The problem with "Playing Indian"

"Playing Indian" has a long and distasteful tradition in white America's cultural history, beginning when whites demonstrated with the Boston Tea Party, how wild and rebellious they were by donning feathers to dump tea in the water as a protest against taxation and British occupation. Another good example of this racial stereotyping and mocking today is UND's difficulty letting go of the Indian sports logos. It won't be stopping soon. Dressing up as others is always fun, especially for people who can step in and out of their costumes with absolutely no price to pay for doing it.

Racism is alive and well. The only reason I believe these sorority students got caught was because they weren't expecting to be caught with their pants down,- embarrassing. It will be a lesson for those others who are going to be doing the same thing. What UND really needs after the logo situation is straightened out will be an anti-racism organization here on campus to deal with white backlash that will come after the logos are history. There will still be strong support for the Indian sports logos even after they are gone.

The point is the Indian sports logos objectify our people and that is unacceptable. I have a suggestion for those who are trying to determine how to deal with the Indian sports logos on a fair basis. There are 30,000 Rotary clubs in 166 nations that use "The Four-Way Test" to determine whether something is true.

If we applied the test to the "Fighting Sioux" logo issue here in Grand Forks, the process would go something like this: Is it the truth? Can the NCAA's claim that Indian sports logos are "abusive and racist" be established as true? The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights concluded in March 2001 that the use of American Indian nicknames and images was disrespectful, offensive, and particularly inappropriate.

Dr. Stephanie Fryberg, a University of Arizona psychologist, has concluded that exposure to American Indian logos or mascots lowers the self-esteem of Indian students, reduces the number of achievement-related future goals that Indians see for themselves, and reduces Indian students' belief that their community has the power and resources to resolve problems. Fryberg also found that while such representations lower the self-esteem of American Indian students, they raise the self-esteem of European-American students.

Low self-esteem is related to high suicide rates. American Indian teenagers have the highest suicide rates of all people in America. The American Psychological Association has stated that American Indian imagery has a profoundly negative effect on Indians' self-image and their overall psychological health.

Is it fair to all concerned? There are two sides to the logo debate. One side maintains and denies the logos don't harm anyone and that it honors Indians. The other side says it stereotypes and objectifies Indians; that side finds the logos demeaning, degrading, and dehumanizing.

The National Congress of American Indians, which represents the vast majority of Indian tribes across America, voted on the issue years ago. All but one percent of those voting supported asking the NCAA to ban the use of American Indian mascots in intercollegiate athletics. If most Indian tribes are against the Indian logos, is it being fair to them?

Will it build good will and better friendships? Removing Indian logos would let Indians again attend sporting events without being confronted with the negative impacts these symbols produce. There are better ways to build community relationships than forcing the "Fighting Sioux" logo on those who find it offensive and harmful. Racism is alive and well in the U.S., here in North Dakota, and in Canada.

In time, people will see the University of North Dakota's commitment to the Sioux logo and the profits it generates as a historical embarrassment. Will it benefit all concerned? Sioux logo supporters studiously avoid discussing the long history of and racism when they defend symbols such as the Sioux logo. The issue reminds too many American Indians of their long history of exploitation and victimization by whites. Who is benefiting from using the logos financially and psychologically?

Compared with the U.S population as a whole, American Indians endure rates of poverty, alcoholism, suicide, unemployment, and homicide that are 40 percent to 600 percent higher, as well as higher school dropout rates, lower levels of income, and a life expectancy that is 10 years less. Abandoning a policy that mistreats Native Americans will improve education for all students at UND and is in the public interest.

Letting known harmful conduct to continue at UND or denying that American Indian logos are harmful forms of racial discrimination is not in the public interest. Anyone who attends UND or any educational institution for that matter needs to feel welcome in an open atmosphere of learning about life. Getting rid of "Fighting Sioux" Indian sports logos would be a move in the right direction.