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NCAA Ruling on Mascot Names
Every
month I receive John Two Hawks (noted flautist, singer, actor, activist,
actor, and much more) newsletter and thoroughly enjoy it. I find that I
agree and applaud almost every issue he presents. But, in this last
newsletter I find something that I wholeheartedly disagree with. Below is
an excerpt from the newsletter.
Hooray for the NCAA! The recent decision by the NCAA to place a ban on the
use of “Indian” names and mascots in collegiate sports is a human rights
victory we have sought for over 50 years. Many are angry and are
protesting the ruling, but nothing they do will change this ruling. It is
a ruling, which embraces respect and basic human decency. When America’s
public schools were de-segregated, there were protesters then too. They
are looked upon today with frowns and disapproval. The same fate awaits
the protesters of today, where respect for American Indian people is
finally beginning to be realized as necessary. Sports are for fun. At
their root, they are trivial in that they are for public
entertainment. The names/mascots associated with any sports team are
certainly trivial, goofy, silly and clown-like by nature. They are
supposed to be funny. They are intended to be caricatures. These are the
very reasons the NCAA has placed a ban on ‘Indian’ names/mascots.... they
trivialize, disrespect, stereotype and make caricatures of American Indian
people, and it is not funny. It is racism, plain and simple.
I, for one, have spent a lot of years on the front
lines of this struggle. After such a long time, it is wonderful to
finally see some major movement toward the removal of these offensive
“Indian” names/mascots from so many of these sports teams which are
supposed to represent institutions of learning and higher education. The
NCAA has made its message clear, and it is a message of respect. Perhaps
some other organizations will show American Indian people some respect as
well in the near future.... NFL? MLB? For a more in-depth understanding
of the ‘Indian’ mascot struggle, click this link:
http://www.nativecircle.com/mascots.htm
Rebuttal: I believe the American
Indian Movement (AIM), which is the main organization that has pushed this
decision, was founded on victimization and that the mindset this
organization fosters continues to suppress the desire of our people
[American Indians] to take their own power once again. I feel this
movement may actually do more harm than good and there are many that see
the AIM movement as racism in and of itself. The organization seems to
want to go back in time and shut off from the whole world with the idea
that this will protect our heritage. Only true understanding of our
magnificent heritage will ever bring the respect of First Nation Peoples that
AIM supporter’s desire. People who feel victimized become victims and that
negative
spiral escalates. People who take their power become powerful and create a
positive
spiral.
Along with feeling
victimized over the use of native names, there are many within the AIM
organization that feel that no one other than full-blooded American
Indians (are there really any pure races left on this planet?) should be
allowed to use sage as a means to banish negative energies, to participate
in sweatlodge purification ceremonies, to hold one of our eagle brother’s
feathers in honor of the spirit of this magnificent bird and the spiritual
beliefs this bird embodied for our people, or to use a Medicine Pipe to
connect our hearts and souls with Great Spirit. There are many who try to
suppress the rights of women, the Grandmothers who were originally the
ones to carry the knowledge and see that it was passed on. Some traditions
do not allow a woman to touch a drum. I certainly do not understand this
as the drum represents the heartbeat of Grandmother Earth. Who better than
women to help us align with this rhythm. Some feel a woman should not be
allowed to use the sacred Medicine Pipe. Again, I do not understand this
as legends tell us that White Buffalo Calf Woman is the person who
returned the Sacred Pipe to the People, taught them the Seven Sacred
Ceremonies and how to live sacred lives. I do not believe this
organization has the vision of our ancestors who understood that we are
all related and one within the Universe. Certainly our people were abused
and almost annihilated, but there hasn’t been a race of people that has
not been abused by another at some time in history. You
will find in the teachings of many great native elders, such as Black Elk
and Chief Seathl (Seattle), that they were very proud to share their
knowledge with anyone who would seek their wisdom and ways. They
understood that keeping this wisdom locked away would eventually cause it
to be forgotten completely.
Personally, I am very
proud to see the use of American Indian words and names because to me, it
shows the influence that Indian people have had in our history. Over half
of the states and thousands of cities across our country bear Indian
names. Most of the people who live in those states and cities have no idea
of the origin of those names. They should be taught that history because
it certainly is not found in today's history books. It is wise to remember
that history books are written by the victors. Most people have no
knowledge of the influence the American Indian had on the founding fathers
of this country and of their extensive contribution to the political
structure adopted by our leaders. They have no knowledge that the
Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence were
modeled after the Iroquois Confederacy’s Kaianerekowa or Great Law of
Peace; an agreement that had kept these people at peace for over 700
years. They have no idea that many common terms today, such as caucus
(an Algonquin word) were adopted from the Red Peoples.
There is progress in
trying to change public awareness and in trying to present the reality of what happened
over the past two hundred years in the United States. I applaud Kevin
Costner and the movie Dances With Wolves, and Steven Spielberg and
Into The West for their concern for detail and accuracy. I applaud
much of what I see on the history channels. This is a start and I see many
brave individuals with native heritage or knowledge of that heritage
willing to share that wisdom.
I do not believe that
the individuals and groups who chose to name their teams after American
Indians did so with any malice and it is not my place to judge what they
were thinking and feeling. I want to believe they did so out of tribute to
a courageous, strong people; people who are known for their love of
competition. Our native ancestors participated in numerous wonderful
games or sport and athletic events. There was gambling of every kind and numerous
opportunities were presented to express strength, prowess, cunning, and
ingenuity. They did not consider these games trivial, funny, goofy, or
silly. They were taken very seriously and the winners achieved high status
and regard within their tribes and clans. The idea of counting coup
on the enemy instead of killing shows a huge respect for human life and
the understanding that life is but a game. Anyone can kill someone
else, but the act of coming face to face with the enemy and getting close
enough to merely touch the other on the forehead shows true bravery and
power. The most serious of the games our ancestors played was probably on
the famous Mayan ball courts in Mexico. Few understand the true nature of
the games believing that the losers were the ones who were put to death,
when in reality it was the winners who felt they had achieved the right
to move on to another plane or dimension. With the act of winning they
believed they had achieved spiritual oneness with the universe.
Yes, our ancestors took games very seriously. They were certainly not
considered trivial. I for one, would be honored
to play on a team who considered their heroes to be Braves, Chiefs, and
Warriors.
Today I believe the
lesson is to not take our self so seriously. Victimization never
allows anyone to take their own power.
Underneath self-pity there is anger and hate and only love will allow each
of us to move forward on our paths to enlightenment. Trying to demand
respect never works. You cannot change someone else’s opinion, only your
own. Is the battle that Two Hawks describes that has taken 50 years really
been won? It is causing a great deal of anger once again towards a people that
are greatly misunderstood already. I would like to see the AIM movement
devote their time to peacefully sharing the wisdom of American Indians and
not fighting more battles.
PDF Version of this
Editorial
A
Traditional Native Pipe Carrier
(seen here exactly as it was emailed to me)
This has been an interesting area where non-Natives try to emulate Native
ways. Some take a few classes or read a book and they know the Native
life. Its funny when a stranger comes up to me and tells me how I am
suppose to act because they read it in a book, hilarious. Many other
tradionals also experience this. New age use is in it for the glamour. Its
interesting when these same people cannot seem to relate to actual Native
people in Native gatherings other than paying for another class. I have
not seen many of you over the years around actual Native functions; who
claim to teach or practice Native ways. I myself are a tradional Native
pipe carrier, but not a name dropper, and I use it very estutely when it
is out. As a Native recognized
contrary I do have my humor in it, and allow the natural energies to make
the ways of being, but adhere to the meaning of its use and how it is
used. I do not mix it with other beliefs and call it Native tradition. The
growing spinoff of the tradional Native pipe carrier is the mis-use of the
male and female pipe. The male pipe is a "T" shape bowl usually carved
with (Lakota style as being seen locally used) pipstone ___|_ . The female
pipe is of elbow shape ___| . The traditional pipe carriers would carry
them accoringly. Male pipe is for male pipe carries. Female pipe is for
females. There seems to be teachers out there that missed this class when
it comes to know on how a pipe is given and which one is given. The 12
step program sounds more like a AA meeting as I had never heard this until
recently. I do not claim to know everything, but the many years of being
around traditionals in ceremonies does tend to have some kind of
experience on being a tradional native pipe carrier, that is why I was
given one... in a tradional way... not a new age way. Giving male pipe to
a female is not a traditional Native way and it should not be advertised
as such. Either call it your own tradition, with another style pipe and
stone or corncob as with other cultures, or get a sex change.
J Palace [Joe Palace]
Interesting opinion Joe,
The first teaching I received from Thunder Strikes, my Cherokee teacher
was this. He had eight of us stand in a circle and he put a large paper
mache doll in the middle. I was asked to stand in the south and describe
what I saw. It looked like an alien of some kind with one eye, pink shirt,
blue pants, etc. He told me I was absolutely right. Then he asked the
person in the north to describe what he saw. Interestingly, he described
something completely different. So did the individuals standing in the
other cardinal and non-cardinal directions. After each description,
Thunder Strikes would say, “You are absolutely right.”
The lesson I learned was that native peoples understood that there is
never just one way to look at anything or situation. When the whites came
to Turtle Island, they told the indigenous peoples that they had to do
things one way and that all other ways were wrong. The wise ones knew that
the whites were just standing in a different direction on the wheel; had a
different perspective because of their life experiences. The whites
opinions were respected until they demanded acceptance of their ways. Our
people were told they had to adopt Christianity and leave their beliefs
behind. You can see today, many did acquiesce. The demands of the whites
did not sit well with others, because they had always understood that
everyone was entitled to their own opinions and beliefs and that someone
else could never tell you what to believe. It was fine for the whites to
worship as they chose, but the relationship each person had with the Great
Mystery was his or her own and very personal. It was not questioned. There
was never only one way to do anything.
I have been taught that the lesson and light of the north where, in
Cherokee tradition, sits wisdom, logic, and knowledge is to be flexible of
mind; to be able to walk around the wheel and see from all directions.
This of course does not mean that you change your opinion as you walk the
wheel, it only means that you see other’s opinions and honor that they are
correct for where they are standing on the wheel. To take an old cliché,
to be able to walk in another man's moccasins. The dark of the north is
having tunnel vision and believing in only one solution, one way. It is
being closed minded and having no tolerance for other's differences. It is
having to be right at all costs. This non-tolerance generally shows
a lack of self-esteem and the person demanding acceptance of his/her views
is doing so because non-agreement might mean their belief was wrong.
Maybe the reason you have not seen many of us around what you call native
functions (although I have donned my beautiful butterfly shawl and danced
at a number of powwows), is because you and a few others seem to be
viewing life from only one direction on the wheel. I honor the beliefs and
traditions of every powwow that I go to even though some of the traditions
are not my own. I honor your opinion, Joe, but it makes me sad. I feel
your opinion is what perpetuates the separation of us all. What is in my
heart after an eight-year apprenticeship and years of working with
open-minded Cherokee, Dine, Maya, and Lakota peoples, is that we are all
one. We are part of the one to the many and the many to the one. It is the
belief of Unity and has been a native belief for all time; since always
and for always. We are Great Spirit and Great Spirit is us. I hate to see
these new-age ideals of yours, of believing there is only one way
to do something (because this is not what our ancestor's believed). These
beliefs only promote more separation, judgment, and negativity.
In’la’kesh
Phyllis Playful Autumn Wind
PDF Version of this
Editorial
NATURE IS THE BEST
PREACHER -- LIFE THE BEST TEACHER
October 1970
WALKING BUFFALO
DA NA WAQ (WHITE BEAVER)
AKWESASNE NOTES/ROOSEVELTOWN, NEW YORK 13683
March 20, 1871 - a great day in Morley, Alberta. It was on that day that
little Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo) was, born. In the years that
followed, he was adopted by the white missionary John McDougall,
educated in white men's schools, returned to the reserve at Morley to
advise and guide his people, and finally in his old age, was asked to act
as an emissary of peace on behalf of the Canadian Government.
Join our Stoney brothers and hear his words: Nobody tries to make the
coyotes act like beavers, or the eagles behave like robins. Some
Christians see themselves as set apart from the rest of the animal and
plant world by superiority, even as a special creation. Perhaps the
principles of brotherhood which the world urgently needs come more easily
to the Indian.
Do
you know that trees talk? Well, they do. They talk to each other, and
they'll talk to you, if you will listen. Trouble is, many white people
don't listen. They rarely listened to the Indians, and so I don't suppose
they'll listen to the other voices in nature. But I have learned a lot
from trees, sometimes about the weather, sometimes about animals,
sometimes about the Great Spirit. We were lawless people but we were on
pretty good terms with the Great Spirit, creator and ruler of all. Many
whites assumed we were savages. You didn't understand our prayers. You
didn't try to understand. When we sang our praises to the sun or moon or
wind, you said we were worshipping idols. Without understanding, you
condemned us as lost souls just because our form of worship was different
from yours.
We
saw the Great Spirit's work in everything: sun, moon, trees, wind, and
mountains. Sometimes we approached him through these things. Was that so
bad? I think we have a true belief in the supreme being, a stronger faith
than that of most of the whites who have called us pagans. The red savages
have always lived closer to nature than have the white savages.
Nature is the book of that great power which one man calls God and which
we call the Great Spirit. But, what difference does a name make? We had
none of your denominations to split us and introduce hatred in the name of
religion. We had no man-made guides to right living; nature was our
guide. Nature is still our Bible, and I've just returned after many days
of studying it.
I'll tell you what I think. We were on better terms with the Great Spirit
before the white man came than we were after he confused us by attempting
to frighten us into joining his churches. As devil worshippers, they said
we were heading right down the road to hell. Frighten us? Who wouldn't be
frightened if they were told they'd burn in a lake of fire forever if they
didn't accept certain teachings. The white man meant well. Many of the
missionaries were my friends, but they underestimated the Indian faith
when they used fear to make us change. There is no such thing as hell to
our native religion, and we can never imagine the Great Spirit choosing to
inflict everlasting torture on man as a punishment.
As
I understand nature's ruler, he would not restrict the truth to a few
favored humans, allowing the others to remain in eternal darkness. If the
Great Spirit is prepared to reveal secrets of importance to people, he
will give all humans in all lands an equal chance of getting that
enlightenment. My people have been searching for the truth for
generations, and they continue to find it. All races of people have
conducted such searches. Perhaps that explains why nearly all the world's
religions have points in common, like charity, forgiveness, and belief in
life after death.
Crowfoot of the
Blackfeet tribe was a thinker, as everyone agrees, but he never gave up
his native religion. They coaxed him, but he held on to his own beliefs.
The old chief didn't ridicule your
religion and its teachers, but his own faith brought him enough
satisfaction and comfort. The same could be said about Piapot. For years
he was under pressure to change. He didn't try to convert white men to his
religion, but he hated bigotry and he had no time for people who contended
that the white man's religion was inspired by the Creator but the Indian's
was not. Who do they suppose inspired the Indian's religion? At 87 years
of age in
London,
England,
he said: “It's not right raising kids so far from nature. I suppose your
boys and girls have never seen pussy willows, robins building nests, or
grass covered
children. Hills are always more beautiful than stone buildings, you know.
Living in a city is an artificial existence. Lots of people hardly ever
feel real soil under their feet, see plants grow except in flower pots, or
get far enough beyond the street lights to catch the enchantment of a
night sky studded with stars. When people live far from scenes of the
Great Spirit's making, it's easy for them to forget his laws.
I remember the wars
in Germany. We were led to hate the Germans. Now I think they are good
people. I'd pitch my tent there anytime. I'll never hate anyone again.
Hating hurts me more than it
hurts the other fellow.
To all Indians, he said: You see, we lost our land and our freedom, but we
don't have to lose all our Indian ways and habits. As good Indians, we can
make a substantial contribution to Canadian culture.
It may not have occurred to many white men that red, black, and yellow
peoples might have some good ideas about satisfying the world's needs.
1'll never try to justify the foolish fighting and scalping my people did,
but in some ways, we had better ways of living. At least we kept our
fighting to small wars, whereas the so-called civilized whites go in for
big conflicts. There's a lot of madness in the white man's world. We think
whites would be better off to slow down and live closer to the soil and
forests and growing things, instead of galloping around like stampeding
buffaloes in cutback country. If they would take some of our advice, they
might find a contentment which they had not discovered in their mad rush
for money and for the pleasures which they think it will buy.
To all White Men, he said: It's strange, but in trying to find solutions
to Indian problems, the authorities speak to nearly everybody but Indians.
Many of us could offer sound advice on this question. But remember, we're
proud of our race, and we want to continue to be Indians. I was born with
a bronze skin and I like it. Some of my friends were born white or black
or yellow. They were not consulted. But that's all right. There are yellow
roses, white roses, and
red roses
and the fragrance of one is about as nice as another.
I
hope my children will live in a world where people of all colors can sit
and work together without having to conform completely to the majority's
will . . . You must accept us as Indians who want to be Indians and who
are proud to be Indians.
Death claimed our wise brother December 26, 1967, and the entire world
mourned. Any fool can be quarrelsome and belligerent. Being half good and
half bad takes neither effort nor skill. But being a
man of peace requires bravery.
PDF VERSION |
