When we talk about the Native Americans in our History classes we lightly touch on the subjects of the Mayflower and the Trail of Tears, but we don’t really hear their real story. And we continue to try to wash them out of our history by stomping on their symbolic representations in our mascots. Do we talk about where their vote went in the 2016 election? Do we even acknowledge them as a race at all that still survives in the U.S.? I know that only a small population of Native Americans remains in the U.S., but even so, they are still a big part of our history that does not get recognized.

Some students don’t even learn about the Native American history until they reach college, and not every student attends. This means there is a huge chunk of our population that lacks any knowledge of Native American history. News Flash: the white man was not the first inhabitant of the United States, the Native American was. They are the backbone of our history. They had a great part in our wars and the making of this country. They fought for us and they fought against us, and no matter what they did to try and make peace with us, we continued to push them farther and farther out of our society to the point that they are no longer recognized in our U.S. History classes.

In some ways, we have tried to represent them in our society today. The most prominent representation of the race is in our mascots. However, while some may be argued as being represented disrespectfully, they are intended to represent in a positive light. They are a representation of bravery and pride. Our teams wish to present themselves in their form, to remember their struggles, their fight, and their strength. No mascot was intentionally made to mock the Native Americans because they are a sign of pride and strength.

Another reason as to why the Native American culture has been stomped out of our society is because, for so many years, instead of embracing their differences, we have tried to make them adapt to our cultural expectations. Over the years we have tried to push them into Christianity, into schooling, into jobs, into anything and everything that their culture did not stand for. We have almost completely wiped away their culture and their history. The only thing that stands to represent their history to the newer generations are the mascots for our sports teams.

When the University of Illinois was forced to get rid of Chief Illiniwek, every alumni, current student, future student, and fan was disappointed. The Chief was more than just a silly mascot that danced around at football and basketball games. The Chief represented the history of the Native Americans. He represented the history of Illinois. He represented pride in your state and school. And he represented bravery, strength, and fight in the players. The dance, the costume, and the music were carefully thought out and meant to represent the tribe in a positive light. He was meant to diversify the fans and bring them together. It’s hard to appreciate the pride and togetherness that the Chief brought from the outside looking in. But he was not represented in a negative light, he was not brought about to mock anyone. His purpose was to say that the players had or wished to have the fight, strength, and bravery of the Native Americans.

And where are they now? Slowly, the history of the Native Americans is being silently washed away. There is a generation that will be lacking the knowledge of their history and culture. There is a generation that will cease to know how the Native Americans fought and struggled under the oppression of the immigrants who took their land and called it the United States. They, like every other racial and ethnic group, are a huge part of U.S. history and present. If it succeeds, banning Native American mascots will eventually wash them completely out of our society and history.