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- The use of terms and images referring to Native Americans/First Nations as the name or mascot for a sports team is a topic of public controversy in the United States and in Canada, arising as part of the Native American/First Nations civil rights movements. Since the 1960s, there have been a number of protests and other actions by Native Americans and others targeting the more prominent use of such names and images by professional franchises such as the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins. However, discourse surrounding mascot usage by elementary, middle, and high schools has been prominent, as these entities are subject to public legislation and community input. The greatest and most rapid change has occurred in the trend by school and college teams that have retired Native American names and mascots in recent decades. A database published in 2013 by the National Congress of Indians (NCAI) indicates that there are currently more than 2,000 secondary schools with mascots that reference Native American culture, compared to around 3,000 fifty years ago. Statewide laws or school board decisions mandating change have been passed in states with significant Native American population; other states also have official policies that encourage change in accordance with principles of establishing a proper environment for education. However, there has also been resistance and backlash, usually when statewide laws have been viewed as an intrusion into local communities, where no need for change has been established. The documents most often cited to justifying the trend for change are an advisory opinion by the United States Commission on Civil Rights in 2001 and a resolution by the American Psychological Association in 2005. Both support the views of Native American organizations and individuals that such mascots maintaining harmful stereotypes that are discriminatory and cause harm by distorting the past and preventing understanding of Native American/First Nations peoples in the present. Native mascots are also part of the larger issues of cultural appropriation and the violation of indigenous intellectual property rights, which includes all instances where non-natives use indigenous music, art, costumes, etc. in entertainment or other performances. It has been argued that harm to Native Americans occurs because the appropriation of Native culture by the majority society continues the systems of dominance and subordination that have been used to colonize, assimilate, and oppress indigenous groups. Defenders of the current usage often state their intention to honor Native Americans by referring to positive traits, such as fighting spirit and being aggressive, brave, stoic, dedicated, and proud; while opponents see these traits as being based upon stereotypes of Native Americans as savages. Supporters also state that the issue is not important, being only about sports, and that the opposition is nothing more than "political correctness", which change advocates argue ignores the extensive evidence of harmful effects of stereotypes and bias. Rex P. Shipp, the state representative for Cedar City, Utah, introduced in 2020 a joint resolution supporting "the appropriate use of names, images, and symbols of Native Americans and other indigenous people by schools or places" and discouraging "removing names, images, and symbols of Native Americans and other indigenous people from schools or places". Although not having the force of law, the resolution failed on party lines in 2021, with only a few Republicans voting in support. A similar resolution may be introduced in Idaho. Following the name change of the Cleveland Indians, two Ohio state representatives have introduced a resolution encouraging Ohio schools to eliminate Native American mascots. (en)
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- The use of terms and images referring to Native Americans/First Nations as the name or mascot for a sports team is a topic of public controversy in the United States and in Canada, arising as part of the Native American/First Nations civil rights movements. Since the 1960s, there have been a number of protests and other actions by Native Americans and others targeting the more prominent use of such names and images by professional franchises such as the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins. However, discourse surrounding mascot usage by elementary, middle, and high schools has been prominent, as these entities are subject to public legislation and community input. (en)
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