by Hadezbah Mikkelsen

"You don't look like an Indian." (1995 John Branch.)

I live in AnyTown USA, a beautiful place with a generous and kind community and forward-thinking policies put in place to ensure that all people feel welcomed and served. AnyTown is not the actual name of my town, but out of respect for a place I truly do love and because I know how hard they are trying to make the town an even more safe and inclusive community, I want to give it some anonymity while it works out the kinks. But the kinks are there and as a Native person, they are as glaring as the sun. It’s blinding and it hurts.

My own eyes were sorely opened one day, when my friends, new neighbors who had recently moved to AnyTown from India, came by for a visit. I was busy with my hands in the sink when they knocked so I called to them to let themselves in. When I turned around, their young son stood in front of me dressed in his Little League baseball uniform, The Indians with Chief Wahoo. My jaw dropped. While I knew professional sport teams refuse to eliminate their Native American nicknames and logos, and thus continue to perpetuate racial stereotypes of Native Americans [1], I never in a million years would have guessed that parents in my enlightened community would agree to dress their kids in such a racist costume. The irony that here stood an actual Indian person in an “Indians” uniform added another edge. I felt the old familiar smack of the first wrong of colonization – we are not “Indians.” To my Indian friends who were not familiar with the long history of Native people’s struggle against racist caricatures and mascots, I had no ill will, just sadness that they were being unwittingly indoctrinated into the cult of racism and indifference towards Native people.

How could an organization that is supposed to support all youth and foster positive values dress up their young players in such an offensive uniform?  

But to get back to AnyTown’s Little League, how could an organization that is supposed to support all youth and foster positive values dress their young players in such an offensive uniform? I guessed 2 reasons. Either: 1) they did not care 2) they simply did not know. Hoping they just didn’t know, I informed my local little league about the problems with Native mascots, the research backing their harm, and the statements condemning these mascots by Native Nations and even the US Commission on Civil Rights [2]. It turned out — they just did not care. My heart sank. But finally after years of letter writing, the little league gave up the team name of the Indians and Chief Wahoo, its demeaning mascot. Unfortunately, the Braves with the tomahawk are still in use and the coach shirts with Chief Nocahoma still worn. *Sigh* The effort and education continues.

On another day, I took my son to a local dentist for a check-up. The office had come with glowing reviews. Midway through the appointment, we were enthusiastically informed that for every good visit my son had, he would get a wooden token which he could collect to earn bigger prizes. The token had a profile of a stereotypical Native person on one side — braid down the back, strong nose, stoic composure. And while I know these might have some historical reference, what if I had gotten one with Little Black Sambo on it or a profile of a “nice Jewish boy”? Of course, I am being sarcastic, but Native people to this day are the only group who are hardly ever portrayed as contemporary people and only portrayed as historical stereotypes in US popular culture. And I have to admit, it was a sick reminder of the early days of our country when collecting Native scalps for bounties was an incentive in the system of colonization.

But if you think that is my last encounter to report (actually there are more, let’s not even get into last Halloween) then let me show you how deep this blindness and indifference towards Native people goes.

Just last week I took my son to his doctor. In the office, there are signs about inclusion everywhere. They are obviously striving to make everyone feel safe and welcome and I am sincerely grateful for their efforts. I sat down with my son while we waited to be called. I glanced at a sign on the door. It had a message about togetherness and a drawing of a diverse group of people. I didn’t look closely at the poster, because I was distracted by my phone texts. But my son took a closer look and nudged me, ”Mom, did you see the Native people in the poster?” I looked closer and to my dismay the two figures that were supposed to represent Native Americans were dressed in buckskin with feathers in their hair and paint on their faces. While this would have been maybe made tolerable if all the other figures were also dressed in clothing representing their cultural heritage, they weren’t. The European and African-American characters were dressed in nondescript clothing, while the Native people were narrowly type cast. (I should also say the supposed Asian characters were also questionable.) Outside of a pow-wow or an official tribal ceremony, I have never seen a fellow Native person strutting buckskin and feathers, let alone painted face, as they went about their every day jobs as community leaders, professionals, salespeople, teachers, etc. The representation was sheer fiction, but fitting all the ways in which mainstream media and Hollywood have misled America (and the world) to think about and recognize Native people. These stereotypical images were not questioned even where there was a conscious effort to make the space safe, welcoming and inclusive.

When contemporary Native people do not look like the stereotypes mainstream American has been taught to expect, it gives fodder to those that want to limit our individual and collective opportunities.

So what does this all come down to? To illustrate it clearly, let me continue with the last part of that doctor’s visit. While I waited for my son to finish his appointment, I glanced at my Facebook page and there just happened to be a clip from a few years ago of a well-known businessman testifying in front of Congress about why Native Nations should not be able to exercise their rights to run casinos on their lands. He said, "If you look at some of the reservations you've approved (speaking to a congressman), you, sir, in your great wisdom have approved, I will tell you right now, they don't look like Indians to me." And unfortunately, this mindset is not just his.

Watch a Conversation with Native Americans on Race

When contemporary Native people do not look like the stereotypes mainstream American has been taught to expect, it gives fodder to those that want to limit our individual and collective opportunities. It also breeds indifference towards Native people and that is harmful for a group with high poverty rates, the highest youth suicide rate and the highest rates of domestic violence and sexual assault – crimes that are largely perpetuated by non-Natives [3]. And worst of all, these stereotypes limit the way Native children view themselves. They too can be bound by the limitations of those stereotypes and that negatively affects their self-esteem and academic performance [4], as well as limits the roles they envision themselves fulfilling.

These days people talk about “gateway drugs,” perhaps we should also start talking about “gateway racism.”

But it doesn’t end there. Exposure to Native stereotypes has also been shown to negatively affect non-Native [5] as well. According to social science studies, these images reinforce stereotypes of people of color (especially but not only Native Americans) and serve as a foundation for discrimination. These days people talk about “gateway drugs,” perhaps we should also start talking about “gateway racism.”

I love my Anytown USA for so many reasons, but it also has illuminated the stubborn habituation and institutionalization of racism in this country and in particular as it pertains to Native Americans. If it is happening here, it is happening everywhere. But hopefully soon, Not In Our Town [6].