Contesting Constructed Indian-ness : The Intersection of the Frontier, Masculinity, and Whiteness in Native American Mascot Representations

"Native American sports team mascots represent a contemporary problem for modern Native American people. The ideas embedded in the mascot representations, however, are as old as the ideas constructed about the Indian since contact between the peoples of Western and the Eastern hemispheres. Such ideas conceived about Native Americans go hand-in-hand with the machinations of colonialism and conquest of these people. This research looks at how such ideas inform the construction of identity of white males from historic experiences with Native Americans. Notions of "playing Indian" and of "going Native" are precipitated from these historic contexts such that in the contemporary sense of considering Native Americans, popular culture ideas dress Native Americans in feathers and buckskin in order to satisfy stereotypic expectations of Indian-ness." -- Publisher's description. Native American sports team mascots represent a contemporary problem for modern Native American people. The ideas embedded in the mascot representations, however, are as old as the ideas constructed about the Indian since contact between the peoples of Western and the Eastern hemispheres. Such ideas conceived about Native Americans go hand-in-hand with the machinations of colonialism and conquest of these people. This research looks at how such ideas inform the construction of identity of white males from historic experiences with Native Americans. Notions of playing Indian and of going Native are precipitated from these historic contexts such that in the contemporary sense of considering Native Americans, popular culture ideas dress Native Americans in feathers and buckskin in order to satisfy stereotypic expectations of Indian-ness. Michael Taylor, PhD, has been researching racialized mascots and the ways in which the creators of these representations seek a connection to a desirable, idealized Indianness. He currently holds a joint-appointment in anthropology and Native American studies at Colgate University and is a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians (SNI), a tribal community located in southwestern New York State Publisher's note Native American sports team mascots represent a contemporary problem for modern Native American people. The ideas embedded in the mascot representations, however, are as old as the ideas constructed about the Indian since contact between the peoples of Western and the Eastern hemispheres. Such ideas conceived about Native Americans go hand-in-hand with the machinations of colonialism and conquest of these people. This research looks at how such ideas inform the construction of identity of white males from historic experiences with Native Americans. Notions of "playing Indian" and of "going Native" are precipitated from these historic contexts such that in the contemporary sense of considering Native Americans, popular culture ideas dress Native Americans in feathers and buckskin in order to satisfy stereotypical expectations of Indian-ness Contesting Constructed Indian-ness seeks to highlight the investment of white American males with the history of their relationship with the ideas of the Indian. This book documents the investments of white men with that of the ideal Indian, while disregarding the reality of Native Americans in this country.