Cultural sensitivities aside it seems like a school with the initials EMU has an obvious choice of a mascot that wonât ruffle any feathers.
In cases with multiple possible explanations, the power is on you to choose. Pick the less controversial version. It pisses off the racists more than an open fight.
::headdesk::
But the squawking over the campus PA every top of the hour will actually get more screechy with that. (Srsly, they do this and it can be heard for a least a mile off campus. Do. Not. Want.)
Apart from the occasional âalways a Huronâ bumper sticker, I wasnât aware of lingering controversy with having done away with the old racist mascot. Bringing it back, even on a hush-hush, not-so-sekretsqwirl basis is facepalm worthy at best.
The band uniforms in question
http://archive.freep.com/article/20120908/NEWS06/309080075/EMU-band-revives-Hurons-logo-that-school-dropped-20-years-ago
Is this appropriate? It is ok to hide a little tribute to our racist past inside a jacket, so we can remember it warmly next to our hearts? I find it offensive theyâve brought it back and hidden it like that, appears they knew it was wrong and âsecret.â
I thought they replaced the Indian with Little Black Sambo. Was that a different school?
This article lacks context, and only presents one point of view. EMUâs former trademark was the Hurons. Like many things in the Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Michigan area, was named after the great Huron Tribe.
There is a Huron River Drive, Huron Ambulance Company, Huron high school, Huron River, Huron Street, and the list goes on. This is because the area where EMU has its campus was the home of the Hurons. These names play tribute to the tribe who some people might otherwise forget existed. Nobody is claiming other uses of this name is inappropriate.
There is some quotes from Native Americans in this article, but none from the Hurons themselves. This is understandable because the Huron tribe was highly unhappy about the former university president years ago removing the Hurons as the University trademark.
The community, including the Hurons, were very opposed to the move by the University. The community had no say in the replacement trademark.
The move also cost the Unversity millions of dollars because many proud Huron alumni refuse to give any money to the school because of its unilateral actions in removing the Huron trademark.
So we are to believe the University playing tribute to a former trademark supported by the Hurons themselves is racist?
Some people really are warping the meaning of racist. The Universityâs trademark was not the Redskins.
Not really surprising. The noisiest of the âactivistsâ rarely ask for the opinion of the ones who the affair is actually aboutâŚ
Thatâs supposed to be a Huron? It looks more like a falling potato wearing sunglasses.
Since the linked article didnât provide a picture:
Itâs no Chief Wahoo but it doesnât need to be a caricature to be an issue â even the most respectfully-intended use of a people as sports mascots can be problematic. If what @Terrin writes is true, it sounds like a case of concerned busybodies, but who knows.
India Indian, not American Indian. Thus the presence of tigers in the plot.
Interesting. I havenât read it since I was five for some reason, but I assumed he was African.
So the actual tribe depicted in the logo were in favor of using itâŚbut some outraged white people donât like it. So who gets to control the Huron name? The Huron? Donât be sillyâŚobviously the white college kids.
What exactly is racist about this Mascot?
The perception by the self-appointed white knights of culture wars?
Have there been any opinions on this mascot from actual Hurons (or their successors)?
Not on this thread to my knowledge, but it seems that they were fine with the logo and supported its use, because it was a respectful and nonstereotyped portrayal. But were ignored and it was removed because Racism!
As far as Iâm concerned the whole issue is ridiculous. Central Michigan University uses the Chippwa (spelling?) Tribe as its Trademark. No issue there. The tribe supports that use. Central Muchifan is in the same conference as Eastern.
The real controversy is a group of people other than the tribe itself being offended over the use. The use of the Hurons was with the ok of the tribe and was very respectful. The tribe often times participated in university events sharing some of its culture.
When I see the Huron name I often times find myself reflecting about the civilization that existed in my area before the current one. Insisting on the Huron name not being used in my view hurt the Huron Tribe.
