This is the last post I will make.
What do Native Americans themselves think?
This is where it gets kind of odd. In actuallity, less than 18% of Native Americans are offended by Indian Mascots in pro sports. In a March 4, 2002 Sports Illustrated 7 page editorial entitled "The Indian Wars", a poll was conducted amongst Native Americans. Surprisingly, the following information was gathered:
"Asked if high school and college teams should stop using Indian nicknames, 81% of Native American respondents said no. As for pro sports, 83% of Native American respondents said teams should not stop using Indian nicknames, mascots, characters and symbols."
This begs the question: If it doesn't bother Native Americans, why are so many non Indians taking up a fight against Indian mascots in [COLOR=#009900 !important][COLOR=#009900 !important]pro [COLOR=#009900 !important]sports[/color][/color]? The answer is rather odd, but could be attributed to the misunderstanding of the real meaning of Redskin, or it could simply be moral guilt. This is our attempt to make amends for something we were never a part of and could not control. The compaign against the Native American by the United States was a dark part of our nation's history. Perhaps this is the reason for today's offense towards the use of Indian mascots.
Most Native Americans are not only not offended, they're actually fans!
The odd thing is that not only are most Native Americans not offended, but they a large number of them are actually fans. For a number of Native Americans, the Redskin image itself is of a proud chief and it bestows pride and accomplishment. It is not a caricature of an Indian. In fact, what truly offends Native Americans are caricatures, such as the big nose of the Cleveland Indians logo, or the tomahawk chop of the Altanta Braves.
There is an interesting angle on how Native Americans view indians as mascots. In Montreal Canada, McGill university is one of North America's most prestigious educational institutions. Between 1982 to 1992, both its football and hockey teams had an Aboriginal Chief in full head gear as their Mascot. An Aboriginal in Canada is simply a Native American in the United States. The team name is "Redmen". The university decided to stop using the mascot at the request of a non-Aboriginal student. Before the decision was reached, the University consulted with the Chief of the First Nations in Canada and with an Aboriginal team member, Both were fine with the use of the mascot and actually wrote letters attesting to their support.
Read more:
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/19581...#ixzz0rn65VHjo
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