In Whose Honor?

Last year, the University of Illinois dropped their mascot, Chief Illiniwek, in light of an NCAA decision which held that any school using a Native American mascot would not be allowed to participate in NCAA-sanctioned sporting events.  Facing a choice between denying student athletes achievements in post-season playoff games and denying a long history of avid fans their beloved Chief, U of I made a difficult decision.  Though the “protesting” agent in this case would appear to be the NCAA, this proclamation came after many years of protest by the American Indian Movement (AIM), educators, and allied sympathizers.

 

In 1968 over 200 American Indians came together in attempts to assess the poor living conditions of Native Americans. This meeting led to the creation of the American Indian Movement. Nearly 40 years later, this social movement has a long history of bringing justice and recognition to American Indians. The first missions of AIM was to improve the slum-like living conditions, protect the rights to practice native religion freely, and to investigate questionable behavior of federal government in its regard to Native policies. Over the years, the missions and focus have spread past these early goals.  Among more contemporary efforts of AIM, they have honed in on the controversial use of Native American mascots by sports teams ranging from professional teams to little leagues.

 

Usually held outside of various stadiums and ballparks, AIM protesters and their allies carry signs, yell chants, sing songs, and embody what Native Americans “really look like” as they attempt to alter the attitudes of fans who walk through the gates.  In addition to the mascots themselves which are seen as derogatory and rhetorically violent toward the images of Native Americans, AIM focuses on the different rituals of sports enthusiasts (e.g., the “tomahawk chop” and “war dances”).  In 1995, AIM activities were quite active during the World Series which was dubbed the “World Series of Racism” by protesters.  Featuring the Atlanta Braves against the Cleveland Indians, AIM activists saw this as a perfect opportunity to address the problem of racist mascots.  Part of this activist event included dressing up in other “costumes” to mock Jewish people, African Americans, and the Pope—turning the table on fans to show how mascots would look if done in the spirit of other people, AIM embodied a creative (and threatening) alternative.

 

So the movement that I will be examining in this class will be social movement and activism against Native American sports mascots in the U.S.  Specifically, I will focus on activities of the AIM; however, since much of their activism is connected up to other local groups and individuals, the scope will shift depending upon the events I am analyzing.  Far from a cohesive movement, the emphasis of my project will be both on the individuals involved and the movement of social consciousness.