“Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting,” co-produced and co-written by Aviva Kempner and Ben West (Cheyenne), is a richly nuanced film. The documentary, playing at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center on August 26, digs deep into the controversial issue of sports teams’ demeaning references to native peoples through team names, offensive stereotypes in their mascots, and the use of the “tomahawk chop” gesture and chant.
Kempner and West present the complex issue through many frank interviews with native people that they intercut with news footage of protests and virulent responses from those who defend the continuation of the insensitive usage.
The co-directors immediately set the tone with a series of brief comments from various native people. Longtime activist Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne/Hodulgee Muscogee) says, “Racism is racism. It’s like being a little bit pregnant. You’re either pregnant or you’re not. It’s either racist or it’s not.” A representative of the Oneida Indian Nation, Ray Halbritter, states, “The way people see us is the way people treat us.”
We hear Rick Santorum, former U. S. Senator (R, Pa.), addressing the Young America’s Foundation, an organization that promotes conservatism among students. He insists, “We came here and created a blank slate. We birthed a nation from nothing. There was nothing here. Yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”
Early on, Kempner and West put the issue in historical context. ESPN and Washington Post sports columnist Kevin Blackistone says, “You can’t talk about systemic racism in this country without talking about what happened 600 years ago to native people on this land when the Europeans first arrived.” The undersecretary for museums and culture at the Smithsonian Institution, Kevin Gover (Pawnee), informs us, “In the 100 years that followed the arrival of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere, the population was reduced by over 90 percent, from an estimated 40 million people who lived here at that time.”
There are disturbing examples of continued decimation of native peoples, including during the Gold Rush. Former Tribal Chairman Marshall McKay (Yocha Dehe) says, “Because we were in the way, the government authorized bounties on native people. It didn’t matter if it was a child’s ear, a woman’s ear, or a man’s ear. They could bring body parts to a depot and collect a monetary reward.”
Interviewees also talk about invalidating experiences from their childhood in school, whether it was that native peoples’ history wasn’t included, or being called a squaw. There are many examples too of the distorted and painful portrayals of native people in movies and TV, like the Lone Ranger and Tonto, and Disney’s sexualization of Pocahontas, who in reality was only 10 or 11 when she met John Smith. Gover notes about the impact: “As a kid, you start to ask yourself what it is about them that makes this OK. And even worse, you start to ask yourself, ‘What is it about me that makes it OK for them to do this to people like me?’ Just by asking the question, that means it’s had an impact.”
Throughout, though, is the interviewees’ abhorrence of being used as mascots, which, it is pointed out, comes from the Spanish word for “pet.” The film covers a wide range of sports teams that rely on derogatory stereotypes and/or co-opt native regalia, as well as use (or used) team names, like the Washington Redskins, Stanford Indians, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Braves, and Chicago Black Hawks, among others.
Speaking about activists fighting to end these practices, Harjo says, “You’re trying to end the disdainful imagery. You’re trying to eliminate these things that have taken the place of you in other people’s eyes, and are the reason they can’t see you as a human being.”
We follow numerous courageous efforts to end mascoting, and meet activists who are on the frontlines. There are some wins … and, sadly, losses. Psychologist and researcher Dr. Stephanie Fryberg (Tulalip) shares about mascoting, “The literature shows there’s no benefit to native people. It increases stereotyping of native people on the part of others. What we see is that it translates into actions of discrimination … Also, research [shows that] discrimination against native people leads to that against other brown groups. The only benefit to mascots is to white Americans.”
The film brims with information that provides insights into the issue, leaving us to understand Harjo’s statement –– “This is a life-and-death matter for us” –– and that the fight is not over.
In a recent interview, Kempner told me, “I hope people gain a sensitivity that words can hurt, especially psychologically … And there are still hundreds of names that are insulting, [but] we can make the change.”
“Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting” screens at the M.V. Film Center on August 26, followed by a discussion with co-director and co-producer Aviva Kempner and board member of the Aquinnah Cultural Center Durwood Vanderhoop (Aquinnah Wampanoag). For tickets and information, visit mvfilmsociety.com.