- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
On Monday, the first day of Native American Heritage Month and a day before Atlanta Braves won the World Series, the National Indian Health Board wrote a letter calling for the Atlanta baseball franchise to change its name and calling for the team to acknowledge the harmful nature of the continued use of Native inspired imagery.
The letter was written by Stacy A. Bohlen (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe), the organization’s chief operating officer. Bohlen addressed the letter to Terry McGuirk, chairman of the Atlanta Braves and Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
Bohlen writes the “tomahawk chop” fan cheer is harmful.
“This cheer, which has been utilized by the team’s fan base since 1991, has routinely been denounced by organizations that represent American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples,” Bohlen writes.
Bohlen cites the study, The psychosocial effects of Native American mascots: a comprehensive review of empirical research findings, released in June 2020 that says Native mascots “in particular lower self-esteem, lower community worth, less capacity to generate achievement-related possible selves, and greater levels of negative effect.”
“We call on the Braves to acknowledge their role in propagating harmful AI/AN stereotypes and imagery and change their name,” Bohlen continues.
Bohlen suggests Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves should follow in the footsteps of the Cleveland baseball team that changed its name from the “Indians” at the conclusion of this past baseball season and will be known as the Cleveland Guardians next year.
“In July, the Cleveland Indians announced their name change to the Cleveland Guardians. There is still more work to be done. Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Braves organization must work together to chart a path forward that is respectful of AI/AN people and our cultures. We believe that a sport that prides itself on being the National Pastime should be inclusive of all Americans,” Bohlen adds.
The National Indian Health Board becomes the third national Native American organization to call on the Atlanta baseball franchise drop its name and end the tomahawk chop. The National Congress of American Indians and IllumiNative denounced the Atlanta Braves organization for its continued usage of the Braves name and use of Native American imagery.
The letter can be read here.
More Stories Like This
This Day in History — May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson Signs Indian Removal ActNative News Weekly (May 28, 2023): D.C. Briefs
Oklahoma Legislature Overrides Governor Stitt’s Veto of Native Regalia Bill
Native Bidaské with Lummi Nation Chairman Anthony Hillaire on the Opioid Crisis
Tohono O’odham Citizen Shot and Killed by U.S. Border Patrol; FBI Investigating
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
