From a Native American living in Centre County:
“I read the comments on the petition against changing the mascot. It is very clear that those against it only know the stereotypes of what it is to be native. They’re glorifying the violent representation of how white people viewed Natives when they arrived. We are taught that everyone and everything on this earth are intertwined. Most tribes did not become violent unless provoked. I grew up in an environment very similar to Bellefonte. Our mascot was the Warrior. I was also made fun of and belittled for celebrating my heritage. “[Anonymous], you could just do a rain dance right?” When classmates didn’t want to run the mile. I hate the tomahawk chop and the war chants. I find those so offensive, and I don’t get offended easily. I asked a friend of mine who attended Bellefonte to see if they did that at the football games and she said they used to. Native songs, drumming, singing- to most it’s just noise. To Natives, singing and dancing is their way to communicate with the Great Spirit. Their songs are their prayers. Catholics have their cantors, Natives have drum teams. I read the comments on the counter petition, it is very clear that they do not understand what being a Native is. They like the image but not the substance. They don’t understand the culture, nor does it seem like they’re going out of their way to do so. Our regalia is ceremonial. For men, most of theirs is made by them. It’s earned. The same thing for females. I wore a ribbon dress to dance in. I wasn’t allowed to wear buckskin until I did my Moon lodge. The tomahawk chop and war chants, as they call them. That awful caricature of the “red raider”. This isn’t going to be easy, but I support [this petition]”
From Native American Photographer and Penn State Graduate:
“My name is Jeremy Dennis, I am writing from the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, NY as a Penn State University Alumni in support of changing the mascot and name away from the ‘Red Raiders’. As a Native American, we have experienced cultural and historical marginalization due to a lack of accurate representation. I find the use of ‘Red Raiders’ as derogatory not only because of the stereotypical imagery used, or the offensive use of the word ‘red’ to describe Native Americans but the fact that you characterize indigenous people as ‘raiders’ to possibly justify the genocide that happened in this country. I can only imagine that students wearing these problematic emblems were taught that all Native Americans are now ‘vanished’ and that they now need to honor us by being ‘Red Raiders’ themselves. If Native American heritage and teachings symbolize your school’s identity so strongly, perhaps incorporating Native-led educational programs and curriculum would better suit an educational institution rather than using outdated stereotypes and racism to make your message.
Jeremy Dennis – Shinnecock Indian Nation”
From Southern Cheyenne Chief and Acclaimed Artist Harvey Pratt, Winner of the Design for The National Native American Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC:
“There are many labels regarding Native Americans and sports, many are honorable, but some reflect negative meanings. For example, Redskins is a term that meant the taking of a scalp of an American Indian and leaving enough skin to be recognized as an Indian along with the hair. The colony then was paid a certain amount for the hair of a child, woman and or man. Many times the complete scalp was taken and divided into halves or thirds. Sometimes it is the music that is played or the dancing or war hoops or actions of killing that is stereotypical. Life was brutal, close hand-to-hand fighting, desperation. We were struggling for our lives and way of life. I have been called many terrible names in my life; blanket ass, gut eater, wagon burner, etc. Names, chants and imitation mean so much more to the offended race of people. People do this because they can and it tells me that I am less than you. In conclusion, the thought that a title implies is negative stereotypes of Native American people and that evokes the destruction of our culture and traditions.”
From the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota who work with Faith United Methodist Church in Bellefonte:
From Carla J. Mulford, scholar of Native and settler history:
Scholarly literature – whether we read scholars writing about education, clinical psychology, or the law – has abundantly revealed the detrimental effects of negative stereotyping on Native peoples. Retaining negative and stereotypical names reinforces the colonial subjugation originally experienced by the ancestors of today’s Native population. Stereotypes have the effect of continuing that subjugation. In the words of Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, who was once a kindergarten teacher and principal and who now is a professor at Portland State University, “The exploitation of Indian mascots, logos, and nick-names in schools is, in reality, an issue of decolonization and educational equity” (The Clearing House, 2004). Educational equity is a theme expressed by the Harvard Law Review Association (Harvard Law Review, 1999). The Association argues that Title II of the American Civil Rights Act of 1964 – which provides for the “full and equal enjoyment” of all places of public accommodation without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin – applies to the use of stereotypical Indian mascots. In the words of the Association, “The use of Indian team names and mascots denies American Indians the full and equal enjoyment of a place of public accommodation.” Further, the Association writes, “Racial insults are documented to cause psychological and physical harms. Indian team names and mascots in particular have been charged with fostering ‘racial stereotyping,’ causing low self-esteem among American Indians, and setting up Indian children as targets for physical harassment by their peers.” The result of such stereotypes is that Native people have been forced to “blend” into the community, likely hiding their Native ancestry from any but those in their family circles. I have taught more than ten students who have told me that their grandparents and parents have told them not to mention to their professors that they are Native. No young person should feel ashamed of where they come from. Their public school should be about where all of Bellefonte’s young people are going. That is, the logo should represent our attitudes about the future.
I recognize that many might have fond memories of sports events when they proudly carried regalia and felt they inhabited the logo’s meaning. Those memories are powerful. But those were different times. Dressing in feathers is no different from dressing in blackface: the behavior is harmful, and it represents pejorative and stereotypical attitudes about the peoples who have been subjugated for centuries. As a Bellefonte resident, I ask that the Bellefonte school board seek to build community around some other less harmful and negatively charged name. Let’s learn from the colonial past; let’s not repeat it.