So many things to catch up on!

Hi Friends,

Yes, it's been over a month since my last post, I'm really sorry! I've had some family stuff going on, and was back in California for a bit, and have been trying to catch up since then. I have an inbox that is bursting with great (if by great I mean maddening and cringe-worthy) tips, so I'll try to work through them in the coming weeks.

Big things happening in the news that we didn't get to talk about (tomorrow we'll look at some other more appropriation-y things):

• CSU Long Beach published a horrible, racist rant about the campus powwow (that's the image above, click to make it bigger). In response to criticism by Native students and others, they then gave the worst non-apology ever. This was right on the tail of the UCLA "Asians in the library" debacle, which got tons of national attention. Where's the press for this incident? Check out these summary posts by Rob over at Newspaper Rock for more thoughts on the issue.

• Pentagon prosecutors compared the Seminole tribe of Florida to al Qaeda in a war filing, reaching all the way back to the Indian Wars in the 1800's to set a precedent for ongoing issues with Guantanamo. The comparison is not only offensive, but factually wrong, and the Seminoles have demanded an apology. 

• We can't expect much from Fox News, but "reporter" John Stossel takes the cake with his rant on "freeloading" American Indians. There's a quick clip here, but if anyone has a link to the full segment, let me know.This seriously makes my blood boil. Why don't we talk about the reasons Native people are forced to rely on government aid? Oh, you know, like, continuing colonial oppression?

•  The North Dakota state legislature passed a bill that orders UND to keep the Fighting Sioux nickname that they voted to retire a few months ago. You read that right. The state government ordered the school to keep the racist image. Yay government! But it looks like UND is moving forward with getting rid of the mascot anyway. 

Thanks to everyone who's been posting all the fantastic links over on the Native Appropriations Facebook page, definitely check it out if you haven't been over there recently!

As always, keep the tips coming, nativeappropriations@gmail.com

This is just wrong.

This picture was taken by my friend Kelsey at a Victoria's Secret store in DC. I can break it down, but I think the image speaks for itself. What kind of society do we live in that this type of overt racism is not only accepted, but celebrated in our nation's capital?

Earlier:

Nudie Neon Indians and the Sexualization of Native Women
Tommy Tomahawk and the Issues with Indian Mascots
Thanks for the Severed Head, You've Proved my Point

(Thanks Kelsey!)

Trans-Bridge Bus Lines Mascot, "Hi-Yo"

This guy comes to us from reader Chris, who spotted a Trans-Bridge bus sporting the logo in Pennsylvania. The "about us" portion of their website gives this background on the logo:

In case you can't read it, the text says:

"If you have ever driven behind a Trans-Bridge Lines' bus, then you must have seen painted on the rear window, a picture of HI-YO in all his splendor. HI-YO, an Indian Chief, has been adopted as the mascot of Trans-Bridge Lines. He is also the Mascot of the Fugowees Jazz Club founded in 1962, who gave Trans-Bridge permission to use Hi-Yo over 25 years ago. And so it is said, Trans-Bridge drivers are never lost, as long as they have Chief HI-YO to guide them."

So, we've got the stereotypical "Indian Guide"--wearing a feather, loincloth, and mocassins, of course--who, like all Indians (right?) has natural and expert abilities of navigation and tracking. And his name is HI-YO. Sigh.

And that "Fugowees Jazz Club" seems like a winner too--in addition to using "Hi-Yo" as their mascot, the leader goes by the title of "Chief" and name "Big Red," and apparently they didn't let women in the club until 1997. Awesome. (All that info was in this article)

So Trans-Bridge Bus lines, I re-wrote your "Fun Fact" for you:

If you have ever driven behind a Trans-Bridge Lines' bus, then you must have seen painted on the rear window, a picture of a hurtful, stereotypical "Indian Chief" who we have named "Hi-Yo", because we think that all Indians have strange, nonsensical, syllabic names. HI-YO has been adopted as the mascot of Trans-Bridge Lines, because we all know that Indians make great mascots, since they aren't real people, don't exist anymore, and are just like animals. He is also the Mascot of the Fugowees Jazz Club founded in 1962, who are a misogynist and racist club, but don't worry, they gave us permission to use the image (though we didn't think to talk to any actual Indians, lol!). And so it is said, Trans-Bridge drivers are never lost, as long as they can look through their rear-view mirror and see this awesome image that forces all drivers on the road to forget that Indians actually exist, and think of them only as cartoons and mascots! 

Oh, and don't give me the "honoring" argument. That cartoon character is in no way an honor, I don't want to be associated with a half-naked cartoon on the back of a bus, thanks. Just because it's a "positive" image doesn't mean it's any less hurtful or harmful.

 (Thanks Chris!)

A Reminder of Why This Blog Exists: One Reader's Experience

 

AK note: I wanted to share this email I received last week from a fellow Stanford alum, who let me know how this blog changed his thinking about Indian mascots and Indian issues. As might have been clear in my post about activist fatigue, it's sometimes hard to keep fighting this battle day in and day out, but hearing from Ted (his email is printed with permission) gave me such a renewed sense of purpose and an excitement that there is space for change. Sometimes we all need a reminder.

Dear Adrienne,

I hope it is okay to write you directly at this email address, I don’t really have a question or a tip or anything, I just wanted to write and tell you what I’ve been thinking about for the past month or so and how you directly affected it.

It all started last month when I took my 12 year old daughter to a Stanford football game. A quick background, I was a Stanford faculty brat growing up on campus in the late 60’s and early ‘70’s. I went to the games as early as I can remember and continued going even after I graduated from Paly and moved to San Francisco to go to USF. So my memories, as a kid, were always of the Stanford Indians. I remember when the mascot was retired, I think I was 14 or so and while I always liked the mascot and “Chief Lightfoot”, I really didn’t care much either way on the issue. My dad told me that some students objected to the mascot and we had to respect their feelings. I always remembered the mascot fondly as a part of my childhood and never really gave much thought about why the mascot was retired.

So at the football game against Sacramento State last month I felt a wave of childhood nostalgia when I saw a tailgate party decked out top to bottom in the old mascot. My daughter wanted to know why the team wasn’t the “Indians” anymore, and not really knowing the history, I told her I wasn’t sure, but that I thought a small group of students in the politically active 70’s had it removed for not depicting the image of Native Americans appropriately. She asked about professional teams that still had mascots and I explained that businesses could make decisions about things that institutions, even private ones like Stanford, couldn’t. She didn’t think that was fair, and we tried to think of any other college examples, and came up with quite a few. We both kinda scratched our heads and shrugged our shoulders and went in to the stadium and enjoyed the game. I suppose I just chalked the whole issue up to some overly PC students raining on everyone’s parade.

After coming back home (we live in LA – ugh), I wanted to see if I could still buy a t-shirt with the old mascot on it so I Googled it and found a whole bunch of places where they were available. I also saw a link to your blog and thought I should see, from the other side’s (I wasn’t really aware there were “sides” until that moment) point of view, what the objection to the issue really was. (wasn’t really aware it was a big “issue” either!).

Before I go on, I should point out that I am the kind of person who doesn’t mind offending people as a general rule. I don’t really care what other people think about my personal views on things like religion or politics. I enjoy rubbing people the wrong way sometimes, especially if it can make them think for a second instead of just going along with the pack. I own t shirts like “Your Favorite Band Sucks”, “Are Your Cats Old Enough to Learn About Jesus?” even some with four letter words (but that’s about as far as I go, I mean I don’t ever really want to be offensive just for the sake of being offensive, offending-sure, offensive – no). Anyway, I was fully expecting to reject your argument with a shrug of my shoulders and a “screw ‘em if they can’t take a joke”.

But I couldn’t.

Partly because of your persuasive writing (I’m sure thanks in part to that awesome Stanford education!), partly because of the dialogue I read in the comments of many of your posts and perhaps just a little bit of a mutual distain for the current version of the hipster, I have really come to a very different point of view. Don’t get me wrong, I will never fall into the politically correct camp, but what I did come away from all of this is: haven’t we done enough to Native people, not only here, but everywhere, yet? I’m pretty sure we have. So childhood memory be damned, innocent as it may have been, I did buy a t shirt today… the t shirt from a link in your blog that says “Retire Indian Mascots”. And I’m gonna wear it when we go to the USC game next week (thank goodness it’s red and not gold!), and I’m looking forward to pissing off some alumni.

I’m certainly not looking for a pat on the back, I just wanted you to know that your writing has really changed the way at least one person thinks about this. This experience has caused our whole family to have a discussion of not only Native issues, but genocide and slavery in general and I think it is something we are better as a family for doing.

So I wanted to thank you Adrienne, for your insight, your bravery and your honesty.

Sincerely,

Ted

Earlier: Robin Lopez Wore a Stanford Indian Shirt, and 15,000 People Saw

(Thanks Ted!)

Wisconsin Bans Indian Mascots!

As of this week, schools in Wisconsin using race-based mascots can be fined up to $1,000 a day. This law has been a long time coming, the first form of it was presented to the state over 30 years ago. The way the law works is that parties can submit complaints to the state, and after a hearing, if the school is found to be in violation, they can face fines of up to $1,000 per day if they continue to use the image and name.

This is awesome news, and I can only hope that this is signaling a change that many other states will follow! Yay Wisconsin!

Read the whole article here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127987743

AK Programming note: I thought this was a fitting time to talk about Wisconsin, since I'm actually at the airport, en route to Wisconsin. I'm headed to Lawrence University, which is hosting College Horizons, an incredible program for Native high school students to learn about the college application process. I'm an alum of the program, and this is my third time returning as faculty. If you know of any Native high schoolers, encourage them to apply for next summer! They also host a graduate school version called Graduate Horizons for those of you a bit older. Seriously one of the best programs for Native students out there. 

(Thanks Mom and Katie for sending the article!)

Vince Vaughn Encourages Cultural Appropriation (well, sort of)

(image source)

Vince Vaughn is shooting a new movie called "Cheating Hearts," and apparently some scenes take place at a Chicago Blackhawks game. The casting agency put a call out for extras--"Blackhawk fans"--and some of the participants were a little overly enthusiastic with the Blackhawks "regalia" (like the pair above). ReelChicago.com describes the casting call:

An estimated 1,100 persons eager to be extras in the currently shooting Vince Vaughan movie, “Cheating Hearts,” turned out for Atmosphere Casting’s call last Saturday -- most in full Blackhawks’ regalia and then some...

The majority took instructions to wear Blackhawks gear to heart, but a few went beyond jerseys and caps They came dressed as authentic Indian chiefs, Blackhawks, no doubt, wearing full feather head dresses to moccasins. Many others added hockey sticks and brooms to confirm their status as fans.

First of all, "authentic"? Not so much. Not at all. Also, "Blackhawks" are not a group of Indians, the team name is taken from Chief Blackhawk, of the Sauk/Sac Nation.  But poor wording of the reporting aside, I'm not excited (to say the least) to see these guys in the background of the newest romcom.

Also, these fools are dressed like plains Indians. The full headdress-buckskin-warpaint thing isn't even close to the traditional regalia of the Sauk/Sac Nation. Here's a portrait of Chief Blackhawk himself:

And here's Chief Mokohoko, a leader of the Sac and Fox during the removal era:

(image source)

But at least we can be glad that the scenes don't take place at a Philly Flyers game, lest we get an audience full of guys like this:

(My earlier post on that incident)

Earlier: Thanks for the severed head, you've proved my point-- http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/06/thanks-for-severed-head-youve-proved-my.html

ReelChicago.com "Blackhawks fans go that extra mile"--http://reelchicago.com/story.cfm?storyID=2848

(Thanks Jenny!)

Thanks for the severed head, you've proved my point.

Game 4. Philly Flyers vs. Chicago Blackhawks. The Flyers score a goal, and VERSUS tv shows this guy. This guy, holding an impaled, severed, Indian head. On national tv. Close up on his prop:

So disturbing, so graphic, and just what I wanted to wake up to on a Saturday morning. Truly sickening in the literal sense.

This proves it, without a doubt. Native American mascots are demeaning, stereotyping, and harmful to Native people. The Blackhawks logo is often touted as a "good" image--not evil or stupid looking, nothing like chief wahoo or the other blatantly racist images. But "good" image or not (and I still stand that no Indian mascot is a good mascot), clearly this demonstrates the danger when fans are given control over a mascot and image. There is no excuse for this man's actions.

That's one area mascot debates rarely cover--the actions of rival team's fans and how they affect Native people. When an entire arena is shouting things like "Beat the Indians!" "Scalp the Redskins!" "F*@! the Blackhawks!" Can you imagine how it would feel to be a Native person hearing those things?

Even more upsetting about this image is the American history behind beheadings and scalpings of American Indians at the hands of whites. Into the late 1800's, the california government offered bounties of 5 dollars per Indian head brought into city hall. The heads of great Indian leaders were kept as souvenirs by the US military, or strung up in trees or on posts to serve as a warning to other Indians who dare disobey. Scalping, a practice commonly associated with blood-thirsty Indians, was actually more widely used by the European settlers, and bounties were offered for Indian scalps as well. This proclamation from 1775 calls for scalps from Native men, women, and children--offering different rewards for each.

That's why this makes me even more sick to my stomach.

We could also talk about how the TV station decided it was ok to air the image of this man, multiple times, or how the security at the arena let him through with that spear, and what those actions say about our society, or, per usual, draw the comparisons to other groups. Would a tv station air an image of a man carrying around an impaled Black head? Asian? Latino? No.

I've been getting a lot of emails lately about the Chicago Blackhawks, I'm assuming because of all the publicity with the Stanly Cup. A couple of people sent over this image:

Apparently the Chicago Tribune puts feathers on the homepage every time the team has a game. The feathers are pulled from the Blackhawks logo itself:

There have also been a few editorials circulating about the logo, and if it's time for a change. This one, from the Star, is pretty spot on. I talked a little bit about the danger of mascots and the psychological implications for Native students in this post about Tommy Tomahawk at Stilwell HS in OK. I recommend a read of Stephanie Fryburg's work I link to in that post.

And of course, the offensive and hurtful behavior isn't just limited to the fans of the other team. Check these guys out:

 (image source)

I guess even die-hard hockey fans can fall under the anti-hipster headdress manifesto.

So, overall, I guess I can--in a twisted and sick way--thank that Flyers fan. Anytime anyone says there is no harm in Indian mascots, I'm sending them that picture.


Offensive Logo has got to go: http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/815709--cox-offensive-blackhawks-logo-has-got-to-go

Flyers Fan celebrates with Impaled Head: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Flyers-fan-celebrates-goal-with-impaled-Indian-h?urn=nhl,245889

Original pictures of the fan are from The Starter Wife: http://blackandgoldtchotchkes.com/

Earlier:

Meet Stilwell HS's new Mascot: Tommy Tomahawk- http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/01/stilwell-high-schools-new-mascot.html

Tommy Tomahawk Update: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/01/tommy-tomahawk-update-school-board.html