American Indian Sports Team Mascots

Change the Mascot
State-By-State Change The Mascot Petitions

Change the Name and Imagery of the Kansas City Chiefs football team petition from Not In Our Honor

Illuminative
Created and led by Native peoples, IllumiNative is a nonprofit initiative designed to increase the visibility of – and challenge the negative narrative about – Native Nations and peoples in American society.
Reclaiming Native Truth

 First Nations Development Institute

Research Findings: Compilation of all Research

National Congress of American Indians
Comprehensive Native "themed" mascot resource: 
Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports & the Era of Harmful 'Indian' Sports Mascots 
The NCAI is the largest, oldest, and most representative of all American Indian advocacy organizations and has opposed the use of stereotyping practices since 1968.

National Indian Education Association
Resolution calling "for the immediate elimination of race-based Indian logos, mascots, and names from educational institutions throughout the Nation."

American Psychological Association
Summary of  Resolution recommending retirement of American Indian Mascots. 
The full resolution is
here.

United States Commission on Civil Rights
Complete text
of Position Statement on the use of Native American Images and Nicknames as Sports Symbols.  

Also see the 2021 Briefing Report of the Nebraska Advisory Committee to the USCCR on Civil Rights and the Impact of Native American Names, Symbols, and Imagery in School Mascots


Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Muskogee Nations
Inter-Tribal mascot resolution "representing over 400,000 people throughout the United States"

American Indian and Alaska Native Society of Indian Psychologists
Statement on retiring Native American mascots

American Counseling Association
Resolution calling for the elimination of stereotypic American Indian imagery


Council of the American Sociological Association
Statement  on Discontinuing the Use of Native American Nicknames, Logos and Mascots in Sport

Oneida Indian Nation
30 page study shows scientific proof that "Indian" mascots hurt Native Americans

 

United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) 
Resolution calling on the National Football League to end the use of the Washington, D.C.  racially offensive slur team name.   USET    

2022 -
Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health
Colorado School of Public Health

2022:  Twenty Years of Research into the Health Impacts of Native-Themed mascots: A Scoping Review.  

2020 Study:  Unpacking the Mascot Debate
Native American Identification Predicts Opposition to Native Mascots

2020 Study:  The psychosocial effects of Native American mascots:
A comprehensive review of empirical research findings

2008 Study:  Of Warrior Chiefs and Indian Princesses: 
The Psychological Consequences of American Indian Mascots

World Wide Web Exclusive!! 
 
Of Polls and Race Prejudice: Sports Illustrated "Errant 'Indian Wars'" 

Also see  2004 Annenberg Survey Designers Acknowledge Invalid Results  And  11 Reasons to Ignore the old 2004 Annenberg Survey About the Washington Football Team's Offensive Name  


 

NEWS


11/18/24  Should Wetumpka have the Indians as its mascot?      Wetumpka, Alabama

11/15/24  California will rename places to remove racist term for a Native American woman. Change will involve over 30 locations in 15 counties      California

11/15/24  Killingly High School’s controversial mascot to (again) be retired. Previous return to former team name cost district almost $94K in State funds from tribes    Killingly, Connecticut

11/13/24  Interview with Dr. Debbie Reese, scholar on American Indians in Children's Literature and banned book watchdog      National, United States

11/09/24  Business is booming again for Washington’s ‘sleeping giant’ NFL franchise      Landover, Maryland

11/04/24  Mesa ruins dating back hundreds of years renamed to honor Native American heritage      Mesa, Arizona

11/01/24  North Dakota state park will no longer be named for Civil War general who fought Native Americans      North Dakota

10/16/24  Amityville drops suit over NYS ban on Native American names      Amityville, New York

10/14/24  Chicago-based Native Americans Denounce Rogue MAGA Loving "Native" Group's  Participation in Columbus Day Parade       Chicago, Illinois

10/11/24  Public school district in Pennsylvania, which has no State or Federally recognized Native tribes or nations, keeps "Indians" sports team identity      Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

10/11/24  Marysville High will have to drop ‘Indians’ as its mascot        Marysville, California

10/06/24  Westhill School District adopts new mascot        Syracuse, New York

10/06/24  Native American Heritage Fund Awards Michigan schools $484K to address harmful Native "themed" mascots        Michigan

10/04/24  Local impact on the new California law that bans Native American mascots        Hamilton City, California

10/04/24  A Berlin school custodian was jeered for protesting its 'Indians' nickname. The issue isn't fading.        Berlin, Wisconsin

10/02/24  New California law bans Native American mascots at K-12 schools, strengthens Missing Indigenous Prople Alerts        California

09/19/24  Native American activist group speaks out against use of Iowa school’s ‘dehumanizing’ mascot         Indianola, Iowa

09/19/24  Smoky Mountains' highest peak reverts to Cherokee name Kuwohi        Tennessee

09/19/24  From racist cartoons to NCAA approval: A timeline of the Ute Indian Tribe’s relationship with the University of Utah        Utah

09/19/24  Seminoles, Chippewas, Choctaws: How do schools outside Utah with Native mascots support their students?        North Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi

09/18/24  The University of Utah gets millions from using the Utes name. But what does the Ute Tribe get?        Utah

09/17/24  South Colonie schools look to name new wolf mascots         Colonie, New York

09/11/24  Bill to ban Native American mascots in public schools part of package sent to Governor's desk for signature        California

09/11/24  Shen drops Plainsmen name after old yearbooks reveal derogatory mascot      Clifton Park, New York

09/11/24  Native American Heritage Fund to issue more grants to retire Indigenous mascots, promote history      Michigan

09/10/24  Bradford Central School District voters will choose new mascot to replace "Braves"      Bradford, New York

09/05/24  “Indians” Sign Removed from Owego Free Academy Entrance       Owego, New York

09/05/24  Keshequa "Wildcats" announces new logo, kicking off the new school year      Nunda, New York

For many more news articles visit  the Archives Section.

How Hollywood stereotyped the Native Americans

"Proud to Be"
2 minute National Congress of American Indians' PSA


1992 Oprah show on mascots and other American Indian issues
 

Video  We Are NOT Your Mascots
We are not your mascots

from Let's Talk Native TV with John Kane

From Disney's 1953 Children's Cartoon Movie "Peter Pan"  "What Makes the Redman Red" 

Gallery of eleven Native "themed" sports team political cartoons

Timeline: A Century of Racist Sports Team Names

This mascots database lists thousands of schools that use Native American related sports team tokens.

Salon - Nothing scarier than a nervous white man: The 'Redsk*ns' debate is really about white privilege 
The debate about the Washington Redsk*ns name is all wrong: It's really a symbol of white fear in a changing nation

The following categories provide useful information but are largely dormant and not all have been kept current

Educators' Resources
Scholarly articles, resolutions, 
school related material

Psychological aspects
A summary of some primary psychological issues related to the use of "Indian" sports team tokens


Frequently Asked Questions about the institutionalized
use of "Native" themed sports team tokens

List of oranizations endorsing changes to "Indian" sports team, logos, mascots, nicknames, and symbols

Trailblazers
List of schools and Others 
That Have Changed "Indian" Mascots
Archives
Past news articles, videos, books, etc.

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Redskin, Tanned Hide: A Book of Christian History
Bound in the Flayed Skin of an American Indian:

The Colonial Romance, christian Denial and
the Cleansing of a christian School of Theology.  

- A scholarly paper from the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion
by Dr.  Tink Tinker, Wazhazhe / Osage Nation
-




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