Mascots and Other Public Appropriations of Indians and Indian ...

The continual use of Indianness as an important American symbol has raised serious
questions and dilemmas for native people. Some Indians, for example, have left their
communities and performed for white Americans a series of "positive" anti-modern roles-
-spiritual "teacher," eco-guru, community sage--in order to acquire political and
economic power. While such performances indeed generate valuable cultural capital, they
also force Indian people to define themselves around non-Indian criteria. For other native
people, it has become increasingly apparent that, in an age of mass communication,
Indians need to exert some control over--or, at the very least, constantly challenge--any
and all ways they are represented in public discourse. As a result, many Indian people--in
contrast to many non-Indians--have found struggles against the use of Indian mascots and
against the activities of non-Indian countercultural and New Age spokespersons to be
critical and significant in terms of social, cultural, and political survival.
Selected Bibliography
Journal of Sport and Social Issues Dennis Banks Laurel R. Davis Synthia Syndnor
Slowikowski Lawrence A. Wenner "Tribal Names and Mascots in Sports Issue," 17
(April 1993): 1-33
What's in a Nickname? Exploring the Jungle of College Athletic Mascots Ray Franks
(Amarillo, Tex.: Ray Franks Publishing, 1982)