More to be Done

This film was great. It interviewed Native people on their thoughts and experiences regarding the derogatory use of Native American words and imagery, particularly for marketing and sports purposes. There was a range of thoughts and feelings about these uses, and many of them centered around the centuries of discrimination against indigenous tribes. This is crucial context for the argument. Native people have been used, without their consent, as symbols throughout history; regardless of intent, these uses need to be scrutinized.

The appearance of Native spirit guides, traditional dance-wear, and tribal likenesses has always been present in pop culture, but the lack of voice from actual tribes is what makes this negative. Actually hearing speakers on the topic was helpful, because they knew best what the uses were. One woman described the hurt she felt at having to see a cartoon image of a tribal character used without regard to the history behind it; but when she fought back, she became the subject of intense scrutiny. There was intense backlash against tribal members speaking out, and the overwhelming force of sports marketing nearly succeeded in drowning activists out completely. But as the film showed, there are still tribal members who speak only out against derogatory usage of Native figures, and the progress being made is hard-fought.

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