Opinion

Larry Spotted Crow Mann: Native people still face stereotypes

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

"Native Peoples face the never-ending torrent of racial stereotypes, misconceptions and sports logos. When Natives are discussed outside of cultural understanding, there is the caricature of the intrepid warrior making his last stand, the government dependent and the victimized Indian who needs to be saved. Or simply the belief that Natives don’t exist.

At the nucleus of this abridged definition lies a host of complex issues that are inextricably linked to long-standing issues Indians continue to confront while many others ignore.

Fueling that insidious trope is centuries of warped inculcations making the North America Indian the last vestige of racism without consequence.

However I would argue that today, the vast majority of these affronts and inaccuracies are out of ignorance. I believe most people of all walks of life are reasonable when presented with new information. But evidence suggests there is a portion of the population unwilling to separate from an ethnocentric state of mind. This lends credence to our present dilemma and continues to keep the grounds of bigotry fertile."

Get the Story:
Larry Spotted Crow Mann: Native People Are Still Being Misinterpreted and Misunderstood (Indian Country Today 10/16)