Filmmaker screens attack on Tribe's Chief WahooThe filmmaker said that until his wife mentioned it to him a few years ago, he had not been concerned with the issues concerning the Cleveland Indians mascot. "I never really thought about Chief Wahoo," Atkins said. "But it took me about five seconds of looking at it to realize (the protesters) were right."
Atkins said Chief Wahoo, the team's logo, presents the American Indian as subhuman. The image, a red-skinned, cartoon-like figure with an oversized smile and a red feather in his hair, has been despised by the Native-American culture for decades.
"American Indians are angry," Atkins said. "They really feel it's institutional racism, and it's why nobody cares about them."For more on the subject, see
Little Black Sambo and Chief Wahoo.
It's the title and illustrations more than the story that offend people.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Little Black Sambo:
http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/sambo.htm
The controversy about Little Black Sambo:
http://childrensbooks.about.com/b/a/056538.htm