Recently the NCAA enacted restrictions on colleges' uses of Native Americans as mascots. The Native American Student Association along with the Anthropology Club would like to comment on the controversy surrounding this decision, and to address the related Feb. 22 Forum piece by student Alex Carroll.
Carroll framed the ban as an unnecessary formality. This demonstrates a common misconception about the purpose of political correctness; ending hostile and damaging stereotypes.
The comparison of Chief Illiniwek to the Notre Dame mascot holds no water. Prominent members of Notre Dame's history were Irish Americans who selected the "Fighting Irish" Mascot. The founders of the University of Illinois claim no such heritage. Chief Illiniwek was not created by Native Americans and is a crude, offensive caricature.
If these Mascots are meant to be respectful, why is it that non-Native American students are so often selected to portray Indians, even when the school has a population of available native students?
These mascots dance around like crazy people, singing cheap imitations of Indian war songs, and sound more like groaning drunks. We urge students who have not seen Chief Illiniwek in action to look for the video of the basketball halftime show on youTube.com. It is not a dignified, respectful, or even authentic performance. It looks improvised and goofy, and does not represent a respectful, accurate image.
When schools and teams select ethnic caricatures for their mascots, it cannot be presumed that all members of those groups will view the representation as a positive nod to their status as "aggressive, fierce competitors." It is improbable that all people depicted in such a way will wear it as a "badge of honor."
Even in situations where Native American mascots have been created with approval of tribal representatives, many Native American individuals still find the representations inherently offensive.
The truth about Chief Illiniwek and all Native American mascots is that they make real, living human beings into objects.
Americans of European descent have a long history of discussing native peoples as if they do not exist, and to continue this is harmful to Americans. It's unfair to subject a historically marginalized group to such poorly thought out representations. Sports teams named the Angry Black Men, The Raging Rabbis, The Speedy Mexicans or worse would be unacceptable.
Carroll's statement that Native Americans are neither the first nor the last group to be depicted in this manner is unjustified and undocumented. Out of over 200 mascots listed on the NCAA website links, the majority of mascots are animals, plants and mythic creatures. Out of 42 that are human, 23 are not Native American images. They are mostly historic images such as Trojans, Vikings or Titans, and a few groups like Cowboys, Lumberjacks and other regional occupations.
These Pan-Indian images are used to represent many tribes, all with very different cultures, clothing and ways of life. Modern tribes can be damaged by these stereotypical images that assume all Indians are dead. Little children often think Indians actually are the objects they are portrayed as - crazy, dancing symbols at sports games.
This issue is anything but trivial. Native American mascots represent more than sports teams: they are simplistic reductions of what it means to be an American of native descent.
It is important that we recognize that though they are both beloved, Chief Illiniwek is no Charlie Cardinal. To make mascots out of people is dehumanizing.
Write to Maddy at mjbosen@bsu.eduAllister atmagreene@bsu.eduColin atcmcolbourn@bsu.edu
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