There’s a level of nuance to this.
The American Indian experience is far from a monolith with various different tribes, personal beliefs and life experiences. I, as a white person, cannot speak to what it is like being an American Indian in this country. And I don’t claim to.
From the American Indian voices, I have listened to, both in person and through media, I side with the opinion that says, Indians as a mascot is dehumanizing. Speaking to my own bias, we, non-Native people, have a tendency to not think of American Indians as people of today, but people of the past. Alongside that we don’t think of tribes as nations within a nation, with sovereignty and rights.
Because of this bias, there’s a certain level of cognitive dissonance that makes it feel like it’s ok to have Indians be a mascot. And half the time Indian mascots aren’t showing appreciation but are a collection of stereotypes.
Yet again, there’s nuance to this.
Tulalip Tribes member Dr. Stephanie Fryberg on the All My Relations Podcast noted some American Indians would rather be visible in some way than be completely invisible. While others do see it solely as discrimination.
Fryberg's research has found data that shows how mascots, such as Chief Wahoo, can actually lower self-esteem in Native youth, and she, herself, voiced how uncomfortable she felt with her school’s tomahawk mascot.
Along with Fryberg on the podcast was also activist Amanda Blackhorse. Unlike Fryberg, she grew up on a reservation and was shocked when she saw how school mascots were using and misrepresenting Native culture.
“For a lot of people, they don't truly understand the issue until they've actually experienced it, or seen it, or have been affected by stereotypes in some sort of negative way,” Blackhorse said. “And for me, I think it was a combination of me growing up on the Navajo rez really sheltered, and then leaving and then going to a completely different state and experiencing what I experienced with seeing what happens at these games, the type of culture that is there.”
Meanwhile, Oglala Lakota Nation citizen Tamee Livermont wrote about her experience going to high school with an Indian mascot on WeRNative. She explained in many ways the mascot depicts American Indians as not an existing population.
“It’s difficult to see ‘honor’ when you watch a sports game and see fake headdresses, ‘war paint’ and offensive chants,” Livermont states. “They mock our traditions and cultures as if we no longer exist. Whatever the intention is, we are more than a mascot. We are people. We are still here, and we deserve respect.”
Wetumpka may have an intention of honoring the past, but it is hurting the present and the future. Because at the end of the day, using an entire group of people as a mascot is inhumane. Especially when we consider, historically, all that white people have taken from American Indians.
And I’m not just talking about the Trail of Tears, but also the assimilation efforts that Native people were forced to participate in. In Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, she discusses how assimilation has left many American Indian populations without a connection to their own cultures, and some have languages that are on the verge of extinction. And now we want to take what’s left, or at least the stereotypes of what’s left, and use it for our own gain again.
But the point of this column and me voicing my opinion isn’t to advocate for immediately stripping Wetumpka as the Indians. It’s to start a conversation. While I believe there needs to be changes, my opinion is just one out of thousands.
I weaved in some American Indian creators and writers because as a white person I have my limitations in providing a well-rounded perspective on the issue and, to be fair, not every American Indian is going to agree with me or the people I quoted.
My hope is that us, non-native people, will start engaging with American Indian books, podcasts, videos and again start a conversation. It is Native American Heritage Month after all, and we need to learn about other’s experiences if we want any chance of being compassionate individuals. We are all works in progress and forever growing, including myself and the Wetumpka Indians.
Abigail Murphy is the Dadeville beat reporter for Tallapoosa Publishers Inc.
