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The hashtag stories on Twitter reflect the conflict between dominant perspectives and indigenous points of view on the widespread practice of cultural appropriation in U.S. sports. While the hashtags this project featured are not exclusively used to critically discuss cultural appropriation, it is clear from analysis that Twitter provides a platform for indigenous perspectives of cultural appropriation in U.S. sports. While some take to Twitter to perpetuate systemic racism, Twitter also offers an opportunity to educate a wider audience on the reality of cultural appropriation and to recognize this form of systemic racism in popular culture and in our favorite sports teams.

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A documentary created by indigenous activists, Kenn and John Little, giving voice to the grievances experienced by Indigenous peoples in the U.S. regarding use of the term Redsk*n in U.S. sports.

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"More Than a Word makes crystal clear that the fight against Indian mascots is a central part of the wider struggle of Indigenous people for political, educational, and socio-economic justice today. From the Washington football team to Standing Rock, this important documentary shows that Indigenous activism and artistry are alive and well, and getting stronger by the day."

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More Than A Word | Just another WordPress site

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"In its final act, More Than a Word winds up - for my money - in one of the most important places we can find, and that's to say: what's next for indigenous people? What would happen if they took control over their own representations?

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Not Your Mascot: Why do racist mascots still exist? | The Stream

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The hashtag #Mascot has a very wide variety of uses, heavily revolves around entertainment, and typically carries a light tone. However, given the current political climate, there are conversations on Twitter about mascots in the context of cultural appropriation. Twitter user @GrandmaKooky appears to be a white female high school student, and tweets about their realization that their "own school mascot" falls under the category of culturally appropriating native peoples. They acknowledged the fact they "hadn't even noticed" which means that they were aware of the concept of cultural appropriation but had not yet applied that knowledge. What should have been obvious was obscured because critical analysis is not encouraged in a hegemonic culture dictated by the dominant group. They acknowledged the reason they did not realize their "own" mascot was culturally appropriated was because racism was "normalized", which they said they "hate" introducing an emotional element to the discussion. This student also acknowledges that a primary role of cultural appropriation is its capability to be "capitalized on" and thus profitable, which motivates the dominant group.

An acquaintance replied that "the warrior chant is so not okay" demonstrating that in addition to team names and visual symbols, indigenous rituals are also culturally appropriated at games. They also reported feeling like "the only one that noticed" revealing the widespread ignorance regarding the inappropriate practice. The reply is in all caps as if to emphasize the seriousness of the topic. This thread documents an awakening of two students that captures the gradual change in public consciousness shifting from denial of systemic racism to openly challenging the common practice of cultural appropriation of indigenous peoples in sports. This social awareness along with subsequent conversations are part of the aftermath of social movements for racial justice such as Black Lives Matter, which also took flight through discourse on social media.

This thread documents an awakening of two students that captures the gradual change in public consciousness shifting from denial of systemic racism to openly challenging the common practice of cultural appropriation of indigenous peoples in sports. This social awareness along with subsequent conversations are part of the aftermath of social movements for racial justice such as Black Lives Matter, which also took flight through discourse on social media.

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The National Football League team in Washington recently retired its name the Redskins, which Native Americans have been pushing for because they consider it a harmful racial slur (Kilgore and Stubbs 2020). A high school football team in Pennsylvania also followed suit and retired their name, “Indians,” due to a group of student activists were inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the subsequent surge in support for racial equality (Everett 2020). However, the conversation on Twitter is currently contentious with many individuals disavowing the decision to change the name and delegitimizing the damage caused by cultural appropriation. The majority of tweets use the hashtag to discuss current sports events, ignoring the official change reflecting the normalization of this racist term. A local radio station in Southern California takes to Twitter to discuss the recent change. The station states the change was the result of "facing cultural appropriation backlash." The tweet does not mention that indigenous populations faced cultural appropriation, only that the dominant group faced “backlash.” Thus this tweet links the dominant group’s motivation to unwanted consequences while remaining silent on the actual harm done to indigenous populations.

While most Tweets are either critical or ambivalent to the name change and continue to normalize the racial slur, there are also Tweets chronicling positive reactions to the name change. Twitter user @george_howes demonstrates logos when he explicitly traces the change to "cultural appropriation." He illustrates ethos when he exclaims that he is "so happy" in response to the name change. He acknowledges the harm caused by cultural appropriation by stating that it "should never have been called that." George exemplifies insight into the widespread use of cultural appropriation "across America" and connects the name change to broader social change as evidenced by the term "making a difference.” George’s Tweet tells a story about a harmful past, progressing present, and hopeful future.

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Al Jazeera English. “Not Your Mascot: Why do racist mascots still exist?” YouTube, 5 Feb. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_6z5RAFF9A&feature=emb_logo

Camara, Lena. "A History of the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse." Iroquois Nationals, https://iroquoisnationals.org/the-iroquois/a-history-of-iroquois-nationals-lacrosse

Everett, Brad. “Shady Side drops Indian nickname. Will others follow?” Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 4 July 2020, https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/highschool/2020/07/04/shady-side-academy-indians-mascot-wpial-schools-dan-snyder-washington/stories/202007020134

@fivecrows. Twitter, 10 Nov. 2020, 10:14 a.m., twitter.com/fivecrows/status/1326181461704105984

@george_howes. Twitter, 26 July 2020, 7:36 p.m., https://twitter.com/george_howes/status/1286444986528038912

@GrandmaKooky. Twitter, 9 Nov. 2020, 8:39 a.m., https://twitter.com/GrandmaKooky/status/1325795176900595713

Hamilton, Matt. "A Conversation with Lyle Thompson." USLacrosse Magazine, 2 Nov 2020, https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/pro/mll/a-conversation-with-lyle-thompson

@KFIAM640. Twitter, 18 Sep. 2020 1:15 a.m., twitter.com/KFIAM640/status/1306824046395494401

Kilgore, Adam and Roman Stubbs. “To Native American groups, Redskins name is ‘worst offender.’ Now they hope for more changes.” Washington Post, 9 July 2020.

Lalonde, Dianne. “Does cultural appropriation cause harm.” Politics, Groups, and Identities (2019): 1-18.

More Than a Word. Kenneth Little and John Little, 2017, http://morethanawordfilm.com

Siems, Mathias. "The Law and Ethics of ‘Cultural Appropriation’." International Journal of Law in Context 15.4 (2019): 408-23.

@urbannavajo. Twitter, 10 Nov. 2020, 2:24 a.m., twitter.com/urbannavajo/status/1326063253496029184

@USLacrossemag. Twitter, 2 Nov. 2020, 9:00 p.m., twitter.com/USLacrosseMag/status/1323444790319550466

Williams, Dana. “But It's Honoring! It's Tradition!": The Persistence of Racialized Indian Mascots and Confederate Culture in Sports.” Getting Real About Race: Conversations About Race and Ethnicity in the Post-Obama Era, Second Edition (2017): 118-132.

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Cultural Appropriation is actively discussed on Twitter and is a topic of contention, confusion, questions, and answers. The overarching theme appears to be a collective struggle to both communicate and/or comprehend the concept of cultural appropriation and why it is harmful. James Courage Singer goes by @urbannavajo and is a sociology professor and an advocate for Indigenous populations and chimes in on the current conversation. Singer's tweet begins with "Cultural appropriation is when..." which reads like a matter of fact statement aimed at educating his audience. He provides a succinct definition of cultural appropriation describing its dynamic of racial dominance, which suggests his audience need to be educated on racial power disparities. He follows the brief definition with an example of the cultural appropriation of Native culture in sports. His tweet is blunt and clearly stated, pointing to his goal of providing much needed clarification in the Twitter sphere of what cultural appropriation is and how it manifests in our society.

While some take to Twitter to discredit the idea of cultural appropriation and deny its harm, others use this hashtag to ask questions and seek clarity on the topic. An individual with the handle @fivecrows responds to Singer asking his opinion on whether or not his local university was practicing cultural appropriation. The phrases "partners with the tribe", "permission", "agreement", and "a relationship of respect" highlight an aspect of part of the harm caused by cultural appropriation lies in the lack of genuine native representation. Indigenous populations did not give their consent to white populations to use their likeness in sports while simultaneously neglecting to incorporate indigenous players. Another problematic aspect of cultural appropriation is that it stereotypes diverse cultures by lumping sovereign nations together thus misrepresenting them as a single group. This explains why @fivecrows seeks to understand if it is still considered cultural appropriation if the team uses a "non-generic mascot that is place-based" and recognizes the possibility that "any form" could be "harmful" and admits they could be "naive."

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While searching the hashtag #culturalappropriation on Twitter, the conversation predominantly circled around popular fashion in clothing, hair styles, makeup, etc. Tweeters debated over whether or not different pop stars were crossing the line into racist territory. Although not as common, the hashtag was utilized by BIPOC to call out instances of cultural appropriation they consider racist and harmful. In some instances, the hashtag facilitated educational experiences. For example, when I narrowed the search results to #culturalappropriation and #sports, I discovered several tweets about how the game of Lacrosse is an example of cultural appropriation. Originally known as stick ball (later renamed by the French because the sticks resembled a cross), the game of lacrosse was invented by Native Americans around the 12th century (Camara). Lacrosse was culturally appropriated by white Europeans as they settled on indigenous territory (Camara). Many teams used the likeness of Native Americans to represent their teams (Thompson).

The mainstream magazine, US Lacrosse, Tweeted an article featuring an interview with Lyle Thompson, who plays for the Iroquois Nationals. This Tweet provided a platform for Indigenous perspective and expression regarding the cultural appropriation of their game. Thompson shares how he was raised playing the game, and his father helped him craft his own stick from scratch. He emphasizes the spiritual connection to the earth and how his relationship to the game causes him to grow and brings fulfillment. He contrasts his experience with the dominant culture that focuses on competition, player stats and status, and making a profit. Thompson explains that despite being part of the culture where the game originated, his team still fights to be recognized as legitimate. He decries that they were not invited to The World Games in Alabama, which he points out is original native territory. Thompson’s goal is to achieve genuine recognition as an Iroquois team and to bring the original spirit of the game back into mainstream culture.

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Academic Research on Cultural Appropriation

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Academic Research on Cultural Appropriation

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Cultural appropriation has been thoroughly researched by scholars such as Dana Williams, professor of sociology at California State University, Chico, who discusses the debate around the widespread use of Native American symbolism in U.S. sports (2017). Williams cuts to the core beliefs informing the two opposing camps arguing that the symbols are interpreted differently according to social status (120). He points out that the use of indigenous symbols evokes a sense of pride for white populations who are reminded of their dominant racial status, whereas indigenous populations have expressed harm and oppose the practice (122). Erich Hatala Matthes denounces the use of cultural appropriation as a form of social solidarity for dominant populations and instead advocates viewing it from the perspective of the subjugated through the lens of oppression (2018).

Williams states that the symbols cannot be disconnected from their historical context of genocide, exploitation, and land appropriation that positioned white populations as powerful establishing themselves as the dominant race (125). Dianne Lalonde agrees with Williams arguing that cultural appropriation can only be accurately understood in a socio-economic and political context of racial inequities (2019). Similarly, Mathias Siems states that the ethical problem of cultural appropriation is rooted in power imbalance (2019). While some argue that the symbols are honoring the history of Native Americans, Williams points out that Native Americans have not consented to this practice and are largely in opposition to its continuance. Therefore, the problem of racial inequity remains relevant and crucial to the discussion around cultural appropriation of indigenous populations in U.S. sports.

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The most recent wave of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020 brought racial justice to the forefront of the American consciousness including the topic of cultural appropriation. National sports teams with names, mascots, rituals, and other symbols referencing indigenous populations has long been a controversial discussion and is resurfacing with the fresh momentum of the movement for racial justice. The flourishing national conversation has rapidly expanded to include newspaper and magazine articles, documentaries, and social media where individuals tweet and debate what exactly cultural appropriation is and what are its effects. This project features several hashtags analyzing the conversation on Twitter about cultural appropriation, specifically focusing on indigenous representation in sports. While some claim that referencing indigenous culture in sports is akin to honoring their heritage, indigenous populations and academic scholarship both denounce the practice as racist and harmful. This project seeks to explore the competing voices and varying perspectives of current conversations about the cultural appropriation of indigenous culture in sports in the United States.