I attended a high school whose mascot was a Native American warrior. I came from a college where the mascot was a dog, so the transition to a human mascot felt strange. Later, I learned in high school history classes that Native Americans were repressed peoples. When sporting institutions and groups were formed, powerful mascots were adopted. Mascots were preferably fearless and dangerous creatures. Due to growing problems with Native Americans during the 1800s and reservation issues in the 1900s, attention would be drawn to Native Americans. This attention led to adoption, which then led to a group of people representing another group of people. This degradation of symbolism is the opposite of personification for an oppressed people. Interpretations then flowed according to misunderstandings and dishonor. Disregard for the consequences of the insult was evident among both non-Native Americans and Native Americans. For groups of people who have taken action, efforts have been made to eliminate the dishonor of Native Americans as a mascot. Therefore, I would like to address the discussion of the causes and effects of the Native American mascot – with an emphasis on the interpretation of Native Americans and everyday people – followed by past and current solutions. Three questions now burn in our heads: when, where and why. Before Native Americans became slurs for sports teams, such names were used. According to Crowe, "the term 'redskin'...first recorded in the late 17th century, did not refer to the natural color of a tribe's skin through the use of face and body paint . Later, the term distinguished between Indians of India and the Americas and became a label assigned...... middle of paper...... considered demeaning, they produce incorrect expectations towards Native Americans from ordinary people and natives. The Americans themselves. The solution would be to counteract these crimes of disgrace by removing the mascots and apologizing to Native Americans. Since most of the population is not Native American, we should respect Native American culture. Just as there is no such thing as a “cartel” business school, we should not accept a Redskins football team. Works Cited Crowe, Melissa. “Downside: Derogatory mascots harm Native American identity.” Victoria Advocate (TX) October 21, 2013: Viewpoints Reference Center. Internet. November 15, 2013. Rhodan, Maya. "Native Americans attack Redskins in press conference." Time.Com (2013): 1. Commercial source completed. Internet. November 15, 2013. Worsnop, Richard L. “Native Americans.” CQ Researcher May 8, 1992: 385-408. Internet. November 14. 2013.