I had a few friends who had graduated before me and were currently attending this school. Some of them were hugely offended at the fact that they were losing their treasured mascot and thought that the idea that this particular mascot was degrading was completely wrong. Others however, agreed that during sporting events and games there were the presence of racist comments as well as stereotypes of the Sioux being portrayed by the students and agreed with the change. I personally never attended a game or an event at UND so I can not speak for what happened at the particular games but I do know that the people from this area, as well as mine are proud to be Sioux and some personally loved that their mascot was so unique and special to the school they had chosen.
This isn't the first mascot to be called into question though. Many of us know that their are other teams that have Native American mascots that seem to be facing the same fate. From the NFL we have the Kansas City Chiefs as well as the Washington Redskins. From the MLB we have the Atlanta Braves as well as the Cleveland Indians. NBA has their teams the Atlanta Hawks and the Buffalo Braves. The NHL has the Chicago Blackhawks. These are just in the professional leagues, many colleges have had Native American symbols or mascots before changing or dropping them due to the controversy surrounding them.
As both the video that was posted and what was read in the chapter, it is understandable why some are offended by the use of the mascots. Racial slurs, degrading remarks, cartoonish depictions, and stereotypes associated with that particle racial group being stated during every game. As this video depicts it shows some of the opinions that are provided by the experts about this current issue.
Growing up our rival school all throughout both middle and high school were the Arrows which was a town about an hour away from mine. There mascot wasn't directly a Native American Figure but it was two arrows that connected in the shape of an X encircled by their school colors, violet and gold. As I reflect none our games seemed to have offense racial slurs or degrading remarks that were said. I'm not saying it does not happen but from my own experiences this type of thing was not common. Maybe it ha something to do with the area that we live in, we are used to Native American culture and are surrounded by it everyday, and these other areas are not? This is a potential question to as, when considering the drop of a mascot name or figure that has been present for many years.
The "Fighting Sioux" name had been established with the creation of the school and over the years the logo experienced many changes the logo above being the logo established in 1999. Despite being of Native American descent the logo actually has substantial meaning, the feathers depict the outstanding achievements of the students and staff, the eyes represent focus and determination. The paint present on the cheek bone represents the battle of life and success that happen throughout life, especially the college years. The color green represents growth as well as development, yellow is light and humanity and red is lifehood. Should this all be taken away because of racial slurs said by a few? That is the ultimate question.
Works Cited
"List of Sports Team Names and Mascots Derived from Indigenous Peoples." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Martin, Judith N., and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. Boston, Mass: McGraw-Hill, 2007. Print.
"Mascot Sensitivity: Experts Weigh in on Native American Controversy." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Orwick. "Fighting Sioux Logo." Fighting Sioux History. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
I had met a Native American musician who had called mascots recreational genocide. Maybe more like cultural genocide in a way in my book, but it was very interesting to think of it that way. He had told me to think of myself as a Native child leaving reservation life, where everybody around you is Native and knows the culture. Then leaving to a place like Washington D.C. and students in school acting like they know exactly what you wear or not believing you're a Native American because you're not wearing a headdress.
ReplyDeleteThen the child is lost and confused about their own identity. He said that's where we lose our own children, so it becomes genocide.