Native American Mascots Must Go

There would be an uproar of anger if there were ever a team wearing a black mask and its mascot was the Niggers, and hell would definitely break lose if there were ever a team with a white mascot known as the Crackers. So why is it okay for there to be numerous sports teams that have mascots whose names are offensive to Native Americans?  The answer: It is not okay, and it never will be. There are elementary schools, Middle schools, high schools, colleges, universities, and professional teams who all use offense Native American names such as Savages, Braves, Squaws, Chiefs, and Redskins. Each of these names are degrading words used towards Native American in the past such as the word “nigger” was used to degrade African Americans. For example, Southeastern Oklahoma State changed their mascot from the “Savages” to the “Savage Storms” after being informed of how offensive the word savage is to Native Americans. Native Americans were thought of to be blood-thirsty, uncivilized, savages by European invaders only because the Native American society was foreign to them. Braves and Squaws are also disrespectful terms used toward Native Americans. These terms are used in sports teams that are widely known such as the Atlanta Braves and teams not widely known schools such Belmont High school in Decatur, Indiana, who’s mascot is the Braves and Squaws. Braves is a word that was used by Europeans to dehumanize Indian Americans and patronize their women and men. Squaws is an awful word to Indian American women. It is equivalent to the word “cunt,” that is used today to degrade women. The word squaws is taken from an Algonquin word which made reference to female genitals. The word was taken and twisted by European immigrants who would rape Native American women, which they called squaws. One of the most popular Native American mascot names used in American sports are Chiefs and Redskins. Although the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Redskins may be very popular mascots in America, they are not popular to Indian Americans in any way. The word “chief” may sound like a respectful name to Americans, but to Native Americans it is not. Indian Americans never called themselves “chiefs,” only headmen or clan mothers. Chief is more of an American word, and since Native Americans were highly disrespected by the United States and Europeans, calling them “chiefs” only continues to disrespect them. Lastly, one of the most offense words used in American sports today is “redskins”.

Many Americans do not know where this word originated. Redskins refers to the torn, bloody scalps of Indian children, women, and men that were sold for bounties in the America alongside other different animal skins. At a period of time, were Native Americans were hunted as if they were animals by bounty hunters. Once the Native Americans were killed and scalped, their skin would be traded in for money. Bounty hunters received payments for deer-skins, beaver-skins, raccoon-skins, and red-skins.

I have only listed a few reasons why Native American Mascots should be banned in American sports on all levels. These names are discriminating and cruel. Niggers, Crackers, and Pan Faces would be unacceptable names for mascots, so names such as Reds**ns should be unacceptable as well.