illini4everjp
November 11th, 2005, 10:09 AM
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/SPORTS/511060511
Q: Illinois professor Stephen Kaufman, an activist on the Native American mascot issue, criticized the appeals process because it emphasizes the position of local "namesake" tribes. His point is that those names and images are still being broadcast nationally. Is the NCAA being inconsistent? A: This is a hard one. You have to keep in mind that we're dealing with federally recognized tribes that have legal sovereignty. I may not feel comfortable with the way some school represents Native Americans in their community. But it's not my decision. I have to defer to those whose names and images are being used. . . . I don't feel, as a non-Native American, as an outsider I can override the very clear, unambiguous desire of these tribes.
Q: Illinois professor Stephen Kaufman, an activist on the Native American mascot issue, criticized the appeals process because it emphasizes the position of local "namesake" tribes. His point is that those names and images are still being broadcast nationally. Is the NCAA being inconsistent? A: This is a hard one. You have to keep in mind that we're dealing with federally recognized tribes that have legal sovereignty. I may not feel comfortable with the way some school represents Native Americans in their community. But it's not my decision. I have to defer to those whose names and images are being used. . . . I don't feel, as a non-Native American, as an outsider I can override the very clear, unambiguous desire of these tribes.