Anthony Burris remarks on recent legal victory for Native Americans, and where we as a country can go from here.
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The Washington “R” word trademark court case decision on June 18, 2014 was indeed monumental one for Native Americans, civil rights groups, and America as well. Not only was it a huge legal victory, but a huge message brought to the forefront of mainstream professional and pop culture America. The message being — recognition as a Human Being is more than a legal status in American society. Being recognized as a Human Being is also defined by the actions of American society in our means of pop culture entertainment, as well as how American public institutions treat each ethnic group. These two entities need to understand how their marks, brands, and forms of entertainment influence and represent the collective thoughts and views of American as a whole and how that influence has contributed in the continued degradation of my Race, the Native American Race; and what is to be attained as a society by eliminating the mockery of Native American Ceremonial items, Native American culture resembling mascots, and related mascot terminology
The goal of changing the “r” word is more than a legal battle of a race of Human Beings versus a corporate football team; it is a struggle of culture survival for Us,the Indigenous Peoples of the United States that was forged against Us by the federal government and many of its citizens since the early beginnings of European colonization. From the atrocities of the Spanish to the French and Indian Wars to President Jackson’s policy of “kill the Indian, save the Man” to the assimilation and abolishment of culture through government ran Indian Boarding schools of the early twentieth century, holocaust and cultural extermination has been this society’s policy against American Indians for nearly three hundred years. Just observe at a brief history of the “r” word.
Common North American History speaks of a tribe in early New England called the Beothuks who painted their skin red to ward off mosquitos. According to a Mohawk Tribal member by the name of Doug George-Kanentiio, the Beothuks were nearly wiped out by disease, then murdered into extinction by early Americans. These early Americans would skin the Beothuks, and use the skins of the Beothuks for hunter leggings and book covers. In addition, in 1862, during the Minnesota Dakota Indian Wars, bounties were paid to any U.S. Army soldier or Minnesota citizen for the scalp or “redskin” of any Sioux Indian they killed. The bounty prices were revealed in a Minnesota newspaper known as The Daily Republican in 1863. Knowing that small history lesson, are We as American Indians or Native Americans supposed to assume we are to be defined Human enough to be treated as equals in American society? Too far back to remember or it’s all in the history books, so it doesn’t matter right? Well fast forward to the 1950’s and thereafter.
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Less than fifty years ago we were not human enough to sit next to White People in a public restaurant or Human enough to marry a White person or even human enough to live in our own homes without social and religious workers busting in our homes on reservations and telling us we cannot raise our own children? Some of these things did change for Natives and other minority groups with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of the 1960’s, but it was a forced change upon the Majority. Society was forced to recognize all minority groups as equals in public just a little over forty years ago, it wasn’t a welcomed move at the time, as many who lived it understand, but society adjusted. Only forty years ago, minorities were not even considered human enough to marry whites, so the Supreme Court stepped in and said states could not block interracial marriage in1967.
Furthermore, the government tried to shut down reservations and move us from our cultural roots in the 1950’s with the Indian Relocation program. The goal was to get terminate what little reserve land tribes had left and assimilate the young Native adults at the time into greater American society. Dillion S. Meyer, the government program director made it a program goal to terminate Indian reservations.
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With the mentioned historical government policies and the obvious 400 year attempted purposeful extinction of the Native American or American Indian race, are We as Native Americans supposed to assume American companies such as the National Football team in Washington D.C. is “honoring” Our race by having a term classified a racial slur by many civil rights organizations as its company name? A term that is drenched in the blood of an attempted holocaust of an entire race of People? A term that a million Native Americans find very offensive! Still too far back in history to relate, take a look at Hollywood modern education institutionalized mockery and degradation.
How about the public “education” institutions who mock our many ceremonial symbols such as the War Bonnet, Face paint, and our dances with their mascots? The war hooping, the tomahawk chop, the Florida State war chant is not honor, it is complete mockery, we do not behave like the fans at these sports gatherings in our ceremonies. Hey, fellow Americans, where did you get these irreverent dances and chants from? I hope not from the Seminoles in Florida? If you want to Honor Us, how about come speak to those who hold these items sacred and utilize these items in ceremonial practice. In today’s information age, education on any race or ethnic group is accessible to all, even to the point of available contact information.
The entertainment industry is also guilty of the ignorant exploitation of Native American Culture and use of the “r” word for profit as well. Just watch any western movie made in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. The cowboy hero of those movies will refer to the Natives of the old west as “dirty redsk*ns.” More recently, we’ve witnessed Victoria’s Secret models and music industry “professionals” mockingly wear sacred War Bonnets that are only to be worn by the Greatest of Our Leaders and Our Soldiers.
America, you are better than this. In order to get where you want to go as a Nation, you must recognize and educate yourself on the treatment of Aboriginal Peoples of this continent.
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America, you are better than this. In order to get where you want to go as a Nation, you must recognize and educate yourself on the treatment of Aboriginal Peoples of this continent. Now, I humbly request and politely ask for each one us to evolve. Again, like in the 1860’s and 1960’s, I, with humble reverence, feel that it is time to evolve America. Again it is time to take the next step up in Spiritual Consciousness as a Nation. As a dual citizen of the United States and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma, I ask Mr. Snyder and America to please change the name, please change the mascots, so as Native Americans, White Americans, African American, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Arab-Americans, and all others, we can take this next step together as a society and truly move forward for the Greater Good. May Wakonda Bless You All, and May God Bless America.
Photo credit: AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta
Pro-Football, Inc. v. Harjo, 415 F.3d 44 (D.C. Cir. 2005), is a case in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia considered the decision of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) to cancel the registration of the Washington Redskins football team, based on the claim that the name was disparaging to Native Americans. The Court of Appeals did not actually reach the merits of the TTAB’s decision; it sent the case back to the trial court for consideration of a procedural issue. Looks like a win to me. Dont… Read more »
A good journalist gets his facts right. Mr. Burris you are not a good journalist. First fundamentally, the ruling by the U.S. Trademark and Copyright Office on June 18 was not a “court” case. It was a ruling by an agency part of the Executive Branch of government. You might recall, had you been paying attention, in Middle School we learned about the three branches of government. Those branches consist of the Executive of which the U.S. Trademark & Copyright Office is part of, then there is the Judicial Branch, government by Article III of the U.S. Constitution and then… Read more »
67% of Native Americans oppose the name in a recent poll. For over 50 years, Native Americans have been working to eliminate the use of the Native Mascotry because it promotes hates and racist ideology and they’d done a darn good job of it as well considering that 2/3 of all native mascots, team names and logos have been retired and there are a few than a 1000 left to go. Also, it might interest you to know that you’ll most likely be a big fan of the Washington Warriors as Dan Snyder has an active trademark for that name.… Read more »