<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was about\nsix-years old, my dark-skinned great-aunt, Rose told me that her mother (my\ngreat-grandmother) was a Micmac Indian, or as she said, \u201cIndian Princess\u201d. She\nspoke to me in words that were supposedly Micmac which I have long forgotten,\nand I immediately became smitten with anything \u201cIndian\u201d. It was 1961, and nobody\nI knew thought anything about sports logos or the stereotypical images of\nNative people portrayed by the media. And even though my great grandmother was \u201cIndian\u201d,\nI was raised white and benefited by that privilege. After all, that\ngreat-grandmother whom I never knew married a blonde and blue-eyed Frenchman\nand followed him from her home in New Brunswick, to work in the mills of\nLawrence Massachusetts. So, I do not presume to speak for people from any Tribal\nNation. Instead, I speak only as one who cares deeply about Civil Rights and\njustice for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tell you this\nstory because I was struck by some of the comments on the WINY Facebook page by\nKHS alumni who claim Native American heritage. They say they never really\nthought about the mascot, and some looked upon it as \u201can honor\u201d. That\u2019s how I\nwould have seen it in the 60\u2019s, 70\u2019s and maybe even into the 80\u2019s when I was brainwashed\nby a 19th<\/sup> century noble savage\n<\/em>narrative while trying to lay claim to my Micmac heritage. But the fact is \u2013 unless you have been\nimmersed in tribal culture, adopted by a tribal nation, lived on a Reservation,\nor participated in cultural practices from the time of your birth, you have no claim\nto heritage. And heritage carries a lot of baggage, because unless you are\ndark-skinned and have experienced racial bias, racial slurs and stereotyping\nfirst-hand, you can\u2019t really assert that the use of \u201cIndian\u201d mascots are\nharmless and a \u201csign of honor\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It baffles me\nthat in the 21st<\/sup> century, people continue to mock, mimic and joke\nabout Native people. You mention Native Americans in a classroom and young\nchildren break out in war hoops; adults continue to make jokes about Indians\nand casinos; and sports teams think nothing of donning war paint and feathers\nin their shameless acculturation and caricature of historical Native American\ntraditions, dance, music and regalia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people in\n2019 realize that it\u2019s not appropriate to dress up in blackface or perform in a\nminstrel show or participate in other racist rituals. Then why is it, we cannot\nadmit that dressing up like an Indian at a sports event is a racist stereotype?\nEven if there were no Native American children in your schools or your\ncommunity, you are still communicating to all children that Native Americans\nare a relic from the past; an artifact that has no connection to the present\nand irrelevance to the future. Words and\nimagery matter. I urge you to consider continuing the ban on Native American\nmascots not for \u201cpolitical correctness\u201d but for JUSTICE and civil rights for\nall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National\nCongress of American Indians (NCAI) has campaigned for the banning of Indian\nmascots since 1968. They state that <\/p>\n\n\n\n Born in an era when racism and bigotry were accepted by the\ndominant culture, “Indian” sports brands have grown to become\nmulti-million dollar franchises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The intolerance and harm promoted by these \u201cIndian\u201d sports\nmascots, logos, or symbols, have very real consequences for Native\npeople. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically, rather than honoring Native peoples, these\ncaricatures and stereotypes are harmful, perpetuate negative stereotypes of\nAmerica\u2019s first peoples, and contribute to a disregard for the personhood of\nNative peoples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Nipmuc Tribal\nCouncil member, Kenneth Gould in a statement he made to WINY in July, \u201cThe bottom line is that mascots depicting\nNative Americans in general are degrading in any way shape or form.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I was about six-years old, my dark-skinned great-aunt, Rose told me that her mother (my great-grandmother) was a Micmac Indian, or as she said, \u201cIndian Princess\u201d. She spoke to me in words that were supposedly Micmac which I have long forgotten, and I immediately became smitten with anything \u201cIndian\u201d. It was 1961, and nobody … <\/p>\n