Offensiveness of Native American Names, Mascots, and Logos in Sports: A Survey of Tribal Leaders and the General Population

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fraser Laveay ◽  
Coy Callison ◽  
Ann Rodriguez

The pervasiveness of media coverage of sports teams with American Indian names and imagery has arguably supported stereotypical beliefs of those referenced. Past research investigating opinions on sports teams using American Indian themes has been inconsistent in findings and drawn criticism for lacking valid samples of Native Americans. Through a survey of National Congress of American Indians leaders (n = 208) and random U.S. adults (n = 484), results reveal that Native Americans are more offended by sports teams employing American Indian imagery, as well as more supportive of change, than is the general public. Investigation of how demographic characteristics influenced perceptions show that although age and education level have little influence, political party affiliation does correlate with opinions, with those voting Democrat viewing the teams with American Indian names, logos, and mascots as most offensive and in need of change.

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Skopek ◽  
Andrew Garner

Past research has consistently found that American Indians have traditionally turned out to vote at lower rates than do other citizens. Using two separate data sets, we examine this "turnout gap" over the past several decades. We find that not only has Native American turnout increased generally, but that the "gap" between Native Americans and non-Native Americans has declined substantially, and that in recent elections this "gap" has largely disappeared. We then provide a preliminary and tentative examination of possible causes for the decline, including the role of Indian gaming, mobilization by political parties and candidates, and shifting political values among Native Americans.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Fryberg ◽  
Arianne E. Eason ◽  
Laura Brady ◽  
Nadia Jessop ◽  
Julisa Lopez

While major organizations representing Native Americans (e.g., National Congress of American Indians, n.d.) contend that Native mascots are stereotypical and dehumanizing, sports teams with Native mascots cite polls claiming their mascots are not offensive to Native people (Vargas, 2019). We conducted a large-scale, empirical study to provide a valid and generalizable understanding of Native Americans’ (N=1021) attitudes toward Native mascots. Building on the identity centrality literature, we examined how multiple aspects of Native identification uniquely shaped attitudes towards mascots. While Native Americans in our sample generally opposed Native mascots, especially the Redskins, attitudes varied according to demographic characteristics (e.g., age, political orientation, education) and the strength of participants’ racial-ethnic identification. Specifically, stronger Native identification (behavioral engagement and identity centrality) predicted greater opposition. Results highlight the importance of considering the unique and multifaceted aspects of identity, particularly when seeking to understand Native people’s attitudes and experiences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-70
Author(s):  
György Tóth

Partly as a result of compartmentalized academic specializations and history teaching, in accounts of the global upheavals of 1968, Native Americans are either not mentioned, or at best are tagged on as an afterthought. “Was there a Native American 1968?” is the central question this article aims to answer. Native American activism in the 1960s was no less flashy, dramatic or confrontational than the protests by the era’s other struggles – it is simply overshadowed by later actions of the movement. Using approaches from Transnational American Studies and the history of social movements, this article argues that American Indians had a “long 1968” that originated in Native America’s responses to the US government’s Termination policy in the 1950s, and stretched from their ‘training’ period in the 1960s, through their dramatic protests from the late 1960s through the 1970s, all the way to their participation at the United Nations from 1977 through the rest of the Cold War. While their radicalism and protest strategies made Native American activism a part of the US domestic social movements of the long 1960s, the nature of American Indian sovereignty rights and transnationalism place the Native American long 1968 on the rights spectrum further away from civil rights, and closer to a national liberation struggle—which links American Indian activism to the decolonization movements of the Cold War.


1992 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-12
Author(s):  
Mary B. Davis

During the 20th century, and particularly since its adoption of easel painting, the continuing development of American Indian art has resisted attempts to contain and circumscribe it within definitions and categories imposed by outsiders — art critics, art historians, and the authors of many of the most readily available books on the subject. Native Americans are determined not only to remain in control of their art but also to have a say in how it is interpreted. A bibliography of sources follows an introductory survey of Native American statements about Native American art.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Fryberg ◽  
Arianne E. Eason ◽  
Laura M. Brady ◽  
Nadia Jessop ◽  
Julisa J. Lopez

While major organizations representing Native Americans (e.g., National Congress of American Indians) contend that Native mascots are stereotypical and dehumanizing, sports teams with Native mascots cite polls claiming their mascots are not offensive to Native people. We conducted a large-scale, empirical study to provide a valid and generalizable understanding of Native Americans’ ( N = 1,021) attitudes toward Native mascots. Building on the identity centrality literature, we examined how multiple aspects of Native identification uniquely shaped attitudes toward mascots. While Native Americans in our sample generally opposed Native mascots, especially the Redskins, attitudes varied according to demographic characteristics (e.g., age, political orientation, education) and the strength of participants’ racial–ethnic identification. Specifically, stronger Native identification (behavioral engagement and identity centrality) predicted greater opposition. Results highlight the importance of considering the unique and multifaceted aspects of identity, particularly when seeking to understand Native people’s attitudes and experiences.


1995 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 288-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. May ◽  
James R. Moran

Purpose. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of a wide range of potentially useful strategies to address the prevention of alcohol misuse among American Indians. This broad approach to the review is useful because the extreme heterogeneity of the American Indian population requires that health promotion professionals explore many options and tailor their activities to specific communities. Search Method. A literature search was initiated through MEDLINE using the following key words: prevention, alcohol, substance abuse, American Indian, and Native American. The search yielded 29 articles from the years 1982 through 1994. These articles, along with 45 previously identified in three overview articles, form the basis of the review and discussion in this paper. Summary of findings. As a group, American Indians experience many health problems that are related to alcohol misuse. Comparison of Indians to non-Indians shows that the age of first involvement with alcohol is younger, the frequency and amount of drinking is greater, and negative consequences are more common. Health promotion programs that address these issues must take into account American Indian heterogeneity and should use a comprehensive approach that addresses both heavy drinking and the sequelae of problems related to alcohol misuse. Major Conclusions. Important concepts for providing health promotion services to this population are: cultural relevance must be carefully planned and monitored; individuals in the local community must be involved; the drunken Indian stereotype must be addressed; and community empowerment should be an important goal.


1990 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 2-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Weibel-Orlando

The lyrics of the Curtis and Westerman song, dating from circa 1960 (printed in Vine Deloria's Custer Died for Your Sins) exemplify the then prevailing attitude of a number of politically active and vocal Native Americans toward anthropologists in general and, in particular, those of us who have "worked with" American Indians. The social distance between researcher and researched community as suggested by the lyrics' invective has approached, in some instances, the ultimate semantic contrast set, that is, the social distance that separates "us" from "our enemies." Their words suggest an Indian view of anthropologists as, at best, unrealistic Romanticists to, at worst, exploiters and intellectual imperialists. In no sense do the lyrics concede that anthropologists "do" anything of worth for their American Indian subjects.


2000 ◽  
Vol 73 (182) ◽  
pp. 221-238
Author(s):  
J. C. H. King

Abstract Identity in Native North America is defined by legal, racial, linguistic and ethnic traits. This article looks at the nomenclature of both Indian, Eskimo and Native, and then places them in a historical context, in Canada and the United States. It is argued that ideas about Native Americans derive from medieval concepts, and that these ideas both constrain Native identity and ensure the survival of American Indians despite accelerating loss of language.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-157
Author(s):  
Christopher Vecsey

Abstract This article explores how Native Americans have received the Bible. Over the centuries some Indians have been inspired by the Bible, and some have been repelled by its long-standing place in colonization. The Christian invaders in the New World carried the Bible in their minds. It served as their inspiration, their justification, and their frame of reference as they encountered Indigenous peoples. In effect, the Bible was the template for exploration, conquest, identification of selves and others. The Christian invaders brought along or produced physical Bibles, which served their catechetical purposes, and in time they began to translate the Bible—in whole and in part—into American Indian languages. Therefore this article illustrates that to the present day Native Americans continue to receive the Bible actively and variously, attempting to fit it to their unfolding cultural stories. Ultimately, it has not lost its potency, nor have they lost their power to consider it on their own terms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-36
Author(s):  
Yue Dong ◽  
Maria Collado ◽  
Paul Branscum

Background and Purpose: Diabetes is one of the biggest health problems for the American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The purpose of this study was to review lifestyle based diabetes interventions from January 1995 to January 2015. Methods: The target population within this systematic review was adult American Indians and Alaska Natives. Four databases (Medline, Google Scholar, PsychINFO, and JSTOR) were used to find articles, of which nine articles met the inclusion criteria of being either an intervention or prevention program that reported at least one physiological or biological indicator of diabetes. Results: Among the nine articles reviewed, six articles showed significant changes of physiological indicators. Three of the studies only targeted the female population. Most of the programs lasted between 6 to 12 months. A major limitation among intervention or prevention programs was an inadequate use of a theoretical behavior change model. Conclusion: Overall, it was found that physical activities and diet -based methods have the potential for diabetes prevention and intervention programs among American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Recommendations for future research include using randomized controlled trial research design, and using theory to guide program development.


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