A very interesting viewpoint from the Grand Forks Herald [[North Dakota):
VIEWPOINT: History, colonization permanently sully nickname
Michael Eshkibok - 12/06/2009
GRAND FORKS — Why are Indian sports logos still at UND so hard to get rid of? The best way to explain this is what’s known as the “process of colonization.†Colonization is the conquering of the minds and habits of oppressed people such as American Indians so that they internalize and accept inferiority as an inherent characteristic of themselves.
Decolonization reverses process that by breaking with the ways by which our reality is defined and shaped by the dominant culture and by asserting our understanding of that reality or experience. [[By the way, 99 percent of U.S. Indian tribes have voted against using themselves as Indian sports logos.)
What people need to remember, especially at UND, is that the mascot issue is part of a longer history of Indian oppression and discrimination. Negative images of indigenous people began with the colonial campaigns of violence waged in the Americas by the Spanish and others. The colonizers used criminalization, theft, rape, murder and the determination of how Indians would be defined so they could use the Indians’ land and resources. By defining us as “savage," “evil†and “dirty,†the colonizers rationalized their own fear and hate and made murdering of Indians tolerable, even honorable acts. Not coincidentally, the invaders were able to take away Indian people, land and resources for their own use. Indian identity on reservations has been hurt by the colonization by oppressive European theories and actions.
These codes of behavior still afflict Indian communities and individuals today. American Indians have their own way of healing, and we need to go back to our own culture and traditions. When you colonize a people, you take away their culture, religion and customs. You trivialize them, turn them into meaningless objects or objectify them, so when you say you are honoring them, what you are honoring is the colonization and destruction.
The point is that we are human beings — first. The Washington Redskins' and Atlanta Braves’ fans parade around in mock war paint and headdresses while making “Indian†chants that seep down into the American school systems. Inaccurate images of Indian people not only promote racism and stereotyping but also underscore the perception that we are obsolete, primitive and exotic.
If Americans and UND really want to honor Indians, the next step is clear: They should eliminate racist depictions of Indian people in educational institutions, implement historically accurate information and representations about us and hold schools accountable to teach anti-racism courses because racism is institutionalized. Maybe then we can start seeing one another as human beings — nothing more, nothing less.
Eshkibok, an Ojibwe, is a doctoral student in UND’s communication program.
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