Change the Elko High School “Indian” Mascot

09/17/2021

Take a listen to the interview Lindsey Oppenhein did with KUNR! Isaac Hoops is an amazing interviewer and did a great job on the story!

Having a Native American mascot has real consequences to our people. This is a form of dehumanization. The mascot was never MEANT to be honoring. It was rooted in racism and dehumanization when it was first introduced and now, it’s up to us to make this change.

A professor at the University of Michigan and member of the Tulalip Tribe, Fryberg has spent years studying the psychological effects of Native stereotypes and logos on both Native Americans and non-Natives. She’s seen precisely who gets hurt.

“In her studies, she found that exposing Native American teenagers to Native sports mascots decreased their self-esteem, lowered the achievement-related goals they set for themselves, and diminished both their sense of community worth and belief that their community can improve itself. Other studies have shown that the use of Native mascots increases suicidal ideation and depression among Native Americans. “Being shown the mascot actually lowered Native high schoolers’ self-esteem more than giving them negative statistics about [Native American communities], like high su***de rates, depression, dropout rates,” Fryberg told POLITICO in an interview on Wednesday. “That really gives you a sense of how powerful the imagery is.”

Read the full article here 👉🏽 https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.politico.com/amp/news/magazine/2020/07/16/native-american-team-names-psychology-effect-redskins-indians-sports-logos-366409

Let’s make this change and let’s be better for our future generations to come ✊🏽❤️

https://www.kunr.org/post/elko-high-alum-reflects-mascot-her-former-school-indians

In June, Nevada passed a law that prohibits schools from using a mascot that features racially discriminatory identifiers — unless the school has

09/16/2021

I’m going to be re-posting quotes from local tribal and community members of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone. It’s time for change and with the Te-Moak tribe passing the resolution to remove the Elko “Indian” mascot, now is the time to keep this momentum.

Let’s listen to our community members and let’s be better for our future generations to come. ❤️

07/08/2021

What are the harms of having an “Indian” Mascot?

Swipe to find out!

Read the full article here- https://www.google.com/amp/s/indiancountrytoday.com/.amp/news/study-finds-only-harmful-effects-from-native-themed-mascot

Sign the Petition to remove the Elko “Indian” mascot http://chng.it/sgmnGzRV

06/22/2021

On Monday, April 26, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law House Bill 1356 (H.B. 1356). Sponsored by Washington House Representative Debra Lekanoff (Tlingit), H.B. 1356 prohibits “...the inappropriate use of Native American names, symbols, or images as public school mascots, logos, or team names.” In signing the legislation, Governor Inslee stated, “This bill will end the disrespectful use of Native American imagery in our public schools.”

According to the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, there are 32 schools in the state of Washington that use Native “themed” mascots, logos, or team names. Nationally, there are still more than 1,900 schools employing Native “themed” mascots according to NCAI’s mascot tracking database.

View the full database: http://bit.ly/schoolmascotdatabase

06/08/2021

‼️ I will be sharing more statements from Tribal Members. Another amazing and insightful statement from a Tribal member who is a teacher for Elko County School District !!

If you’re a tribal member who wishes to make a statement, you can send your statement to us directly and it can be anonymous if you would like.

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05/25/2021

Repost from .rhs

Artwork and article by Jessica Bascom an indigenous activist advocating for Indian mascots to come to an end.

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05/20/2021

Melody Walker Brook “The Indian Mascot Debate debases 500 Nations by Treating us all the same” (2016) Quotes from her phenomenal essay. Repost from Than A Mascot ‼️✊🏽

05/18/2021

Repost from “The use of Indigenous people as mascots only serves to promote harmful stereotypes and strengthens a culture of white supremacy. In this Ted Talk activist and Ambassador for the Penobscot Nation, Maulian Dana shares their personal experience on how the portrayal of Indigenous people has effected her. As well as how she works towards fighting this misuse.”

"What truly scares me is when we lose our sense of shared humanity. When we see other human beings as enemies or obstacles. One dimensional objects not worthy of respect or equality because they are different from us and we don't understand them. When we lose our ability to have compassion or love, that is when we will crumble as a society." - Maulian Dana

05/17/2021

Repost from Than A Mascot

“If a mascot can potentially harm any students self-identify, why would you continue to keep it?”