A modern era of “mass Indian removal” is coming to an end, argue those fighting to return Native American imagery to sports team branding, and recent efforts by Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines to restore the former Washington Redskins logo to the NFL franchise haven’t gone far enough.
That’s how at least one Native American group describes the current political squabbling over what’s acceptable when it comes to the appropriation of American Indian symbols like the logo for the former Redskins, now rebranded as the Washington Commanders.
The Native American Guardians Association (NAGA) said Monday that the Commanders, along with Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians, are the two highest profile professional sports teams to abandon their American Indian logos.
From Cleveland’s cartoonish Chief Wahoo to the regal rendering of a Blackfeet chief that’s synonymous with the Redskins name, Native American symbols in sports vary widely, as do opinions about what’s best for the many indigenous people and cultures across the U.S. represented by them.
On Nov. 19, Daines ended his blockade on funding to pay for refurbishing the Commanders’ former stadium because the senator said he was satisfied with “the ongoing negotiations with the team and feel optimistic about the direction that they are heading.”
NAGA wanted Daines to keep up his pressure and block the stadium money until the Commanders officially restored the Redskins logo.
It was inspired by Blackie Wetzel in 1971 and modeled after Blackfeet tribal leaders in Montana, most prominently Chief Two Guns White Calf.
“The team has also committed to never again censor the logo on merchandise that commemorates former players,” Daines’ office pointed out in a statement after Monday’s vote. “With these agreements, Daines voted in support of the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act.”
That was a missed opportunity, said NAGA President Tony Henson, adding, “Honestly, we were disappointed that Daines did let the legislation go through. I think Senator Daines was misled about the Redskins language.”
Henson wanted Daines to pressure the Commanders to take back the Redskins logo and name. For his part, Daines said he was motivated by members of the Wetzel family and the memory of Chief Two Guns White Calf.
“I urge the team to continue their dialogue and reach a conclusion that honors their past, honors Don Wetzel’s vision to use the logo to help Indian Country and honors the will of the Blackfeet Tribe to restore the logo to a place of honor and prominence,” Daines said.
Who’s Offended?
Dueling public opinion polls taken between 2016 and 2020 show somewhere between 50% and 90% of Native Americans are not offended by the Redskins name.
The 2016 poll from The Washington Post triggered a backlash among several Native American groups after it found nine out of 10 Native Amercians are not offended by the name Redskins for the NFL franchise.
Four years later, researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of California Berkeley produced findings that contradicted the 2016 study.
The 2020 study found 49% were offended by the Redskins name and went on to criticize the 2016 Washington Post poll, stating that, “Prior claims that the majority of Native people are not offended by Native mascots oversimplify a diverse range of attitudes.”
On one end, there’s NAGA, pressuring Daines and other political allies to do more to restore “common sense” and combat the cancel culture that led to the Commanders abandoning its name and logo in 2020.
“Everybody wants the Redskins back, but everyone is allowing themselves to be beholding to this woke mentality,” said Henson with NAGA, which is on a mission to restore and protect Native American-themed sports logos from elementary school to the pros across the country.
Henson spoke up for the importance of maintaining a Native American presence in popular culture.
“We call this a modern-day Indian removal,” said Henson. “This mass Indian removal, this has to come to a stop. There’s going to be no more remembrance of Native Americans if it keeps going this way.”
In his Nov. 13 presentation on the Senate floor, Daines touched on the cultural value of the Redskins logo, insisting the Blackfeet tribal members who convinced the Redskins owners in 1972 to adopt the Chief Two Guns White Calf image were “proud to have an Indian on a big-time team.”
Daines went further, stating that in addition to the Wetzel family, “The Blackfeet Nation recently expressed their, and I quote, ‘wholehearted support’ for the logo and urge the NFL and the Commanders to restore it to a place of prominence.”
Hold Cultural Ground With Athletics
When reached at his Helena office Monday, Don Wetzel Jr., who works as a tribal liaison for the Montana Department of Commerce, remembered how the logo came about.
“My grandpa Blackie brought that image to the Redskins back in the early ’70s,” he said. “And I know that they honored us, our family and him they put up a memorial for what he did for them.”
A private ceremony was held for the Wetzel family Sept. 15, according to a statement from the team.
“Now a half-century later, (Wetzel’s) story and contributions are memorialized forever at the home of the Commanders,” explained Commanders management, which installed a bronze plaque that commemorates Wetzel creating the logo and confirms him as its originator. The memorial also incorporates photos of Blackie Wetzel and a pedestal with a bronze helmet that has Wetzel's Blackfeet warrior logo.
“I think what we were looking at is maybe keeping that logo alive, maybe even have an American Indian heritage game or something like that. But it's up to the Commanders,” Wetzel told Cowboy State Daily.
When it comes to restoring the Commanders logo or the Redskin name itself, “Everyone's got their own opinion,” said Wetzel, who does not favor bringing back the name Redskins.
“I think it evolved out. But the logo was something that was pretty prominent. You know, that's a strong warrior,” he said. “There's a lot of names and a lot of words that have gone away.”
Wetzel said people often undervalue the positive influence of sports teams and empowering logos with Native American imagery.
“Through sports and athletics, we've been able to hold the ground in our pride as people, while our culture heals,” he said. “And our culture is coming back, our languages are coming back. So, I think athletics has held that ground.”
Name Stigma Transfers to Logo
Daines spokesperson Rachel Dumke said the senator spent the last few years working to destigmatize the Redskins logo.
It was tied to the name Redskins, said Dumke, and Daines worked to promote the full story of who originally brought the side-view image of a Blackfeet chief to the Redskins ownership.
The logo and the Redskins name are totally separate, said Dumke.
“And I think that actually has been the battle the senator has been facing these last few years,” she said. “There’s nothing racist about showing this part of our history, the name Redskins is separate from that.”
Daines also has suggested perhaps pairing it with a new team name: The Washington Warriors, which would honor the fact that Native Amercians serve in the U.S. Armed Forces at a higher rate per capita than any other ethnic group.
Dumke concluded by saying, “What we hear from the team, the NFL and the family is all very positive.”
Yet outspoken critics of both the Redskins name and logo remain.
Suzan Shown Harjo, a prominent Native American activist, remains a vocal critic of the name, the imagery and the whole notion of turning American Indian imagery into mascots for sports teams.
