Why Indian mascots are wrong
By Sandy Shedivy
When I began my 26 years of teaching Spanish at Park View Middle School in Mukwonago in 1985, I was quite ambivalent about Mukwonago High School's Indian mascot. But by the time the first complaint was filed in 1994, I had started a graduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I quickly learned that when in the company of marginalized cultures, my white European views were just plain wrong.
As the debate gathered steam, many from Mukwonago spoke in favor of the mascot and the "honor" we were bestowing on the Indians. Only a few spoke out against the mascot, and they were primarily Indians. The state Department of Public Instruction let that complaint slide with some benign sensitivity training assigned to Mukwonago. No new curriculum, no diversity classes, no real change, no new perspectives showcased, and the Indian logo lived on.
In the interim, before a second complaint was filed, I appreciated the efforts of the School Board to help make us better teachers in other ways. In 2002, I was allowed to begin taking eighth-graders to Costa Rica, a great experience for my Spanish class students; we went six times. In 2003, I was allowed a sabbatical to complete my PhD. I loved my job; I loved the eighth-graders. It was a happy time for me; to go to work every day and like your job is a gift.
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Why does this matter? Because stereotypes matter. Stereotypes reduce groups of people to a vivid and memorable representation that is then seen as "natural" for the group. The Indian mascot in Mukwonago is not representative of the tribes that lived there before their removal. This excessive, archaic portrayal of Indians — the noble savage — is a component of team uniforms, diplomas, the sign outside the high school and many other places here.
It is a picture of Indians as white people want to remember them. These images are imposed and determined by whites. It presents Indians as of a simple nature, improved by the intervention of Europeans. This is white supremacy in action, controlling the image of the "other," central to the maintenance of racial domination.
The images are used for strong representations of our sports teams, but Wisconsin Indian people would like to imagine a future without these stereotypical mascots. They are trying to build their culture and build a future for their children in spite of the cultural genocide experienced by 566 Native American tribes since 1492.
Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/why-indian-mascots-are-wrong-b99141362z1-231977891.html
And of course the comments section shows WHY articles like this need to be written.
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