A link well worth listening to with relation to this subject (credit to EXDJ on the Exeter Chiefs message board for posting this). It is 1hr 30 mins long but well worth it. I have posted some snippets below, but so much more is contained in the video itself.
https://www.ncai.org/proudtobeSome quotes from this video from one of the experts Suzan Shown Harjo; President The Morning Star Institute, with reference to sporting teams:
"In professional sports its all about the money, solely about the money, money talks forever! And doesn't talk to anyone that does not have it, ever!"
She also makes the differentiation between educational sporting teams in the U.S that utilise the native American branding;
"Even though there is big money involved in the great educational teams. ..There still is a premium on peoples education and cross cultural understandings, and trying not to create problems....It certainly is hurting our children, while with non native people it seems not to hurt them, I cannot tell you how awful that makes us feel to know that what is very painful to my grandchildren, makes other people who are not native feel great...This is what we are up against".
Maulian Dana; Penobscot Nation.
"I was 15 or 16 years old, I saw a high school basketball game between two teams...the warriors and the Indians....the supporters....all decked out in their fake feathers, their fake war paint. At the time.... as a Penobscot women it was so central to my identity, my culture...to see them so mocked and so disrespected, it made me really angry".
"The more we tell these stories, the more we are benefitting from the racial awakening....We are sovereign entities, and we are saying we matter...and these mascots....we are thinking about how society has been permeated by this constant imagery that doesn't relate to who we are as a living, existing people".
Dr Aaron Payment; 1st vice president, National Congress of American Indians.
"In 2005 the American Psychological Association, called for the immediate retirement of all American mascots, symbols, images and personalities....this position is based on the growing body of social science literature, that shows that the harmful effects of racial stereotyping and inaccurate racial portrayals includes the particularly harmful effects of American Indian sports mascots on the social identity and development and self esteem of native American young people. Continued use of these mascots symbols, images and personalities has a negative effect....especially those that have little or no contact with indigenous people"...it promotes negative images and stereotypes that are promoted in mainstream society".
Dr Leslie Rasmussen; Member, Forest Hills School District Board of Education.
With reference to use of American Native imagery in schools and its ;
"This is a divisive issue....how much a division this was in the schools....inevitably some people will take issue with it, and others didn't care...One of the things....the emails we received from former students who left our little bubble and experienced the world and realised 'oh my goodness' this is not OK, Native Americans are human beings, they are not caricatures for us to mock".
Randy'L Teton; Public Affairs Manager, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
With reference from meeting people from schools using these mascots and imagery.
"We were met with very racial people....Alumni from that school were angry that tribes were coming over and trying to take that heritage away from them. I felt like who's heritage are you trying to be respectful to?...We Indian people are saying its not ok to wear feathers and paint your face up".
These are just snippets and there is much much more in the video to listen to....but well worth spending an hour and a half of your time to listen to.
This is why I am fully in support of Wasps raising this issue.
Always a Wasp
