, treaty, treaty rights, totem, tomahawk, reservation, tribe, trail of tears, textbooks, tribes, tribal nations,  Thanksgiving, trolls, Trail of Tears, Tammany, Tecumseh, voting rights, Washington Redskins, wild west, walking the red road, wounded knee, war bonnet, Wahoo, Wild westing, warpath, warriors, wannabe, water is life, white privilege, US Indians, passive racism, equal rights,
365 days, American history, Alexie, American Indians, American west, amerikka, American Indian, Atlanta Braves, AIM, Arapaho,  amerindian, American Indian Movement, assimilation, Andrew Jackson, ally, aboriginal, American Indian, Buck, burial ground, butt-hurt, blood and thunder, blackfoot, bloodthirsty, bullying, braves, Cleveland Indians, comic books, Christopher Columbus, Columbus day, Code talkers, cultural heritage, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cheyenne, Cherokee Indians, civil rights, casino, Carlisle, chieftain, change the mascot, cowboy and Indian, cowboys, crying Indian, changers, change the mascot, cultural appropriation, Clarke Indians, debunk, digger Indian,  DAPL, defend the sacred, dream catcher, dime novels, decolonize, Donald Trump, ethnic slur, frybread, first nations, feathers, fake news, Fennimore Cooper, Florida State, Feathers and Paint, genocide, Geronimo, Great Spirit, Hiawatha, history, Holy man, headdress, headdress, high school mascots, half-breed, historical truth, Indian braves, Indian chief, indigenous, Indianz, Indian chief, injun, Indian country, indigenous, Indian wars Indian blood, Indian problem, INDN, Indian Princess, Indian Day, Indian mascots, indigenous culture, Indians, Indian heart, keep the name,  Lone Star Dietz, Logan, literature, Lancaster Redskins, mascots, mythbusters, moving-picture, militant, militia, mascots, Momaday, Mama What's an Indian, manifest destiny, Native Truth, native news, nonnative, native nations, North American Indian, Native American ally, Native American wisdom, Native Indian, Native American native truth, mascots, North American Indian, Navajo, native heart, native lives matter, navajoe, noble Indian, Native religion, Native heart, new age, NDN, Native,  native proud, Native American Heritage, Native American Heritage Month, Native American, Order of Red Men, old west, on-line bullying, Pocahontas, Pilgrim, picturesque savage, proud native, Pocahontas, proverb, Paint and Feathers, peace pipe, Plains Indians, protests, playing Indian, powwow, politically correct, part Indian, part Indian, papoose, Pocahottie, proud to be, quote, Redskins, Red Men, racism, racist, red roots, Red raiders, real skins, Red Man, red face, reservations,  squaw, stereotypes, scalping, Sioux, Standing Bear, Sioux, Sockalexis, Soxalexis, settlers, snowflakes, stoic, school mascots, savage, sterotype, stereotype, Standing Rock,  Sitting Bull, Seminoles, tradition, Terri Jean, treaty, treaty rights, totem, tomahawk, reservation, tribe, trail of tears, textbooks, tribes, tribal nations,  Thanksgiving, trolls, Trail of Tears, Tammany, Tecumseh, voting rights, Washington Redskins, wild west, walking the red road, wounded knee, war bonnet, Wahoo, Wild westing, warpath, warriors, wannabe, water is life, white privilege, US Indians, passive racism, equal rights,
2004 Feb 29, The Greenville News 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

1927 - "We [first Americans].. ask you while you are teaching school children about America first, teach them the truth about the first Americans.

1969 Tumbleweeds comic strip: Not everyone finds stereotyped humor funny

1982 So how can things be changed? "Money. Power. Control of studios. These things are very difficult to come by. You need more sensitive, knowledgeable people writing, producing, directing, distributing."