http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=306221

Chief is reflection of American Indian education

By Darla M. Wiese, dmwiese@...

The controversy over the University of Illinois' mascot, Chief Illiniwek,
has heated up in recent weeks as the tradition's demise may be imminent. If
I were to look at the problem from a strictly black-and-white point of
view, my stance on the issue would be simple: If area tribes approve of the
use of an Indian mascot, great. If area tribes don't approve, find a new
mascot.

Unfortunately, this issue runs a little bit deeper than that. The real
issue, I believe, has less to do with Indian mascots, and more to do with
the representations of American Indians in both the public education system
and the mass media.

Last summer my husband and I spent a long weekend in Washington D.C. As a
member of the Okanagan Indian Band of southern British Columbia, visiting
the new National Museum of the American Indian was on the top of my list of
sights to see.

As we walked into an exhibit, a large screen flashed images of American
Indians. One was a construction worker, another a young professional and
another a farmer. As the images were displayed a voice overlay said
something to the effect of "Everyday you may come in contact with an
American Indian and not even know it. They're workers, teachers. . ." etc.

My first thought was, "Um, duh?"

My second thought was a little heavier. I remembered doing research a year
earlier for a college paper about the Washington Redskins and the sports
mascot debate. For many people, the portrayals of American Indians in
movies, television, halftime shows, books and cartoons may be the only
"contact" they ever have with the American Indian culture. The context of
the stories told about American Indians is almost always in the past tense,
in a past time, contributing to a subconscious thought that American
Indians no longer exist and/or are part of fairy tales.

That's why the exhibit at the museum felt compelled to explain to its
visitors that American Indians exist today -- you just might not recognize
them because they're in hard hats and suits.

As a young girl trying to establish an identity, I absorbed these mass
media images about American Indians. I devoured books such as The Indian in
the Cupboard and though no one in my family watched sports, I sought out
and learned the "Tomahawk Chop," all for mainstream cultural validation. It
was no different than looking to the mass media for society's ideals on
beauty and athleticism, except I couldn't find any American Indians there
so I had turn to these other representations.

America needs to reevaluate the mass media messages and images we send
about American Indians, and we can start in the public school system. Last
year, the American Psychologist Association stated that the continued use
of American Indian mascots "establishes an unwelcome and often times
hostile learning environment for American Indian students that affirms
negative images/stereotypes that are promoted in mainstream society."

We also need to look at how we're teaching out teachers. My college
roommate, an elementary education major, came home one day with an American
Indian paper doll and told me her assignment was to decorate the doll's
dress and give her "an Indian name." She brought the assignment home
because, in all seriousness, she thought it was cute and that I'd enjoy it.

"I'm going to draw little daisies on the dress and call her 'Likes to Shop
a lot Girl'," she said to me.

"How about you teach your students about genocide and forced assimilation,
instead of shopping" I replied.

"Relax, it's just a doll."

As a child, I thought for sure I had come from a long line of blood
thirsty, vengeful people who didn't know enough to recognize the U.S.
government had only their best interests in mind and as a result the
government had no choice but to use force, deadly force. Today I know that
these feelings, this subconscious learning, are wrong, but I also know that
millions of other students and adults, native and non-native alike, don't
know that, and may never know that.

I know you've got a lot of sentimental attachment to your Chief Illiniwek.
I know that that attachment has nothing to do with racism. But Chief
Illiniwek is a thing from the past, a part of a fairy tale, and it's time
to let him go. To too many people, of all races, he doesn't honor or
represent American Indians, he defines them.

I'm not going to relax.