Misuse of true American spirits as symbols
Karlyle Stephens
Mesa legend
People are beginning to think that it’s okay to use Native American imagery and symbolism as mascots as long as it isn’t a caricature or use historically derogative names for them. (As in the case of MLB’s Cleveland Indians and NFL’s Washington Redskins.) I don’t think so. Every single use that existence currently in America’s gigantic sports entertainment complex is not only offensive, but I think a total mockery aimed at Native people’s last and most important possession: Spirit.
New America spirituality or religion has always been one based on death, highly hypocritical, and more impressed by symbolism and materialism than love and people. It’s how it’s been from the very beginning. Without mentioning even one slaughter, Columbus wrote back to the king and queen if Spain after a couple of months on the island, “I continued to enter very many harbors, in which I placed a very large cross in the most appropriate spots.” What a cute little missionary boy.
Today Americans mask their guilt by having a fetish appetite for Native American artifacts and its spiritual culture. The actual people that come from these things and are still alive continue to be dismissed with alcohol stereotypes and remain completely disassociated from the national identity. A scroll through current events shows a continued disrespect for the land’s original owners. It’s as if Native disrespect is an American traditional. I would argue that these mascot mockeries, disguised as tributes, are all connected to this legacy.
When the government would defeat Natives in battles for their land, they would capture the leaders, make them become prisoners to these parade tours around Midwestern cities. One of those brave warriors to go through this experience was Sauk chief Black Hawk, to whom NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks image is derived.
Fighting to protect his sacred homeland in northern Illinois, he led the infamous Blackhawk wars of 1832 In his autobiography “Life of Black Hawk: Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak,” the purposes of these parades are outlined in three points. It was intended to embarrass the leaders, make them examples to discourage other tribes from testing the US government, and lastly it was to prove to US citizens that then president Andrew Jackson was fulfilling his promise to “take care of the Indian problem.”
Large amounts of patriotic Americans would show up to rejoice in these spectacles. There was a celebrity like admiration for the “Indian warrior.” Blackhawk and other infamous freedom fighters like Geronimo and Sitting Bull, all spent some of their last days being gawked at by gleeful Americans. Some of the men even kind of liked their fame. But they must have known that they were not so much being celebrated as they were being presented as losers to a dominant United States military. They were aware that Land wasn’t the only thing being lost, but so was their Spirit. which was being taken away from their people and redistributed to Americans.
This is what comes to mind anytime I see Florida State football games played on their home field. The “Seminoles” pregame ritual consists of a fictional war scene. Where a fake Native warrior rolls thru the field on a horse, hyping up fans who are all chanting doing a hand gesture that’s supposed to represent a Tomahawk. It’s hard for me to see this as a show of support and respect for native people in that region who are Seminoles.
A real show of respect is what Canada did when they hosted the 2016 NBA All-Star game which was held in Toronto. Native American flute players played along with the National Anthem which I thought was a more courteous way to show honor and respect.
