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[http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/are-you-a-disney-character-or-a-mascot-tribunal-told-indigenous-themed-logos-are-damaging
‘Are you a Disney character or a mascot?’: Tribunal told indigenous-themed logos are damaging
Ashley Csanady | November 22, 2016 8:55 PM ET
Logos, mascots and team names that depict indigenous culture and imagery are “problematic” and feed stereotypes of native populations, an expert told the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal on Tuesday.
The tribunal is considering a human rights complaint from a Mississauga man who alleges the city violated his rights by allowing hockey leagues with indigenous-themed logos to use its facilities.
“These nicknames, mascots and logos activate a racially hostile environment,” said Jesse Steinfeldt, a University of Indiana professor, sports psychologist and expert in the impact of indigenous-themed mascots. He testified these sorts of logos - like the ones the Mississauga Chiefs or Reps use - can feed stereotypes and can even lower the self-worth of indigenous people who are surrounded by them.
Many logos use sacred indigenous imagery, he said, such as eagle feathers or headdresses, and the casual depictions fuel misunderstanding of their value and the culture they represent.
“It creates this sense of seeing an indigenous person at a ceremonial powwow and (wearing) a headdress… and the question becomes, ‘Are you a Disney character or a mascot?’” Steinfeldt said. “The presence of this (indigenous-themed) mascot-logo creates a (situation) where people are more likely to stereotype.”
The hearing falls amid a broader discussion about the use of indigenous imagery in sport. The NFL’s Washington Redskins lost its copyright over its name; the Cleveland Indians faced a court challenge when playing in Toronto in the MLB playoffs over their Chief Wahoo mascot; and many are starting to question the Chicago Blackhawks logo as well.
Steinfeldt said the widespread use - it’s hard to find a sports league without an indigenous-inspired team name or logo - makes it more accepted than if it were any other ethnic group.
“People become inundated with a message that it’s OK when you see it on ESPN,” Steinfeldt said.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission, which intervened in the case against the city of Mississauga, called Steinfeldt in from Indiana; he was allowed to testify only after a lengthy procedural debate.
A number of the potentially affected hockey leagues are intervening alongside the city. A representative of one of these teams wore a jacket with the Mississauga Chiefs logo on it to the tribunal - a logo recently redesigned in consultation with a local First Nation. Stan De Rango, vice-president of the Mississauga Girls’ Hockey League, asked whether that makes a difference.
“What about organizations that reach out to indigenous groups and get their approval and their feedback,” he asked Steinfeldt.
The professor responded those efforts may be worthwhile but they “don’t undo … the legacy of negative attitudes and reactions that have accumulated over time in relation to how people view (indigenous) mascots.”
Brad Gallant, a member of the Qualipu Mi’kmaq First Nation, filed the case after he and his wife witnessed the tomahawk chop - a hand motion meant to mimic the swinging of a battle-axe - at Mississauga arenas when his children played hockey. They eventually pulled the kids out of the league over objections about the use of indigenous imagery and caricatures in hockey teams’ logos.
If he’s successful, the case could set a precedent that could put other governments and even corporations in a tough spot if they allow teams with these logos to play in their arenas - even professional sports teams - legal experts say.
The city of Mississauga, for its part, says it cannot and should not police the logos as the hockey leagues are their own entity.
Gallant counters that the teams get a discount and are allowed to display their championship banners - many of which carry the logos in question - in the public arenas.
Several other teams named in the original human rights complaint have since changed their logos, even their names, to remove references to indigenous culture.
The hearings continue Wednesday in Toronto.
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