Productive Alternatives to Mascoting Us

Hanh mitauyapi.  As you know from one of my earlier posts, there's a push on via the ND Legislature to force the UND to keep the "fighting sioux" mascot, despite a ruling from the NCAA that mascoting of living people & living cultures is offensive & demeaning. 

During the hearing on the 3 (3!) bills brought to force this, testimony from those in favor of it - overwhelmingly whites, no surprise - said such gems as:  "when our team scores, I feel a rush of pride to be sioux", (jeeh! I've never thought being thought of as 'a treacherous untrustworthy People' - which is what 'sioux' means - something to be proud of, but there's no accounting for taste in some people..)

as:  "if we can no longer play the video "Pride of the Sioux" before every game, the memory of Indians in North Dakota will just fa-a-ade away..", (yeah, right!  As if the 65,000 Indians, D/L/Nakota or not, would allow our 'memory' - & our at-least-$65 million / year economic impact here - to 'fa-a-ade away".  Ah, nostalgia; & the genocidal 'thinking' of the 1860's. ;-)

as:  "when I see thousands of people walking across that warrior's head embedded in the floor of the Engelstad Arena, I always think how very honored Indians across the state must feel".  To which I replied, in my testimony, "In our culture, and in every culture I know of, one of the most offensive demeaning things that can be done to you is to be slapped on the head with a mocassin - a HAHNH-pah, in my language - a shoe, in yours.."  and I gave them my best eagle-warrior face.  Eyes widened throughout the Committee & the room, as little bulbs lit above their heads.

All the Indns in the room, even the few who claimed to be in favor of retaining the disgusting mascot, smiled, & a few grinned.  Most raised their thumbs up - which the Chair could not gavel, it being silent..  And so, I believe, more profound that spoken words would have been, being as actions speak louder than words..

"And that man said how honored he thinks we must feel?  Hardly. & neither would you.  And we all know it."

"Not to mention, in your language, there's the term 'down-trodden'.  It means someone who is walked on by someone else.  Doesn't it.  It does.  Or how about the term 'climber', as in 'social climber'?  Or the saying that a person 'steps on other people to get where s/he is going'?  Hmm?  Wasn't there a song in the 1970s called "I'm Not Your Stepping-Stone"?  Right.  Well, we're. not. your. stepping-stones."

Someone else asked, in their testimony:  "There have been many questions about the cost in dollars of respecting us & the NCAA ruling - what about the human cost?  You've said you haven't heard anything about the many incidents against Indns at UND & in Grand Forks, so you imply nothing has happened.  The fact is, the police up there blow our reports off as 'nothing important'.  In other words, racism & bigotry are alive and well in Grand Forks, ND, home of the University of North Dakota."  Committee members squirmed.

I offered 3 potentially far-more-acceptable alternatives to mascoting us living People & our living cultures - (1) put the beautiful artwork - minus the ugly words & only if the tribes bless it - on the State's website in perpetuity.  The state is named for us, after all..  (2) put the beautiful artwork on the State's letterhead.  Put the state seal on one side & the artwork on the other; again, minus the ugly words & only if the tribes bless it.  (3) Put the artwork - again, minus the ugly words & only if the tribes bless it - on all those Pride of Dakota labels that go on all those great North-Dakota-made products.  With all the really talented artists we have, it wouldn't be that hard to make it happen..  And these things would truly show respect to us D/L/Nakota People.  For whom this state is named."

The next day, a non-Indn friend told me he had an idea too, so I passed it along to the Committee & various tribal officials I know:  put the beautiful artwork - minus the ugly words & only if the tribes bless it -  on license plates.  He said he'd be happy to pay a few dollars extra to get such plates..

The thought has occurred to me that such a license plate would likely also increase the number of legally-license vehicles here, since Indns would really like to have such plates on their vehicles.  This would then decrease the incidence of ugly interactions between Indns & law enforcement, courts, & the iron door.  I passed that thought on, too.

Now we are waiting & praying for common sense & true respect to prevail.  The Committee to either: recommend Do Not Pass, so these bills die; or amend the 3 bills to include all of the above suggestions, & offer them with a Do Pass recommendation.  The 2nd way would get rid of both the mascot for UND & the ugly words, would enable the UND to comply with the NCAA ruling, and would truly show respect to IndigenUs People here & everywhere.  You are welcome to pray with us.  Mitakuye oiasin.