A real honor: Collaborating with tribes on name changes

Editorial Indian Country Today

Confronting problems together is so often declared an American value that one is tempted to believe it is true. In fact, it is completely characteristic of American democracy that any issue is open to dialogue, delay and disagreement. The perpetual debate regarding place names and mascots considered offensive by Native peoples offers many examples of both successful collaboration and doomed obstinacy. As with most conflict, genuine compassion and educated decisions are critical to reaching a resolution.

In the midst of a Major League Baseball playoff series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians, caricatures of Indian faces and accoutrements flooded stadium seats and television sets. There are wide-ranging opinions from Native and non-Native people on the effect and gravity of Indians as sports mascots. But there is no question that allowing the practice to continue makes it possible for individuals (and groups) to freely mock Indian songs, dances, traditional dress and languages. ''It's Tribe time now,'' reads the Cleveland Indians' rally towel. ''Go Tribe'' and ''Indians win!'' are common sentiments. But only, it seems, inside the ballpark. Imagine such passionate, public outcries by non-Natives in support of tribal sovereignty or other important issues. There is no honor in paternalism, and ironic cheers for Indian mascots turn fun sporting events into virulent arenas for racism and ignorance.

Native peoples scored a moral victory four years ago when the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names approved the renaming of Squaw Peak in Phoenix to Piestewa Peak. The new name honors the heroic service of U.S. Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, who is believed to be the first American Indian woman killed in combat on foreign soil and the first U.S. female soldier killed in the Iraq war. Though the road was fraught with controversy, the strong leadership of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, long an ally of Indian tribes in the state, made all the difference and the name change was made well within Arizona's standard five-year waiting period. Piestewa Peak is now a monument to the courage and pride of the young Hopi soldier, mother of two children, who made the ultimate sacrifice for her nation and country. It is a victory not only for Native Americans who share and admire Piestewa's traditional values, but for all Americans who believe in duty, honor and sacrifice.

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