Denise Pelayo

Daehwan Lee

AAS 201

May 10, 2017

Reflection on Debate about Native Americans

The question up for debate is whether Native American mascots and images are offensive

or not. To be able to debate each side we had to read a chapter in the book American Ethnicity to

gain knowledge about this topic. Throughout the chapter there were statements explaining the

hardship that Native Americans have gone through throughout history.

There were quite a few statements that caught my attention. These statements were in

favor about the issue of having Native American mascots as being an offensive matter. For

starters, Native Americans are the only ethnic group that are used as mascots by sport teams. In

the book, American Ethnicity, they stated that by using a Native American image as a mascot has

to be one of the most degrading thing that could happen to a population, it is a sign of disrespect

and low regards. The second statement was based on the Natives Americans being labeled as

Savage Redman, this means that they were seen as being ruthless killers. This label was given

to the Native by the Europeans that did not wish to live near nor have any association with the

Native Americans. Natives were seen as being Savage Redman after the battle that happened

between the Natives and the Europeans, where many Europeans were killed. The battle happened

because the Natives homes were being taken away from them by the Europeans. The third

statement, was about the conflict that was between the Native Americans and the Whites. The

conflict about Whites believing that Natives strived off the minerals and resources of the land.
They called the Natives Fat Cats which means that they were underserving of the land

resources.

Just how there were statements in the book American Ethnicity, on the issue being a

negative thing; there were also quite a few facts that stated otherwise. The first statement was

explaining how Natives were owners of multiple Casinos. The book stated that they have gained

a considerable amount of economic benefit, business activity, and full employment; from them

being owners of theses casinos. The second argument, speaks about Native Americans

complaining about being used as mascots; yet the Natives have dug out their ancestors bones

from gravesites just to be used as displays in reservation museums in which the bones were

dressed up in Native costumes. In doing so the natives are showing that their clothing is a

costume. In the third and final argument, speaks upon how Native Americans are usually

unemployed and are dependent on welfare because of economic discrimination. Natives are one

percent of the population and are at the bottom of the economic pyramid because they do not

take advantage of the resources that are available to them. For example, according to the U.S.

Commission on Civil Rights in 1975 thirty-five percent of the Navajo nation was employed year

around, in which over sixty percent of them were employed with government jobs.

Overall, this assignment expanded my knowledge upon Native Americans and how they

have no type of respect from other populations, especially by whites. Native Americans do not

deserve the to be downgraded or discriminated upon. This discrimination began because of

White Americans and is still alive because of them.