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The Seminole Tribe of Florida (n.d.) points out with pride that the Seminole Indians fought the army of the United States of America to a standstill until, eventually, President John Tyler ordered the “end of military actions” on May 10, 1842. How could it be insulting or demeaning, in the light of this history, for Florida State University to name its (often powerhouse) sports teams The Seminoles.
The very word Indians is sometimes seen as insulting. After all, as the Editors of the Native Times (2015) remind us, an Italian working for the Spanish got lost and thought he was in India and from that day forward the indigenous people of the north American continent were lumped together as Indians. Taking the term Indian as an insult is not universal among those who identify as one tribe or another. The Native Times again, points out that Russell Means was adamant to be called an “American Indian” as he established the American Indian Movement. Means was not averse to taking offense.
A similar controversy, more recently, is seen with the Washington Redskins football team. The Washington Post commissioned a poll to determine how American Indians felt about the team name. Cox, Clement and Vargas (2016) reported that fully 9 in 10 had no problem with the team name. Wilson (2016), reporting on the opposite reaction quotes the Change the Mascot organization as wondering how a name that is a “dictionary-defined racial slur” can be acceptable.
This is not a new issue. Locklear (2012) identified the question of stereotypical or racist team names as something that has been discussed for 30 years. The National Congress of American Indians (n.d.) has actively been addressing the issue since 1968.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) adopted policies in this regard in 2005 (Williams) and announced it in a press release on August 5th of that year. And that press release brings us back to the Seminoles and Florida. The NCAA specifically noted Florida State University (Seminoles) as a school that was subject to this new policy. The university and the Seminole Tribe of Florida have a long standing and excellent relationship. Whether the “Indian Face” logo or the “Flint Spear” logo, the Tribe supports the university. Moreover, “chief Osceola” and his Appaloosa horse Renegade are regular features at Florida State University events. The university has worked with the tribe to ensure that “chief Osceola” accurately depicts those same American Indians who stood against the might of the United States Army.
Can logos be done poorly? Of course they can. One example is the famous grinning Indian logo of the Cleveland Indians. There is nothing inherently, as we have seen, insulting or demeaning about the term “Indian.” But a logo like this –Bearing, as it does, an unfortunate resemblance to something straight out of a World War II propaganda poster is, at best, in extremely questionable taste.
Will people continue to be offended by things that others are not troubled by? Again, the answer is “of course they will.” What is clear, though, is that no amount of legislation, no matter how well intentioned, no policies not matter how carefully drafted, and no series of court decisions, no matter how brilliantly argued or judiciously decided will achieve a world in which no one is offended.
References
Basu, Moni. (2013, April 4). Native American Mascots: Pride or Prejudice? CNN. http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/04/native-american-mascots-pride-or-prejudice/
Cox, John W., Clement, Scott, and Vargas, Theresa. (2016, May 19). New poll finds 9 in 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by Redskins Name. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/new-poll-finds-9-in-10-native-americans-arent-offended-by-redskins-name/2016/05/18/3ea11cfa-161a-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html
Florida Department of State. (n.d.). Seminole History. http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-history/seminole-history/
Locklear, Elizabeth A. (2012). Native American Mascot Controversy and Mass Media Involvement: Do the Media Promote Racism Through Native American Athletic Imagery or Support Those Who Are Offended? Explorations: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities for the State of North Carolina. VII, 152-159. http://uncw.edu/csurf/Explorations/Explorations7.html
National Congress for American Indians. (n.d.). Ending the Era of “Harmful” Indian Mascots. http://www.ncai.org/proudtobe
Native Sun News Editorial Board. (2015, April 12). Native Americans vs. American Indian: Political correctness dishonors traditional chiefs of old. Native Times. http://www.nativetimes.com/index.php/life/commentary/11389-native-american-vs-american-indian-political-correctness-dishonors-traditional-chiefs-of-old
Quora. (2014, October 8). Is it offensive to a Native American tribe for sports teams to use their names? Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/news/offensive-sports-teams-named-after-native-american-tribes-or-slurs/3uqe7hmp1jle1rrjhlcqrshrm
Seminole Tribe of Florida. (n.d.) History. http://www.semtribe.com/History/
Williams, Bob. (2005, August 5). Press Release. National Collegiate Athletic Association. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/PressArchive/2005/Announcements/NCAA%2BExecutive%2BCommittee%2BIssues%2BGuidelines%2Bfor%2BUse%2Bof%2BNative%2BAmerican%2BMascots%2Bat%2BChampionship%2BEvents.html
Wilson, Ryan. (2016, May 28). Native American Activist: ‘Washington Post’ poll on Redskins name is ‘immoral.” CBSSPORTS.COM. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/native-american-activist-washington-post-poll-on-redskins-name-is-immoral/
