November 11, 2009

Raiders honor Indians

Raiders Celebrate Native American HeritageThe Oakland Raiders will pay tribute to Native American Heritage Month this Sunday when the Silver and Black take on the Kansas City Chiefs at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The celebration includes a KTNN radio broadcast in the Navajo language, an on-field ceremony to honor Navajo Code Talker and Former Leader of the Navajo Nation Peter MacDonald and a performance by the Native American dance group--Native Boogie and Beats.

“We salute the Navajo Nation and the Navajo Code Talkers and we are proud to broadcast Raider games in Navajo for the fifth consecutive season,” said Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask. “We are committed to reaching our global fan base in a variety of languages and through a variety of multimedia options. Broadcasting our games in Navajo allows us to do this and also presents another opportunity to preserve the Navajo language and to salute the Navajo Code Talkers.”
Comment:  Wow...a football team that actually honors Indians. Not with a phony mascot but with real honors--e.g., awards, ceremonies, and outreach efforts.

Obviously the Raiders don't have an Indian name, logo, or mascot. But they're showing how teams that dare to use mascots should honor Indians.

For another reaction to the Raiders vs. Chiefs game, see Native American Insensitivity:  An American Tradition.

4 comments:

Kat said...

Chapeau!

gaZelbe said...

That being said, the game at which the Raiders chose to honor our Indian people was a game against the KC Chiefs. A misstep on their part certainly, but I'm hoping that that was just a careless oversight.

The dance group that will be performing, Native Boogie and Beats, will perform with an anti-mascot message in coordination with the American Indian Movement who will be leafleting outside the venue with information about sports mascots.

The Raiders are to be praised for this effort, in direct contrast to the KC Chiefs against whom they will play.

Go Raiders!

dmarks said...

How bad are the Chiefs at this time, really, with the arrowhead in the logo? Do they go beyond that now?

Anything nearly as bad as this Chiefs logo, apparently now not used for a long time? (I just ran across this one, and it looks so strongly ridiculous that it ranks with the bad ones Rob commonly illustrated mascot/logo stories with).

m. said...

YAY, OAKLAND RAIDERS AND BAY AREA INDIAN COMMUNITY!!!!

'Eh', Peter MacDonald.