Native American Mascot Research Paper

Words: 511
Pages: 3

Is using Native American mascots an insult or an honor? Native American mascots have been controversial in sports, schools, and professional teams for many years. Some, however, argue that using these mascots is offensive and continues to create harmful stereotypes. While others believe that they are a form of honor and respect for Native American culture. Using Native American mascots is a way to pay tribute to the rich history and traditions of the Native American people. What society doesn’t realize is that not all indigenous people have a problem with sports teams using a Native mascot. From onlinesportmanagement.ku.edu, Henson, who is part of the Cherokee tribe, said that he wants sports teams to use Native American-themed names and mascots …show more content…
However, others might suggest that using these mascots is creating harmful stereotypes and we should not be using them. As stated by www.wernative.org, one student that was from a school that used a Warrior as their mascot had mixed feelings about how it was portrayed. On one hand, it says that one student tells herself “Well, I’m not from a tribe, so they’re not representing me”. Knowing she had Native American friends. She also argued that it would start to become embarrassing when people would start to shout war calls and do hand gestures of the Tomahawk tribe. People who support these mascots may say that they are meant to symbolize strength, bravery, and resilience. All of these qualities can be associated with Native American tribes that have been around for many years. As onlinesportmanagement.ku.edu states Henson also writes that "Generally, Indians are considered to be a warrior, strength, and all of the admirable qualities that you would want to have." Henson, who is from a native tribe, says this because he knows that using these mascots is not about creating a harmful stereotype around the indigenous