The following is a research paper as part of Centennial College’s “First Peoples: Self-Governance & Sovereignty” elective course. This paper was written by Andrew Stuetz (Untapped North), with references attached for all research and acknowledgment purposes.
Indigenous Imagery in Sports: Where do we go from here?
Throughout the history of professional sports, indigenous imagery has been used in a variety of ways. Whether it be the use of songs, mascots, names, etc., indigenous imagery and symbols are a large part of some particular major league teams, along with a handful of high-schools, colleges and universities. Although there are a number of recognizable teams in the United States that use indigenous imagery in some form: Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs, etc., there are also some professional teams in Canada that also should be named: Moose Jaw Warriors and Shawinigan Cataractes, for example. While there has been some progress made in an attempt to eradicate indigenous racism and potential for misconstrued accusations within these organizations; in a time where reconciliation and recognizing the mistreatment of indigenous communities around North America is at an all-time high, one question remains: Where do we go from here?
Over the last couple seasons in professional sports, an attempt has been made each year to find ways to eliminate the usages of indigenous symbolism within the organizations who use them. Most recently football fans saw the Washington Football Team rename their organization from the Washington Redskins. While the organization is still searching for an official name, the Washington Football Team is the temporary name the organization has been using in the meantime. Another recent example is that of Cleveland’s major league baseball team who have eliminated the use of their Chief Wahoo logo and images on their merchandise and jerseys. The team has also announced that they will be changing their name in the upcoming 2022 MLB season to that of the Cleveland Guardians.
“We are excited to usher in the next era of the deep history of baseball in Cleveland,” Team Owner and Chairman Paul Dolan said. “Cleveland has and always will be the most important part of our identity. Therefore, we wanted a name that strongly represents the pride, resiliency and loyalty of Clevelanders. ‘Guardians’ reflects those attributes that define us while drawing on the iconic Guardians of Traffic just outside of the ballpark on the Hope Memorial Bridge. It brings to life the pride Clevelanders take in our city and the way we fight together for all who choose to be part of the Cleveland baseball family. While ‘Indians’ Will always be a part of our history, our new name will help unify our fans and city as we are all Cleveland Guardians.” (Dolan, P., [2021], para. 5, MLB.com)
Meanwhile in Canada, the most recent example of one of the teams doing their part by renaming themselves was the Edmonton Elks (formerly Eskimos) in the Canadian Football League. The renaming of the team has been recognized as a ‘step in the right direction towards reconciliation’, “it’s a small gesture, but within the bigger picture reconciliation is a never-ending road.” (Chief Morin, B., [2021], para. 2, CTV News Edmonton)
Staying within Canada, work remains to be done in taking those same mentioned steps in the right direction towards reconciliation. The Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League and the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League are two examples worth noting. The Warriors have gone through five logo changes in their history dating back to 1980. Their original logo is described as that of a, “Native American with [a] tomahawk and hockey stick on a sled.” (Sports Logos, [n/a], sportslogos.net) Although the image itself appears to have the person throwing the tomahawk and riding a skate blade. It wasn’t until 1988 when the team changed their logo to that of a red coloured silhouette of a person wearing an indigenous headdress. Although this logo remains the same today, it has endured three font changes to the team’s name while the silhouette image has remained the same. It wasn’t until 2020 when the Moose Jaw Warriors announced that they would be launching an investigation into the use of their logo. According to CTV Regina, the general manager of the Warriors, Alan Millar, made note that this investigation did not guarantee a complete logo change. “the first step is we want to determine if we feel the change is necessary. This is all about engaging and understanding and talking about diversity and talking about inclusiveness.” (Millar, A., [2020], CTV News Regina) The red silhouette logo is still being used today.
Another Canadian team whose logo remains the subject of controversy is the Shawinigan Cataractes. A team named after a prominent waterfall in the city of Shawinigan, the QMJHL team’s logo does not depict those waterfalls at all. Their current logo actually debuted in 2008 and has been in use ever since, however their logo was not always as controversial as it is considered today. Back in the late 1970s into the late 1990s, the logo was simply the letter C with the written word Cataractes in two varying forms. In 1998, the team unveiled their first use of indigenous imagery by incorporating an indigenous male atop a green-coloured letter C. Finally in 2008, the team unveiled their current logo, a detailed portrait of an indigenous man wearing a full traditional indigenous headdress. In 2015, the team came under-fire with controversy when the team unveiled a new ad campaign that depicted many members of the team, albeit Caucasian males, with side-by-side slides of them wearing hockey gear and traditional indigenous colours, headdresses, etc. The slogan for the campaign read, ‘Mon Histoire, Mes Couleurs’ which translates to, ‘My story, my colours.’ While some referred to this slogan as motivating for young hockey-players, “the story of the First Nations culture that is being referenced in the picture(s) is not the story of the Shawinigan Cataractes. It is a hockey team that, even if they believed they were honouring First Nations culture, does not have any ownership in that realm.” (Kennedy, R. [2015], para. 5, The Hockey News)
Along with the previously mentioned Canadian teams, work remains to be done for more than a handful of American teams as well. Most notably would be within the Atlanta Braves organization. With the team having won the 2021 World Series, there was plenty to talk about off the field with respect, or rather complete disrespect, for indigenous peoples and cultures. The tomahawk chop is a gesture that continues to be used by Braves’ fans and one that has been used by teams with indigenous names or mascots, across the United States. “The tomahawk is an axe that is native to the indigenous people of North America and at Braves’ games, many fans hold up red foam tomahawks or wear Braves gear displaying the image.” (Zaru, D., [2021], para. 2, ABC News) Conversations between the MLB and the National Congress of American Indians have included the NCAI’s clear stance that, “native people are not mascots, and degrading rituals like the ‘tomahawk chop’ that dehumanize and harm us have no place in American society.” (Sharp, F., [2021], para. 8, ABC News) Despite these numerous conversations, MLB commissioner Robert Manfred remains firm that the indigenous community in the Atlanta region is, “wholly supportive of the Braves program, including the chop. For me, that’s the end of the story.” (Manfred, R., [2021], para. 4, ABC News) This is only one example of work that still remains to be done in the removal and correction of these harmful acts.
Although it can appear as a ‘one-step forward, two-steps back’ scenario when discussing eliminating indigenous characters and symbolism within professional sports, the work must not stop. It’s imperative that the major and minor leagues of professional sports continue to work alongside indigenous communities within their area to ensure that if there are symbols or indigenous imagery being used, that it is done so within the parameters set by the Elders and community members of said indigenous community. While the ultimate goal of eliminating all indigenous imagery and symbolism remains to be the end goal, “it might be cliché, but you [have to] take it one day at a time.” (Chief Morin, B., [2021], para. 2, CTV News Edmonton)
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Andrew Stuetz
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