Native American Mascots, Redface, Logos Are Slowly Disappearing

 

Almost every week, John Little sees images of Native Americans being represented as relics² of the past.

There is the picture of a young Native woman on a container of butter. There are the children’s teepees sold at popular stores. And, there are the sports fans. People who support teams with Native-American-connected names often paint their faces and do the “tomahawk chop.” The movement was meant to look like a Native American using a sharp tool called a tomahawk.

Little lives in the southwestern state of Arizona and is a member of the Standing³ Rock Sioux tribe. He notes that many Americans have been discussing a lot about racist⁴ imagery in recent months, especially about the history and meaning of blackface.

But such discussions have not included the outdated⁵ and often offensive representations of Native Americans.

"These are everyday realities for Native people," Little said.

Experts say that “redface” – the practice of dressing⁶ or acting⁷ like a Native American - gets less attention than blackface for a few reasons. European Americans have deep-rooted but mistaken ideas about American history. Also, Native Americans make up less than 2 percent of the United States population. African-Americans, by comparison, make up about 13 percent.

Native American have tried for years to make people understand that stereotyping⁸ Native Americans as violent, uninformed and humorless is deeply offensive.

They have not seen much change, however.

Throughout America's history, people have put on redface, worn feathers and spoken in broken English as they "played" Native Americans in theater, film and everyday life. In one of the earliest examples, colonists⁹ who were dressed as Mohawk Indians poured tea into the Boston Harbor in 1773 in protest of British rule.

Philip J. Deloria is a Harvard University history professor and writer of "Playing Indian." He said most people think that those old images, largely based on 19th-century Plains Indians, represent who Native Americans were and still are.

Some even believe Natives no longer exist in the country.

"There's a big, long, complicated history to this that's really deep in American culture," Deloria said. "It's every bit as deep as blackface minstrelsy and slavery. It's just out there, but we've kind of forgotten about it."

The most common place to see redface is at sporting events for teams like the Washington “Redskins,” the Atlanta “Braves” and the Cleveland “Indians.”

There have been protests against the “Redskins” name for 50 years. But the team’s name has not changed. But some news organizations have refused to publish the name of the football team in America’s capital.

In 2017, John Little made a documentary film about the team and its chosen name. It is called “More Than a Word.” In it, fans explain that they think the team name honors Native Americans. These fans paint their faces, perform their versions of a Native American dance or war cry and wear fake headdresses.

For many Native Americans, “redface” is not limited to actual face paint. It also includes clothing and speech. The sight of sports fans wearing feathered headdresses is especially insulting to many Native Americans. The headwear is historically a sign of great honor and respect, earned by tribal¹⁰ chiefs.

Kyle Mays is a professor of African American and American Indian studies at the University of California-Los Angeles. He is both black and a member of Saginaw Anishinaabe, a Native tribe. He said, “It’s hard for me to say people don’t know it’s wrong….They might not know Native people, but they know it’s wrong and it’s just OK to do because there are not any consequences for it.

Nicholet Deschine Parkhurst, who is Lakota and Navajo, has been criticizing the companies that use Native American culture in an offensive way. She wants them to show indigenous¹¹ people in a more modern way.

"When you're viewed in that way, as only existing in the past, as the 'frozen Indian' found in museums ... it makes it harder for voices of leaders in our communities to actually be heard, and it's easier for people to ignore us," she said.

Although changes have been slow, there have been some positive signs. The Cleveland Indians sports team, for example, has new clothing for players that does not include the image of “Chief Wahoo” – a Native American face shown in bright red and wearing one feather.

And, the U.S. Lacrosse association said last month that it plans to remove offensive Native American mascots¹³ and signs from events that it puts together.

I’m John Reynolds.

And I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

relic¹ - n. something that is from a past time, place, culture, etc. — often + of or from

teepee – n. a tent that is shaped like a cone¹⁴ and that was used in the past by some Native Americans as a house

stereotype¹⁵ – v. to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same

indigenous – adj. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment

headdress – n. a decorative¹⁶ covering for your head

consequence – n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

fake - adj. not true or real

complicated – adj. hard to understand, explain, or deal with

minstrelsy – n. the practice of performing as a minstrel - a member of a group of entertainers who performed black American songs and jokes usually with blackened faces

mascot¹² – n. a person, animal, or object used as a symbol to represent a group (such as a sports team) and to bring good luck

1 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

2 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

5 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

6 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 stereotyping   

v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I realize that I'm stereotyping. 我认识到我搞的是老一套。 来自辞典例句
• There is none of the gender stereotyping usually evident in school uniforms. 有没有人的性别刻板印象通常是显而易见的。 来自互联网

9 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

11 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

12 mascot   

n.福神，吉祥的东西

参考例句：

• The football team's mascot is a goat.足球队的吉祥物是山羊。
• We had a panda as our mascot.我们把熊猫作为吉详物。

13 mascots   

n.吉祥物( mascot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the mascots was the platypus. 吉祥物一是鸭嘴兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Information on all things Olympic, including logos, mascots, venues,and bid candidates. 所有事情奥林匹克，包括的标识语，吉祥物，地点，和出价候选人的信息。 来自互联网

14 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

15 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

16 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。