Read on Twitter
Since the Exeter Chiefs announced the retirement of ‘Big Chief’ I’ve seen it said that the only people that claim to be ‘offended’ are virtue signaling tossers so I wanted attatch some info on why people take issue with the use of Indigenous Americans as mascots.
A thread:
A thread:
In 2013 the National Congress of American Indians released a damning report on the negative impacts of “Indian” sports mascots.
Source: http://www.ncai.org/resources/ncai-publications/Ending_the_Legacy_of_Racism.pdf
Source: http://www.ncai.org/resources/ncai-publications/Ending_the_Legacy_of_Racism.pdf
Some quotes:
“Caricatures used by sports teams with “Indian” mascots contribute to the “savage” image of Native peoples and the myth that Native peoples are an ethnic group ‘frozen in history’.”
“Caricatures used by sports teams with “Indian” mascots contribute to the “savage” image of Native peoples and the myth that Native peoples are an ethnic group ‘frozen in history’.”
“When exposed to these images the self-esteem of Native youth is harmfully impacted, their self-confidence erodes, and their sense of identity is severely damaged.”
“Where the “invisibility” of Native peoples and a lack of positive images of Native cultures may not present a major issue for many Americans, it poses a significant challenge for Native youth who want to access and maintain a foundation in their Native cultures and languages.”
^Native peoples “invisibility” - a lack of positive images of Native cultures may not present a major issue for any Britons but the Exeter Chiefs reducing Native culture to a ‘pow wow’ bar has very real consequence by contributing to the misrepresentation of Native cultures
In 2005 the American Psychological Association called for the immediate retirement of all “American Indian” mascots, symbols, and personalities used by athletic teams because a growing body of social science literature suggested the use of such imagery had adverse effects
The APA has since summarized that resolution by stating that the use of such imagery teaches non indigenous children that it’s acceptable to participate in culturally abusive behavior and perpetuates misconceptions about the cultures of Indigenous Americans
The APA is not alone in their condemnation of the use of “American Indian” sports mascots - many organizations are also opposed, including the American Sociological Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The NCAI has long campaigned against mascots like ‘Big Chief’ because they believe rather than honoring Native people these caricatures and the stereotypes they perpetuate contribute to “a disregard for the personhood of Native peoples”
Source: http://www.ncai.org/proudtobe
Several Indian Nations have previously written to the Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Indain Affairs to express opposition to the Washington Reds**ns - most highlight offense taken to ‘Chief Zee’ and his use of a faux headdress and tomahawk
As I understand it war bonnets/headdresses/regalia and face paint are of great spiritual and cultural importance/significance across many tribes with different beliefs and practices - not really something to be bought on Amazon for show at a rugby game
How is it that the Washington Reds**ns, an NFL team for whom Native imagery has been central to their brand since 1932, can retire their logo but the Exeter Chiefs can’t see what’s wrong with reducing Native cultures to a brand and drop an offensive rebrand from 1999?
I’d ask how is one of these images offensive but the other is ‘highly respectable’?
I wasn’t able to find a publicly available version of the 2004 paper by Dr. Stephanie Fryberg referenced in the NCAI report, but I did find another, perhaps more recent, easily accessed paper I believe she contributed to: https://web.stanford.edu/group/mcslab/cgi-bin/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Of-warrior-chiefs-and-Indian-princesses.pdf
I want to add that I am non-Native. I’d encourage everyone to read more and find, follow, and support Indigenous content creators who are far more informed and equipped to speak on Native issues than I am. Your understanding of social issues shouldn’t stop at a Twitter thread.
I created this thread primarily to summarize and share some sources that I personally found useful when trying to understand if and why offense/issue is taken to/with Native ~inspired~ sports mascots - I find the comments calling me a virtue signaling tosser mostly amusing.
I’d hope the people who are outraged by the suggestion that the Exeter Chiefs rebrand are similarly outraged/informed about/on the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, territorial dispossession - broken treaties, and loss of Native languages etc.
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