Commentary: In the image of the Creator –– Native people and mascots May 4, 2004 A UMNS Commentary By Ray Buckley* | Ray Buckley | The Lakota borrow a story from the Cheyenne about a little mouse. Hearing
a roaring sound, the little mouse follows the noise to the banks of a
great river. There he sees the reflection of the Shining Mountains and
rushes back to tell the other mice of his discovery. On
his journey to the Shining Mountains, the mouse sees things he has
never seen before. He encounters others on the journeys who have
lost health or spiritual identity. He gives his eyes (his way of
seeing) so that others may be made whole. In the process he can no
longer see as a mouse sees. At
the end of the story, he realizes that he is seeing differently. The
voice of Wakan Tanka (God) speaks to the mouse, saying, “I have changed
your name. You are eagle.” When
we are on the journey; God changes the way in which we see the world.
The mouse village loses focus as the most important thing in our world.
We begin to see the world more as God. It is, however, our willingness
to touch and be touched, and to give away our manner of seeing, that God
uses. The
Book of Discipline says, “Our struggles for human dignity and social
reform have been a response to God’s demand for love, mercy and justice
in the light of the Kingdom.” It reminds us, that we believe that
the “…love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for
justice, and a renewal in the life of the world.” Often,
our idea of an individual or people group takes the place of genuine
understanding. When individuals or groups of people become objects, it
is easier to view them within the context of our own purpose. When
individuals or groups become objects, we no longer treat them as persons
of sacred worth. Affirming the sacred worth of all individuals is an
integral part of the mission of the church. Logos
or mascots for sports teams are publicly identifiable symbols.
Other than a limited number of historical references to non-contemporary
people groups, Native people are the only ethnic groups still used as
logos and mascots by sports teams. Native people are represented in
caricature. Often, the image is a stereotypical one featuring the most
marketable representation of more than 562 Native groups. In
most cases, the retention of Native images and names are based upon the
amount of revenue produced by the images. Comic caricatures of Native
people do not reflect the sacredness or beauty of Native people, and
many of these images strengthen the misconception of Native people as
war-like or violent. Both
the English and Spanish offered bounties to those who killed Native
people. The proof was the hair of the person killed. To prove that the
hair actually represented a death, it was required that a portion of the
skin remain attached. The amount of the bounty was determined by
whether the hair, or red skin was from a man, woman or child.
“Redskin” then became a term with which to objectify a Native
person. Most scholars identify the act of scalping among some
Native people as a result of this bounty practice. The
preservation of Native cultures has been difficult. Much has been
lost. Imagine seeing tribal dress and dances that take years of
preparation and even spiritual training parodied by a non-Native person
on an athletic field. It is as significant as taking elements of
Christian worship and using them in the same setting. Our
theological basis for affirming Native people is found in the Wesleyan
understanding of Christian discipleship. The gospel affirms human worth.
The church cannot express that worth while refusing to address elements
in itself and society that demean people and cultures. The desire of
individuals and corporations to profit from demeaning images ought to be
a concern of all people, especially those identified as followers of
Jesus Christ. At this General Conference, Native Americans are asking us to see them as they are. God asks us to see beyond the village in which we live, to encounter new things, to “give away” our way of seeing the world. In the end we see the world as God does. *Buckley is director of the Native People Communications Office at United Methodist Communications News media contact: (412) 325-6080 during General Conference, April 27-May 7. after May 10: (615) 742-5470.
|