What's a good Native American anti-defamation type group?

[Deep13]

I bought an Olympic style target rifle from a company called Savage. It's the brand that the local dealer carries and it really is an excellent product. Unfortunately, their logo is a profile of a plains Indian chief with the head dress. So together with the name, it is hard to look beyond the racist implications. So, I thought I'd donate some $$$ to a Native Am. awareness group to negate any damage I might have caused by buying a product from this company. I'm in NE Ohio so their might be one locally who protests the cartoon-red stereotype Wahoo face used as the Cleveland Indians logo.

[WhiteTara]

1. AIM

American Indian Movement

[RebelOne]

2. That was my first thought. I donated to them once

and got a T-shirt which read "If voting could solve anything, it would be illegal."

[Deep13]

3. Thanks. nt

[conscious evolution]

13. Seconded

No other group does as much for Indian rights as AIM.

[semillama]

4. You could also try the National Congress of American Indians

http://www.ncai.org/Home.9.0.html

They have an anti-defamation section.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. I doubt you will be the first. Savage has used that as their logo for some time

I would go anywhere than AIM

[Deep13]

7. Their website makes them seem rather militant.

I was really looking for something like the NAACP or NOW, but for North American Indians.

[NightWatcher]

6. try this page from National Congress of American Indians and these others

http://www.ncai.org/Anti-Defamation-and-Mascots.74.0.html

or the Native Amrican Rights Fund http://www.narf.org/

Unfortunately it doesnt look like the AIM page has been updated in quite a while. www.aimovement.org


fwiw, I am sick of still seeing Native Americans on logos, mascots and other products that portray them as savages. I absolutely refuse to deal with any product/group that portrays them in a negative/violent light. I boycot the Atl braves, my nearest MLB team.

Dont let anyone tell you that you are being silly for not wanting to deal with people who misuse the image of American Indians.

[Deep13]

8. That looks good. nt

[HopeHoops]

9. On a completely humorous but related note...

There's a scene in the movie "Burglar" where the detectives go to the address provided by the criminal (Whoopi Goldberg) and it is "The Native American Gay and Lesbian Task Force". What a combination of words!

Now on a serious note, and since you mentioned the Cleveland Indians. Over 20 years ago, we got a poster (still have it somewhere) that is a photo of a wall with sports pennants on it such as "The Honkies", "The Negros", "The Spics", "The Jews", etc. I think it also has the text "How would you feel?" at the bottom. That sort of drives home the point, doesn't it?

Now, as for the gun, the fact that the name is "Savage" is what makes it offensive. Tecumseh engines have a proud chief as their logo and I see nothing offensive about that - in fact if anything it is respectful. "Savage" simply is not. Personally, I would return the gun. I also think there is a major difference between the Redskins and the Indians. Although the Redskins name is somewhat offensive, the logo is not. The Indians logo makes me want to puke!

[Deep13]

10. Well, the FBI has already registered the transfer, so there is no returning it.

Anyway, I like the model. Long, heavy stainless barrel supported by pillared bedding, 44mm scope, beavertailed heavy laminated stock and set trigger built into the regular trigger. It is a niche product.

I think Savage was the company founder's name. I would rather Savage pick another logo, but they have used this one for about a century, so I don't see it happening. I frankly don't think it is as bad as seeing the cartoon Clev. Indians Wahoo face everywhere. It's like having a team called the John Henrys with a Sambo logo. Or as bad as the "Redskins" which is "n****r" but for Native Americans.

[HopeHoops]

11. It is a tough issue to deal with. A lot of these brands go back to Al Jolsen days.

At least Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben's adjusted the logos into something respectable. And it has been a LONG time since we've heard from the Frito Bandito. The major counter example I have is "Little Black Sambo". Everyone likes to use that as an example of what had to change, but if you are familiar with the book, Sambo outwits the three tigers to get his clothes back. I always thought of him as an example of a clever person and never saw it as degrading. But I was raised in a non-racist household so why would I have considered it degrading?

But old stereotypes are hard to break and unfortunately there is still a large segment of the population (FOX viewers, mostly) who don't have a problem with making fun of non-white non-"MY GOD Christianity" people. Ignorance is curable, but stupidity is not.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Kind of an unexpected explanation on the name and logo.

http://www.savagearms.com/history.htm