March 19, 2024

Reconsidering ideas about mascots

To the editor,

After reading “This mascot skews reality” by Varenchik in the Sept. 5 Newton Daily News, I found myself reconsidering some of my ideas about mascots and other issues. First, I am a registered member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Shawnee, Okla. I grew up knowing some of my background, but was not closely united with it until I became an adult and wanted my children, and later my grandchildren to learn of my heritage. Since I look white, no one knew unless I told them. When we adopted one of our sons who is half Sioux, I began to notice a great deal of prejudice. My husband has Osage heritage but sadly knows little of it. I have a niece and nephew who are half Apache.

Two things in Varenchik’s article hit home with me. Living in Iowa there is little exposure to any tribe and we, as a people, see ourselves as members of tribes, not as “Native Americans.”

Mascots had not especially bothered me, though I was often embarrassed by them because they portrayed my tribe and other tribes as the same and usually not in good light. I also saw people who played sports under certain mascots displaying prejudice against any facsimile of the real person who was a member of a specific tribe.

I often attend my tribe’s family reunion festival the last weekend in June and read the How Ni Kan, our monthly newspaper; plus, I vote in all of our tribal elections. I still don’t know my heritage well. I hope that I honor all heritages and not dishonor them even unintentionally. I’m thankful that we, in Newton, are the “Cardinals.” I remember graduating from my high school in Colorado Springs, Colo., as a “Terror” with “Chief Eagle Beak” as my mascot. Does anyone wonder why I didn’t cheer at games?

Though I agree with Varenchik that we all need to think about what role model we present. I add that we need to respect all cultures and not offend them. As a side note, Varenchik clumped all the tribes under the idea that they all have high suicide rates and no positive role models.

Christine Pauley
Newton