Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Go Tribe

How Chief Wahoo Marks the Indians
By Katie Wynbrandt

My dad introduced me to Chief Wahoo, the first "Indian" I ever met. For as long as I can remember, the Chief's flaming-red skin, jovial smile, and disproportionately large nose has adorned my family's sweatshirts, key chains, and even birthday cakes. No, Chief Wahoo is not an actual Native American; he is the Cleveland Indians' team mascot.

Since the day my father brought me to my first Indians game I took an immediate liking to the Chief. In retrospect, I'm not sure if it was Chief Wahoo's smile, resembling many of the stuffed animals to which I was so attached at the time, or the smile that was sure to appear on my overworked, stressed-out father at the start of each game that I so longed to lay eyes upon. I, on some level, desperately wished to have something in common with a father who rarely made it home from work in time to kiss me goodnight, and he, in turn, deeply desired to share something with a daughter to whom he wasn't quite sure how to relate. Chief Wahoo began to symbolize that "something." His constant presence in our lives became a symbol through which we could always find common ground.

Years after the Chief and I were introduced, my United States History class learned about the devastation of Native Americans. After I became aware of the manipulation, degradation, and virtual genocide of the Native American people, the sight of Chief Wahoo began to make my stomach turn. What gives us, as a nation of immigrants, the right to nearly exterminate an entire people, to rob the survivors of their land, to drive them into poverty, and to further insult them by using a racist caricature as a form of entertainment? Not only was I ashamed of my own previous ignorance, but I also felt betrayed by my father's hypocrisy; the implications of the passion we once shared directly contradicted the values for which I respected him most.

Supporters of the Chief are most likely to focus on offensive claims— those asserting that Chief Wahoo benefits Native Americans. More specifically, proponents contend that Chief Wahoo is a flattering depiction of American Indians' strength and bravery. But if Chief Wahoo were as flattering as these proponents claim, one would expect that Native Americans would actually feel flattered.

Here, one should note that Native Americans do not honor one another through the use of logos or caricatures precisely because this type of symbolism is not viewed as honorable in Indian culture. In an article by Joseph J. Hemmer Jr. in American Indian Quarterly, Michael Yellow Bird, an associate professor of social work at Arizona State University, suggests that "it is impossible to honor someone who does not feel honored." In reference to the symbolism of Native American mascots, he adds, "We experience it as no less than a mockery of our cultures."

For example, in authentic Native American culture, the type of eagle feather that sits atop Chief Wahoo's head is customarily awarded to a person wounded in war, and feathers in general are reserved for the most revered chiefs and spiritual leaders. A feather of this kind is a symbol of deference; each one is bestowed upon only the most deserving members of the Native American community and only "through a lifetime of service and sacrifice," according to Hemmer. By endowing Chief Wahoo with the feather, the Indians franchise draws an insulting comparison between war and a game of baseball. This comparison does more damage than strip the symbol of its meaning; it debases the individuals who subscribe to Native American culture.

In 2008, Basic & Applied Social Psychology published the results of four studies that examined the psychological consequences of mascots like Chief Wahoo on Native American high school and college students. These studies showed that when students are exposed to Native American mascots they report lower self-esteem, picture themselves as lower-achieving individuals, and feel less valued in their community. From these results, the directors of one study concluded that Chief Wahoo "remind[s] American Indians of the limited ways others see them and, in this way, constrain[s] how they can see themselves."

A 1999 Department of Justice study also found that Indians were the American racial group most likely to be victimized by violent crime (at two and a half times the national average). This data directly contradicts the popular argument that Chief Wahoo represents a flattering and respectful depiction of American Indians; evidently, the Indians are not flattered, and all too often, they are not treated with respect.

Yet, to remove the bonds that individuals like my father have formed with Chief Wahoo (and would have formed with nearly any mascot) is to threaten the franchise's profits. It is estimated that the ballclub makes over $20 million each year from retaining Chief Wahoo as its icon. In exchange for such a level of profit, the team can afford to persist in its refusal to bow to pressure.

Those, like my father, who genuinely respect Native American culture, who never participate in the dancing, drumming, or tomahawk chops that occur at sporting events with Native American mascots, but who unwaveringly support the team and sport its mascot do tacitly support a culturally and psychologically harmful institution. And although the sight of Chief Wahoo on my father's baseball cap will always incite nostalgia, the harm that Chief Wahoo causes Native Americans significantly outweighs any pleasant experiences that I may associate with the image. Chief Wahoo is a physical manifestation of a history of oppression and racism. He must be replaced.

 

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