Vote Removes Indian Warrior Mascot Imagery from Carpinteria High School near Los Angeles
Should Native Americans Be Portrayed as Mascots?
An Inspired and Inspiring Student
At least one student who attends Carpinteria High School finds the Indian warrior mascot offensive. This student, a member of the Chumash tribe, spoke out against the school's mascot imagery, which is an American Indian wearing a headdress. The image is offensive to Native Americans in part because of the stereotypes it perpetuates.
As a result of this issue being brought to the attention of the Carpinteria School Board, the board members voted 3 to 2 in favor of removing Indian warrior mascot images around the school. Afterward, the Native American student received a death threat, and the school board received a lot of hate mail.
By Any Other Name?
Would it be acceptable for the mascot to be any other minority group name? Imagine the Carpinteria High School Jews or the Carpinteria High School Blacks. Also imagine the corresponding cartoonish stereotypes that the mascot might embody at school sports events. It is doubtful that this type of offensive imagery and the stereotypes it would perpetuate would be allowed to go on for long. How is an Indian warrior mascot any less offensive?
But We Are Honoring Them
Too many people have taken a paternalistic (at best) attitude toward native Americans for too long. Do not fool yourselves, you are not "honoring them." The proof that Native Americans do not feel honored is evident in the fact that many have and continue to speak out against this offensive, stereotyping imagery.
But Think of the Cost
Many people have brought up the issue of how much changing the school mascot will cost. Items such as flags, statues, and murals will need to go. If the cost of replacing these items in terms of dollars is that big of a concern, then the best way to reduce cost in regard to the school mascot might be to eliminate having a mascot at all.
The Real Cost
There is a much greater cost of staying with the status quo and not eliminating the offensive mascot imagery. This is the cost of cheapening the way Native Americans are viewed in society. A culture of respect and dignity will result in benefits to everyone, which is truly priceless.
Published by Lori Wheat
Lori Wheat is a progressive, reformed attorney turned freelance writer, gardener, and property manager. She lives with her wonderful husband and adopted greyhound dog in Norman, Oklahoma. View profile
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36 Comments
Post a CommentWell done...
That is the challenge I put to those who comment in disagreement with the removal of Native American mascots in all sports. Think about it from a human and real life perspective and not an ethereal one. Because that's what it is. It is a "sleeper mode" of more than misunderstanding the effects of which sneak in the perpetuation of discrimination in our country for everyone, Native and not.
There is no such thing as "respectful use" of any human being's ancestral, "racial," and cultural existence and ancestry as a "mascot." This type of constant, ignorant abuse of Native Americans is not allowed of any other group.
Of course I'm Native American, for some people that automatically makes my agreeing with the voice in this article mute, for others it makes the writers opinion because she's not a Native American, mute. How about reading the obvious. We agree. We are not animals, not a "mythical figures" but real human beings, and we are not honored. We have a lot of explaining to do to the children in our community especially, since they are the most hurt by this. It singles them out from birth and throws ignorance in their faces from moment one.
I challenge any "dissenting opinions" to consider looking into the face of your child, being the ONLY one in school having their heritage singled out, stereotyped, marginalized and as a result, mocked and misused. Go
I applaud this courageous article. I am Indian. I was the only minority in a district with Indian logos and team names. I was bullied because I was Indian and I had to watch how 'proud' a bunch of non-Indians were about being 'Indians.' The solace of my racial identity was taken away by white kids with purple 'war paint' dancing around for sports teams. What hurt most was the irony of non-Indians proud to 'be' Indians, yet using me as a scapegoat because I was an Indian. Public schools are no place for this kind of stereotyping. It does real measurable harm to Indian, and non-Indian students. This has been found, and replicated in empirical research, and it rings true with what I and many others already knew. If it's harmless, then why do I know Indian families and non-Indian supporters who've had death threats about like issue?
This isn't about 'offense.' It's an educational ethics issue about harm to children. Studies prove Indian students supporting team names and mascots are worse off than those who don't, and non-Indian students get an artificial boost. I know people who've had death threats, had to leave communities, and lost jobs for supporting this issue. Is it really worth that to keep team names that many feel do not honor their people?
Nice work, TimJ! I guess being a Sooner is not nearly as offensive as using a proud Warrior for your small town school's image for nearly 80 years...
From Wikipedia: The University of Oklahoma features 17 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to individuals who participated in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement by entering early and hiding out until the legal time of entry in order to lay quick (and, by definition, illegal) claim to some of the most choice homesteads.
Funny Lori went to Oklahoma.....look up the definition of "Sooner"
I AM A WARRIOR, PROUD AND HONORABLE, MY NAME IS NOT A SHAME IT IS GLORY, UNTO ALL AND ALL IS WELL, THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE MY IMAGE, BUT THEY WILL NEVER TAKE MY PRIDE, I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE IN THE HEARTS AND SOULS OF THE PROUD, FOR WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND AND YOU WILL SEE, TIMES ARE CHANGING BUT DO NOT HATE ON WHAT YOU DON'T NO FOR THERE WILL BE ANOTHER AND ANOTHER BUT WILL NOT LAST AND I WILL COME BACK TO REGAIN MY THRONE, I AM A WARRIOR A CARPINTERIA WARRIOR AND I FIGHT TILL THE END AND NEVER GIVE UP, I AM NOT LEAVING, JUST TAKING A BREAK, SO WHEN I'M GONE BE SMOOTH AS SILK AND GLIDE THROUGH THE AIR FOR GENTLE IS A DREAM OF MINE AND I WILL SOAR THROUGH THE SKY.
Since people like you have turned this into a "race" issue, check out this rather interesting perspective... http://www.CarpCentral.com/Nordholm.doc
Isn't interesting that Amarita Salm's High School, Hyde Park in Chicago, was known as the "Native American Indian". Their year book is "Aitchep" and they called themselves the "Aitchep Tribe". As recently as 2003, Amarita was not offended enough to keep her from attending her 40th reunion. In 2006, many alums were offended when the school board changed the mascot. The alums were upset that they were no longer the Indians. Guess what the school board changed the mascot to at this elite magnet school? They changed it to "Thunderbirds"! Now correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that a "Thunderbird was a mythical bird held as sacred by many American Indian People. In fact I have a small Totem that I bought in a tribal store in Oregon that has a "Thunderbird" at the top. Why is it fair for her high school to change one set of Indian Imagery for just another set of Indian Images? Also, why did Amarita fell the need to change her name from Monica to Amarita? I had many people tell me that s