Images of Native Americans

Common Common StereotypesStereotypes

Why are images important?are images important?

Negative StereotypesNegative Stereotypes

Romanticized NotionsRomanticized Notions

How do stereotypes impact people?

Early Images of Indians

Images from literature

Edward Curtis

Edward Curtis

Edward Curtis

Images of Native Americans

• “Indian” Mascots for sports teams

• Are they okay?

Native American Mascots in Montana K-12 Schools

Braves - 1

Chiefs - 2Indians - 13

Warriors - 11Black Hawks - 1

Savages - 2 Scarlets - 1

Others?

Common Indian Mascot NamesIndians

Savages Warriors

Braves SQUAWS

Chiefs

~Marauders ~Red Raiders

~Raiders ~Reds ~Big Red ~Red Hordes ~Redskins~Totem Poles~Black Hawks~Comanches ~Apaches ~Mohawks

“Redskins”• Redskin-history of the term:

Used by US government-hired bounty hunters who were paid to kill Indian people.

They were usually paid $ 1.00 per Indian, and they used the scalps of the Indians they killed to provide a record of their number of kills.

They called these scalps “red skins.”

Proclamation issued in 1755(Given at the Council Chamber in Boston this third day of November 1755 in

the twenty-ninth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second

by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Iceland, King Defender of

the Faith.)

By His Honour's command, J. Willard, Secry. ~God Save the King • Whereas the tribe of Penobscot Indians have repeatedly in

a perfidious manner acted contrary to their solemn submission unto his Majesty long since made and frequently renewed.

• I have therefore, at the desire of the House of Representatives ... thought fit to issue this Proclamation and to declare the Penobscot Tribe of Indians to be enimies, rebels, and traitors to his Majesty. And I do hereby require his Majesty's subjects of the Province to embrace all opportunities of pursuing, captivating, killing, and destroy all and every one of the aforesaid Indians.

Proclamation issued in 1755…

• And wereas the General Court of this Province have voted that a bounty.... be granted and allowed to be paid out of the Province Treasury.... The premiums of bounty following viz:

• For every scalp of a male Indian brought in as evidence of their being killed as aforesaid, forty pounds.

• For every scalp of such female Indian or male Indian under the age of twelve years that shall be killed and brought in as evidence of their being killed as aforesaid, twenty pounds.

Florida Seminoles Mascot

The Seminole Tribe approved the use of this mascot.

Detail from Milwaukee Braves pennant, 1957

School Mascot, “Willie Wampum” 1971

Wausau Wausettes cheerleaders in Indian headdress costumes1987

Mascot used in 1999 by the South Vigo Public High School in Terre Haute, Indiana

When do you think this image was taken?

Indian Mascot

CostumesCurrently Available for Sale Online

Demonstration at the 1992 Super bowl in Minneapolis

Should they keep their mascots?

• Some see it an honor or tribute to Indian people• Sentimental Value• Part of the team/school’s History• Financial reasons• Some Indian nations don’t object to the mascots

On the other hand…On the other hand…• Many Native Americans find Many Native Americans find

these mascots offensive.these mascots offensive.

• Some see them as putting Some see them as putting Native people in the same Native people in the same category as animals, which are category as animals, which are the most common type of the most common type of mascot.mascot.

• Many people believe that these Many people believe that these images are racist and they images are racist and they intensify harmful racist intensify harmful racist stereotypes of Indian people.stereotypes of Indian people.

US Commission on Civil Rights

• “…calls for an end to the use of Native American images and team names by non-Native schools.”

• “…these mascots violate anti-discrimination laws.”• “…[these mascots] are disrespectful and offensive

to American Indians and others who are offended by such stereotyping.”

• “They are particularly inappropriate and insensitive in light of the long history of forced assimilation that American Indian people have endured…”

Is this any different?

What if?

The End