All schools around the United States have mascots that
range from Rams to Tigers to Bulldogs to Warriors. A school bases many traditions off of a
mascot and most all schools are honored to have a respectable mascot.
Unfortunately not all mascots, like Native American-themed ones, are
respectable and some tribes see them as offensive.
In
the Arlee area we have Warriors, Scarlets, Chiefs, Maidens, Red Devils,
Bulldogs, and the Savage Heat. Around
the United States we have the Cleveland Indians, the Fighting Sioux, the
Braves, the Red Skins, the Apaches, and the Mohigans. The list goes on and on
for Native American-themed mascots. Are all offensive? Are they all bad or
dishonorable? Hot Springs Savage Heat used to be called the Savages. The name was seen as offensive because it
portrayed that Native Americans are hostile and violent, savage. This characterization is not at all true, in
this case the mascot was seen as offensive and the school changed the name. Some
tribes do not feel honored because some mascots do disrespectful things while
in an untraditional costume that isn’t regalia.
Some dance around and inappropriately poke fun at traditional
dances. In this case I believe that they
should have to change their mascot if they can’t be respectful to the tribes surrounding
the school.
Schools in Oregon, when faced with a bill to
change all of the Native American-themed mascot names fought back and said that
they would get permission from the nearest tribe, however, after the
legislature approved the bill the governor recently vetoed it saying that the
legislation wasn’t strict enough. The people of Oregon are going to continue to
fight for their mascots as the bill is set to have all the mascots’ changes by
2017. The majority of tribes that are in
Oregon don’t want the mascots to change they want them to stay. Most of the
tribes feel honored and respectfully represented in cases of Native
American-themed mascots. The tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation are
actively involved and show support for area schools such as Ronan and Arlee.
The students of Ronan High School are honored to be called
the Chiefs and Maidens. The students of Arlee High School feel the same way
about being Warriors and Scarlets. When I moved to Arlee three years ago I had
my eyes opened up to the amount of work it takes to be a Warrior or a Scarlet. I
found pride in being a Scarlet. I learned the amount of dedication it took to
finally call myself a Scarlet. To me being a Scarlet is an honor unlike any I
have ever had because I had to earn it.
Native American-themed mascots are sometimes seen as an
honor. The Browning Indians take a
tremendous pride in their mascot. They
wear headdresses and war bonnets to state basketball games, an honor that the
boys received and continue with tradition each year. The mascot for Arlee High School is an elder
in full regalia and his is honored during the homecoming football game. We have an honor song played at every
graduation, senior night, and homecoming game.
Our traditions as a school are intertwined with Native American
traditions and the people of the valley find pride in being Warriors and
Scarlets.
To return to my questions from above there are no solid
answers. Are all Native American-themed mascots offensive? Depends on how you
view the schools actions. Are all bad or dishonorable? No but there are some
that are. Some schools want mascots
changed to be more politically correct so they think that names and mascots
should be changed. Other schools value
the traditions of the tribes around them.
I believe that if a Native American-themed mascot is not respectful and
honorable to a tribe, helping to demonstrate some of the traditions of that
tribe, they should have to change names and mascots so that there is no further
controversy. I also feel that my opinion may not be best because I am not a
Native American, I do not know what is seen as offensive or honorable within
the Native American culture, so I can’t give the best opinion when it comes to
this subject.
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