The Scandal of Fake Indian Crafts
Imitation may be the price of success, but it can be deadly - By Scott S. Smith, from 'Coyboys & Indians Magazine'.
" Counterfeits that are machine-made or hand-made cheaply in countries like Mexico, Pakistan, India, Thailand, and the Philippines account for much of what is passed off as the hand-made product of American Indians. The fakes have driven down prices drastically, putting many legitimate artisans and stores out of business. "

That ‘Indian handmade’ jewelry may be a fake.
Imported ripoffs are putting Indian artists out of business and damaging the state’s reputation with tourists - By Andrew Hay, From the 'New Mexico Business Journal'.
" Marvin Lovato makes world-class "heishi" or shell jewelry but he can't compete with the illegal imitations of his work, flooding New Mexico's Indian arts and crafts market. Lovato, a Santo Domingo Pueblo jeweler, says he once supported his family with sales of handmade necklaces and pendants. He recently had to take up a second job just to pay the bills. ... Buck A Gram sells its Indian-style jewelry to U.S. wholesalers at an average of a dollar a gram, a price Indian artists cannot compete with. Most of this work finds its way to the Southwest. Pieces of Buck A Gram's work bought recently in Albuquerque came indelibly stamped with the company's hallmarks but no "Made in the Philippines" permanent mark as U.S. law requires. "

Fake Indian Art Robs Tribes Of Cash, Culture
Seminole Tribune - Volume XX Number 28 - August 21, 1998 By Charles Flowers - TESUQUE, N.M.
" You have to bend down to get into this Pueblo's tiny gallery. It is basically one room in a small adobe building containing a few paintings, silver jewelry, and beautiful, natural hide drums made by Bea Duran-Tioux, a member of Tesuque Pueblo. "I've won awards for my drums," she says, proudly. They sell for about $400 each. Up the road about 50 miles, at the Taos Drum Factory, non-Indians make similar looking drums that sell for less than $100 each. "They say it's Native, but it's not," says Duran-Tioux. Like the glass beads for sale at Teepeetown in St. Augustine, or the "Indian-style" jewelry hawked over the Internet by a vendor based in the Philippines, it's cheap - maybe one-fourth the cost of the authentic item - but it's not the real thing. "It becomes a problem for the Native people who are trying to do their own work," says the drum-maker. "

Faking It: The Appropriation of a Culture
Quaint soapstone trinkets of an Inuit hunter hauling a seal onto the ice; miniature plastic Haida totems; reproductions of Benjamin Chee Chee framed in stained glass - By Melanie Scott, from the Aboriginal Professional Centre and Internet Services.
" Not content to simply copy the style of Inuit art, the producers of fakelore sometimes adopt Inuit-sounding names. Tags attached to the items might include misleading biographies of the "artists," and terminology appropriated from genuine art. Inuit legends and stories are printed onto placards which stand on the shelves beside the items. Although they may remain within the bounds of the law by by making no direct claims that their producers are Inuit, imitators mislead the public by employing Inuit imagery, using materials associated with Inuit art, and making references to the North. "

Indian Crafts: Real vs. Fake
Albuquerque Journal - Saturday, December 25, 1999 - By Pauline Arrillaga - The Associated Press
" In the town renowned as the retail center for authentic Indian arts and crafts, shopkeepers and artisans are going to battle against a growing threat: the importation and sale of impostor products. It is a foe as old as the Indian arts trade itself but one many who work in the industry have only begun to take on, driven by the government's failure to enforce laws meant to protect their products and livelihoods. "

The real thing?
"You’re told it’s authentic, the genuine article made by local craftsman—but is it?" August 18 — NBC Dateline - TV News -
" One of the great pleasures of any trip can be bringing something special home—a souvenir or that unique momento. You may think you’re getting the real thing— the craftsmanship of a local artist, the quality of fine materials, work that’s worth the price, but is that always the case? "

Indian Trademarks
"If it says 'Indian', it should be Indian." Sue Shaffer Cow Creek Tribal Chairman
" In fact, The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians has contributed years of serious effort and money to help ensure that the Indian Trademark revived - if at all - in a way that would substantially benefit American Indians and Native organizations, and is being cheated by a federal receiver and a corporate consortium. "

Spiritual Genocide: The Co-Opting of Cultures
"Don't Pay to Pray" by Lorayne Martinez / "Alert – Re: Brooke ‘Medicine Eagle’ Edwards" A Statement from the Center for the SPIRIT / "Genocide, Spiritual and Otherwise" by Laura del Fuego / "Spiritual Commodification and Misappropriation: What Native People Want You To Understand" Compiled by Mariah Jones / "The Plastic Medicine People Circle" by Helene E. Hagan / "Walk the Long Road of Misunderstanding" by Edna Seidner / Readers Respond to Our Debate / Spiritual Genocide: Some Activists'Responses
" If you stand with Indian people, then you respect their moral right to decide under which circumstances their ceremonies will be "shared" with non-Indians. Please read the following statements by Native people. They are spiritual leaders, authors, attorneys, anthropologists, scholars, activists, educators and tribal leaders. Though they represent just a small percentage of those who have spoken out on this issue, the concepts presented will give you some idea of the perspective you are being asked to consider. "~ Mariah Jones

Fakelore, Multiculturalism, and the Ethics of Children's Literature
"It is time authors, parents, educators-even publishers-accept that you cannot teach about other cultures by assimilating them into a safe, homogenized curriculum or by substituting well-intentioned misconceptions for demeaning ones." - By Eliot A. Singer
" So-called "multicultural folktale" picture books are a popular means for teaching about other cultures, especially in the primary grades. However, almost all these books are fakelore. Many are based on spurious legends, originally written for popular audiences following a romantic formula, that were never told in traditional communities. More are careless adaptations which completely assimilate genuine sources into contemporary children's book fashions, as this paper will document with numerous examples, mostly in reference to the stories of indigenous peoples of North America. Although uninformed reviewers and educators praise the changes authors make, knowledgeable, scholarly comparisons between picture books and originals invariably show the "improvements" significantly distort native style, characterization, plot, theme, meaning, and belief. "

Ivory Jack's and Northwest Tribal Arts Agree to Settle FTC Charges that They Sold Fake Native American Artwork
... Settlements include payments of $20,000 by each individual defendant. - Media Contact: Brenda Mack, Office of Public Affairs 202-326-2182.
" Two Seattle-based companies and their owners, Kurt Tripp and Ngoc Ly, have settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that they falsely represented Native American-style carvings as authentic Native-made artwork. As part of the settlement, the two individual defendants will each pay $20,000 as disgorgement, be prohibited from misrepresenting that their Native American-style artwork was made by Native Americans, and be required to follow procedures to prevent such misrepresentations at the retail level for products they offer at wholesale. "

Senate fails to pass stiffer laws against Indian arts faud
By Ann McBride - Arizona Daily Wildcat - April 5, 1996
" A Senate bill that would have pulled the reins tighter on Indian arts fraud failed in the House 13-46 Tuesday. The bill, sponsored by Sen. John Wettaw, R-Flagstaff, would have made it illegal for one tribe to claim a product was made by another tribe, a practice the Hopis of northern Arizona say happens frequently with their jewelry and kachina dolls. "

Imitation NA crafts
NatChat Mailing List Archives - a public e-mail forum discussion- 1995
" I walked into K-Mart in Seattle and happened to see a center aisle of NA pottery for sale. Instantly, I felt something was wrong as I did not recognize the design as coming from any familiar tribes. I looked closely...and read the small print....it said, (in tiny letters) "inspired by NA"....It was made in taiwan. I couldn't believe it. I went up to the service desk, spoke with the supervisor, left my business card and explained how their store was breaking federal law (at least in my opinion). Try being NA and getting your work sold through a major chain...not a chance... "

Buyer Beware: The Selling of Tsimshian Art Treasures
By Christopher Pollon - Through 'Artstar Magazine'.
" Native claims of original artifact ownership in many cases are impossible to legally prove. Surviving historical accounts are often contradictory, serving to cloud the issue of ownership even further. Even if artifacts can be traced back to a particular native group, the issue of ownership is a different matter. It has been documented, for example, that by the mid-1800s, many of the Northwest coast tribes had become shrewd businessmen who frequently sold artifacts to Europeans willingly. How to deal with questions of ownership when a collector claims there was a legitimate sale? The debate becomes more problematic when one considers artifacts such as those in the Dundas collection: should collectors keep artifacts taken from Christianized Natives? "

The History of American Indian Jewelry
Through 'Americana Indian and Western Collector's Shows'.
" Indian jewelry, as it is known today, had origins that probably predate the advent of the persons we describe as American Indians or Native Americans. However, for the purpose of this paper we will consider prehistoric man as prehistoric Indian. Archeological evidence shows us that stones (including turquoise), shells and fetishes predate the Christian (epoch). Turquoise was found in Hohokam excavations in southern Arizona that date 200 B.C., in central Mexico approximately 600-700 B.C. and in South America ca. 900 B.C. Other beads are even earlier. As Indian jewelry and turquoise are so closely associated this paper will discuss both. "

The History of Turquoise
Through 'Americana Indian and Western Collector's Shows'.
" People have been faking turquoise for centuries using ceramics, bone, color-enhanced minerals, and more recently, celluloid and plastic, among other things. This is not much of a problem now as people are simply too familiar with turquoise. However, synthetic turquoise, frequently chemically perfect, has appeared on the market in some quantity. This is literaly stove-top turquoise. It has a very natural matrix created by placing stones in the "batter" or sprinkling in pyrite, etc. When the mix is cut then cabbed these foreign additives, which are real, add to the illusion that the entire stone is natural. Synthetics become fake if not properly identified. "

A History of Navajo Weaving
Through 'Americana Indian and Western Collector's Shows'.
" Throughout this period of history, one thing has remained constant - the unique and beautiful Navajo weaving. These hardy people adopted weaving techniques from their pueblo neighbors, as mentioned earlier. From then on the development of style, pattern and quality was uniquely theirs. (The influence of the traders will be discussed shortly.) One can see, even in the earliest of blankets, excellence of design and uniformity. Early authors often exclaimed as to the tightness of the weave and that the blankets "would hold water." Today's fine, tight tapestries, beautiful rugs and wall hangings are an extension of this early period. Many variations, changes, and styles have come and gone. The following is a chronological presentation of Navajo weaving development. "

The Native American Fine Art Movement: A Resource Guide
Through 'The Heard Musuum'.
" This resource guide focuses on painting and sculpture produced by Native Americans in the continental United States since 1900. The emphasis on artists from the Southwest and Oklahoma is an indication of the importance of those regions to the on-going development of Native American art in this century and the reality of academic study. "

Tips for Consumers
From the Indian Arts and Crafts Association.
" Is It Real? Is It Hand-Made? Is It Made by Native Artists? Buying Native American Jewelry. "

Buying Native American Arts and Crafts
Defining Authentic Indian Arts and Crafts, From the New Mexico office of the Atorney General - Consumer Protection.
" Authentic Indian art or handicraft consists of handmade items produced by a Native American craftsperson, a member of a federally or state-recognized Indian tribe, using high-quality, natural materials that are not machine stamped. In our state, sales of these items are governed by The New Mexico Indian Arts and Crafts Sales Act. "

Purchasing Native American Arts and Crafts
Through Smart Buying
" Overall, your main guideline begins and ends with the price of the item! Most authentic pieces of art are not cheap so if you think you are getting a bargain - beware! This form of art is absolutely one of the most fascinating I have found to exist. The pieces created actually mean something dear to their creators and should be taken seriously. Help support this part of the art world by buying only authentic items. It will help keep these traditions alive for future generations! "

Buyer Beware
... of Fake and Imitation Hopi Arts and Crafts - By Buddy Tubinaghtewa, a Hopi artist from the Hopi reservation in Arizona.
" The annual sales of Indian arts and crafts total several hundred million dollars. Indian interests control only a tiny portion of this market. Imitation and fake arts and crafts "passed off" as authentic Hopi products have defrauded unsuspectiong buyers. Kachina dolls are mass produced in factories by non-Hopis in alarming numbers. Beware. "

Petroglyph Pete's Article Archives
Through Coyote Creek. Many informative articles including:
" Is Your Turquoise Real? Is Your Jewelry/Pottery Handmade? Taking Care of Your Jewelry "

InuitSculpture Authenticity.
Through the Aboriginal Professional Centre and Internet Services.
" Given the fact that Inuit sculptures are highly prized as Canadian souvenirs and as art objects, it is unfortunately inevitable that mass-produced reproductions and imitations have proliferated. These items, made of plastic, ceramic or "cast stone", sometimes tempt the uninformed consumer by their lower price. These imitations generally have no investment or aesthetic value whatsoever, and are in no way endorsed by the Canadian government or the Inuit of Canada. "

Frequently Asked Questions:
And some answers from the Kiva Trading Company.
" Where are the fakes coming from? How can you tell the difference? Why do fakes cost so much less? What about the stones? Are they real? Do the Indians get any of the money? "

I Was Fooled, Were You??
Let's just make it easy for the buyer to know what they are getting - by Arlie Neskahi, from Rainbow Walker Productions.
" Hundreds, no thousands! And many of these non-native musicians are making big bucks off the contemporary interest in Native music. I don't like it, and I think it is fraudulent. "

The objections to "Totem" Animals and Medicine Cards
" It has become popular to use the word "totem" in association with the concept of animal spirits in any number of different contexts. For the most part, the use of this term is inaccurate as it has a very specific tribal reference that has nothing to do with the type of personal acquisition of an animal spirit that non-Indian people are describing. ... The "Medicine Cards" are considered by Native people to be one of the most blatant examples of misappropriation of Indian spirituality. They are seen as a mishmash of distortion and fabrication. If the creators of these cards had been satisfied with simply calling them "animal cards", and left out all inferences of, and references to, Indian beliefs, no Indian would have a problem with them. "Misakakojiishikwe

Cultural Resources
Cultural resources are protected under several state and federal laws.
"These laws were enacted to ensure consideration of historic values and to protect significant resources from destruction or theft. The major federal laws include: the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (AIRFA). State-level cultural resource protection is regulated through the provisions of Appendix K of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). "

Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 - Public Law 101-644
Federal Register: October 21, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 204) Rules and Regulations - Page 54551-54556 - [Link through ArtNatAm].
" This rule adopts regulations to carry out Public Law 101-644, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. The regulations define the nature and Indian origin of products that the law covers and specify procedures for carrying out the law. The trademark provisions of the Act are not included in this rulemaking and will be treated at a later time. "

Index to Native American Legal Resources

" Federal Resources / State Resources / Tribal Resources / UND School of Law / Indian Law Center Materials / Tribal Judicial Training Institute "

Legislative Impact

" A service designed to meet the needs of activists, tribes and professional consultants who need to keep track of Federal Legislation pertaining to Native America. The service offers unique categorical breakdowns of issues. So far, LI includes the following categories: 1. Gaming, 2. Economic Development, 3. Taxation, 4. Children, 5. Housing, 6. Land, and 7. Repatriation. Many more categories are planed. Other features include Fresh facts. Fresh facts provides periodic updates on hot issues. These updates can be hourly, daily, or weekly depending on the issue. LI is owned and operated by the Salute Set. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a federally recognized tribe. "

Native American laws

" Including: American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, Indian Dams Safety Act of 1994, Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) / Executive orders, policies, and guidelines include: / Reclamation's Indian Trust Asset Policy of 1993 (ITA) / These links are merely to provide information and are not to endorse anything. Includes links to furrther summaries of laws. "

25 USC Sec. 305 (01/16/96) -§ 305. Indian Arts and Crafts Board; creation and composition; per diem payments

" A board is created in the Department of the Interior to be known as ''Indian Arts and Crafts Board'', and hereinafter referred to as the Board. The Board shall be composed of five commissioners, who shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior as soon as possible after August 27, 1935... "

25 USC Sec. 305a (01/16/96) - § 305a. Promotion of economic welfare through development of arts and crafts; powers of Board

" It shall be the function and the duty of the Secretary of the Interior through the Board to promote the economic welfare of the Indian tribes and Indian individuals through the development of Indian arts and crafts and the expansion of the market for the products of Indian art and craftsmanship... "

25 USC Sec. 305e (01/16/96) - § 305e. Cause of action for misrepresentation of Indian produced goods

" A person specified in subsection (c) of this section may, in a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction, bring an action against a person who offers or displays for sale or sells a good, with or without a Government trademark, in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian or Indian tribe or Indian arts and crafts organization, resident within the United States, to... "

18 USC Sec. 1158 (01/16/96) - § 1158. Counterfeiting Indian Arts and Crafts Board trade mark.

" Whoever counterfeits or colorably imitates any Government trade mark used or devised by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board in the Department of the Interior as provided in section 305a of Title 25, or, except as authorized by the Board, affixes any such Government trade mark, or knowingly, willfully, and corruptly affixes any reproduction, counterfeit "

18 USC Sec. 1159 (01/16/96) - § 1159. Misrepresentation of Indian produced goods and products

" It is unlawful to offer or display for sale or sell any good, with or without a Government trademark, in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian or Indian tribe or Indian arts and crafts organization, resident within the United States. "

Ethnic Cleansing?
We Have It Here Too! - On Jordan Dill's First Nations' website - From the 'International Journal on World Peace'.
" The point is, many genuine Indian artists cannot obtain certification under the Act. Their ancestral tribes may have been disolved long ago. No authority remains by which they can obtain certification even if they wanted to. Thousands of Kickapoos, Potawatamis, Cheyennes, Sioux, Arapahoes, Blackfeet, Lumbees and others have been legislated out of artistic existance. Thousands of Indian families whose livelihoods depend on selling arts and crafts have just had those livelihoods arbitrarily confiscated, courtesy of the U.S. Government. "

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance- 15.850: Indian Arts and Crafts Development
To encourage and promote the development of American Indian and Alaska Native arts and crafts - through the The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
" Eligibility Requirements / Application And Award Process / Related Programs / Program Accomplishments / Financial And Administrative Info. / Information Contacts / Assistance Considerations / Post Assistance Requirements "

American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation - AIRORF
" The Foundation's mission is to assist in the repatriation of ceremonial materials; improving intercultural relationships and ridding the art market of inappropriate sales are a natural outgrowth of our work. When collectors learn why the purchase of certain items is inappropriate and why Indian people take offense at the sale and commercial trade of certain items, I believe they will honor the Peoples they so admire and be selective about their purchases. "

Cultural Resources
" Cultural resources are protected under several state and federal laws. These laws were enacted to ensure consideration of historic values and to protect significant resources from destruction or theft. The major federal laws include: the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (AIRFA). State-level cultural resource protection is regulated through the provisions of Appendix K of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). "

International Journal Of Cultural Property
" A unique multidisciplinary periodical which addresses the concerns of people in all fields of learning and professional activity that touch upon cultural property: anthropologists, art historians, auctioneers, collectors, conservators, cultural historians, curators, dealers, economists, government officials, international organizations, lawyers and judges, museum directors, museum trustees, foundation staff and trustees, as well as others. "

NAGPRA
" Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 - This act assigns ownership and control of Native American cultural items, human remains, and associated funerary objects to Native Americans. It also establishes requirements for the treatment of Native American human remains and sacred or cultural objects found on Federal land. This act further provides for the protection, inventory, and repatriation of Native American cultural items, human remains, and associated funerary objects. When these items are inadvertently discovered, cease activity, make a reasonable effort to protect the items, and notify the appropriate Indian tribe(s) and/or Native Hawaiian organization(s). "

NAGPRA Resources
" For the past two years the NCSHPO and the National Conference of State Legislatures, with help from a grant from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, have been compiling a "user-friendly" database of all state preservation legislation. I am happy to report that the initial test version is now up and running as part of the NCSL's home page. The individual entries contain all the pertinent legal citations to allow users to retrieve the actual statute language from State law books. However, our goal in this project was to provide a plain-english summary for each statute. There is a short list of Primary Topics to speed searches, and a longer list of Secondary Topics which can be typed into a box to further narrow searches. "

Native American Burial Sites - Barnett, Rex
" Stealing Native American Remains - Missouri House of Representatives - This bill makes it a class C felony to use for profit, purchase, or sell Native American human remains without the statutory right of possession. A second or subsequent violation is a class B felony. The trafficking of Native American cultural items from burial sites is a class D felony, with a second or subsequent violation a class C felony. "

Tatakuyekiksuye 's Home Page
" The repatriation of Native American human remains at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This page contains many links to newspaper articles about the current controversy. "

25 USC CHAPTER 32 - CHAPTER 32 - NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND REPATRIATION
§ 3001. Definitions. / § 3002. Ownership. / § 3003. Inventory for human remains and associated funerary objects. / § 3004. Summary for unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and cultural patrimony. / § 3005. Repatriation. / § 3006. Review committee. / § 3007. Penalty. / § 3008. Grants. / § 3009. Savings provision. / § 3010. Special relationship between Federal Government and Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. / § 3011. Regulations. / § 3012. Authorization of appropriations. / § 3013. Enforcement.

Native American Burial Sites, by Rex Barnett
" Stealing Native American Remains - Missouri House of Representatives - This bill makes it a class C felony to use for profit, purchase, or sell Native American human remains without the statutory right of possession. A second or subsequent violation is a class B felony. The trafficking of Native American cultural items from burial sites is a class D felony, with a second or subsequent violation a class C felony. "

Native American laws
" American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978, Indian Dams Safety Act of 1994, Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) / Executive orders, policies, and guidelines include: / Reclamation's Indian Trust Asset Policy of 1993 (ITA) / These links are merely to provide information and are not to endorse anything. Includes links to furrther summaries of laws. "

Reburial Controversy
" It is easy on first consideration of the reburial controversy to see a double standard in play, where European graves are sacred, and Indian graves are not, but as was clear to William Shakespeare, Europeans have long had a penchant for moving bones about when it has suited them (as well consider the grave digger in Hamlet who tosses up Yorick's skull while digging Ophelia's grave - in a couple of decades it will be Ophelia's skull that makes an airborne reappearance to make way for someone else). "

Repatriation and Reburial, by Larry Zimmerman
" Many groups, especially indigenous peoples, have profound concerns about the ethical and respectful treatment of the dead by archaeologists, physical anthropologists and museums. The issue is complicated with concerns ranging from academic freedom to the rights of the dead. There is a continuum of opinion about these matters. "

Tennessee Archaeology Net -- Native Amerian Indian Cemetery Removal and Reburial
" CHAPTER 0400-9-1, Native American Indian Cemetery Removal and reburial, new rules, Table of Contents, 0400-9-1-.01 Manner of Reburial , 0400-9-1-.02 Reburial Areas , 0400-9-1-.03 Marking of Boundaries , 0400-9-1-.04 Notification , 0400-9-1-.05 Observation of Disinterment by Native American Observers "

Tribal Preservation Program, National Park Service
" Over the last 500 years, Indian cultures have experienced massive destruction, but the tide is changing. Indian tribes are using their resources to halt the loss of language, tradition, religion, objects, and sites. Halting the loss is not enough, however. Fundamentally different in character from other components of American society, Indian tribes are living cultures that can continue and be strengthened only through the perpetuation of their traditions. Tribes, therefore, are reintroducing ceremonies, teaching languages, and seeking the culturally appropriate treatment of tribal objects and sites. These activities are not peripheral to tribal life; they are basic to healthy contemporary tribal societies. "

Main Index for American Indian Sports Team Mascots
" "We simply chose an Indian as the emblem. We could have just as easily chosen any uncivilized animal." Eighth Grade student writing about his school's mascot, 1997 "

THE MASCOT ISSUE
" This page is intended to be a compilation of web sites and writings on the issue of Indian mascots used by sports teams. Although some of these sites exist on other web pages that I maintain, I felt the time was right to compile these into one place in order to help people find them. " Lisa Mitten

IN WHOSE HONOR?: Resources
" A graphic and eloquent examination of racism in sports and so called 'higher education'. Catching bigotry at its most virulent, this film requires no interpretation - it speaks directly to the problems without blinking. "Vine Deloria, Jr.

Indian - by Wolfgang Mieder 'The Only Good Indian Is A Dead Indian'
" History And Meaning Of A Proverbial Stereotype - The interest in the study of national character, stereotypes, ethnic slurs, and racial prejudice as expressed in proverbs and proverbial expressions has a considerable scholarly tradition. "

"Indian" Mascot & Logo Taskforce
" The Wisconsin Indian Education Association, "Indian" Mascot and Logo Taskforce seeks innovative legal, educational and political means to eliminate the use of "Indian" mascots, logos and nicknames from all Wisconsin state supported educational facilities. "

Indian mascots destroy respect they are meant to instill
" Here it is, World Series time, and my worst baseball nightmare has come true. The Atlanta Braves are playing the Cleveland Indians. Not that I have anything in particular against the players on either team. And I really don't care about baseball (one wonders how I became sports editor) enough to dislike one organization or the other. But I do dislike their mascots, and the thought of the entire sports world focusing its attention on the Braves and the Indians is more than I can handle. I find Indian mascots degrading, and I find the behavior they encourage among fans appalling. "Dan Lewerenz

Indians are people not mascots
Teach respect - not racism. Through the Midwest Treaty Network. " We Are a Living People. I don't understand.... Why should anyone's identity be defined by your games? We are a living people. Why are we used as entertainment for schools? We are a living people. Why must we be used as nicknames, logos, and mascots? We are a living people. Why must we, a living people, be singled out? Why must we, a living people, be stereotyped? Can't YOU tell who WE, a living people, ARE? Why doesn't what WE say matter? We are a living people. Why don't OUR voices count? " Lori Wautier

Indian Sports Mascot Boycott Page
" Why is it that in this day & age, when many of us feel that we have advanced past the days of blatant racism, do we still have sports mascots, such as the Cleveland Indian's "Chief Wahoo"? We finally wised up to the fact that "Little Black Sambo" was not acceptable, so we did away with it. Why are Native Americans not spared this same decency. Why do we think it is OK to have a stupidly grinning, farcically colored "chief" as a mascot for a team that should be renamed out of respect in the 1st place?! "

Lavender Magazine: Indian In A Past Life, or Spiritual Tourist? and The "Spirituality" Quiz
" Some of the people in the business of selling spiritual and cultural artifacts will listen to me and say, 'Well, I'm sincere about this. There may be others who are trying to rip off Native spirituality, but I'm sincere.' It's the sincere ones who are just as damaging to our cultures. "By Elise Matthesen

Results of the Stereotype of the Month contest
Through PEACE PARTY - A multicultural comic book featuring Native Americans. The Peace Party website also offers story, art, essays, regular features, contests, polls and fan feedback.

Measure your Implicit Attitudes
... on stereotypes, race & gender.

National Coalition on Racism in Sports and the Media
" Why? does America accept stereotypical images of native peoples but not other racial groups. What's wrong with this picture? How? can we claim that we are anywhere close to racial justice and equality when these images are so pervasive in our society. What? can you do if you are offended by these images and wish to speak out. "

NWCitizen - Indian Mascots
" INDIAN MASCOTS: AN OFFENCE TO INTELLIGENCE: The greatest problem with the use of Indian mascots in public schools is not that it offends Indian people, but that it offends intelligence. Framing the discussion around whether or not some individual tribal person is disgusted and offended by calling a team the Red Raiders, or The Warriors is somewhat of an aside and it obfuscates the most significant part of the issue: schools are supposed to encourage reflection and critical thinking; it is nonsensical and suspicious to utilize a cardboard cutout image of aboriginal peoples knowing all the time that it is grossly erroneous. Why would anyone, especially educators, allow students to uncritically adopt a cartoon version of a people's culture as a mascot? "Dr. Marker

WNCCEIB: Indian Mascot Issue
" AMERICAN INDIAN SPORTS MASCOTS (North Carolina) Should images of American Indians and American Indian religous symbols and imagery be used as sport mascots? WNCCEIB concludes that the answer to this question is "NO". The time for change is now. Scroll down through the links below for the situation at Clyde A. Erwin High School in Asheville, North Carolina OR for for LINKS & RESOURCES on the overall national mascot situation "

Stereotypes of Native Americans
" We are all familar with the typical stereotypes of Native Americans. We display those promoted by our government prominantly on these pages. The portrait on the Indian Head nickel was largely responsible for the fact that Indians could not get jobs in Hollywood to play Indian parts. They did not look Indian enough! (See the essay by Joseph Marshall III, in On Behalf of the Wolf and the First Peoples, Two Left Moccasins: I Become a Member of the Cinema Tribe.) We are so used to seeing the Land o'Lakes Indian maiden, the various school mascots, mascots of professional sports teams, etc. that we forget what effect these images have on the ideas we have of the people they represent, or on the personal image of the children of these people as they must learn to live in this society. "

The Talking Circle - Issues - Mascots
" Mascots & Logos - In the news and Noteworthy sites. "

Danville, Vermont
" Home of the Danville Indians - Schools with an "Indian" mascot and or logo are actually teaching both the community and the students that racism is acceptable. What better way than this to indicate to children that stereotyping is a permitted activity, after all it is endorsed educators and school boards alike. The silence of those in authority in essence gives consent to this kind cultural disrespect. Allowing Native people to be used as mascots is wrong, disrespectful and dehumanizing. Non-natives cannot excuse this behavior by claiming that this activity is an "honor." Native people have said over and over that they are not honored by this kind of misuse of Indian image and culture. "

AAIC Issues: Mascots
" The Advocates for American Indian Children has supported the Los Angeles American Indian Education Commission in its effort to remove Indian mascots from three Los Angeles Unified School District high schools: The Birmingham Braves, the Gardena Mohicans, and the University Warriors. "

Native American P.O.V.
" Hitchhikers On The Red Road - Hitchhikers want to jump off their own path and catch a ride with me to what they perceive as spiritual awareness without any visible effort on their own part. They look for a magic bullet, a quick fix for whatever confusion they carry at any given time. THE Truth or even MY truth is the last thing they are looking for. They don’t want my vision, just my symbols. Were they really seeking the truth they would have found it already on their own road for the truth exists on all paths. It can be found in the words of Jeshua Ben Joseph, Buddha, Krishna or Snoopy the Dog for that matter. "Carmen Abner

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