First Americans, Last to Get Respect: The American Indian Mascot Issue
- Derick Tallman (Iowa State University)
Abstract
Since their "discovery" by European explorers, American Indians have been caricaturized in stories, ads, films and imagery. Sports teams now play on fields once roamed by the American Indians with expropriated native images as mascots. Since the 1970s, when Indians began promoting the removal of these stereotypical images, a dozen colleges have changed mascots. But five professional teams and hundreds of high school teams with no connection to Indians continue to portray their teams under Indian imagery. This session will focus on the contemporary issue of sports teams using Indian mascots and logos and American Indian perceptions of this issue.
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