by Emily Johnson

Created on: January 06, 2009

I have a love-hate relationship with the topic of America's use (abuse) of Indian mascots and names.

I'm always amused by those arguing that use of tribal names or identities as team mascots is strictly intended to "honor" Indian people. Nearly everyone asserting that position will usually boast to have some degree of "native blood" or ancestry, as if that microscopic bit of DNA somehow entitles their opinion more validity.

My family are Anishinabe (Ojibwe) and happen to be the real thing. Real Indians with real enrollment numbers with relatives on real reservations which are actual federally recognized American Indian tribal governments. With treaty rights and everything. So I have a little bit of understanding of how Indian people feel about the matter, which I will get to, I promise.

But first, as someone who has worked for American Indian tribes and organizations for 20 years, most of my career has been devoted to working on the really critical issues facing Indian people. I'm talking truly critical issues, as in life-or-death importance, like loosening up federal funds for dialysis units for Indian people who might otherwise die (or even choose death) because it's a six-hour drive to the closest clinic with a dialysis machine. For tribal advocates, it can feel frustrating when asked to divert attention away from immediate crisis matters because someone wants to debate an issue that can sometimes seem, well, silly.

In the early 1990's, the organization I worked for was right in the middle of negotiating federal legislation to pave remote reservation roads. That might not seem like a life-threatening topic, but in Indian country the difference between paved roads and gravel can mean the difference between a chance at economic development or the promise of continued poverty. All the tax credits and enterprise zones in the world won't attract Boeing or 3M to an Indian reservation if there isn't any asphalt for their vehicles. In the middle of working this issue on Capitol Hill, Don Imus made a stupid remark about Native Americans. Imus has made lots of stupid remarks, but as the spokesperson for a national Indian organization in Washington D.C., this one was assigned to me. He said something very nasty things about Indians and eventually the whole mascot thing came up. I recall appearing on a sports talk radio program, having been asked to debate whether or not the Washington Redskins should change its name. The discussion was heated. In case you're wondering,

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