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Opinion: Identity under attack by Indian mascots
Monday, November 19, 2007
Filed Under: Opinion

"The heart of the problem is a conceptual flaw in the practice of using Indian logos. We don't want change simply because we disagree semantically with the word “Sioux”. No, we want change because our very identity is under attack.

This issue is not about Indians complaining about degrading treatment from non-Indians. This is about our own existence.

Since we lost control of our spiritual self-determination, it has been very hard for our children to learn that their sense of self-worth comes from our living religion.

A transformation happened when a collective Euro-American consciousness began to dictate what is the essence of an American Indian. This transformation made the existence of Indian nicknames possible.

But the practice of using Indian nicknames is evidence of that transformation. This transformation also is called “objectification.”

The most devastating aspect of Indians as nicknames and logos is the objectification of our race."

Get the Story:
Chase Iron Eyes: A genocide of the mind (The Grand Forks Herald 11/18)
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Relevant Links:
University of North Dakota - http://www.und.edu
The Ralph - http://www.theralph.com
Fighting Sioux - http://www.fightingsioux.com

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