Catawbas stereotype themselves

Indian Land High, Catawbas unite behind field's nickname

Tribe bucks trend to denounce references to American IndiansDecades of unofficial shared heritage between area Catawba Indians and high school sports becomes an official common bond Friday night under the lights of a football field, when tribal leaders plan to formally accept an invitation from the Indian Land High School "Warriors" to nickname the school's gridiron field "The Reservation."

But the merger of school and tribe comes with the dual-edged barb of controversy over Indian mascots for sports teams with the potential for divisiveness among Catawbas who might dislike the term "Indian Land" and the mascot "Warrior."

At least the school asked the Catawbas' leaders what they thought first: John Mace with the school's booster club approached Catawba Indian Chief Donald Rodgers with the offer two months ago.

"If he didn't want to do it, we wouldn't have gone any further," Mace said. "We wanted it to be an honor."Comment:  Now that we know the Catawbas are "warriors," I guess we can't expect to see any Catawban peacemakers or storytellers--not to mention Catawban doctors or lawyers.

But if the Catawbas want to stereotype themselves as warriors who live on "The Reservation," that's their right. If they think of themselves as one-dimensional caricatures, who are we to disagree?