There are no sports teams called "The Long Island Heebs" or "The New Jersey WOPs." If someone started a basketball franchise named "The Alabama Darkies" Al Sharpton's head would explode.
Why, then, do schools in the United States - from elementary right on through college - continue to mock Native Americans via their mascots?
Don't roll your eyes just yet.
I am a fan of all things politically incorrect. I would love to go to New Jersey WOPs games; I'd even buy season tickets. But I know that I am not the litmus test for what's socially acceptable.
I also know the importance of playing fair. If the aforementioned don't make acceptable team names, then names like Redskins and Redmen ought to get the boot post-haste.
The Boston Globe reported this week that the School Committee for the town of Natick, Mass. voted last year to change the name of the town's sports team to something a little less 17th century than "Redmen." But a vocal group of community members challenged the move, and the Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 this week to put the question to a non-binding public referendum.
This issue hits pretty close to home. Until 1972, our beloved Minutemen were known as the Redmen. The University learned the error of its ways, though; over thirty years before other institutions got the memo.
There have been myriad controversies over the use of Indian epithets by sports teams. Resistance to Native-inspired mascots began in the 1960s, and came to a head in 2005 when the NCAA passed a ban on offensive team names. Some names refer to specific Native nations, such as Seminoles or Choctaws, rendering them less offensive. However, names like Braves and Warriors are questionable, and Savages and Redmen are just downright laughable.
Defenders of the use of these names claim that they "honor" indigenous peoples. I don't know if I buy it - but it's plausible. Some of the worst enemies of Native Americans throughout history have considered themselves to be acting in Natives' best interest. Don't believe me? Google "Dawes Act."
We're not talking about "Braves" or "Chiefs" here, either, though both are debatable in their own right. Any argument that institutions are "honoring" indigenous peoples with these Indian-kitsch names goes out the window when you're talking "Redmen."
Many have also pointed to the Florida State Seminoles in defense of Indian-invoking mascots. In 2005, the Seminole Tribe of Florida gave the university the official go-ahead on continued use of their name for the school's sports team. But that's the Seminoles. This issue concerns the Natick Praying Indians, a people whose heritage and identity are completely different than their compatriots down south. It's the equivalent of calling the Germans "Krauts" because the Poles said it was OK.
It's no surprise that indigenous resistance to these tasteless team names perplexes many non-Indians. Primary education in this country provides mere lip-service to Native American history. Kindergarteners are taught that we had a nice dinner with them when we showed up and then they're not mentioned much until the French and Indian War comes around in sixth grade. What primary education doesn't teach is that the rest of the story reads like a bad marriage: a lot of broken promises and domestic violence.
Couple that with the fact that contemporary Native Americans face misinformed stigmas ("Most Indians are getting rich off their casinos") and have to jump through hoops for federal recognition and land claims ("You're an Indian? You don't look like an Indian"). I'd say it's pretty clear why they're wary of claims that mascots like "Chief Wahoo" are "honoring" them.
Some community members and Natick alumni, including former Redman Doug Flutie, an ESPN commentator and former NFL star, have clamored for protection of the name for tradition's sake. As far as that preservationist argument goes, inertia should not be confused for tradition. There are plenty of time-honored traditions rendered moot by social progression. I'm sure there were a couple mid-20th century entertainers who had to adjust their act once "blackface" was no longer socially acceptable, but the times, they were a-changin'.
The town of Natick will put the issue to vote on their March 25 ballot, according to The Globe. Hopefully, they'll go the way of the University of Massachusetts and ditch the offensive name.
As far as new names go, the Natick School Board formed a committee to consider all possibilities, and "The Hawks" was selected - which ought not to offend anyone except the most staunch animal-rights advocates.
Of course, if the people of Natick want to "honor" another demographic, since those Natick Praying Indians are a bunch of ingrates, they can always turn their admiration inward.
Let's go Honkies!
S.P. Sullivan is a Collegian editor. He can be reached at spsulliv@dailycollegian.com.
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