Blackhawks aid Chicago's Indians

Indian Country Today reports on the Chicago Blackhawks' efforts to aid Indians. Among other things, the Blackhawks are helping to restore the Eternal Indian statue and renovate the American Indian Center. They recently honored Indian veterans before a game.

The key point:

Chicago Blackhawks Developing Real Connections to American Indian CommunitiesMost teams that use American Indian names and logos—the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, University of Illinois Fighting Illini, have earned the criticism they get. They pay lip service to respecting American Indians but rarely do they actually do anything to show that respect, like change their names, or develop real ties with Indian Country.

This is not the case for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Named after team founder Frederic McLaughlin’s U.S. Army battalion in World War I (which called itself the Black Hawks in honor of American Indians), the team has taken real measures to form a relationship with the American Indian community in Illinois.Comment:  My previous posting on the statue said people call it "Black Hawk" but it's apparently nameless. Now this article calls it The Eternal Indian. Hmm.

Anyway, it's good to see one sports team with an Indian mascot to actually honor Indians. This demonstrates the hypocrisy of every other team that supposedly honors Indians.

For more on the Chicago Blackhawks, see "Chippewa Word" in Saturday Night Live and Blackhawks Mascot in The Dilemma.

Below:  "100-year old monolith The Eternal Indian." (Charles Osgood/Chicago Tribune)